beau geste
/bəʊ ˈʒɛst
/ /bo ʒɛst/noun (plural beaux gestes pronounced same)
A noble and generous act: in a beau geste of argument, he thanked his opponent for characterizing the dilemma so well...
- It all depends of whether North Korea would show the ‘beau geste,’ according to the source.
- At the time, the rescue operation was hailed as ‘the beau geste of the twentieth century.’
- Clyde, in a beau geste, allows a humble farmer to keep his cash, an incident based on fact.
Origin
French, literally 'splendid gesture'.