bête de scène

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French bête de scène (literally “beast of the stage”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beɪt də sɛn/

Noun

bête de scène (plural bêtes de scène)

1. A feral player; an actor whose intense performance is likened to a wild animal.
   • 2007, John Gaffney, Diana Holmes, Stardom in postwar France, Berghahn Books, page 81:

     "Hallyday was often described as a bête de scène, a charismatic showman who gives his all, to the point of smashing his guitar on stage."

2. A performer with innate talent.

References

• Bêtes de scène. Anne Bouvier Cavoret, 2002
• Insiders' French: beyond the dictionary. Michel Levieux, 1999

French

FWOTD – 20 September 2023

Etymology

Literally, “beast of the stage”. Apparently first used to describe Johnny Hallyday.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛt də sɛn/

Noun

bête de scène f (plural bêtes de scène)

1. showman
   • 2023 May 24, Stéphane Davet, “Tina Turner, la « Reine du rock’n’roll », est morte”, in Le Monde‎^[1]:

     Conscient d’avoir entre les mains une bête de scène, Ike Turner transforme son groupe en une machine de guerre. L’orchestre est rebaptisé The Ike & Tina Turner Revue.

     Aware that he had a showman on his hands, Ike Turner transformed his band into a war machine. The band is renamed The Ike & Tina Turner Revue.