"Macron calls Australian leader’s wife ‘delicious’ — and demonstrates the perils of diplomacy in a foreign language."

A WaPo headline.

Macron — who is proficient in English but occasionally struggles to find his words — was probably the victim of what the French call a “faux ami,” which refers to a word that looks and sounds similar in French and English (or another language) but differs significantly in meaning.

Yes, the term “délicieuse” can and often does mean “delicious,” and it can carry a sexual connotation. But it can also have a more mundane meaning, especially in this context. It can mean “lovely,” “delightful” or “charming” when used to describe a person. It doesn’t have to connote something physical, although it’s perhaps rare for someone as young as Macron to use the term in its somewhat antiquated sense.

And yet the word "delicious" in English also has those other meanings. The oldest meaning — in my dictionary, the OED — is "Highly pleasing or delightful; affording great pleasure or enjoyment" or "Intensely amusing or entertaining." The second meaning is "Highly pleasing or enjoyable to the bodily senses, esp. to the taste or smell; affording exquisite sensuous or bodily pleasure." It is etymologically related to "delicate" and "delightful."

ADDED: Years ago, as I remember, it was common among older American women to call a person "delicious." It also used to be considered lovely for an old lady to say to a child, "Oh, I could eat you up!" "Delicious" was also used to refer to clever pranks and ripostes that gave some disapproved of person what he deserved. In recounting the story, one might say "It was delicious!"

AND: The only reason this is coming up as a controversy — when it is absolutely nothing — is because Macron hobnobs with Trump. If Macron had just been swanning about with Obama, his remark about the Australian lady would have been understood to mean "delightful" and digested with ease.

I'm therefore giving this post my Trump derangement syndrome tag.