Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BEAU MONDE

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"BEAU MONDE" Meaning: French for "beautiful world," the beau monde is the world of high society. In other words, the beau monde is the fancy, luxurious realm of wealth, fashion, art, music, etc. Pronunciation: bo MOND Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like “bottle,” “piece,” and “decision,” are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about “a bottle,” “three pieces,” and “many decisions.” Talk about the beau monde, but we don't need a plural form, and it seems unusual to say "a beau monde.") Other forms: none How to use it: When you say "the beau monde," you sometimes mean the world of high society, and other times you mean all the people who are part of that world. So, you might talk about the language of the beau monde, the rules and conventions of the beau monde, the excesses and insularity of the beau monde, etc. You might be a part of the beau monde, or try to distance yourself from the beau monde, mingle with the beau monde, catch a glimpse of the beau monde, watch movies or read books or magazines about the beau monde, market your products to the beau monde, imitate the beau monde or roll your eyes at the beau monde or resent the beau monde, and so on. You can specify who or what you mean by saying "the beau monde of New York City," "the beau monde of summer," "the beau monde of the publishing industry," etc. Nothing's better than an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel or short story when you're in the mood to read about the excesses of the beau monde. Especially the one called "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz." It's ridiculously fun. There's always that group in every high school that considers itself the beau monde and puts way too much energy into orchestrating their outfits every day. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "beau monde" means when you can explain it without saying "high society" or "glitterati." Think of a luxury that you find silly or over-the-top, and fill in the blanks: "Maybe it's/they're embraced by the beau monde, but I think _____ is _____." Example: "Maybe it's embraced by the beau monde, but I think the refrigerated dog treats display at Target is hilarious." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing New Word Order! It's a card game that I recently created; it involves figuring out the order in which certain words and phrases entered our language. I'll give you several words and/or phrases, and you'll use your knowledge of history, slang, technology, popular culture, fashion, psychology, etc. to put them into chronological order. I'll post the right answer to each question on the following day. If you like this game, you can download and print it to play with your family and friends. (It's free.) Yesterday's terms:  Phenotyping, mini-mall, & 3G. Answer: 1, phenotyping (1952); 2, mini-mall (1967); & 3, 3G (1997.) Remember, you don't need to come up with the actual years--just try to get the words in the correct time order. Try these today: Plug-and-play, self-motivating, & line dance. A Point Well Made: J. M. Barrie: "God gave us memories that we might have roses in December." 1. The opposite of BEAU MONDE is A. the circus B. the shore C. the gutter 2. In Joss Whedon's movie Serenity, the crew visits a _____ on the appropriately named planet, Beaumonde. A. posh bar B. pristine cottage C. ghost town Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A Exploring the archives: Today we check out our third French phrase starting with "beau," meaning "beautiful." Could you recall the other two? This one means "a lovely but meaningless gesture," and this one means "an excellent, beautiful example of something."