Superior Person's Tuesday!

Crime Passionel phrase (From the French.) A crime motivated by the passions – such as the murder of a treacherous lover. As with other foreign or classical terms (see pinus radiata), the Superior Person always uses the original pronunciation – in this case, for example, "crime" is pronounced as "cream". At the average dinner party, there is always at last one guest who is not familiar with the phrase and can be persuaded, while the hostess is out of the room, that crime passionel is in fact the name of the passionfruit cream dessert that has just been served. This can lead to some entertaining after-dinner conversation.

Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett, and Mr. Green at dessert.

Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Crime Passionel appears in the Second.