Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MONSTRE SACRÉ
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pronounce
MONSTRE SACRÉ:
Say it "MON struh sac RAY."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
In Latin, monere means "to warn;" monstrare means "to show, to reveal, to point out;" and monstrum means "an omen, a wonder."
I bring all those up because they help explain why the ho-hum words demonstrate, demonstrative, admonish, and remonstrate (could you define those three?) look so much like the fanciful words monster, monstrous, and monstre sacré.
And, when we notice that monstrum means both "an omen, maybe a bad one" and "a wonder," it becomes clear why monstre sacré isn't really an oxymoron. That is, it's not really a monster but rather a wonder: a famous curiosity, a beloved oddball, a notable weirdo.
definition:
Like you'd guess, "monstre sacré" is French for "sacred monster."
But it's better understood as "famous weirdo" or "celebrity who's quite a character."
In other words, a monstre sacré is a famous person with a weird, unique personality.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: It's a noun, the countable kind: "she's become a monstre sacré."
Other forms: The plural, though you probably won't need it, is "monstres sacrés."
how to use it:
Like most of the rare foreign terms we focus on, the term "monstre sacré" is pretty easy to understand, even for people seeing it for the first time.
At the same time, though, you don't want your listeners to interpret this phrase too literally, as Philip Gooden notes in his book Faux Pas?: A No-Nonsense Guide to Words and Phrases from Other Languages. That is, a monstre sacré is less monster and more wonder, less sacred and more renowned.
Still, feel free to label any bizarre celebrity a monstre sacré, emphasizing how the public forgives--or even appreciates--that celebrity's utter weirdness. And when you do, you probably want to use italics and include the little mark over the last "e."
Though any type of famous person can earn this label, when we call someone a monstre sacré, it's usually an artist or entertainer of some sort: Norman Mailer, Salvador Dali, Lady Gaga, etc.
examples:
"[Simone] Signoret... obtained enough international distinctions (Oscar, British Academy, Silver Lion awards, etc.) to consecrate her as a star, and her strong persona was so much a sum of all its part that she could not help but be a monstre sacré."
— Susan Hayward, Simone Signoret: The Star as Cultural Sign, 2004
"Half saint, half satyr, wholly monstre sacré, the face [of Bertrand Russell] looks out upon us from the photographs, properly suggesting ambiguity and paradox."
— Dora Russell, The Times, 30 October 1975
has this page helped you understand "monstre sacré"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "monstre sacré" without saying "eccentric celebrity" or "kooky superstar."
try it out:
In AnOther Magazine, Kate Little wrote:
"The artist and his eccentricities is a notorious coupling. It could even be said that peculiar habits are an essential element to the creative pursuit –by breaking with societal norms, the artist realises their own autonomy, and as such is able to make art that is utterly unique."
Talk about whether you agree or disagree. Is weirdness essential to creativity, or to the kind of creativity that gains fame? Is that why we have so many monstres sacrés? Can you list some artists or entertainers who are sacré but not monstre, or vice versa?
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Rhyming Puzzles!
I give you a description of something, and you name it in a rhyming phrase. For example, if I say, "This is an ideal environment for a large tree-dwelling lizard--one in which this creature is perfectly happy and peaceful," then you say, "That's iguana nirvana."
The answers will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. If you'd like to see the clue, click or mouse-over the link. I'll share each answer the following day. Enjoy!
From the previous issue:
In the dining room, your forks come to life and express their abundant joy with a skillful, harmonious song, plucking their own tines as if they were string instruments performing in practiced unity. This whole happy hallucination is a ____ _______ _____________. (Three words. The first word has one syllable. The second word has three syllables. And the last word has four syllables. Clue: use a form of this word.)
Answer: fork elation orchestration.
Try this last one today:
You adore those drawing toys from the 1960's, the ones in a little red frame, with the two knobs for drawing squiggles and lines across the gray screen. You love these so much that you've become a collector--and you'll do anything to get your hands on them. Anything.
You're a _____-__-_____-___ ____ _ ______ ___.
(Three terms. The first term is a word with four syllables and three hyphens. The second term has three words, all one syllable each. And the last term is a word with one syllable. Clue: use this word.)
review this word:
1. A near opposite of MONSTRE SACRÉ is
A. NEWCOMER.
B. SACRED COW.
C. RANK-AND-FILER.
2. Monstre sacré that he was, Elton John arrived at the party _____.
A. an hour and a half late
B. in a towering silver wig with a 12" ship in it
C. having barely dragged himself out of a drunken stupor
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
In Latin, monere means "to warn;" monstrare means "to show, to reveal, to point out;" and monstrum means "an omen, a wonder." Like you'd guess, "monstre sacré" is French for "sacred monster."
Part of speech: It's a noun, the countable kind: "she's become a monstre sacré."
Like most of the rare foreign terms we focus on, the term "monstre sacré" is pretty easy to understand, even for people seeing it for the first time.
"[Simone] Signoret... obtained enough international distinctions (Oscar, British Academy, Silver Lion awards, etc.) to consecrate her as a star, and her strong persona was so much a sum of all its part that she could not help but be a monstre sacré."
Explain the meaning of "monstre sacré" without saying "eccentric celebrity" or "kooky superstar."
In AnOther Magazine, Kate Little wrote:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of MONSTRE SACRÉ is
|