Panache

I just read Cyrano again. I love this play.

It was pushed some weeks later into our book club schedule, and I'm taking advantage of the extra time to read some commentaries and notes on the play.

Here's something from Wikipedia that I didn't know:

The play... is responsible for introducing the word "panache" into the English language.

Originally, panache meant simply the sort of plume a soldier might wear in his helmet. After Rostand, it meant a "dashing confidence of style."

Forever flaunting his plume,
Cyrano stared down doom
with style
and a taunting smile.