le mot juste 

"the right word" in French. Coined by 19th-century novelist Gustave Flaubert, who often spent weeks looking for the right word to use.

Flaubert spent his life agonizing over "le mot juste." Now Madame Bovary is available in 20 different crappy english translations, so now it doesn't really make a damn bit of difference.

le mot juste by namealreadyusedbysomeoneelse July 21, 2009

le mot juste 

a French (read: pretentious) expression meaning "the right wording/phrasing"

often used by snotty intellectuals like Frasier Crane from the TV show Frasier

"Oh anyway, as I was saying, it was horr--well, actually, "horrible" isn't quite le mot juste--more like calamitous! Disastrous! Deplorable! EXECRABLE!"
"Oh brother."

le mot juste by sssshhhnake September 28, 2005

le mot juste 

A fancy word for just the right word someone is lucking for. The last t in mot and the last e in juste is not pronounced (since it is a french word (french pronunciation rules))

Example 1

Person A: At first I did not like Alex he seemed a bit unsympathetic, well not unsympatheic but not that talkative and a bit reserved, you know what I mean.

Person B: You mean introverted

Person A: precisely le mot juste

Example 2 (From Frasier Season 5 Episode 8)

Frasier: Wait! Wait, my God, it's really for the sake of our future

relationships. I mean, it just, I know that you're afraid to

hurt my feelings but I can stand a little constructive

criticism. Now, come on, please, what do you think are my

main faults?

Daphne: Well, if I had to choose, I'd say you are a bit of a fuss

budget.

Frasier: Fuss budget! Well, listen, if you don't mind the

substitution, I think maybe "demanding" is more the mot

juste.

le mot juste by Earl of Warwick October 27, 2017