louche

adj

1. Of questionable taste or morality; decadent.

   “Upstairs Downstairs hosts the Kennedys and Wallis Simpson (these days, in British culture, the archetypal louche American).”

   “Ever since X-Men: First Class set the series' clock back a few decades and installed Michael Fassbender's moody Magneto and James McAvoy's louche Charles Xavier as replacements for Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart's chess-playing pappies, the big-screen X-Men's central conflict—Xavier's Booker T. Washington-esque School For Gifted Youngsters vs. a rogue's gallery of evil mutants, crew cuts, and politicos—has gotten a lot murkier.”

2. Not reputable or decent.

   “My uncle knows something about that fellow—Clavering knows something about him. There’s something louche regarding him.”

   “The aunt will refuse; she will think the whole proceeding very louche!”

3. Unconventional and slightly disreputable in an attractive manner; raffish, rakish.

   “Anyone inside the business can also tell you that without Carine Roitfeld's louche sexy styling Tom Ford's Gucci might easily have come off looking like a high-end Club Monaco.”

noun

1. A dubious or disreputable person or thing

   “'That's right,' Joe smiled. 'Loafing about on the Mall with the louche of the town. And, speaking of the louche of the town, don't we have an appointment to interview one or two of them this morning?'”

   “I'm outraged this louche has since fathered two children with another woman and that after all this questionable, nefarious behavior, Greer continues to see no conflict of interest in him being Terd's guardian.”

   “"Rooster, you say? He seems to always appear at unusual times and locations. He strikes me as something of a legerdemain. Let's hope he is no louche when it comes to his role in all of this.”

verb

1. (transitive)To make (an alcoholic beverage, e.g. absinthe or ouzo) cloudy by mixing it with water, due to the presence of anethole. This is known as the ouzo effect.

   “Certain anise-flavored drinks have developed a mystique based on the exotic appearance of louching.”

   “In distillation, the first few liters of absinthe to come out of the still are called the head; the last few liters are the tail. The head and tail don't have enough alcohol to keep the oils in suspension, so the absinthe comes out of the still louched.”

   “I found a little corner to stand in and pretended to sip my own louched absinthe.”

   “Ah, Mr. Sizemore, the green fairy is best prepared carefully and slowly to appreciate its full potential. Simply fill the fountain with iced water, place your glass of absinthe below the spigot with a single sugar cube placed over a slotted spoon and adjust the tap to your desired flow. The cold water will gradually dissolve the sugar and mix with the absinthe in a process known as louching.”