L'enfant terrible
Encyclopedia
L'enfant terrible (also spelled enfant terrible) is a French
term for a child who is terrifyingly candid by saying embarrassing things to adults, especially parents.
The Oxford English Dictionary
, 2nd edn., gives the definition: "A child who embarrasses his elders by untimely remarks; transf. a person who compromises his associates or his party by unorthodox or ill-considered speech or behaviour; loosely, one who acts unconventionally."
The Webster's Dictionary
also defines an enfant terrible as an unusual person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, and/or avant-garde
.
Its use was coined by Thomas Jefferson
to describe Pierre Charles L'Enfant
, Architect of Washington, who was a handsome, idealistic, and very headstrong French military engineer
. L'Enfant had difficulties dealing with the map engravers and then-Secretary of State
Thomas Jefferson
, and Washington City
Commissioner Daniel Carroll
especially after L'Enfant had Carroll's new house, still under construction, torn down to build a street. L'Enfant was fired after eleven months by Jefferson, an upstart in his own right.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
term for a child who is terrifyingly candid by saying embarrassing things to adults, especially parents.
The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, 2nd edn., gives the definition: "A child who embarrasses his elders by untimely remarks; transf. a person who compromises his associates or his party by unorthodox or ill-considered speech or behaviour; loosely, one who acts unconventionally."
The Webster's Dictionary
Webster's Dictionary
Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A...
also defines an enfant terrible as an unusual person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, and/or avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
.
Origin of term
Its use was coined by Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
to describe Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was a French-born American architect and civil engineer best known for designing the layout of the streets of Washington, D.C..-Early life:...
, Architect of Washington, who was a handsome, idealistic, and very headstrong French military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
. L'Enfant had difficulties dealing with the map engravers and then-Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, and Washington City
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Commissioner Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll was a politician and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a prominent member of one of the United States' great colonial Catholic families, whose members included his younger brother Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States and...
especially after L'Enfant had Carroll's new house, still under construction, torn down to build a street. L'Enfant was fired after eleven months by Jefferson, an upstart in his own right.