Gauche

adjective

Unbecoming or inelegant in a social setting; provincial or unrefined
Out of alignment on a geometric plane

Usage

Living as part of a society comes with living with rules, whether implicit or explicit. It doesn't always seem like there are guidelines governing how people interact, but when someone breaches them we are immediately reminded of the sense of order underneath it all. Sometimes these transgressions are so jarring or odd that the best way to describe them that brings them to the offender's attention is with gauche.

The word gauche underscores a breach in the decorum expected of a situation. Often employed to express bemusement or ridicule, gauche draws attention to an individual or act that is strikingly and ungracefully out of the ordinary, or unexpected in conduct. The term can apply with equal ease to both breaches in protocol for regimented social functions, such as formal meetings and gatherings, or simply a departure from mainstream cultural tenets. Applauding between movements of a symphonic work at a classical music concert would be gauche, but so would chewing with your mouth open. Regardless of what case it is applied to, declaring something to be gauche draws attention to its oddity and social ineptitude.

A second, more specialized use of gauche illustrates the deviation of particles or points from a level plane. Predominantly used in math and chemistry, this usage highlights the fact that the alignment of a structure's individual components is not properly uniform.

Example: As gauche as the other dinner guests found it, Erica boldly ordered the restaurant's most expensive red wine to accompany her fish.

Example: Though his coworkers knew him to be a bit high-strung, they still thought it gauche of Greg to talk about work at the office party.

Example: After several phases of testing, the engineering researchers produced a prototype far more advanced than the gauche and unusable alloy they had tested before.

Origin

Entering into English usage in the middle of the 18th century, the word gauche comes from the French word for "left," as in, specifically, the left hand. Its adaptation to mean "unorthodox" comes from the longstanding association of left-handedness with social or moral deviance. (Thankfully for southpaws, we now know better!)

Derivative Words

Gauchely: As the adverb form of gauche, gauchely frames a person as acting in a strange or unsanctioned manner by way of their actions.

Example: Having grown too comfortable in her seat, Claire gauchely remained seated when her guest approached and offered a handshake.

Gaucheness: This noun also encapsulates an awkward departure from customary behavior, but is coupled more frequently with actions than people. Gaucheness reflects a condition or state of inelegance; thus, it is often used to characterize socially unusual deeds.

Example: The sheer gaucheness of the casual greeting he gave the diplomat prompted her security team to reprimand him.

In Literature

From Jonathan Grimwood's The Last Banquet:

Anything is forgiven those who sin elegantly; while gaucheness sours even the noblest deed.

Grimwood underlines the critical distinction between being merely unorthodox and truly gauche: gracefulness. If one breaks the rules gracefully, their charm can spare them others' disdain, but to be awkward, or gauche, will not be tolerated no matter how honorable the rationale may be.

Mnemonic

If your behavior is gauche, you may need to go to finishing school
Doing something gauche makes things awkward just a skosh.