Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HORS DE COMBAT

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connect today's word to others: Obviously our phrase hors de combat has something to do with combat, but does it also have something to do with hors d'oeuvres? Not really, but let's explore the resemblance: hors d'oeuvre literally means "outside the work," or "out of the ordinary," as in, "food served separately from the ordinary courses of the meal." And hors de combat literally means "out of the fight." So, someone hors de combat won't be picking up a sword to do any brandishing or parrying, nor will he be picking up a lance to do any jousting. Could you give the literal and figurative meanings for all three of those combative words? make your point with... "HORS DE COMBAT" This term entered English through French and literally means "out of the fight." When you're hors de combat, that means you're injured from the fight, or you can't fight anymore, or more generally, you're no longer involved in the conflict or competition. Pronunciation: Either "or duh com BA" or "or duh con BA." Part of speech: Usually an adverb. Say "someone hors de combat," "someone is hors de combat," or "someone is put hors de combat." Other forms: none How to use it: It's fancy. It's Frenchy. It's always italicized. So if you decide to use this term, make sure your audience is ready for it. They're more likely to understand it if they see it written down, I'm guessing, because the "combat" part of hors de combat is easier to recognize in print. We use this term literally to talk about war, diplomacy, and international law: people hors de combat get special protections. More generally, we can talk about people hors de combat ("he's a soldier hors de combat"), about people being hors de combat ("he's hors de combat until the next season"), and about people getting put hors de combat ("that round put her hors de combat"). You can get figurative, too: you might refer to athletes, rivals, candidates, animals, tools, devices, or vehicles as hors de combat when they're no longer feisty, competitive, or functional. examples: After getting a concussion, a hockey player is hors de combat until all the symptoms are gone: no more nausea, headaches, balance problems, etc. Although the Italian senate tried to put Silvio Berlusconi hors de combat, barring him from holding public office for six years, somehow he's still campaigning. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "hors de combat" means when you can explain it without saying "out of the running" or "no longer in the fight." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Some injury, incident, scandal, etc.) put (someone or something) hors de combat." Example: "A mechanic who drained the oil but forgot to refill it put the whole car hors de combat." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is called "Quirky Keepers."  We’ll play with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) Our goal as we play is to squirrel the words away in our memories. So, in each issue, we’ll check out a word; in the following issue, I’ll give you a new example of that word, and you see if you can recall it. We’ll start with short words and work our way up to the six-, seven-, and eight-syllable doozies. See if you can recall the word from the previous issue: You can't chalk it up to coincidence anymore: your neighbor always stops by when you're outside grilling, and then he joins you for dinner. What's the word for people like him? (It's two syllables.) See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Today, let’s check out the word "cloffin." To cloffin is to relax next to a fire, doing nothing.  Remember, in the next issue I’ll give you an example of cloffinning, without mentioning the word—and you’ll try to recall it. That'll help you keep it in your memory. review today's word: 1. The opposite of HORS DE COMBAT is A. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR. B. ARMED TO THE TEETH. C. FIT FOR THE FIGHT. 2. It's a makeup brush hors de combat: _____. A. bristles clean and straight, standing at attention, ready for duty B. bent, broken, and honorably discharged into the garbage C. overpriced until you realize how beautifully it blends  Answers are below. 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. Answer to the game question: He's a smellfeast. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B