Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MÉTIER

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connect today's word to others: Consider that thing you're good at. You're really good at it, so, everyone knows it's your thing. It might be math, chemistry, playing the piano, negotiating at the car dealership, designing beautiful table linens, buying low and selling high, or making people laugh when they're in a dark mood. It's your métier. Whatever your métier is, you've developed a specific sap___ce for it: that is, you understand it deeply and intuitively. And as a result, you've developed a great deal of acu__n for it: that is, you make smart, quick choices and judgments as you're working on it.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MÉTIER" This word is French for "trade" or "profession." Your métier is your job or field that suits you very well, or a specific very good skill of yours. Pronunciation: Several ways are accepted. I recommend "MET yay." 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." Likewise, talk about one métier or, rarely, multiple métiers.) Other forms: Just the plural, "métiers," but we hardly ever use it. How to use it: This word is a bit fancy, but the context usually helps people understand what it means. Talk about some skill (or some sphere or field) being someone's métier or someone's true métier: "Parody is his métier." "Law has always been her true métier."  Or, say that something is not someone's métier: "Party planning will never be my métier." "She admitted that public speaking was not her métier." You can also talk about inspiring your métier, finding or discovering your métier, adopting a new métier, honing or developing your métier, etc. Notice that someone's métier can be a very broad field or topic (e.g., law, sports, medicine, the humanities, neuropsychology) or a very specific subskill (e.g., sinking baskets from midcourt, noticing subtle intertextual links in literature, preparing excellent neuropsychological reports). And of course, you can be sarcastic: "Semi-edible food served with a grunt is their métier." Here's Jerome K. Jerome: "Let elderly saints suffer—it was their métier—and youth drink the cup of life." examples: She's found her true métier in wedding planning and photography. He's an excellent researcher, but working directly with patients is not his métier; they find him cold and awkward. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "métier" means when you can explain it without saying "forte" or "calling." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(At a particular time), I confirmed _____ as my true métier." Example: "In 2014 when I finally had time to sit and write, I confirmed vocabulary as my true métier." (Or: "I wonder if _____ or _____ will be my true métier." Example: "I wonder if medicine or athletics will be my true métier.")   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. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. A near opposite of MÉTIER is A. WINDFALL. B. SHORTCOMING. C. MISSED CONNECTION. 2. Let's just say, ____ isn't his métier. A. factual accuracy B. his gauche coworker C. the diner with the sticky menus 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. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A