amuse-gueule
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of amuse-gueule
1960–65; < French amuser to gratify, amuse + gueule mouth
Explanation
An amuse-gueule is a small taste of food that's meant to whet your appetite for a larger meal to follow. At a fancy restaurant, you might be served an amuse-gueule before the first course. The French amuse-gueule means "it entertains the mouth," and it refers to a bite-sized serving of food that's usually chosen by a chef rather than ordered off a menu. It has the same meaning as amuse-bouche, which is more commonly used by English speakers. If you say, "What a delicious amuse-gueule!" after you pop a truffled quail egg or tiny seared scallop in your mouth, you'll know you're using the more authentically French term.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No surprise, then, that someone should hit on the wheeze of making the menu a literal amuse-gueule as well.
From The Guardian • Sep. 28, 2012
As a literary artefact the menu is powerful indeed: a psychic amuse-gueule.
From The Guardian • Sep. 28, 2012
The amuse-gueule of such commentary came early Friday from Socialist legislator and unshakable DSK ally Jean-Marie Le Guen.
From Time • Jul. 1, 2011
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
