When Louis XIV was the king of France, dance was so important in royal courts that if somebody made a false step (French faux pas) in any of many dances, he could be expelled. This French expression is now used for embarrassing mistakes in social situation, in the context of standard customs, etiquette rules or bad clothing. Everybody commits faux pas, but usually the easiest to notice are those of celebrities.
Alexis Sanchez, a star of the Barcelona football team, appeared at presentation in a white T-shirt, which is the colour of the rival team Real Madrid. While a woman was handing a gift to Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elisabeth II, during his visit to Kenya, he asked: “Are you a woman or a man?”
Surprisingly, a thing considered a faux pas in one culture can be considered a good manner in the other. In China, you shouldn’t give anybody a watch as a gift, since it is thought to be a countdown to death. “To give a watch” in Chinese language means “to go to a funeral”.
How should a person behave when he or a person near him makes a faux pas? In this situation, it is revealed who the person really is. One can react or ignore the mistake. One can make a person ashamed in public or discreetly explain the mistake. One can have a grudge against somebody or turn the faux pas into a joke, making it funny but not offending. Father Robert Nęcek gave once an example of the latter reaction.
“One of cardinals of the Archdiocese of Kraków visited a parish and one of the representatives greeted him “Most Handsome Cardinal” instead of “Most Reverend Cardinal”. The cardinal looked at himself and said calmly and joyfully: <<Well, I think she’s right>>.
Karolina Pluta
Kosultacja językowa: Ryszard Piękoś
Dictionary/słownik:
faux pas – gafa, niezręczna sytuacja
have a grudge against sb – mieć pretensje do kogoś
to make ashamed – zawstydzać kogoś
offend - obrażać
parish – parafia
representative – przedstawiciel
reverend – przewielebny
latter – tu: ostatni
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