z Weltschmerz can also denote the depression caused by feeling the
world’s woes too sharply.Éminence grise (noun)
- A powerful decision maker or advisor who operates behind the scenes.
- An elder statesman or eminent senior member of a group.
z The term éminence grise has an interesting history, recounted in
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ż Born François-Joseph le Clerc du Tremblay in 1577, the
priest later known as Father Joseph joined the Capuchin
Order in 1599. In 1611, he met Cardinal Richelieu, Louis
XIII’s politically ambitious chief minister, and was appointed
the cardinal’s personal secretary. The two made quite a
powerful pair.ż Father Joseph became far more than just Richelieu’s secretary,
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even his secret agent. Many believed that Father Joseph
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publicly acknowledged.ż The pair’s rivals at court referred to them disparagingly behind
their backs. Richelieu was called L’Éminence Rouge, “the
red eminence,” because of his scarlet cardinal’s robes. Father
Joseph, who wore the habit of the Capuchins, was referred to
as L’Éminence Grise, “the gray eminence.”z However, éminence grise did not appear in general use in English
until the 1920s. Aldous Huxley’s 1941 study of Father Joseph,
entitled Grey Eminence, helped further establish the term in English.z In the second half of the 20th century, authors who weren’t aware
of the original meaning of éminence grise (“a behind-the-scenes
operator”) started using it to in a positive sense to refer to an elder