Deterrence, escalation and mandates, described rather than judged.
Practise this list
From these 37 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
The sixteenth entry is l’ogive, and an English reader who knows the word at all probably knows it from a guidebook to cathedrals. That is where it began in French too. Une ogive is the diagonal rib that crosses a Gothic vault, and une croisée d’ogives is the rib vault itself, two arches meeting in an X overhead. Because those ribs rise to a point, the word slid across to the pointed arch as well, and un arc en ogive is what English calls a lancet or pointed arch. Then the shape left the church. Ballistics borrowed it for the curved, pointed nose of a shell, and from the nose it spread to whatever the nose contains, so that une ogive nucléaire is a nuclear warhead, the whole charge and not merely its casing. English kept « ogive » for the curve, and statisticians use it for a cumulative frequency graph, but it has never been asked to carry explosives. So in a treaty text read « warhead »; under a vaulted roof, read « rib ».
The words
View
Phrase (15)
eaux territorialesterritorial watersPhraseC2
Le navire est entré dans les eaux territoriales.The ship is now sailing in territorial waters.
violation de l’espace aérienan airspace violationPhraseC2
La violation de l’espace aérien a duré quelques minutes.It was over within minutes, but it was still an airspace violation.
zone d’exclusion aériennea no-fly zonePhraseC2
La zone d’exclusion aérienne couvre tout le nord du pays.The whole north of the country lies inside the no-fly zone.
contrôle des armementsarms controlPhraseC2
Le contrôle des armements repose sur des visites régulières.Without regular visits there is no arms control worth the name.
régime de vérificationa verification regimePhraseC2
Le régime de vérification prévoit des visites annoncées.Under the verification regime, visits are announced in advance.
ligne de ravitaillementa supply linePhraseC2
La ligne de ravitaillement passe par un seul pont.The whole supply line hangs on a single bridge.
chaîne logistiquea supply chainPhraseC2
La chaîne logistique dépend de deux ports.Close either of the two ports and the supply chain suffers.
chaîne de commandementthe chain of commandPhraseC2
La chaîne de commandement doit rester lisible.Anyone should be able to trace the chain of command.
règles d’engagementrules of engagementPhraseC2
Les règles d’engagement sont remises par écrit.Every soldier receives the rules of engagement on paper.
dommages collatérauxcollateral damagePhraseC2
Le rapport chiffre les dommages collatéraux.The report puts figures on the collateral damage.
prisonnier de guerrea prisoner of warPhraseC2
Le statut de prisonnier de guerre ouvre des droits précis.Whoever is a prisoner of war has clearly defined rights.
guerre hybridehybrid warfarePhraseC2
La guerre hybride mêle sabotage et propagande.Hybrid warfare blends sabotage with propaganda.
