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bete noire

 - 4 dictionary results

bête noire

  [beyt nwahr; Fr. bet nwar]
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–noun, plural bêtes noires  [beyt nwahrz; Fr. bet nwar] .
a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.
Origin:
1835–45; < F: lit., black beast
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bête noire   (bět nwär')   
n.  One that is particularly disliked or that is to be avoided: "Tax shelters had long been the bête noire of reformers" (Irwin Ross).

[French : bête, beast + noire, black.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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Word Origin & History

bête noire 
"an insufferable person," 1844, from Fr., lit. "the black beast."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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