Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
faux pas
is a French phrase meaning “false step,” which English has borrowed to mean “a social blunder.” Pronounce it FO-PAH or FO-PAH, with plural faux pas pronounced either like the singular or FO-PAHZ or FO-PAHZ. See FOREIGN PHRASES; FOREIGN PLURALS.
