20090401每日一词一句一题

junli

contretemps

\KAHN-truh-tahn\, noun;
plural contretemps \-tahnz\:
An inopportune or embarrassing situation or event; a hitch.
1. 【法】意外的不幸;窘困之事

Mrs. Post was the center of a notable contretemps when she spilled a spoonful of berries at a dinner of the Gourmet Society here in 1938.
~"Emily Post Is Dead Here at 86; Writer was Arbiter of Etiquette", New York Times, September 27, 1960

He looked worried, distressed, more distressed than one should look in the face of a slight contretemps.
~Anita Brookner, Undue Influence

Nathan was a fiercely ambitious and competitive man, as quick to take offenceas to give it in his business dealings, and it is not difficult to imagine him responding impetuously to such a contretemps.
~Niall Ferguson, The House of Rothschild

Contretemps comes from French, from contre, "against" (from Latin contra) + temps, "time" (from Latin tempus).



Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.
                                                                               ~Mother Teresa

爱是季节的果实，在任何时间，任何地方都会结果。
                                                            ——德兰修女




What object has keys that open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but not go in?
Answer：

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[ 本帖最后由 junli 于 2009-4-5 16:08 编辑 ]