Press Vocabulary Flashcards
Fallacy
idée fausse/fausseté (falseness)
It’s a common fallacy that war is good for the economy. (idée fausse)
The defence lawyer proved the fallacy of the testimony (fausseté).
a pundit
un commentateur/critique
a prosumer
un compteur éclairé, sérieux
gatekeeper
An attendant employed to control who goes through a gate.
To empower (v)
- Give (someone) the authority or power to do something.
- Make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights. (valoriser)
your opinion is at odds with the facts
votre opinion contredit les faits
Recently, there has been an upsurge in violent crime
Récemment, il y a eu une grosse montée de crimes violents
to sluice
drainer, mais de l’eau, vider d’eau
The young sailor’s job was to sluice the decks of the ship.
reignite
rallumer
uplift
soulever
slums
les quartiers pauvres / bidonvilles
a dweller
un habitant
a rancher
propriétaire d’un ranch
to be cluttered
être en désordre
underlying
sous-jacent
to take over
prendre le contrôle
a wanderer
un vagabond
clamp down
mettre un frein à
the pope
le pape
The boss endorsed Karen’s plan to make the office more efficient.
Le chef a soutenu le projet de Karen visant à faire gagner le bureau en efficacité
Gerald always insists on meeting his daughter’s boyfriends to see if he deems them suitable.
Gerald insiste toujours pour rencontrer les petits amis de sa fille afin d’estimer s’ils paraissent convenables
To deem : juger, estimer
to enforce
faire appliquer/imposer
The headteacher enforced the rules without making any exceptions. (faire appliquer les règles)
The slave driver enforced obedience. (imposer)
thriving
florissant/prospère (a thriving business)
a trend
tendance
distorted
déformé
‘Their distorted faces look flattened, as if they’d pulled pantyhose over their heads.’
Pantyhose
moulant
relate to
avoir un rapport avec
They could understand me and I could understand them and we could both relate to each other.’
I can relate to his situation.
be connected with, s’identifier à, se sentir proche de
a wake-up call
un réveil téléphonique
Matthew asked the hotel to send a wake-up call to his room in the morning.
by the time
at some point before..
You better have your chores done by the time I get home or you’re in big trouble
anachronistic
old-fashioned
Marriage is beginning to seem anachronistic in this day and age.
play into someone’s hands
Act in such a way as unintentionally to give someone an advantage.
‘they accused him of playing into the hands of the enemy’
newfound (adj)
Recently discovered or established.
‘he loved his new-found freedom’
maligned (adj)
Evil in nature or effect.
‘she had a strong and malign influence’
evil (adj)
Profoundly immoral and wicked.
‘no man is so evil as to be beyond redemption’
convenient (adj)
Fitting in well with a person’s needs, activities, and plans.
‘I phoned your office to confirm that this date is convenient’
whitelash (white backlash)
backlash by white racists against black civil rights advances
Backlash : strong negative reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development.
overriding
More important than any other considerations. (=majeur)
‘the overriding concern of the organizers was the financial crisis’
The Ku Klux Klan
A secret hate group in the southern U.S., active for several years after the Civil War, which opposes to black people, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, foreign-born individuals, and other groups.
name-calling
Abusive language or insults.
Richard a tondu son gazon samedi.
Richard mowed his lawn on Saturday.
vilification
Abusively disparaging speech or writing.
ongoing
still in progress
ongoing negotiations
dismiss
Order or allow to leave; send away.
merely
Just; only.
‘Gary, a silent boy, merely nodded’
redolent of (adj)
Strongly reminiscent or suggestive of.
‘names redolent of history and tradition’
offstage (adj + adv)
not on the stage and so not visible to the audience.
adj : screams were heard offstage
adv : the offstage lives of celebrities
Dans les coulisses
proactive (adj)
préventif
We should be more proactive about threats to our environment.
to skimp on (v)
lésiner sur
‘When you are the founder of a company, you want to skimp on frills (extras); they seem like a waste of money to you.’
by dint of
by means of, by use of
‘She reaches this position by dint of sheer competence.’
a force de
by dint of effort : Grace à nos efforts
a still (n)
An ordinary static photograph as opposed to a motion picture, especially a single shot from a cinema film.
‘film stills’
cliché
to wreak havoc
faire des ravages/gros dégâts
A virus attached to an e-mail can wreak havoc.
Hurricanes wreak havoc on coastal areas.
on thin ice
In a precarious or risky situation.
‘you’re skating on thin ice’
‘His reign has been very controversial and he is on thin ice already.’
to plump for
pencher pour
Money or time? I’d plump for time.
in the wake of
Following, especially as a consequence.
‘Listening to these three albums in the wake of Smith’s suicide casts a certain pall on their contents.’
an inquiry
An act of asking for information. (enquête)
‘Police said nobody has been arrested as yet and they are still making enquiries.’
C’est vraiment le moment de prendre du recul et de faire le point.
This is truly the time to step back and take stock.
hindsight (n)
Understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed.
‘with hindsight, I should never have gone’
the aftermath
The consequences of a significant unpleasant event.
‘food prices soared in the aftermath of the drought’
to keep up with
Learn about or be aware of (current events or developments)
‘She kept up with all the news of the day and took a keen interest in local and national events.’
a footage (n)
Part of a cinema or television film recording a particular event.
‘film footage of the riot’
The media acquired some footage of the incident.
séquence
a caption (n)
A title or brief explanation accompanying an illustration, cartoon, or poster.
‘he designed a series of posters with the caption: ‘No One is Innocent’’
une légende
an overview
A general review or summary of a subject.
(vue d’ensemble)
‘a brief overview of the survey’
an array of
An impressive display or range of a particular type of thing.
‘She assembled an impressive array of photographs and memorabilia from the former residents and their descendants.’
un étalage de
leeway
The amount of freedom to move or act that is available. (marge de manoeuvre)
‘the government had greater leeway to introduce reforms’
That gives us only five minutes leeway to get to the airport.
the mainstream
The ideas, attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional.
‘We predict whether the mainstream will adapt those attitudes or not.’
Courant dominant/opinion majoritaire
a truism
A statement that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting.
‘the truism that you get what you pay for’
prononcer un discours
to deliver a speech
refined (adj)
With impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing.
This technique would need to be refined
in the meantime
meanwhile
‘in the meantime I’ll make some enquiries of my own’
thoroughly
completely, entirely
‘I thoroughly enjoyed the day’
Robert was thoroughly fed up after a day of dealing with unruly teenagers.
to bestow (v)
Confer or present (an honour, right, or gift)
‘Many honours have been bestowed on this outstanding algebraist.’
When will the queen bestow the award?
conférer, décerner
baffled (adj)
bewildered
The students looked baffled when they saw the exam questions.
‘an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone’
laisser perplexe, déconcerter
a hindrance (n)
A thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone.
‘a hindrance to the development process’
to gaze (v)
Look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.
‘he could only gaze at her in astonishment’
contempler
eagerness (n)
Enthusiasm to do or to have something; keenness.
‘Though he missed her dearly, he accepted his new role and took to it with eagerness and dedication.’
filthy (adj)
Disgustingly dirty.
‘a filthy hospital with no sanitation’
a slaughter (n)
The killing of a large number of people or animals in a cruel or violent way.
loathing (n)
A feeling of intense dislike or disgust; hatred.
‘the thought filled him with loathing’
Dégoût
whilst (adv)
while
a foray (n)
A sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid.
‘Or, to be accurate, they probably had the same teachers but chose to tread a different path with the occasional forays into other territories.’
to tread (v)
Walk in a specified way
The government had to tread carefully so as not to offend the judiciary
to hamper (v)
Hinder or impede the movement or progress of.
‘their work is hampered by lack of funds’
freiner, ralentir
sort-out (n+verb)
An act of tidying or organizing things by separating them into categories. (trier)
‘I then had a big sort-out of my finances before setting off.’
organiser, régler (un problème)
scarce (adj)
(especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand.
‘as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed’
to stoke (v)
Add coal or other solid fuel to (a fire, furnace, boiler, etc.)
stoke the views, stoke a fire
to unpick (v)
Undo the sewing of.
‘Judy Cox unpicks the United Nations report into Israeli army atrocities’
démonter, mettre en pièces
to debunk (v)
Expose the falseness or hollowness of (an idea or belief) (discréditer)
‘she debunks all the usual rubbish about acting’
The newspaper debunked the mayor’s lies.
discréditer
to skew (v)
incliner, pencher
Irrational prejudices can skew people’s perceptions of others.
‘Finally, the income tax cuts accompanying the tax package were massively skewed towards upper-income earners.’
to shift (v)
Move or cause to move from one place to another, especially over a small distance. (décaler)
‘Soon the wall shifted and moved to open to a gigantic laboratory.’
a ceiling (n)
The upper interior surface of a room or other similar compartment.
Oblivion (n)
The state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one.
‘they drank themselves into oblivion’ (oubli)
Oath (n)
A solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one’s future action or behaviour. (serment)
‘they took an oath of allegiance to the king’
‘I would swear on oath that she had not seen me’
To perk someone up
Become or make more cheerful, lively, or interesting.
the coffee had perked him up long enough to tackle the reviews
requinquer
Contentious (adj)
Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
‘a contentious issue’
An argument (n)
An exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically a heated or angry one.
‘I’ve had an argument with my father’
Slanderous (adj)
(of a spoken statement) false and malicious.
‘Publicly telling someone that they did not
belong in a neighborhood could be a very slanderous insult.’
‘Posting of slanderous, libelous, abusive or defamatory material is totally prohibited.’
Skyrocket (v)
(of a price, rate, or amount) increase very steeply or rapidly.
‘The new series’ total point fund skyrockets from $750,000 to $2 million.’
Soar (v)
Increase rapidly above the usual level.
‘the soaring crime rate’
Toll (n)
The number of deaths or casualties arising from a natural disaster, conflict, accident, etc. (bilan, number de morts)
‘It is believed some children are still being held - more than 400 have been rescued, but the death and casualty toll varies wildly.’
Warfare (n)
Engagement in or the activities involved in war or conflict.
‘The relationship between guerrilla warfare and terrorism was always complicated.’
A maverick (n)
An unorthodox or independent-minded person. (non conformiste)
‘They want independent minds, mavericks and free thinkers.’
Non conformiste, marginal
Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon is an American media executive, political activist who is executive chairman of Breitbart News.
He served as the White House Chief Strategist in the administration of Donald Trump during the first seven months of his term. (he was dismissed by Trump)
Pace (n)
The speed or rate at which something happens or develops. (rythme)
‘Because of its unhurried pace, the Adagio is sometimes played at memorial services.’
Payload (n)
The part of a vehicle’s load, especially an aircraft’s, from which revenue is derived; passengers and cargo. (charge utile)
‘The aircraft could carry a payload of only 265 pounds and had neither instruments nor weapons.’
charge utile
to pip someone {at/to} the post
Defeat someone at the last moment. (gagner à l’arrachée)
Roger thought he was going to win the race, but he was pipped at the post by one of the other runners.
a contender (n)
A person or group competing with others to achieve something.
‘He kicks a good amount of ass in the film, but he’s certainly no Oscar contender.’
concurrent
to shrink (v)
Become or make smaller in size or amount.
‘the sun had shrunk and dried the wood’
rétrécir
to open up (v)
Begin shooting.
‘the enemy artillery had opened up’
a flock (n)
A large number or crowd of people (troupeau)
‘a flock of paparazzi tailed them all over London’
Procurement (n)
The action of obtaining, procuring something.
Many people are interested in the procurement of wealth.
venture capital (n)
Capital invested in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk, typically a new or expanding business.
‘He financed the company with a combination of venture capital and government grants.’
capital-risque
A realm (n)
A kingdom
‘Along it, empires, kingdoms, and colonial realms have been plunged into war and bloodshed.’
Bloodshed (n)
The killing or wounding of people, typically on a large scale during a conflict.
‘Violence is rare but once started often escalates quickly to bloodshed and serious injury.’
carnage/effusion de sang
An orphan (n)
A child whose parents are dead.
a flock (n)
A large number or crowd of people (troupeau)
‘a flock of paparazzi tailed them all over London’
Procurement (n)
The action of obtaining, procuring something.
Many people are interested in the procurement of wealth.
venture capital (n)
Capital invested in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk, typically a new or expanding business.
‘He financed the company with a combination of venture capital and government grants.’
to entail (v)
Involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
‘a situation which entails considerable risks’
“Getting a degree entails a lot of hard work.”
Bloodshed (n)
The killing or wounding of people, typically on a large scale during a conflict.
‘Violence is rare but once started often escalates quickly to bloodshed and serious injury.’
An orphan (n)
A child whose parents are dead.
‘he was left an orphan as a small boy’
Compelling (adj)
Evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
Not able to be resisted
‘the temptation to give up was compelling’
‘The compelling visuality of the work of art resists appropriation by either the cleverness of historical explanations or the eloquence of descriptive language.’
wistful (adj)
Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.
Henry was in a wistful mood as he reflected on his childhood and how things had changed since then.
Anna had a wistful look in her eyes and looked as if she had been crying recently.
mélancolique
fitful (adj)
Active or occurring spasmodically or intermittently; not regular or steady.
‘His sleep was fitful and intermittent, and he soon rose from bed to go and see his son.’
intermittent
fitful sleep = nuit agitée
hub (n)
The effective centre of an activity, region, or network.
‘the city has always been the financial hub of the country’
(technologically)-Attuned (adj)
receptive or aware
‘a society more attuned to consumerism than ideology’
sensible à
to outline (v)
A line or set of lines enclosing or indicating the shape of an object in a sketch or diagram. The contours of an object.
‘the chalked outline of a human body’
“Let me outline my ideas for you.”
to conjure up something (v)
Make (something) appear unexpectedly or seemingly from nowhere, call an image to the mind.
The audience yawned as the magician conjured up yet another rabbit from the hat.
faire apparaître comme par magie
Seemingly (adv)
Apparently
‘a seemingly competent and well-organized person’
answer/response (n)
Anytime a person returns communication it can be called a response or a reply, while an answer is a form of response which is a solution to a problem or question.
hub (n)
The effective centre of an activity, region, or network.
‘the city has always been the financial hub of the country’
to foster (v)
Encourage the development of something
‘the teacher’s task is to foster learning’
an attendee (n)
A person who attends a conference or other gathering.
Robert is a regular attendant at the weekly meetings.
Participant
day-to-day (adj)
Happening regularly every day.
‘the day-to-day management of the classroom’
quotidien
slate (n)
A fine-grained grey, green, or bluish-purple metamorphic rock easily split into smooth, flat plates. (ardoise)
Our house has a roof covering of slates.
Slate is a type of rock that can be split into layers.
answer/response (n)
Anytime a person returns communication it can be called a response or a reply, while an answer is a form of response which is a solution to a problem or question.
a planner (n)
a person who makes plans
‘economic planners’
