Daily Editorial

When the perfect thing to say is right on the tip of your tongue, you can say you're searching for the mot juste. The mot juste is the exact right word for the occasion.

Definitions of mot juste

Many people come up with the mot juste when it's far too late to use it, but every once in a while you'll find it just when you need it. Writers tend to care more than the average person about using the mot juste — in fact a French writer, Gustave Flaubert, coined the phrase, which means ‘exact word’ or ‘right word’ in French, and defined it as his own guiding principle as a writer.

Question

Max Greenspan, a 13-year-old wild-card speller from Scottsdale, Arizona, was given ‘________,’ an on-the-nose French phrase meaning ‘the exact, appropriate word.’

a. mot juste
b. pas de deux
c. bonhomie
d. carte blanche
Right Answer:- a. mot juste