Word
Faux pas
An embarrassing mistake in conduct or speech that breaks an unwritten social rule
Examples
Calling a new acquaintance by the wrong title was an awkward faux pas.
At the state dinner, joking about a recent defeat became a diplomatic faux pas.
Origin
French for “false step.” English has used the phrase since at least 1676 for a breach of manners or tact. English kept the French spelling and pronunciation, and the plural is also faux pas.
How it connects
The word names the false step that breaks an unwritten rule of conduct.
This word appeared in When manners become foreign policy, the Involves connection for August 12, 2026, which asked: How can a disputed gesture derail an entire negotiation?
Check yourself
What makes a mistake a faux pas?
It is an embarrassing breach of an unwritten social rule of conduct or speech.. Right. The damage is social: the misstep breaks a rule of manners or tact that everyone else was expected to know.
What the sources establish
Faux pas is a borrowing of the French for “false step,” used in English since at least 1676 for a breach of manners or tact.
Sources
Faux pas (Merriam-Webster), Definition, etymology, and first known use