Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ECLAT
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A spotlight, and a drum roll: you've debuted your latest creation with eclat, with a grand flash of brilliance. You've inspired and dazzled everyone.
Congratulations!
Before you float off into a golden cloud of light and fame and stardust, see if you can recall these other exuberant terms with French origins:
1. Something à la ___e is "in the fashion:" trendy, or fashionable.
2. A j___d'es___t is a "play of spirit:" a witty comment, or any witty creation.
3. Je_________quoi is "I know not what:" an aspect so lovely or enticing that it defies definition.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"ECLAT"
From a French word meaning "a flash of brilliance," eclat is sensational public success, the kind that reminds you of a dazzling flash of light.
Pronunciation:
ay CLAH
(rhymes with "hey, Ma")
Part of speech:
Noun, the uncountable kind: "he carried it off with eclat," "they received it with great eclat."
Other forms:
None are in common use.
How to use it:
This word is flashy and grand, like the public sensations it often describes, so choose it only for the right occasions, like you would with a tuxedo or a mini skirt.
Some writers still include the acute accent over the first letter: éclat. That mark is becoming less common; I leave it off now.
Talk about people doing things with eclat, usually entering, debuting, displaying, or performing something publicly. You might talk about musicians performing with eclat, speakers delivering their talks with eclat, audiences greeting performers with eclat, consumers welcoming new products and services with eclat, groups of people celebrating marriages or holidays with eclat, etc.
Although you can also talk more generally about something or someone that adds eclat, gains eclat, loses eclat, lends eclat and so on, you're then in danger of losing the full meaning of the word, of allowing "eclat" to weaken into panache, elan, or vim--and so maybe one of those is the better choice to express your idea.
examples:
"The players brought off rapid pianissimo passages with eclat, but in general they need to widen their range of sound."
— Robert Battey, The Washington Post, 21 February 2017
"The great value of these discoveries [for protecting against viruses] can hardly be overestimated, yet it is to be feared that the eclat of their reception has led to a far too general adoption of the methods."
— William Pepper, A System of Practical Medicine, Volume 1, 1885
has this page helped you understand "eclat"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "eclat" without saying "grand success" or "thunderous applause."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some group of people) celebrated (some occasion) with eclat."
Example: "In Los Angeles, stars and friends celebrated Elton John's 70th birthday with eclat."
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.
Our game this month is Distinctive Definitions.
We're taking a scenic slog through poetic and philosophical definitions, wading through similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperboles, grandiloquence, and cheesiness.
In each issue, consider a definition provided by a poet, a writer, or a philosopher, and see if you can name the definiendum: the thing or concept being defined. (Is it life, love, time, death, music, sleep, pain, laughter, bubblegum, stubbing your toe…???) For example, James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) said, "What men call ________ and the Gods call dross." He’s defining something—what is it? "Treasure."
Now, you can play this game in earnest, trying to think of what the poet actually wrote--or you can play it for laughs, supplying the silliest or most sarcastic answer you can muster.
To take the silliness to the next level, gather your friends or family, deal each person a hand of cards from your copy of Apples to Apples (great for kids) or Cards Against Humanity (not for kids!!), and enjoy the ensuing hilarity. (In these games, players take turns being the judge for each round, picking the funniest from everyone’s submissions.) "What men call stretch limos and the Gods call dross." "What men call Morgan Freeman's voice and the Gods call dross."
From the previous issue:
David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) said, "_____ is billiards with balls that won't hold still. It is chess on the run. It is to artillery and airstrikes what football is to infantry and attrition."
Answer: Tennis.
Try this last one today:
Proverbs 25:11 says, "A _____ is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."
review this word:
1. The opposite of ECLAT is
A. QUIET RESERVE.
B. OFFENSIVE REMARK.
C. LACKLUSTER RECEPTION.
2. Though it arrived with eclat, it no longer _____, this _____.
A. shocks anyone .. ugly fact
B. surprises anyone .. ancient joke
C. dazzles anyone .. run-down theme park
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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.
A spotlight, and a drum roll: you've debuted your latest creation with eclat, with a grand flash of brilliance. You've inspired and dazzled everyone.
"ECLAT" From a French word meaning "a flash of brilliance," eclat is sensational public success, the kind that reminds you of a dazzling flash of light.
"The players brought off rapid pianissimo passages with eclat, but in general they need to widen their range of sound."
Explain the meaning of "eclat" without saying "grand success" or "thunderous applause."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some group of people) celebrated (some occasion) with eclat."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of ECLAT is
|