fatale


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femme fatale

A mysterious and attractive woman who puts men in dangerous or compromising situations. James Bond is always able to see through the evil plot of the femme fatale.
See also: fatale, femme

(be) a ˌfemme faˈtale

(from French) a beautiful woman that men find sexually attractive but who brings them trouble or unhappiness: The movie follows the relationship between sexy femme fatale Suzy and young lawyer Jim, which eventually leads to a murderous crime of passion.
The meaning of the French expression is ‘disastrous woman’.
See also: fatale, femme

femme fatale

An attractive woman who is, for one reason or another, dangerous. French for “fatal woman,” the term has been used in English since about 1900, and today it is often used more ironically than seriously. Michael Arlen used it in The Green Hat (1924): “So you heard about it from that femme fatale, did you?” Much more recently Richard Dyer used it in the sense of “very glamorous” in describing the singer who played the leading role in the opera Carmen: “She’s physically and vocally limber, and revels in her femme-fatale look” (Boston Globe, March 24, 2005).
See also: fatale, femme
References in periodicals archive ?
Louis Fatale says he has a roster of about 40 people who live across the country who can come in to perform as members of Mini Kiss.
A little night music Mini Kiss rolls into the Street Bar this Saturday night
Vik said each set of songs explores a different meditation on the concept of femme fatale.
Exploring a 'Fatale' attraction
The code ensured that the perceived villainy of the femme fatale was inevitably met with 'just' punishment.
Cherchez la femme: the evolution of the femme fatale
One of the reasons Femme Fatale Guns is enjoying success with men and women is their customer service.
Stores designed for women find sustained success
The widely accepted sociological explanation for the emergence of this spider-woman fatale figure in American noir of the 1940s and early 50s sees her as a product of the accession of women to positions of greater economic independence, even as ex-servicemen struggled to re-enter the family and the workforce.
Sex ratio, socio-sexuality, and the emergence of the femme fatale in classic French and American film noir
While I don't advocate femme fatale behaviour, you have to admit that these ladies have got style.
Ab fab yet feminine; The femme fatale look brings together decadence, luxury and a superb sense of style. Claire Hornby takes a look
Finally, every Femme Fatale needs a full length mirror in order to put together that 'killer' outfit.
Style to suit silver screen goddess
Using the crisp techniques associated with classical Hollywood cinema, Huston introduces his femme fatale by dividing the scene into three planes.
The global and local femme fatale in The Maltese Falcon: a reappraisal
Overall Femme Fatale is a smash hit and a must for anyone's iPod.
Reviews music - A cut above
La imagen de la femme fatale tiene sus raices en el temor decimononico por las mujeres que decidian alejarse de su papel conyugal y, por esa razon, eran vituperadas y vistas como presencias amenazantes, rebeldes y usurpadoras, equiparables a la imagen de Lilith.
Femmes fatales: las hijas de Lilith tambien van al cine
The femme fatale is perhaps the most iconic figure of fin de siecle decadence.
"Lady Tiger in a Tea Gown": Decadence, Kitsch, and Faulkner's femme fatale
Symbol and symptom; the femme fatale in English poetry of the 19th century and feminist criticism.
Symbol and symptom; the femme fatale in English poetry of the 19th century and feminist criticism
Art historian Elizabeth Menon examines turn of the twentieth Century depictions of the femme fatale in various forms of popular print media (literature, illustrated journals, and advertisements) to show how they, in turn, influenced the Salon paintings of the time.
Evil by Design: The Creation and Marketing of the Femme Fatale
Impossible and the appealing Fatale doggedly move on, not letting anything defeat them.
Grossman, Austin. Soon I will be invincible
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