tour de force


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tour de force

 (to͞or′ də fôrs′)
n. pl. tours de force (to͞or′)
A feat requiring great virtuosity or strength, often deliberately undertaken for its difficulty: "In an extraordinary structural tour de force the novel maintains a dual focus" (Julian Moynahan).
[French : tour, turn, feat + de, of + force, strength.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tour de force

(tur də fɔrs; English ˈtʊə də ˈfɔːs)
n, pl tours de force (tur; English ˈtʊə)
a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment
[literally: feat of skill or strength]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tour de force

(ˌtʊər də ˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs)

n., pl. tours de force (tʊərz)
1. an exceptional achievement by an artist, author, or the like, that is unlikely to be equaled by that person or anyone else; stroke of genius.
2. a particularly adroit maneuver or technique in handling a difficult situation.
3. a feat requiring unusual strength, skill, or ingenuity.
[1795–1805; < French: feat of strength or skill]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tour de force

A French phrase meaning feat of strength, used to mean something that is done with great skill.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tour de force - a masterly or brilliant feattour de force - a masterly or brilliant feat  
exploit, feat, effort - a notable achievement; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tour de force

noun
A great or heroic deed:
achievement, exploit, feat, gest, masterstroke, stunt.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

tour de force

[ˈtʊədəˈfɔːs] N (tours de force (pl)) → proeza f, hazaña f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tour de force

tour-de-force [ˌtʊərdəˈfɔːrs] n → tour m de forcetour director n (US) → accompagnateur/trice m/fTourette's syndrome [tʊəˈrɛtssɪndrəʊm] Tourette syndrome [tʊəˈrɛtsɪndrəʊm] Tourette's [tʊəˈrets] n → syndrome m de Tourettetour guide n (= person) → guide mf
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tour de force

n → Glanzleistung f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tour de force

[ˈtʊədəˈfɔːs] n → tour de force m inv
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
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References in classic literature ?
The month of May was ever his tour de force. Each year he has strained and stimulated his art to surpass himself, seeking ever a finer and a brighter gold, a more celestial azure.
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For in those cases in which Holmes has performed some tour de force of analytical reasoning, and has demonstrated the value of his peculiar methods of investigation, the facts themselves have often been so slight or so commonplace that I could not feel justified in laying them before the public.
"You remember," said he, "that some little time ago, when I read you the passage in one of Poe's sketches, in which a close reasoner follows the unspoken thought of his companion, you were inclined to treat the matter as a mere tour de force of the author.
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Combining MITS with the product offerings of Compass Sales Solutions and Tour de Force allows these three companies to expand value for their customers by integrating CRM and BI / analytics into a single platform for existing and new customers.
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Michael Leather, who is taking on the Tour de Force despite three previous accidents while canoeing, trekking and cycling, was the inspiration for the team signing up the event.
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Michael, who is taking on the Tour de Force despite three previous serious accidents while out canoeing, trekking and cycling, was the inspiration for the team signing up the event.
Newcastle and Durham accountants in [pounds sterling]50,000 fundraising plea as they take on Tour de France; The team from Leathers LLP will be cycling the 3,344 kilometre route from Utrecht to Paris this year
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This ambitious installation is a tour de force that encourages reflection.
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The "real tour de force" of these new experiments, comments Charles L.
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His "historical" tour de force was a yellowed newspaper clipping he kept in his Bible History, which he would brandish every year when we got to the story of Jonah and the whale.
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How Brooks brings all these angles into play, while keeping the reader from knowing the truth, is quite a tour de force. There's only one brief hint to the answer we're all looking for ...
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