kōⁿ.trətäⁿ, ˈkän.trəˌtäⁿ noun
( plural contretemps “, -ˌtäⁿz)
Etymology: French, from contre- counter- + temps time, from Latin tempus — more at temporal
1. : an inopportune embarrassing occurrence : mishap , mischance
he moves steadily from one blunder to the next contretemps to the next embarrassment — H.A.Smith
2. : syncopation