The expression coup de grâce (French: "blow of mercy") means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. It is often used figuratively to describe the last of a series of events which brings about the end of some entity; for example: "The business had been ailing for years; the coup de grâce which brought it to its knees was the sudden jump in oil prices."
In war times, it means shooting into the cordiac or neck zone of an already shot (executed), but not yet fully dead person shot during a military or civilian execution.
The French pronunciation of the phrase is [ku də gras], but English speakers sometime pronounce it as [ku də ɡɹa]. Not pronouncing the final "c" is an example of a hyperforeignism: in French, this is the pronunciation of coup de gras ("blow of fat").
Coup de grâce in Popular Culture
- Uma Thurman, in Kill Bill, Vol. 2, during a discussion with Bill, mentions his performing a coup de grâce on her by shooting her in the head, but uses the incorrect pronunciation of coup de gras.
- Mentioned as "coo de gras" in Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange". When Alex is in Jail, he murders a large inmate and mentions a final kick to the ribs as the "coo de gras".