word (just the right… or phrase) n.: mot juste [French] • That word matter has few dissenters, especially among thos who try to make sense with them. The right word is the writer’s Holy Grail. Often elusive, the mot juste is the lullaby that sends one into rapturous sleep, while its evil twin – the ill-chosen word – can have the opposite effect.
(Kathleen Parker, “Putting Word to Rest.” Oakland Tribune, 7/8/2006)