tête-à-tête
/ˌtɛtaˈtɛt
/ /ˌteɪtɑːˈteɪt /noun (plural tête-à-têtes pronunc. same)
1A private conversation between two people: it so happened that their tête-à-tête was in earshot...
- Then after their little tête-à-tête on her lawn, he felt as though he might be in love with her.
- She smiled intimately as though we'd settled in front of the fire for a tête-à-tête.
- If 222 is perfect for romantic tête-à-têtes and intimate celebrations, it's because sometimes elegant food and perfect presentation just aren't enough.
Synonyms
conversation, chat, cosy chat, talk, heart-to-heart, one-on-one, one-to-one;
discussion, dialogue, duologue, consultation, colloquy, parley, powwow
informal confab, jaw, chit-chat, chinwag, gossip
British informal natter
North American informal rap
Australian informal convo
formal confabulation
2An S-shaped sofa on which two people can sit face to face.A mid-nineteenth-century French form, the tête-à-tête, also known as a confident, was well-suited to the parlor as its two chairs facing in opposite directions and joined at the sides allowed for discreet conversation....
- The graceful, sinuous shape of this tête-à-tête illustrates the importance of lamination and epitomizes the Rococo Revival style.
adjective & adverb
Involving or happening between two people in private: [as adjective]: a tête-à-tête meal [as adverb]: his business was conducted tête-à-tête...
- It is important to meet tête-à-tête to understand what kind of people they are and to feel how they see cooperation.
Synonyms
privately, in private;
face to face, heart-to-heart;
secretly, in secret, confidentially;
French à deux
Origin
Late 17th century: French, literally 'head-to-head'.