>Oh and for some reason I'm in pedant mode today -- "bons mots", not
>"bon mots". Always galls me a little when I see that
I know the feeling:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bon%20mot
Main Entry: bon mot
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural bons mots \b - m (z)\ or bon mots \- m (z)\
Etymology: French, literally, good word
Date: circa 1730
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plural#Compounds_from_the_French
For compounds adopted directly from the French where the head comes at the end, it is generally regarded as acceptable either to pluralize both words or only the last:
beau geste beaux gestes/beau gestes
belle époque belles époques/belle époques
bon mot bons mots/bon mots
bon vivant bons vivants/bon vivants