contretemps

• The flock of sheep entrusted to his care of course understand nothing of this unusual contretemps, still less of the reason for his kicking and haring off. —  THE BANTAM WAR BOOK SERIES
• With that contretemps, the prospectus was drafted to his satisfaction, and the satisfaction of the underwriters. —  Ruined City by Nevil Shute
• After the inevitable contretemps, they declared humans unreal too, and the visitors were on the run into the sacred mountains, where they found a mystery clearly related to the artifact moon Meanwhile, the military researchers were pushing buttons on that moon. —  Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January 2002
• While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an air of beatitude, intended to convey to us “And yet how good it is.” The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty. —  Memoirs of Robert-Houdin
• The danger of such a contretemps was not great, but, to make quite sure that it should not occur, he turned round and walked straight back on his track to the camp he had just left--thus obliterating, or, rather, confusing the track, so as to render recognition improbable. —  The Buffalo Runners A Tale of the Red River Plains

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the Same Context