tue-l'amour

French

FWOTD – 15 January 2020

Etymology

Literally, “kills-the-love”, or more loosely translated as “love killer”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ty.l‿a.muʁ/

Noun

tue-l’amour m (plural tue-l’amour)

1. (informal) turn-off, passion killer, boner-killer, mood-killer, deal breaker

   Synonyms: anaphrodisiaque, (Quebec) turn-off

   Antonym: aphrodisiaque

   • 2012, Donna Kauffman, translated by Alix Paupy, Petites douceurs (Cupcake Club; 2)‎^[1], translation of Sweet Stuff, →ISBN:

     Sa tenue aurait dû être la définition même d’un tue-l’amour, mais bizarrement, elle lui faisait l’effet inverse. Porté bas sur les hanches, son bermuda attirait l’attention sur leurs ondulations et il moulait les jolies fesses de la jeune femme.

     [original: They should have been the definition of anti-sexy, but they so incredibly weren't. They rode low on her naturally swinging hips, and it was her beautiful heart-shaped backside they were clinging to.]

Adjective

tue-l’amour (invariable)

1. (informal) off-putting, unsexy

   Antonyms: excitant, attirant