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Bęte noire is a phrase assimilated from the French, literally meaning "black beast." It refers to someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one's existence.
- "By an application of the theory of relativity to the taste of readers, to-day in Germany I am called a German man of science, and in England I am represented as a Swiss Jew. If I come to be regarded as a bęte noire the descriptions will be reversed, and I shall become a Swiss Jew for the Germans and a German man of science for the English!" —Albert Einstein (1879–1955), from the article "Einstein on His Theory" (The Times, London, 28 November 1919)
Bęte Noire is also the title of a solo album by Bryan Ferry, formerly of the rock group Roxy Music.
Bęte Noire is also the name for a rich flourless chocolate cake. (4 oz bittersweet chocolate, 8 oz unsweetened chocolate, simple syrup of 1/2 c water and 1 1/3 C sugar, 1/2 lb butter, 5 beaten eggs. Chop chocolate in food processor, drizzle in syrup, add butter a tablespoon at a time, add eggs slowly. Cook in 350 degree oven in a 9 inch round pan lined with parchment for 25-30 minutes.