As nouns the difference between altercation and contretemps
is that altercation is warm contention in words; dispute carried on with heat or anger; controversy; wrangle; wordy contest while contretemps is an unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event; a hitch.
altercation
English
Noun
(
en noun)
Warm contention in words; dispute carried on with heat or anger; controversy; wrangle; wordy contest.
* (rfdate), Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear
- "What the hell is it to you who are my friends?" roared McMurdo in a voice which brought every head in the carriage round to witness the altercation .
Synonyms
* dispute, wrangle
contretemps
English
Noun
(contretemps)
An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event; a hitch
(fencing) An ill-timed pass.
Quotations
* 1896 -
*: "I see that you are a born American citizen--and an earlier knowledge of that fact would have prevented this little contretemps . You are aware, Mr. Hoffman, that your name is German?"
* 1934 - , chapter 12
*: What a strange contretemps'! Its suddenness left me temporarily speechless; the embarrassment of Duare was only too obvious. Yet it was that unusual paradox, a happy ' contretemps --for me at least.
* 1960 - " Is Dead Here at 86; Writer was Arbiter of Etiquette", New York Times , September 27
*: Mrs. Post was the center of a notable contretemps when she spilled a spoonful of berries at a dinner of the Gourmet Society here in 1938.
* 2004 - Sunday Oregonian , June 13
*: It won't rank with the doping scandals in track and field and baseball's steroid controversy but the Rose Cup race had its own little contretemps last year.
Synonyms
* (unforeseen or embarrassing event) hitch, mishap
