French loan words
adroit skillful, clever
armoire a type of cabinet; wardrobe.
Belle Époque a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I.
bric-à-brac small ornamental objects, less valuable than antiques; a collection of old furniture, china, plate and curiosities.
chaise longue a long chair for reclining
entrée literally "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English).
garçon literally "boy" or "male servant"; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male waiter (has a playful connotation in English but is condescending in French)
Grand Prix a type of motor racing, literally "Great Prize"
Mardi gras Fat Tuesday, the last day of eating meat before Lent. Note that there isn't a capital to gras.
trompe-l'œil photograph-like realism in painting; literally "trick the eye" http://sophiesdesk.co.uk/A2_Lang/language_change/loan_words/french.html

While ads touting the Cellino & Barnes law firm are hardly a television oddity, one new spot made a Buffalo, NY lawmaker's eyes bulge. Majority Leader Richard A. Fontana was stunned to see the publicity-savvy lawyers using Common Council Chambers as a backdrop to showcase their "experience and courtroom success." The spot, which includes the firm's catchy jingle, was filmed on a Saturday in June. Red-faced city officials said they didn't realize a respected local filmmaker who is finishing an upcoming movie on Buffalo also was producing a commercial for the law firm. The city previously turned down "multiple requests" from other law firms to film commercials in City Hall, mayoral spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said. The city doesn't permit commercials to be filmed in the building. Fontana wants the law firm to pull the commercial.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/buffalo/article508929.ece

Lowering the Bar: Legal humor. Seriously. is a blog written by Kevin Underhill, a partner in the San Francisco office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon See at: http://www.loweringthebar.net/

A new theory suggests the Earth once had a small second moon that perished in a slow motion collision with its "big sister". Researchers suggest the collision may explain the mysterious mountains on the far side of our Moon. The scientists say the relatively slow speed of the crash was crucial in adding material to the rarely-seen lunar hemisphere. Details have been published in the journal Nature : http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.456.html
The researchers involved hope that data from two US space agency (Nasa) lunar missions will substantiate or challenge their theory within the next year. For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why the near side of the Moon - the one visible from Earth - is flat and cratered while the rarely-seen far side is heavily cratered and has mountain ranges higher than 3,000m. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14391929

Scientists in Alaska have discovered the most complete leftovers of rare dinosaur fossil ever found in North American excavation history. The fossil, almost in its entirety, is that of a thalattosaur, a prehistoric marine reptile which went extinct 200 million years ago in the Triassic Period. t was found on a beach in Anchorage back in June by scientists from the Museum of the North and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The most astonishing detail of the discovery: Nearly the entire skeleton was present. "In North America, this may be the most articulated specimen that we have right now," said Jim Baichtal, U.S. Forest Service's Tongass geologist, who was part of the discovery team. Geologists were conducting field surveys during extreme low tide at Tongass National Forest when stumbling upon the fossil, according to Baichtal, that the team thought was a fish. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/188898/20110728/dinosaur-fossil-found-alaska-thalattosaur.htm

A mosaic mural depicting Apollo and the Muses was found in an archaeological site under the “Terme di Traiano” in downtown Rome July 29, 2011. The mosaic was unveiled by the Department of Cultural Affairs after it was discovered as restoration works are undertaken at Domus Aurea, a large landscaped villa built in ancient Rome “This is a very important discovery. The mosaic is in perfect condition and it can be dated exactly to between 64 and 109 AD,” Umberto Broccoli, head of the culture department of the Rome city council, told reporters on a visit. http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/30/rome-archaeologists-find-apollo-mosaic.html

Back in 1860, marriage was a civil right and a legal contract, available only to free people. Male slaves had no paternal rights and female slaves were recognized as mothers only to the extent that their status doomed their children’s fate to servitude in perpetuity. To be sure, most slaves did all that they could to protect, sustain and nurture their loved ones. Freedom and the love of family are the most abiding themes that dominate the hundreds of published narratives written by former slaves. Though slaves could not marry legally, they were allowed to do so by custom with the permission of their owners — and most did. But the wedding vows they recited promised not “until death do us part,” but “until distance” — or, as one black minister bluntly put it, “the white man” — “do us part.” And couples were not entitled to live under the same roof, as each spouse could have a different owner, miles apart. All slaves dealt with the threat of forcible separation; untold numbers experienced it first-hand. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/opinion/putting-an-antebellum-myth-about-slave-families-to-rest.html