tête-à-tête

Borrowed from French tête-à-tête (“head-to-head”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌtɛt.əˈtɛt/, /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/

tête-à-tête (plural tête-à-têtes)

1. A face-to-face meeting, or private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting; a head-to-head.
   • 2015 January 31, Daniel Taylor, “David Silva seizes point for Manchester City as Chelsea are checked”, in The Guardian (London)‎:

     Fernandinho and Fernando made Yaya Touré’s absence not feel important and Mourinho became so agitated it required a tête-à-tête with Mark Clattenburg on the touchline.

2. A bench or sofa that allows two people to talk face-to-face.
3. A variety of early flowering, fragrant daffodil.

tête-à-tête (not comparable)

1. In private, between two people; head-to-head.
   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair

     Swankey of the Body Guard himself, that dangerous youth, and the greatest buck of all the Indian army now on leave, was one day discovered by Major Dobbin tête-à-tête with Amelia, and describing the sport of pig-sticking to her with great humour and eloquence […]

   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, p. 10:

     In particular his tête-à-tête luncheons were described, to which, as it now turned out, practically every journalist listening had at one time or another been invited.

• (private meeting): head-to-head
• (bench): courting bench, kissing bench, conversation bench

• IPA^(key): /tɛ.ta.tɛt/

• Audio (France)

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• Audio (Quebec)

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• Audio (CAN)

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tête-à-tête m (plural tête-à-têtes)

1. tête-à-tête, head-to-head

• “tête-à-tête” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).