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   Con·tre·temps

   /ˈkäntrəˌtôm(p)/

   

   noun

   • 1. a minor dispute or disagreement: "she had occasional contretemps with her staff" Similar argumentquarrelsquabblealtercationclashfightdisagreementdifference of opiniondisputedissensioninformal:tiffset-torun-inspatrowbarneyaftersrammy
   • ▪ an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence: "the hotel had to deal with more than one contretemps before the end of the night" Similar mishapmisadventureaccidentmischanceunfortunate occurrenceawkward momentproblemdifficulty

   Word Origin late 17th century (originally as a fencing term, denoting a thrust made at an inopportune moment): French, originally ‘motion out of time’, from contre- ‘against’ + temps ‘time’.

   Scrabble Points: 17

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