Synonym Game

bête noire

[beyt nwahr; Fr. bet nwar]

bête noire

[beyt nwahr; Fr. bet nwar]
noun, plural bêtes noires [beyt nwahrz; Fr. bet nwar] .
a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.

Origin:
1835–45; < French: literally, black beast
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Bête noire is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
bête noire (bɛt nwar)
 
n , pl bêtes noires
a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads
 
[literally: black beast]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
bête noire [(bet nwahr)]

Something or someone a person views with particular dislike: “The new candidate for governor is the bête noire of all the liberals in the state.” From French, meaning “black beast.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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