In honor of Quatorze Juillet--Bastille Day--here are a few thoughts about the French expression coup de grâce.
I had clicked over to Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks, one of the better food blogs out there, because Heidi's recipe for Salt-kissed Buttermilk Cake looked so tempting and her description, as always, was so persuasive. But I stopped short when I read this line in the recipe itself:
The coup de grace is a floppy dollop of sweet, freshly whipped cream on the side.
Now, I cooed over "floppy dollop," a charmingly evocative phrase. But "coup de grâce"? (Yes, it should have accent circonflexe.)
Here are several dictionary definitions of coup de grâce:
A death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature
A French term used in English to mean a finishing sword cut.
The dagger stroke given to mercifully end the suffering of a wounded duelist (originally used to execute a defeated knight in heavy plate armor)
A finishing stroke
(By the way, the correct pronunication is coo duh grahss. Do not omit the s sound at the end of grâce.)
I left a comment noting that I felt coup de grâce was an odd choice in this context. One later commenter leapt to Heidi's defense, citing that "finishing stroke" definition.
I disagree, although I agree that my original on-the-fly suggestion for a substitution--pièce de résistance--is just as inapt.
The problem with coup de grâce is that grâce reminds us of the everyday meaning of English "grace": "elegance," "attractiveness," "charm." But "grace" and grâce also have theological meanings of "mercy" and "thanksgiving" (which English retains in expressions like "by the grace of God" and "the grace before meals"). A coup de grâce relies on the latter meaning: it's a merciful end to suffering.
I think "grace note"--a small, decorative, unessential part of a larger piece--is closer to what Heidi may have intended; what it lacks in Frenchy finery it makes up for in accuracy, and the link with musical terminology creates a pleasing cross-sensory association.
Now, English speakers have been ringing all sorts of changes on French since the Norman invasion, and I'm sure there are those will take the descriptivist position: "If Heidi wants coup de grâce to mean delicious adornment, then I'll defend to the death her right to do so!"
But I think we need to be careful with our borrowings and redefinings. As I heard someone say on NPR the other day, "We're living in a global world"--or at least an increasingly connected one. Supoose you had a native French speaker at your table and proudly announced that whipped cream was your cake's coup de grâce. Your guest would have reason to push his dessert plate away with a murmured "Non, merci."
Finding le mot juste--like finding the perfect fleur de sel--can take a little additional time, but it's definitely worth the trouble.
P.S. I made Salt-kissed Buttermilk Cake over the weekend with fresh raspberries. Four stars. And one caveat: if you use kosher salt for the topping, halve the amount in the recipe. For the sodium-sensitive, a whole teaspoonful of kosher salt could indeed be a finishing stroke--and not a merciful one.
P.P.S. Speaking of faux pas, right after I finished writing this post I came across this sentence in a fashion blog: "And viola!" Mais non, not unless you're introducing a member of a string quartet. The word is voilà--French for "hey, presto!", more or less. It's pronounced vwah-LAH.
Oh, I've seen worse. I've seen bloggers spell it as "wallah!"
Ouch.
Posted by: Rebecca Nathenson | July 14, 2008 at 03:30 PM
I just love seeing coup de grace (I cannot circonflex here) spelled and pronounced "coup de gras." The finishing touch of fat?
Posted by: Jessica | July 14, 2008 at 07:06 PM
I will defend it but not necessarily on descriptivist grounds. (I can sing more than one tune you know.)
I've heard it used many times in just this context: the last bit of a delicious preparation that pushes it over the edge. I agree that it's very likely that the connotation of elegance gives it a boost. But I've always connected it to the motif of decadent/dangerously-delicious/so-good-it's-evil quality that leads to desserts like 'death by chocolate' and other perilous delights.
Posted by: Michael | July 14, 2008 at 10:59 PM
I don't speak much French, but wandering through my petit Larousse I found some signposts. It sounds to me like she just meant "finishing touch": that would be "finissage" in French, but hardly a common import. Though "coup" literally means "blow", its figurative usage is closest to "stroke", so I tried to find some "stroke of genius" usage; "coup de genié" n'exist pas, but there is "coup d'éclat", which I believe I have seen in (rare) English usage, and which has that meaning. There's also "pièce a eu du succés", which means "approbation du public", not quite right, but close too.
daveB
Posted by: daveblake | July 15, 2008 at 12:43 AM
oops, "coup de génie". I SAID I didn't speak much French....
Posted by: daveblake | July 15, 2008 at 12:45 AM
@Michael: Interesting! I hadn't considered the "death by chocolate" connection. However, I re-read the original reference and don't think the author intended anything quite so ... fatal. And yesterday I happened to see a French acquaintance; I asked her about the culinary "coup de grâce." She said, "Rien de rien!" Or words to that effect.
@Jessica: Yep, "coo day grah" is one of the more popular hyperforeignisms.
@Dave: A valiant effort, sir! Thanks for the detective work.
@Rebecca: I hear/see "wallah" a lot, too.
Posted by: Nancy Friedman | July 15, 2008 at 08:53 AM
On second thought, considering the amount of fat and calories in whipped cream, Heidi's use of coup de grâce was perhaps meant nutritionally as the straw that broke the camel's back. "And now, with this last delicious and irresistible bite, we die."
Posted by: daveblake | July 17, 2008 at 12:27 PM
@Dave: That was Wishydig's conclusion as well. Read his blog response to my post:
http://tinyurl.com/5nkdg5
Posted by: Nancy Friedman | July 17, 2008 at 12:41 PM