Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ROI SOLEIL
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pronounce
ROI SOLEIL:
Say it "RWAH sah LAY."
(Or, if you prefer, "RWAH sah lay.")
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
The term we're checking out today literally means "sun king."
So, let's recall some other kingly terms:
1. Use the name of a legendary king of Phrygia to create a two-word term meaning "a difficult, complex problem or situation."
2. Use the name of a king from Greek myth to create a four-syllable adjective meaning "full of pointless, endless hard work."
3. Pair the word "king" with another one-syllable noun to create a word meaning "the act of cleverly, skillfully keeping power and control over a large group of people."
(To reveal a word, give the link a click.)
definition:
Here's the Sun King entrance to the Palace of Versailles:
(Thanks for the picture, TripAdvisor!)
As you can see, the sun makes a good symbol of strength and glory, and a good nickname for a king.
"The Sun King," or in French, "le Roi Soleil," was the nickname of Louis XIV of France, who reigned for an extremely long time: 72 years and 110 days.
So, if you call someone the roi soleil of something, you mean they're the king of it: not just a king, but the most glorious, most long-reigning king of it.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "he was the roi soleil of that empire," "he's still country music's roi soleil."
Other forms:
Although I recommend sticking with lowercase letters, no hyphen, and italics, you'll sometimes see it written other ways: capitalized (Roi Soleil), hyphenated (roi-soleil), or not italicized (roi soleil).
how to use it:
Even though this term appears in English dictionaries, it's extremely rare, so it still sounds foreign--compared to, say, "avant-garde" or "déjà vu."
But even for your listeners who speak no French, I bet they'll easily figure out what it means: roi looks like "Roy" and "royal," and we all know soleil from Cirque du Soleil, right?
So, use "roi soleil" when you need a very formal or very fancy term, for being either serious or silly. For extra sarcasm, use "le" instead of "the." "He thinks he's le roi soleil of this school."
Refer to someone or something as "some place's roi soleil," or "something's roi soleil," or "the roi soleil of something else." "Michael Jackson was the roi soleil of pop music." "Coke is still the roi soleil of soft drinks."
Lastly, because the roi bit means "king," this term usually describes men, or things that seem masculine.
examples:
"Amenhotep III spent the royal revenue right royally on magnificent buildings, sculpture and statuary, and on beautiful things of every kind; he was the Roi Soleil of all craftsmen, designers and artists."
— Michael Dean, The Mummy, 2008
"These performers have room to mature, but their recent concerts and recordings...suggest that the venerable harpsichord, which [Wanda] Landowska called 'the roi-soleil of instruments,' will have a long future."
— Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 14 May 2019
has this page helped you understand "roi soleil"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "roi soleil" without saying "the reigning king" or "the grand mac daddy."
try it out:
The Guardian referred to a certain newspaper publisher, Cecil Harmsworth King, as "the roi soleil of Long Acre" (that is, of a street in London full of publishing houses).
Talk about what this description means. Sure, it plays off King's last name, but what does it suggest about the publisher himself, and about his industry?
Be serious or sarcastic as you create your own version of the label: 'Someone, the roi soleil of _____."
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: You're excited to head to an educators' conference, expecting a variety of interactive seminars and panels. The worst thing to do to a room of students--or any group of humans--as well you know, is to make them sit silently for a long time while one person stands at the front, talking and writing on the chalkboard. So you're astounded, and dismayed, to find the educators' conference is ___________ with _____-and-____. (In the first blank, use a word with three syllables. In the second blank, use a hyphenated three-syllable term with "and" in the middle. Clue: use this word.)
Answer: chockablock with chalk-and-talk.
Try this one today: As you've toured France, England, and Germany by bus, your vacation has blurred into one continual cycle of sightseeing; you feel as though you're ending each day in the exact same place where you started--both literally and metaphorically. Your vacation has become a ______ ____ ___ _________. (Four words. The first word has two syllables. The second and third words have one syllable each. And the fourth word has four syllables. Clue: use this word.)
review this word:
1. A near opposite of ROI SOLEIL is
A. PAPER TIGER.
B. RED HERRING.
C. FORCE MAJEURE.
2. According to George Birdwood, the English once stamped Indian coins with a roi soleil, symbolizing _____.
A. peace
B. power
C. plenty
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.
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.
The term we're checking out today literally means "sun king." Here's the Sun King entrance to the Palace of Versailles:
(Thanks for the picture, TripAdvisor!)
Part of speech:
Even though this term appears in English dictionaries, it's extremely rare, so it still sounds foreign--compared to, say, "avant-garde" or "déjà vu."
"Amenhotep III spent the royal revenue right royally on magnificent buildings, sculpture and statuary, and on beautiful things of every kind; he was the Roi Soleil of all craftsmen, designers and artists."
Explain the meaning of "roi soleil" without saying "the reigning king" or "the grand mac daddy."
The Guardian referred to a certain newspaper publisher, Cecil Harmsworth King, as "the roi soleil of Long Acre" (that is, of a street in London full of publishing houses).
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 ROI SOLEIL is
|