| Front | sansculotte \sanz-koo-LAHT\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 1. An extreme radical republican in France at the time of the Revolution. 2. A radical or violent extremist in politics. [At the time of the French Revolution (1787-1799), knee breeches ("culottes" in French) were the height of fashion for aristocratic men. The men of the general populace could not afford such impractical finery and instead wore the "pantaloon" (long trousers). When the poorer classes rose up against the government, members of the Revolutionary army used this difference in dress to distinguish themselves from the aristocracy, calling themselves "soldats sans culottes," literally, "soldiers without culottes." Almost immediately, "sansculotte" became a noun in both French and English.] "At the time of the French Revolution, the rampaging sansculottes wrecked churches and every sign of monarchal or religious authority." — From Peter Manseau's 2009 book Rag and Bone |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Verb praise laud belaud meaning bih-lawd excess recognize
Previous card: Lulu loo-loo noun remarkable person idea thing nickname
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary