contretemps

hitch, setback

noun kon-truh-TAHN Rare

Usage Note

contretemps is invariable — the plural is also contretemps (no change). In everyday speech it refers to an inconvenient delay or mishap: un léger contretemps ('a slight hitch'). In music it has a technical meaning: a syncopated note played on the off-beat, which is also the origin of the English borrowing 'contretemps'.

Examples

"Un contretemps a retardé notre départ."

Natural Translation

A setback delayed our departure.

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