DE

crème de la crème

Of a person or a thing, the very best of a similar group or type. Literally translated from French as "cream of the cream." This car is the crème de la crème of luxury vehicles. Janet is the crème de la crème of photographers.See also: crème, DE, la

get up the yard

An exclamation of disbelief, annoyance, disagreement, dismissal, etc., akin in meaning to "get out of here." An Irish expression seemingly unique to Dublin. Primarily heard in Ireland. Ah, here! Would you get up the yard! I'm not spending that much on a bleedin' computer.See also: get, up, yard

how-d'ye-do

1. An informal, colloquial greeting (a contraction of "how do you do?"). Well hey, Bob, how-d'ye-do? Been a long time since I've seen you around here!2. An unfortunate, unpleasant, or awkward situation or circumstance; a troublesome or difficult state of affairs. (Often phrased as "a fine how-d'ye-do.") Well that's a fine how-d'ye-do. I'm on the job for just two days and I find out that the company is going bankrupt!

l'esprit de l'escalier

A French phrase meaning "the wit of the staircase"; a perfect witty remark, retort, or rejoinder that occurs to one after the fact or too late to be used. (Also written as "l'esprit d'escalier.") I was on the bus home long after being tongue-lashed by my boss when I thought of the perfect things to say that would take him down a few pegs. Ah, l'esprit de l'escalier!See also: DE

coup de grâce

An action or event that brings a swift end to suffering or a worsening situation. The phrase is French for "blow of mercy." The samurai delivered a merciful coup de grâce to his mortally wounded enemy. The large class action lawsuit was the coup de grâce that caused the failing company to finally go out of business.See also: coup, DE, grace

tour de force

An exceptionally masterful performance or achievement, especially in the arts. The director's latest movie is a tour de force of filmmaking. The Olympic gymnast's final routine was a tour de force that earned her a gold medal.See also: DE, force, tour

defriend

To delete a friend from one's network on a social media site. I can't believe he defriended me just because I disagreed with an article he posted.

the pièce de résistance

1. The most outstanding, remarkable, or prized achievement, accomplishment, aspect, event, etc., in a given series or group. Mr. Reynolds has an impressive gallery, but I'm told that his latest sculpture will be the pièce de résistance.2. The principal or featured dish in a meal; the entreé. And now for the pièce de résistance: paupiettes of black sole, served with asparagus spears and a rich consommé.See also: DE, piece, resistance

de facto

A Latin phrase meaning "in fact" that is used to describe things that exist but are not formally or legally recognized. Megan may be the official head of the department, but Lisa is the de facto leader, as she is more involved in day-to-day tasks.See also: DE

de rigeur

Required in order to seem fashionable. Is it still de rigeur to wear a tuxedo to this event?See also: DE

de trop

Unnecessary or superfluous. This French phrase means "too much." Having both a castle and pony rides is de trop for a one-year-old's birthday party, don't you think?See also: DE

esprit de corps

The pride and loyalty that members of a group feel toward the group and its purpose. "Esprit" means "spirt" in French, while "corps" is French for "body" or "group." There's a very strong esprit de corps among the teachers at this school—they're very passionate about education and see each other as family.See also: DE, esprit

fin de siècle

Occurring at the end of a century, especially the 19th century (when traditional values were in a state of upheaval). This French phrase means "end of century." A work like The Importance of Being Earnest can help us to better understand fin de siècle sensibilities.See also: DE, fin

joie de vivre

Ebullient happiness and love of life. From French, literally meaning "joy of living." He isn't the most responsible person I've ever met, but his joie de vivre is positively infectious.See also: DE

droit de seigneur

In feudalism, a lord's right to have sexual intercourse with one of his serf's brides on their wedding night. This French phrase means the "right of the lord" in English. As the lord of the manor, I can exercise my droit de seigneur on her wedding night.See also: DE

tout de suite

Immediately; at once; as quickly as possibly. Often given the coarse pronunciation "toot sweet" or incorrect spelling "tout suite" in English. I suggest you pay the bill tout de suite, or the bank will start charging you interest. As soon as we heard the police sirens, we got out of there tout de suite.See also: DE, suite, tout

that's a fine how-de-do

1. Said of a particularly bad, unpleasant, unfortunate, or unfair issue, outcome, or situation. ("How-de-do" is a colloquial abbreviation of the phrase "how-do-you-do.") Well that's a fine how-de-do. I just got the car washed and waxed, and now it's covered in bird poop. They're canceling our project? That's a fine how-de-do after devoting nearly a year of our lives to it.2. Said of some rude or offensive remark someone makes to someone else. A: "This pasta sauce is way too salty!" B: "Well, that's a fine how-de-do—I invite you into my house for dinner, and you do is insult my cooking!" He just published a scathing report criticizing nearly every aspect of our company. That's a fine how-de-do from someone we spent 10 years mentoring.See also: fine

cream of the crop, the

The best or choicest of anything, as in The apples from this orchard are definitely the cream of the crop. The noun cream has been used to mean "the best" since the 16th century. The French equivalent of the present term, la crème de la crème ("the cream of the cream") was familiar in English by 1800. See also: cream, of

the ˌcrème de la ˈcrème

(from French, formal or humorous) the best people or things of their kind: This university takes only the crème de la crème of school leavers. ♢ Naturally, only the crème de la crème have been invited to the wedding.See also: crème, DE, la

ˌjoie de ˈvivre

(from French, written) a feeling of great happiness and enjoyment of life: After the depressing events of the last few months, Mina felt that it was time to put a little joie de vivre back into their lives.This French phrase means ‘joy of living’.See also: DE

your/the ˌpièce de réˈsistance

(from French) the most important or impressive part of a group or series of things: I hope you all enjoyed your main course. And now for my pièce de résistance: chocolate gateau!See also: DE, piece, resistance

a tour de ˈforce

(from French) an extremely skilful performance or achievement: a literary/cinematic tour de forceThis is a French phrase that means ‘an act of strength’.See also: DE, force, tour

coup de grâce

Finishing stroke. The phrase is French for “blow of mercy,” a death blow administered to end a wounded person’s suffering. It probably originated in dueling or other sword fighting and had been adopted into English by about 1700 and was already being used figuratively for the finishing stroke for any kind of enterprise. For example, “He carefully placed the figures of bride and groom on top of the cake, the coup de grâce for an artistic creation.” See also: coup, DE, grace

cream of the crop, the

The very best of all. Cream is, of course, the richest part of milk and rises to the top. It was transferred to mean the best of any collective entity by the seventeenth century. John Ray, for example, included “That’s the cream of the jest” in his collection of English proverbs (1678). The exact locution involving the best of the crop was no doubt adopted for its alliterative appeal. The French version, la crème de la crème, literally “the cream of the cream,” meaning the best of the best, was well known in English by 1800 or so and also is considered a cliché. It gained new impetus in Muriel Spark’s novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, first made into a play, then a motion picture (1969), in which the schoolteacher-heroine assures her students that they will, under her tutelage, become the crème de la crème.See also: cream, of

esprit de corps

A sense of unity, pride, or common purpose among the members of a group. The term came directly from French into English in the late eighteenth century and often was misspelled, as by Jane Austen in Mansfield Park (“I honour your esprit du [sic] corps”). It continued to be used because, as Sir Frank Adcock put it, it describes “that typically English characteristic for which there is no English name” (1930). An American equivalent from the sports world is team spirit. See also: DE, esprit

pièce de résistance

The most notable or most highly prized feature of a group or series; the star attraction. Originally, from the 1790s or so, this French term always referred to a meal’s greatest delicacy (an appropriate matter of concern to French palates). By the mid-nineteenth century the term had been transferred to other outstanding items, at least in English. Thackeray, in an essay (1840) about art, stated: “To supply the picture lover with the pièces de résistance of the feast.”See also: DE, piece, resistance

droit de seigneur

The supposed right of a nobleman to deflower the bride of any of his serfs on their wedding night. The phrase, which translates as “the lord's right” was also known as “the law / right of the first night.” Despite its widespread appearance in popular culture, reports of the “right” having been exercised are very rare. It was more a representation for or a warning about the power that a feudal lord could exert over his tenants. Mozart's opera, The Marriage of Figaro, involves Count Almaviva's efforts to exercise his right with Figaro's bride, Susanna. The phrase survives as a seldom-used metaphor for unlimited authority over another, such as a boss over an employee, notwithstanding the gender of either party.See also: DE

DE

Acronym	Definition
DE➣Germany (Deutschland; Internet top level domain)
DE➣Delaware (US postal abbreviation)
DE➣Desktop Environment
DE➣Deutsch (German)
DE➣Deutschland (German: Germany)
DE➣Dead End
DE➣Data Engineering
DE➣Dark Energy
DE➣Driver Education
DE➣Desert Eagle
DE➣Data Entry
DE➣Diesel Engine
DE➣Diesel-Electric
DE➣Director of Education
DE➣Digital Electronics
DE➣Derby (postcode, UK)
DE➣Development Engineer
DE➣Design Engineer
DE➣Data Element
DE➣Double Ended (metal halide lamps)
DE➣Deus Ex (game)
DE➣Defensive End (football)
DE➣Distance Education (course; various schools)
DE➣Destroyer Escort
DE➣Differential Equation(s)
DE➣Department of Education (US)
DE➣Digital Environment
DE➣Discrete Event (program specification)
DE➣Directed Energy
DE➣Double Edge (shaving)
DE➣Dale Earnhardt
DE➣Dark Elf
DE➣Diesel Exhaust
DE➣Detonation
DE➣This is / From (Amateur Radio logging abbreviation)
DE➣Drive End
DE➣Detection Efficiency
DE➣Digital Engineering
DE➣Density Evolution
DE➣Distinguished Engineer (various organizations)
DE➣Diplôme d'Etat (French: state diploma)
DE➣Dail Eireann (Irish National Parliament)
DE➣Donor Egg (infertility; refers to IVF)
DE➣Diatomaceous Earth (filter)
DE➣District Engineer
DE➣Dose Equivalent
DE➣Donee (IRB)
DE➣District Executive
DE➣Daily Egyptian (student newspaper; Carbondale, IL)
DE➣Directed Evolution
DE➣Dragon Empires (game)
DE➣Delayed Extraction
DE➣Design Estimate
DE➣Death Eater (Harry Potter)
DE➣Disenchant (gaming, World of Warcraft)
DE➣Delay Equalizer (US DoD)
DE➣Depth Electrode
DE➣Dark Eldar
DE➣Developer Evangelist (Microsoft)
DE➣Domain Engineering
DE➣Display Element
DE➣Data Exclusivity
DE➣Distinguished Editor (Institute of Professional Editors)
DE➣Digital Empire
DE➣Digital Encoder
DE➣Doctor of Engineering
DE➣Distant End (satellite communications)
DE➣Decentralized Execution (US DoD)
DE➣Dedicated Equipment
DE➣Defense Emergency
DE➣Delegated Examining
DE➣Distribution Engineering
DE➣Dry End
DE➣Debugging Extension (computing)
DE➣Destruction Efficiency
DE➣Data Encoder
DE➣Dictation Equipment
DE➣Device End
DE➣Defense Enterprise (GIG)
DE➣Divisional Engineer
DE➣Deep Etch
DE➣Discard Eligibility (ATM)
DE➣Darkness Eternal (website)
DE➣Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether
DE➣Dynamics Explorer
DE➣Development Ephemeris (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
DE➣degree of esterification
DE➣Designated Examiner
DE➣Development Estimate
DE➣Discipline Engineer
DE➣Digital Exploitation
DE➣Decision Element
DE➣Designated Engineer
DE➣Digital Enclosure
DE➣Display Entity
DE➣Individual Drift Error (US DoD)
DE➣Damage Expectancy
DE➣Doppler Extractor (US NASA)
DE➣Draconian Empire (gaming)
DE➣Dissemination Element
DE➣Condor Flugdienst GmbH, Germany (IATA airline code)
DE➣Divisions Exercise
DE➣Division/District Engineer (Army Corps of Engineers)
DE➣Disposable Excess
DE➣Drums Equivalent
DE➣Total Drift error
DE➣Deployment Echelon
DE➣Assault Personnel Destroyer
DE➣DCS/Engineering & Services

DE

de-

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d'

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de-

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D.E.

DE

crème de la crème

get up the yard

how-d'ye-do

l'esprit de l'escalier

coup de grâce

tour de force

defriend

the pièce de résistance

de facto

de rigeur

de trop

esprit de corps

fin de siècle

joie de vivre

droit de seigneur

tout de suite

that's a fine how-de-do

cream of the crop, the

the ˌcrème de la ˈcrème

ˌjoie de ˈvivre

your/the ˌpièce de réˈsistance

a tour de ˈforce

coup de grâce

cream of the crop, the

esprit de corps

pièce de résistance

droit de seigneur

de

de

Delaware State Information

List of Delaware counties:

Delaware Parks

de

DE

delayed extraction

Patient discussion about DE

De

DE

DE

DE

DE

DE

Synonyms for DE

noun a Mid-Atlantic state

Synonyms

Related Words