à la

Or a la

[ah lah, ah luh, a la]

preposition

1. according to; in the manner of.

   a short poem à la Ogden Nash.

2. Cooking.

   1. prepared in the manner of, to the taste of, or by.

      chicken à la provençale.

   2. prepared with the ingredient of.

à la

/ a la, ɑː lɑː, æ lə /

preposition

1. in the manner or style of

2. as prepared in (a particular place) or by or for (a particular person)

Word History and Origins

Origin of à la¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from French: short for à la mode de “in the style of”; à “at, in, to,” from Latin ad ad- ( def. ); la, feminine of le “the,” from Latin ille “that” ( alligator ( def. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of à la¹

C17: from French, short for à la mode de in the style of

Idioms and Phrases

Like, in the manner of, as in He hoped to break all records, à la Babe Ruth. This expression, an abbreviation of the French à la mode de (for “in the manner of”), has been used in English since the late 1500s.

Example Sentences

Y recrear la desesperación que les llevó a la tierra prometida el otoño pasado, mientras intentan convertirse en los primeros campeones repetidores de la MLB en 25 años.

From Los Angeles Times

La identidad preferida de los Dodgers para el equipo de este año parece ser la opuesta a la que funcionó el pasado octubre.

From Los Angeles Times

In August, Mexican authorities handed over Servando Gómez Martinez, a La Familia leader called “La Tuta,” to face drug trafficking charges in New York.

From Los Angeles Times

This is why it’s rare to see women eating a full meal on screen without being fat-shamed à la Monica from “Friends,” depicted as picky eaters like Sally in “When Harry Met Sally” or villainized as cannibals and murders as horror tropes so often do.

From Salon

He recovers from that brush with death by slapping bandages on his face and sunglasses over his black eye to downplay the damage, a la Jack Nicholson’s Jake in “Chinatown.”

From Salon

Related Words

• according to 
• in accord with www.thesaurus.com
• in accordance with www.thesaurus.com
• in the manner of www.thesaurus.com