What is a faux pas??????

Answer 1

The translation from french is "a mistake". In the english language the term is usually used with fashion. So "a fashion faux pas" would be "a fashion mistake" or something "unfashionable".

Answer 2

"Faux pas" can literally be translated from the French to mean "false step". It could be a social mistake, like bad taste in clothes, also known as a "fashion faux pas". It could also be meant to be a mistake in general.

Answer 3

A faux pas, (IPA /ˌfoʊˈpɑː/, plural: faux pas /ˌfoʊˈpɑː(z)/) (French for false step) is a violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rules. Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another. For example, in English-speaking Western countries it is usually considered a nice gesture to bring a bottle of wine when coming to someone's house for dinner. In France, however, this is considered insulting as it suggests the hosts are unable to provide their own good wine. However, bringing flowers to the hostess is rarely a faux pas, although one sometimes needs to be careful what kind of flowers to bring.

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Origin of term
The term comes from French and literally means "false step". However, it is a formal rather than everyday expression in French and does not generally have the figurative meaning used in English. It is occasionally employed to describe a physical loss of balance or general mistakes (for instance: mes faux pas dans la vie, the mistakes I made in my life). If one uses faux pas with the English meaning in France, people might think it was a slight grammatical mistake with faut pas, the colloquial pronunciation of il ne faut pas, meaning must not in English. For faux pas with the English meaning, the French would usually say gaffe or erreur.

Answer 4

(French for false step) is a violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rules. Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another. For example, in English-speaking Western countries it is usually considered a nice gesture to bring a bottle of wine when coming to someone's house for dinner. In France, however, this is considered insulting as it suggests the hosts are unable to provide their own good wine. However, bringing flowers to the hostess is rarely a faux pas, although one sometimes needs to be careful what kind of flowers to bring.

Answer 5

a social taboo, usually embarrassing

farting at a tea party is a good example.


ps hey henson, i like a faux pas finish!! be ignorant and be proud!! faux means false, so you have a faux finish, but never a faux pas finish. lol!

Answer 6

faux pa usually means fake like a faux pa wood finish would be a fake wood finish

Answer 7

It's a mistake, a goof.

In fashion terms, it's wearing something that is completely wrong - either out of style or way, way too fashion forward. (Bjork's swan dress at the Oscars that one year would be a good example of that.)

Answer 8

It's when you say or do something you should not have done. Such as congratulating a woman on her pregnancy when in fact she's not really pregnant but rather just heavy. Or wearing a white dress at a someone's wedding.

Answer 9

literally, a "false step". It refers to a social mistake...usually embarrasing, but not terribly serious, like using the wrong fork at a fancy dinner.

Answer 10

It's a French expression and means that you have broken some social rule.