Word of the Day: Froideur
Like Anna Wintour, for example.
from Merriam-Webster
noun
froi·deur f(r)wä-ˈdər -ˈdœr
: coolness or extreme reserve in manner
… glaring at reporters from beneath her jet-black eyebrows, lasering unwelcome questions with arctic blasts of froideur.—Tom Shone and Nicoletta Santoro
There was, as befitting his Scandinavian froideur, little outward sign of emotion …—Oliver Brown
Some topics on the menu: people who pretend to be celebrities to get reservations. The 46 bottles of Champagne left over from election night, when Mr. McNally planned to hand out free glasses to celebrate the Kamala Harris victory that never came. A recent incident in which a server had to shield Anna Wintour, a Balthazar regular, from a gaggle of civilians wielding cellphones.
That point prompts some good-natured anecdotage about Ms. Wintour’s talent for inviting attention while exuding an “I-want-to-be-alone” froideur. A manager describes the time he saw a star-struck preteen girl approach her outside the restaurant. “Are you Anna Wintour?” the girl asked. “No,” Ms. Wintour replied.
| Sarah Lyall, What Does This Restaurateur, Raconteur and Provocateur Actually Regret?
