un repas de cordon bleu
Preserved but no longer current.
A well-cooked and well-appointed dinner. The commandeur de Souve, Comte d'OIonne, and some others, who were cordons bleus (i.e. knights of St. Esprit), met together as a sort of club, and were noted for their excellent dinners. Hence, when anyone has dined well he said.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “un repas de cordon bleu” mean?
A well-cooked and well-appointed dinner. The commandeur de Souve, Comte d'OIonne, and some others, who were cordons bleus (i.e. knights of St. Esprit), met together as a sort of club, and were noted for their excellent dinners. Hence, when anyone has dined well he said.
Is “un repas de cordon bleu” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.