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éminence grise

English translation: a person who wields power and influence unofficially or behind the scenes

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:éminence grise
Selected answer:a person who wields power and influence unofficially or behind the scenes
Entered by: vixen

11:32 Mar 5, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: éminence grise
context:
" 'We want a proper funeral. hundreds of people are likely to attend. dad's still an éminence grise to the church-elder types.'
this was true. our father was influential, affluent and genuinely loved.."
dalg?c
Local time: 22:35
a person who wields power and influence unofficially or behind the scenes
Explanation:
French term originally applied to Père Joseph, a French monk who was the secretary of Cardinal Richelieu and who died in 1638.
Selected response from:

vixen
Greece
Local time: 22:35
Grading comment
thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +11influential background figure
EKM
4 +3a person who wields power and influence unofficially or behind the scenes
vixen
4 +1the power behind the scene
swisstell
5the brains
Hacene
2held sway with the church elders
Jonathan MacKerron


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +11
éminence grise
influential background figure


Explanation:
Merriam Webster:

Main Entry:*minence grise
Pronunciation:*m*n**s*gr*z
Function:noun
Inflected Form:plural *minences grises \*\
Etymology:French, literally, gray eminence, nickname of P*re Joseph (Fran*ois Le Clerc du Tremblay) died 1638 French monk and diplomat who was confidant of Cardinal Richelieu died 1642 French statesman and cardinal who was styled *minence Rouge red eminence; from the colors of their respective habits

: a confidential agent; especially : one exercising unsuspected or unofficial power

EKM
Sweden
Local time: 21:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mihaela Sinca
0 min
  -> Thank you very much! :-)
agree  Mario Marcolin
3 mins
  -> Tack, Mario! :-)
agree  DGK T-I
5 mins
  -> Thank you, Dr. Kvrivishvili! :-)
agree  David Knowles
51 mins
  -> Thank you very much, David! :-)
agree  karina koguta
54 mins
  -> Thank you very much, Karina! :-)
agree  Lesley Clarke
2 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Lesley! :-)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
3 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Vicky! :-)
agree  RHELLER: expression which is somewhat misused because Cardinal Richelieu was more feared than loved
3 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, Rita! :-)
agree  jccantrell
3 hrs
  -> Thank you very much, jc! :-)
agree  Rajan Chopra
1 day 2 hrs
agree  Kim Metzger
1 day 5 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
a person who wields power and influence unofficially or behind the scenes


Explanation:
French term originally applied to Père Joseph, a French monk who was the secretary of Cardinal Richelieu and who died in 1638.


    Collins dictionary
vixen
Greece
Local time: 22:35
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DGK T-I
1 min
agree  chica nueva: a person who wields great power and influence unofficially and secretly (grey eminence: after the French monk who was Cardinal Richelieu's friend and advisor)Collins Concise English Dictionary
9 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
1 day 2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
éminence grise
the power behind the scene


Explanation:
another version

swisstell
Italy
Local time: 21:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  chica nueva: 'the power behind the throne' Eminence (RCCh) = a title of honour used in speaking to or of a cardinal, preceded by His or Your.(Collins Concise) In other words the monk was the grey (= shadowy) presence behind Cardinal Richelieu.
7 hrs
neutral  Kim Metzger: The English idiom is "behind the scenes" with an s. http://home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/id67.htm
1 day 3 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
éminence grise
held sway with the church elders


Explanation:
another take

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 80
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
éminence grise
the brains


Explanation:
that the accepted explanation/translation for "éminence grise", but you cannot fit it in the sentence structure. yet, that's the meaning.

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:35
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  chica nueva: could well be but accepted? by whom? do you have examples to back this up?
7 hrs
  -> http://www.classbrain.com/artcorpinfo/publish/printer_4.shtm... for instance
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