mauvais pas

British

/ ˈməʊvɛ ˈpɑː /

noun

mountaineering a place that presents a particular difficulty on a climb or walk

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mauvais pas

C19: from French: bad step

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.

"Follow me," he said, and leaving the stream ascended the path, a veritable mauvais pas.

From The House of Walderne A Tale of the Cloister and the Forest in the Days of the Barons' Wars by Crake, A. D. (Augustine David)

This, if I may use the metaphor, is the mauvais pas in the ascent of Parnassus: and here Daniel broke down.

From Adventures in Criticism by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir

Nothing easier than to corduroy this mauvais pas.

From To The Gold Coast for Gold, Vol. II A Personal Narrative by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

There is no mauvais pas from thought to things.

From Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher by Jones, Henry, Sir

The whole road from Nice to Turin is admirable, presenting hardly a single mauvais pas.

From Itinerary of Provence and the Rhone Made During the Year 1819 by Hughes, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023