Make a faux pas
Meaning
To commit an embarrassing social blunder or an inappropriate action in a social setting.
Origin
The phrase "faux pas" slips directly from the gilded salons of 18th-century France, where the art of social graces was as intricate and demanding as a courtly dance. Literally translating to "false step," its original meaning alluded to an actual misstep on the dance floor, a minor stumble that could disrupt the elegant flow of a minuet or gavotte. But in an era where strict etiquette governed every whispered conversation and every polite gesture, the term quickly leaped from the dance floor to encompass any social blunder. A misspoken word, a clumsy gesture, or a breach of decorum became a "faux pas"—a misstep in the complex choreography of polite society that could send ripples of embarrassment through the most refined gatherings, and the English language, ever keen for a word that perfectly captured an awkward moment, adopted it wholesale.
Examples
- She made a faux pas when she accidentally called her new boss by her predecessor's name during the big meeting.
- He realized he had made a faux pas by asking about her recently divorced husband.