de trop (duh-TRŌ΄)

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     De trop means too much or too many.  If something (or someone) is de trop, he/she/it is unwelcome or in the way.

     Jessica and David had waited hours to be alone—couldn’t Ramona tell she was de trop?

     The New York Times used de trop in a 2008 review of 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of short stories compiled by Joe Hill.  (The term "neo-Lovecraft" refers to the style of H. P. Lovecraft, an American writer of horror and science fiction. )

     The problem with all these neo-Lovecraft jobs, though, is that even when they’re as impressively peculiar as Laird Barron’s, they feel secondhand, pointless, helplessly de trop.  (Italics are mine.)

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Two's company...three's de trop.

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de rigueur (duh'-ree-GRR')

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     If something is de rigueur, it is required by fashion, etiquette, or custom.  For example, it is de rigueur for a Supreme Court Justice to wear a black robe.  It is also de rigueur for members of a grunge band to have long, stringy hair.
     Interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield, speaking on the essentials for entertaining, uses the term in the January 2006 issue of Architectural Digest. He says:

     "And in my book, a good chef is de rigueur."

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     Make sure you spell de rigueur correctly.  The term occasionally pops up in print missing the first "u."

A good chef:  de rigueur if you can afford one.
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comme il faut (kuh΄-meal-FOE΄)

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     Comme il faut is French for "as it should be."  If something is comme il faut, it is proper and conforms to accepted standards.

     "The CFO told me Baker will be fired before next quarter.  It seems the auditors found that things were not comme il faut with his division."  

     A 2010 post on Newsweek's The Daily Beast (the dailybeast.com) used the term in a 2010 post entitled "The 10 Rules of Kissing Hello."

     "Do make sure there’s physical contact. Kissing thin air is not comme il faut, especially among Europeans.  “Air kisses look and feel disingenuous,” said Post.

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The beach house--which the travel agent had
described as "luxurious"--was not comme il faut.
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crème de la crème (KREM΄-duh-law-KREM΄)

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     Crème de la crème (literally, “cream of the cream,” in French,) corresponds to the English term “cream of the crop.”

     If something is the crème de la crème, it is the very best of its kind—the elite.  It is the opposite of the bottom of the barrel.

     Our daughter, Sophia, was just accepted to Juilliard.  The dean told us she is the crème de la crème of all the piano candidates he has ever seen.

     In a 2010 Wall Street Journal article, writer Catherine Bolgar describes the management skills necessary for coaches of the NFL, where the average team loses fifty percent of the time:

     “That very difficulty means those who succeed are truly the crème de la crème to an extent rarely found elsewhere. Football managers, especially, throw into sharp relief lessons for successful management anywhere.”

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All American football players dream of the NFL,
where the  crème de la crème  play the game.
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au courant (oh΄-coo-RAWN΄)

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     To be au courant, which means “in the current,” in French, is to be fully informed, up to date, and aware of recent developments in any given field. 

     Denise’s father was au courant in some things, like national politics and the NFL, but when it came to fashion, he was decades behind.

     Being au courant is the opposite of having one’s head in the sand. 

     In addition to being au courant in fashion, sports, and politics, one can be au courant in the latest decorating, automotive, and food trends.  A 1999 New York Times article on the resurgence of farro, a whole grain variety of wheat, was entitled, “An Ancient Grain, Now Au Courant.”

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     Try working au courant into your daily conversation thus:

     Sheila, you are always stuck in last season!  Why can’t you be au courant, like me?

Stella felt au courant with her red nails and low-rise jeans.
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chichi (SHEE΄-shee)

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     Chichi (sometimes spelled chi-chi) is generally not used as a compliment.  

     The term means pretentious, fussy, or frilly, and those who fit the definition are usually trying to be fashionable—they simply lack the natural style or grace necessary to pull it off.

     Whitney tried hard to be fashionable, but no matter how much lace or how many pearls she added to her dresses, they always turned out looking chichi. 

     Places and things can also be chichi.  For example, a French restaurant in Omaha, built in the form of a mini-Versailles, would likely be chichi.  Much of the architecture of Las Vegas is chichi—too big, too flashy, and too gaudy to be truly fashionable or in good taste.  
     At times, chichi is used as a synonym for “fashionable,” but beware—if someone calls you chichi, take a good hard look at yourself before taking it as an accolade.  
     Chichi is also used—infrequently--as a synonym for “luxury.”  A 2010 travel article in the Wall Street Journal was entitled “Chi-Chi Choo-Choos.”  It’s subtitle read, “All aboard! Three luxury train lines that pull out all the stops.”     

                                                   Read the article

The view was wonderful, but the hotel itself bordered on chichi.

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