Dictionary

au fait en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• (UK) audio
• /ˌoʊˈfeɪ/ (US)
• /ˌəʊˈfeɪ/ (UK)

Etymology

Borrowed from French au fait (literally “at the fact”).

Meanings

1. Being familiar with or informed about something.
   • Are you au fait with the rules of the game?
   • The Chevalier was, as usual, au fait at all the anecdotes of the court, which had been exceedingly gay, owing to the visit of Madame de Savoie and her daughter, the Princess Marguerite. 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 175:
   • This may sound needless to the professional who is au fait with the history and direction of the investigation. 2003, D R J Laming, Understanding Human Motivation: What Makes People Tick?, →ISBN, page 4:
   • Now there is father; he is au fait in all these matters; has a theory for every case of whooping-cough, – and a mission school. 1871, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, “The Silent Partner”, in Popular American Literature of the 19th Century, →ISBN, page 857:
   • In that case, it would help to have a benevolent deity who is au fait with those complexities — but that there is such a deity is a feature of Stoic theology. 1999, R.J. Hankinson, The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy, →ISBN, page 535:

Forms

Synonyms

acquainted · conversant · familiar · at home