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Bête Noire

Bête noire, which is French for "black beast," is used in English to indicate something that one dislikes, finds annoying, or fears.  The correct spelling of the plural of the expression is "bêtes noires" with an "s" after both words.

How It's Used

“Because Spector produced as a young man, his music had an authentically vulnerable young sound. It was simultaneously rough and elaborate; it beckoned with a finger snap and thumped like a heartbeat. And it laid bare Spector's own private and painful bêtes noire [sic] -- his hyperkinetic, insomniac energy; his doomed love affairs; his family's legacy of mental illness.”

“Ms. Fisher, 48, is a stalwart Democrat who has contributed to the campaigns of Republican bêtes noires ranging from Bella Abzug to Hillary Rodham Clinton to Tom Daschle.”

“Games aren’t the only threat. The theatrical movie medium is under attack from a whole herd of digital betes noirs [sic], including, of course, DVDs.”

"In the five years since the board signed its current deal with Pepsi, pop has become a bête noire for health-conscious parents and educators and a hard sell for the oft-pilloried soft drink industry. Meanwhile, the healthiest alternative in the vending machine, bottled water, has become the target of environmentally motivated bans – including one contemplated by the TDSB [Toronto District School Board]."

"Peer-to-peer filesharing sites, often seen as the bete noire of the recording industry, should instead be regarded as the modern-day equivalent to public libraries, where music, and other files like films, can be stored and shared for the good of society, said Robinson."

Also Known As (AKA)

Bete noir

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