Bête noire

Bête noire

The term bête noire (IPAEng|ˌbeɪtˈnwɑr or [IPA|bɛt nwaʀ] ; French for "dark beast") is used to refer to an object or abstract idea that causes fear or has the potential to cause large harm. The phrase is used in several pop culture terms:

* "Bête Noire", an album by British singer Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records in November 1987
* Bête Noire, a song by The Gutter Twins
* Bête noire (cake), a rich flourless chocolate cake
* "Bête Noire", an episode from the television series NCIS
* Bete Noire, the city in which the comic book series "Fallen Angel" takes place
* Bête Noire (comic), a comic anthology
* La Bête Noire (comics), a comic book
* Bête Noire, the kitten in the comic strip Gordo by Gus Arriola


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • bête noire — [ˌbet ˈnwa: US ˈnwa:r] n [singular] [Date: 1800 1900; : French; Origin: black beast ] sb s bête noire the person or thing that someone dislikes most …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • bete noire — insufferable person, 1844, from Fr. bête noire personal aversion, as an adjective, stupid, foolish; lit. the black beast …   Etymology dictionary

  • bête noire — ► NOUN (pl. bêtes noires pronunc. same) (one s bête noire) ▪ a person or thing that one particularly dislikes. ORIGIN French, black beast …   English terms dictionary

  • Bete noire — B[^e]te noire [Fr., lit. black beast.] Something especially hated or dreaded; a bugbear. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bête noire — (franz., spr. bät nŭār , »schwarzes Tier«), Gegenstand des Abscheus oder starker Abneigung …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bête noire — ● Bête noire personne, chose pour laquelle il éprouve une antipathie irrésistible …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • bête noire — *abomination, bugbear, anathema …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • bête noire — is always written with the final e. The plural is bêtes noires, with both s s silent …   Modern English usage

  • bête noire — [n] trouble adversary, anathema, antagonist, bad news*, bane, curse, devil, enemy, pet hate, plague; concepts 532,674,675,690,728 …   New thesaurus

  • bête noire — [bāt΄ nwär′; ] Fr [ bet nwȧr′] n. pl. bêtes noires [bāt΄nwärz′; ] Fr [ bet nwȧr′] [Fr, lit., black beast] a person or thing that is disliked or feared, and therefore avoided …   English World dictionary

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