panache / panaché

[tblay]

Hi. My girlfriend and I are a little confused about something. I'm just wondering if you kind folks can help us out. Several restaurants we go to on a regular basis in the States have beverages called "_____ panaché." My girlfriend likes one of them, especially, and so she often orders a Vermouth panaché, pronouncing it, phonetically, like "pan-ah-shay." She does so because of the accent mark on the end of the word, and because we both thought this word was different than the word meaning flamboyant, "panache," without the accent mark, which we would pronounce "pan-ahsh." However, all the servers in both restaurants pronounce the word without the accent mark, as if it's the same word that means "flamboyant."

Are these two separate words? Is the accent supposed to be ignored?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Alie Babel]

Hi!

Your girlfriend is right. They're two different words. The accent isn't supposed to be ignored!

 

[doinel]

Panaché means motley, mixed , variegated or as far as drinks are concerned it is shandy . pan-ah- shay
Panache is different and could well mean flamboyant. pan-ash...

 

[Mauricet]

Panache is a noun (or a conjugated form of panacher, first or third person singular present tense), not an adjective. Flamboyant is an adjective (or present participle of flamboyer), except (CNRTL)

Subst. masc. Arbre tropical à fleurs rouges. On apercevait à perte de vue la jungle verte où éclatait de loin en loin le rouge d'un flamboyant (Beauvoir, Mandarins,1954, p. 427).

Un panaché is usually une bière panachée, with lemonade.

 

[Keith Bradford]

... all the servers in both restaurants pronounce the word without the accent mark, as if it's the same word that means "flamboyant." ...

They're as linguistically and gastronomically aware as those who say "caff" for "café". Tell them so, I dare you.

 

[wildan1]

FR panache = EN panache (yes, we use this term in English!)
FR panaché = EN shandy

 

[Philippides]

They're as linguistically and gastronomically aware as those who say "caff" for "café". Tell them so, I dare you.

Right. In France, you might order "un panach'" (pronounced pan-ash).
I'm afraid that your servers are not aware of that. Mais s'ils se trompent avec panache, alors ça passe mieux...