Theme dictionnaire Larousse Flashcards
With nothing much to remember :
sans laisser prise au souvenir
Lacchrymose widows : veuves éplorées
Dans ses moments d’abandon : in his more expansive moments
L’abandon de ses manières : his easy-going manners
Ne te laisse pas abattre : keep your spirits up
Abois : / animal : at bay
There are a lot of rumors flying around about this
He seemed to be on a loosing / winning streak : il semblait abonné au succés D’un abord rébarbatif : on-off putting manner
d’abord , il n’a même pas 18 ans : for a start …
S’abriter des regards indiscrets : to avoid prying eyes
To work os silly
You’ll overtax yourself reading so much : idem
My mind was completely taken up with this thought
Il y a de l’abus : that’s going a bit too far
Je ne voudrais pas abuser : I don’t want to impose
Now you’re overstepping the mark : idem
They are all much of a muchness
D’humeur acariâtre : sour-tempered
He poured scorn on me : accabler
Accent suppliant :beseeching tone
Story which has a ring of sincerity
The stir/ fuss that accompanied his arrival : agitation
I don’t agree that he should be left at large : en liberté
Try to get two people to see eye to eye
Accrochage : dispute : brush
le rouge lui monta aux joues : his cheeks flushed
mon sang n’a fait qu’un tour : my heart missed ou skipped a bit
Ça accroche entre eux : they hit it off
We are cornered , we must give in
Acharné contre : dead set against
Intent on bringing about their downfalll
A dedicated few stayed on : quelques acharnés restaient encore
Fighting tooth and nail : acharnement
She’s always hounding that child : s’acharner
This bad news will finish his father off
That weekend at the seaside was like a little foretaste of our holidays L’inné et l’acquis : nature and nurture
Par acquis de conscience : to set one’s mind at rest
How can I ever repay you ? : m’acquitter
Acrobatic feat
I have to tie myself in knots to cope with my time-table To make a show of authority : acte
To put in a token appearance
To do a good deed : une bonne action Dazzling feat : action d’éclat
Active toi : get a move on !
The streets are bustling with activity You can kiss your money goodbye He bade farewell to the stage
To dote on : adorer
To direct an angry look at sb
Come what may !
He’s in his element at parties : à son affaire That’s a different kettle of fish
Quelle affaire : what a carry-on
He’s big enough to manage on his own
Tu auras affaire à moi : you’ll be hearing from me
To fuss around sb : s’affairer
The hypocrisy which is plain to see on everybody’s face : s’affiche To carry on openly in public with one’s lover : s’afficher
Hours at a stretch
Can you swear to it : affirmer
I’m appalled at that: affolé
To set sb’s teeth on edge : agacer les dents
He’ll settle down as he gets older : il se calmera
To act on behalf of sb
Hustle and bustle : agitation
To be at death’s door : agonie
Tantalizing : aguichant
Labouring under the burden : ahaner
To turn sour : tourner à l’aigre
Aigrefin : swindler
Vous en prenez à votre aise : you are taking things nice and easy Être tout alangui par la chaleur : to feel listless with the heat
Les aléas de l’existence : the vagaries of life
Après bien des aléas : after many ups and downs
Algarade : angry outburst
To bring one’s behaviour into line with
Il s’est fait aligner : he got done
There was general rejoicing
He put forward as a pretext
Of sterling worth : de bon aloi / plaisanterie : honest / de mauvais aloi : unwholesome They put him in the picture : au courant
Grief distorted his voice
To show courtesy to sb : faire des amabilités
To wheedle sb into doing stgh : amadouer
A hotchpotch of ideas : amalgame
To liven things up : mettre de l’ambiance
Avoir une âme basse : to have an evil heart /evil-minded To be a sensitive soul
This film is not for the squeamish : âme sensible He is a musician through and through : dans l’âme Ame charitable : well-meaning soul
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L’âme d’un complot : the moving spirit in a plot
To mend one’s ways : s’amender
Tu t’amènes ? : are you going to get a move on?
Entre eux ce n’est pas le grand amour : there ‘s no love lost between them Ses amours de jeunesse : his love affairs
To do stgh with loving care : avec amour Amourette : passing fancy
Amoureux transi : bashful lover
I don’t find these remarks in the bit least funny
Faire le pitre pour amuser la galerie : to clown around and play to the crowd Don’t you do or start that again or else : ne t’amuse pas
Instead of frittering your time away , you’d better do some work
I don’t give a damn about it
He got it into his head that To act the fool
The news completely broke him
Be an angel and get my glasses
Être aux anges : be in seventh heaven
To liven up a party : animation
The enthusiasm which shone in his eyes : animer
The sense of patriotism that spurred the soldier on :idem It bodes ill
How is it shaping up : comment est-ce que ça s’annonce ?
Annoncer la couleur : to lay one’s cards on the table
To say stgh blandly : anodin
Ma jeunesse d’antan : my long-lost youth
Mes plaisirs d’antan : my ersthwhile pleasures
Faire antichambre : to wait humbly
Être aux antipodes : to be on the other side of the world The difficulties smoothed themselves out
To grovel before so : s’aplatir
Perdre son aplomb : to get flustered
You look under the weather : idem That’ll put you right on your feet again : : idem A posteriori : with hindsight
That was the last straw : : apothéose
The truth suddenly dawned on him
To beckon to sb
To bring the house down : applaudir à tout rompre
I won’t be triffled with : je ne me laisserai pas faire That’s no news to me : vous ne m’apprenez rien
I’ll teach him a thing or two : apprendre à vivre
She’s always breathing down his neck / harcèlement : : she’s always on at him: fam ne jugez pas d’après ce qu’il dit : don’t go by what he says
avoir l’esprit d’à propos : to be quick off the mark
He’s got a screw loose : il a une araignée au plafond
To throw money down the drain
To be rolling in money : fam
This setback doesn’t help matters
He got his face bashed in : il s’est fait aranger le portrait
You’ll have to sort it out with the boss / things sorted themselves out
His comments smack of racism : arrrière-gôut
arrière pensée : ulterior motive
They were falling over each other to be polite
To take it upon oneself to do stgh : assumer
Make sure one has stgh to fall back on : assurer ses arrières To hit it off with sb : avoir des atomes crochus
To have more than one ace up one’s sleeve
To take on more than one’s match : s’attaquer à plus fort que soi Everybody got emotional
Indecent assault : attentat à la pudeur
To live up to sb’s expectations : répondre
To put sb on a pedestal : dresser un autel à qqn
It was a bitter pill for him to swallow
To mumble : avaler ses mots
To forge ahead
To have an affair with sb : aventure galante To tell fortunes : dire la bonne aventure
She took advantage of my better nature : elle m’a eu au sentiment To frustrate a plan : faire avorter
Fairly disreputable methods : peu avouables
Orgies bachique : baccchanalian revels
Bagarre générale : free-for-all
Violent scuffles broke out
Ça baigne : great
To get back into the swing of things : se remettre dans le bain Baisser les bras : to throw in the towel
Mener le bal : to call the tune / shots
The ball is in their court : camp
Balourd : oafish
On a échangé de banalités : we made small talk
She’s a real turn-on : bandante
Bande d’imbéciles : bunch of fools
Baragouiner :to talk double Dutch
Qu’est ce qu’il baragouine ? What’s he jabbering on about ?
Under sb’s nose : à la barbe de qqn
Ça va barder : things are going to get hot
She’s a pain in the neck : elle nous bassine
There’s the rub : bât
To take sb for a ride : mener qqn en bateau
Batifolage : frolicking about
He put a spoke in my wheel
Desultory conversation : à batons rompus
Dévoiler ses batteries : to unmask one’s guns
Cowering look : chien battu
Battre à plate couture : to beat sb hands down
His heart was pounding wildly : battre la chamade
To cold-shoulder sb : battre froid à qqn
Battre sa coulpe : to beat one’s breast
It was a great confort to him : ça lui a mis du beaume au coeur Il est bavard comme une pie : he’s a real chatterbox
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En baver d’admiration : to gasp in admiration
To be green with envy
En baver : to have a rough time of it
She hasn’t seen the last of her troubles with her son yet : en baver Et tout le bazar : and what have you
To be struck dumb with admiration : béat
He’s got a bad bout of bronchitis
Il s’est bel et bien trompé he got it well and truly wrong
He’s in low spirits : son moral n’est pas au beau fixe
To get up to mischief : en faire de belles
Bégueule : prude
Avoir le béguin : to have a crush on sb
Benêt : simpleton
Imust be seeing things : berlue
Ça va mettre du beurre dans les épinards : that will help you make ends meet
You can’t have your cake and eat it : on ne peut avoir le beurrre et l’argent du beurre A skewed view of reality : biaisée
Their questions have always a certain slant to them
Ça commence à bien faire : this is getting beyond a joke
This computer is his most treasured possession
He lay great store by wordly goods A good turn / deed never goes amiss Bienséance : propriety / decorum 2
bigot : sanctimonious
What was the upshot of the negociations ? To take stock of a situation
Billet doux : idem
It’s all talk : blague
Ne me raconte pas des blagues : you are putting me on
Colors which offend the eye
To cut sb to the quick
Cutting remarks
Do you take me for a novice : bleu
He tried to frighten me but I am immune to his threats : blindé
To be held up by an accident
Whenever people criticize him , he tenses up * Bobard : tall story
To drink in sb’s words
Mettre qqn en boîte : to pull sb’s legs
The news was a bolt from the blue : bombe
Bon chic / bon genre : preppy
Bon enfant : good -natured
Bon vivant : bon viveur
Progresser par bonds : to progress by leaps and bounds Bondir de colère : to fume with anger
It makes my blood boil : cela me fait bondir
Au petit bonheur : hapzardly
There is no real seleection , it’s just potluck : au petit bonheur la chance
Bonhomie : affability
I’m not your skivvy : boniche
Raconter des boniments : to spin yarns
He’s a bit of an eccentric : sur les bords
Bordée d’injures : volley of abuse / salve : broadside Human folly know no bound
Dépasser les bornes : to go too far
To have a good head for maths : bosse Bosseur : slogger
I fancy that : ça me botte
Faire du boucan : to kick up a din
To turn one’s nose up : faire la fine bouche
His prospects don’t look very bright
To give sb the kiss of life
Pour une bouchée de pain : for a song
Mettre les bouchées doubles : to put on a spurt
To make short work of an opponent
Will you shut your trap
To manage to stay in the black : boucler ses fins de mois To be cooped up at home
To drag sb’s name through the mud
Bouffon : farcical
Le bouffon du roi : the court jester
Bouffonnerie : antics
Bougon : grumpy
Pauvre bougre : poor devil / blighter
Avoir une boule dans la gorge : to have a lump in one’s throat Distraught with anxiety : bouleversé
C’est le bouquet : that takes the cake
Faire une bourde : to drop a clanger
Avoir le bourdon : to have the blues
Avoir l’esprit bourgeois : to have a conventional outlook Bourreau des coeurs : ladykiller
Racked by remorse
To drive sb to distraction : tourner en bourrique
Bourru : surly
To be hard-up : avoir la bourse dégarnie
I don’t like to be rushed : bousculer
To go off one’s head : perdre la boussole
He’s russian through and through : jusqu’au bout des ongles She’s a professional to her fingertips : idem
He made a witty reply : boutade
Elle l’a dit par boutade : in jest
Ce n’est pas une boutade : joke
He was the life and soul of the party : boute-en-train
Être sur la braise : to be on tenterhooks
To start sb off on a subject : brancher
Ce qui me branche : what grabs me
Do you fancy going to seee a film : branche
Idon’t give a fuck : rien à branler
Ça branle dans le manche : things are a bit shaky
To act brave/ put on a bold front
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Braver l’opinion : to fly in the face of public opinion
A big cheer for : grand bravo
Brebis galeuse : black sheep
Il est toujours sur la brèche : he’s always beavering away To be brief and to the point
Par bribes : in snatches / piecemeal
To keep a tight rein on sb : tenir la bride haute
Obtenir qqch par brigue : to get stgh by intrigue
His eyes glittered with envy
Courage is not his s strong point : il ne brille pas par To harry sb : brimades
With a hint of nostalgia
To carry stgh off with great panache
Intrude on sb’s preserve : marcher sur les brisées de qqn Suivre les brisées de qqn : to follow in sb’s footsteps
In a voice shocked with emotion : brisée
These trials have left him a broken man
Brocard : jibe
Broder sur un subjet : to elaborate on a subject
The statement has tanished the president’s image
To be muddle-headed : avoir l’esprit brouillon
As soon as she’s on her own she starts brooding
To hit out at sb brutisly
The problem has been a stumbling block right from the start : nous butons contre ce problème Cela l’a buté : it made him dig his heels in
Ça par exemple : well I never
Cabochard : pig-headed
He likes to show off : cabotin
It’s another of his mysteries : cachotterie
Faire des cachotteries : to keep secrets from sb
It’s a secretive child : cachottier
To be a wizard at chemistry : calé
Câlin : cuddlesome
To give sb a cuddle : faire un câlin
Calmer le jeu : to calm things down
Faire un canular à qqn : to hoax sb
Il a passsé le cap : he’s turned the corner
He’s got over the hurdle of the exam
Les caprices du sort : the quirks of fate
Rabaisser le caquet : to pull sb down a peg or two
He’s got personality problems : caractériel
It’s downright insubordination
Le carcan de la tradition : the straghtjacket of tradition
A mere mockery of a trial : une caricature de
Carnavalesque : carnivalesque
To turn on the charm : jouer la carte du charme
Cas social : social misfit
If the need arises : le cas échéant
Cas de conscience : moral dilemna
Casquer : to cough up
It’s a real drag having to correct exam papers
Catastrophe! Le prof est arrivé : panic stations ; the teacher’s here En catimini : on the sly
Cause célèbre : idem
Faire des cérémonies : to stand on ceremony
his people create mayhem in his class
To put sb off the scent/ track : donner le change Charabia : gibberish , gobbledygook
Être sur les chapeaux ardents : to be like a cat on a hot tin roof
Il a pour charge de faire : the onus is upon him to d
Faire du charme : to turn/switch on the charm
Se porter comme un charme : to be as fit as a fiddle
Être chatouilleux sur l’honneur : to be touchy on points of honour
I couldn’t care less
Excitement in the audience has reached fever pitch
To be at the crossroads of two cultures
To be a real stickler for the rules
It was touch and go wether he would agree : son accord n’a tenu qu’à un cheveu
To turn up at the most akward moment : comme un cheveu sur la soupe
There’s no one to touch him : aucun ne lui arive à la cheville
Attrapper la chiasse : to get the runs
Les gens chic : the smart set
Chicane : quibble
Faire des chicanes à qqn : to pick petty quarrels with sb
To be sparing with one’s compliments : chiche
Caresser des chimères : to chase rainbows
To split hairs : chinoiser / le s chinoiseries de l’administration : red tape
They joined with him in voicing their condemnation of the measures : ils ont fait chorus It’s all put on : c’est du cinéma / arrête ton cinéma : give it a rest / faire tout un cinéma : to put on a great act
/ tu ne vas pas nous faire ton cinéma : you’re not going to make a fuss
To annonce stgh in a roundabout way : avec des circonlocutions
To be equal to the occasion
il y a une récompense à la clé : there is a reward at the end of it
I’ll keep them behind and give them an exercise into the bargain :je vais les mettre en retenue avec un devoir à la clé
They lead cloistred lives
Stop your antics : clowneries
He left in a light-hearted mood : le coeur léger
My heart sinks at the thought : se serre
Le coeur serré : with a heavy heart
Ça m’est resté sur le coeur : it still rankles with me
He knows Racine inside out
They caught me out on that question : coincer
A part tailored made for him : qui lui colle à la peau / that fits him like a glove
Se coller ensemble : to shack up together
She’ very strait-laced : collet monté
Colportage : peddling
Colporteur : gossipmonger
Se coltiner : to lug
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brain dead : coma dépassé
Ça sent la combine : I smell a rat
That’s the height of absurdity / in the depths of despair / this brought his anger to a climax
That’s the last straw / and to cap it all , he left without paying : comble To put on an act : jouer la comédie
Come on , no fuss : pas de comédie
C’est toujours la même comédie : it’s always the same palaver
You can’t make friends to order : l’amitié ne se commnde pas
I can’t stand him , you can’t help these things : cela ne se commande pas Comment donc ! By all means
You will do as I say and no arguments
commère : gossip
Compére : accomplice
Par complaisance : out of kindness
He turns a blind eye to his wife’s goings-on : c’est un mari complaisant Prêter une oreille complaisante : to lend a willing ear
To let sb in on a plot
You haven’t got a clue
To get mixed up in a shady deal : se comprometre
Concert de louanges : chorus of praise concertiste : concert artiste
Conciliabule : consultation
It’s a deal !: marché conclu
He had been doomed for a long time : condamné
To let sb into the secret
Pillow talk : confidences sur l’oreiller
Following the lie of the land : idem
Confit de dévotion : steeped in piety
At the bridge of two cultures : au confluent
Don’t be so fussy : ne fais pas le degouté
He has lost some of his rough edges
To be at odds with sb : en délicatesse
His passion was almost frenzied : délire
His exxpression belied his words
half-wit : demeuré
Partial success : demi
Se faire comprendre à demi-mot : to make os understood without having to spell it out humour en demi teinte : low-key
Le démon de midi : midle-aged lust le démon du jeu : gambling fever
He’s not that easily flustered
He’s sticking to his guns : en démordre
His stupidity beggars belief
He did it out of pique : dépit
Everything is going downhill : à la dérive
To shy away from / to shirk one’s duty
To be at variance with one’s family
was completely nonplussed by his calmnesss : désarçonner
The author was shot down in flames by the critics : l’auteur s’est fait descendre en beauté He sat idle for hours on end
Seeing that he was at a loose end ; she asked him to help her : désoeuvré
c’est le destin ! : it was meant to
Stgh of her character rubbed off on her daughter : ellle a déteint sur sa fille
The holidays have been cancelled but I resigned to it : j’en ai fait mon deuil Caught in the crossfire : pris entre deux feux
To have double standards : avoir deux poids , deux mesures
To eye sb greedily : dévorer des yeux
To be in tune with a situation : au diapason
He looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth : on lui donnerati le bon dieu sans confesssion
Campagne de diffamation : smear campagne
She’s a stickler for cleanliness
won’t stand for his insolence longer : digérer
With an attitude little beffiting a judge
Manoeuvres dilatoires : stalling tactics
Directeur de conscience : spiritual adviser
He likes to hold forth : tenir de grands discours
To fall into disrepute : en discrédit
With him they have to toe the line : obéir au doigt at à l’oeil
To be kidding os : se mettre le doigt dans l’oeil
To touch a raw nerve : mettre le doigt sur la plaie After his divorce he went downhill : dégringolade
He was within an ace of death
It’s a bit akward to tell him that : délicat
If we put our backs into it we’ll finish before nightfall : se démener Can you spare me a cigarette
To extricate os from :se dépêtrer
Tomber en désuétude : to fall into disuse / loi : abeyance
To live from hand to mouth : tirer le diable par la queue
This wretched man / bussiness : ce diable de
À l’heure dite : at the apponted hour
He’s beginning to ramble : divaguer / tu divagues : you’re off your head To sugar / sweeten the pill for sb : dorer la pilule
He’s mollycoddled : dorloté
A cock and bull story : à dormir debout
I’m going to sleep very soundly tonight
He dooesn’t go in for half-measures : avec le dos de la cuiller
He bore the brunt of the whole thing
You must strike a right balance between understanding and severity Douceureux : sugary : paroles / personne : smooth
It was a real let-down when we found out : douche froide
Hot and cold shower : douche écossiase
Itcame asabit ofablow:idem
To hold out on sb : tenir la dragée haute
To be in a right fix : dans de beaux draps
To cloak os in one’s virtue
He gave an encouraging review of the situation : bilan
A spine-chilling tale : à faire dresser les cheveux sur la tête That will knock him into shape
Pupils should be taught their place : dresser
He pulled a wry face : drôle de tête
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He’s got some cheek
Duégne : duenna
Chanter en duo : to sing a duet To be taken in by sb : dupe
To be tight-fisted
He’s a hard-hearted man
His bark is worse than his bite : c’est un dur au coeur tendre
He’s a hard nut to crack : dur à cuire
To act tough
To sleeep rough : coucher sur la dure
To take a tougher stand : durcir ses positions
It’s all grist to his mill : tout cela apporte de l’eau à son moulin
To move in shady circles : nager en eaux troubles
So that nothing leaks out : s’ébruiter
To stand aloof
To steer clear of politics
Misdemeanour : écart de conduite
Écart de jeunesse : youthful misdemeanour
Scuffles with the police
After arguing for an hour people were getting heated ou worked up The breakdown in the talks / after negociations broke down
He kowtows to his superior : il a l’échine souple
It falls to you to : il vous échoit de
They were foiled in their attempt
In the full radiance / bloom of his youth
The news was a bolt of the blue
He exploded at this remark
To give free rein to one’s joy
Gout écoeurant : cloying
To play truant / hooky
To make cheeseparing economies
I was the one that took the rap : écoper Écorché vif : flayed alive
To fleece one’s customers : écorcher We are staying tuned : à l’écoute
He puts me in the shade because he is so famous
Snowed under with work
Plaisanterie : s’éculer : to wear thin
Écumer de rage : froth at the mouth
They have adopted a toned-down version of far-right : version édulcorée He managed to cause a bit of a stir : son petit effet
His anger hasn’t worn off
She dissolved into tears
The author was given a bit of a rough ride by the critics : égratigner
It just dented his self-esteem
Espéce de malélevé : you rude thing
To work on,e’s way up by the sweat of one’s brow Don’t go to any trouble for me
He’s a fusspot
Entrenched in his convictions
émoustillant : titillating
The solution finally won the day
Without mishap
Endeuiller : to cast a pall over
Runner with staying power : endurance
Inured to pain with the strength born of despair
To get drunk on words : s’enivrer de mots / intoxicated by success To look down in the mouth : mine d’enterrement
At this juncture
Some eccentric turned up
Espoirs chimériques : wild hopes
Esprit de clocher : parochialism
To have scrupules : avoir des états d’âme
He’s always pigeonholing people : étiqueter
Subdued voices
To go to extremes
Wars have bled the country white : exsangue
He was extremely loath to do it
To be on the point of death : à la dernière extrémité
To play pranks : faire des facéties
Factotum : dogsbody
Ele est façonnière : affected
To mouth insipid phrases
Propos fadassses : wishy-washy
To pay bland compliments to a lady : dire des fadeurs
She’s a weakling : c’est un faible
He relented in the face of their pleas
His heart missed a bit : son coeur lui faillit
I’m ravenous
Her husband serves as a foil to her : sert -valoir
Faiseur d’embarras : fusspot
It’s a great stroke of luck
To complain that the wolf is at the door
Cinema buff
Fantoche : puppet
Grosse farce : slapstick comedy
You’re a sly one : sacré farceur
He was cut down in his prime
To let sb down : faire faux bond
Faux jeton : two-faced person
To clap a prisoner in irons
To put a town to fire and sword
To kill sb by inches
To be a born mother : avoir la fibre maternelle
To know the ropes
With weather like this we’ve had it for the picnic
True to form / character he arrived late
In the heat of departure : fièvre
To cut a sorry figure
To spin out love’s sweet dream : filer le parfait amour
x
To toe the line : filer doux To strike it lucky : trouvez le filon To toady to: flagorner Tirer sa flemme : to loaf about In one's prime : dans la fleur de l'âge I'm all on edge He's very touchy There's a streak of honesty in him : fond To plumb the dephts of sorrow By dint of kindness To win by default : par forfait Lump sum As a matter of form To hit on the right formula Armed with their support To make the best of it : fortune He looked dagger at him Fourbe : deceitful A welter of ideas : fourmillement To land sb in the soup To go to great expense To get up to mischief : frasques / youthful indiscretions Faire des fredaines : to be up to mischief It gives me the creeps : frisson To be venturesome : n'avoir pas froid aux yeux When he rang I really got the wind up \: frousse He's a bit of a shirker / skiver Furie : shrew The jokes came thick and fast She's a crafty little minx : futée He said that for appearances' sake : pour la galerie Your idea suits him down to the ground I'm not going to pull my punches with him You'd better handle him with kid gloves He's gone soft over his grandson He made no bones about telling him To have an evil bent Therein lies the problem To make sb's blood run cold This reply turned his heart to ice He has a chilling way about him Glandeur : shirker To do stgh out of vainglory The words stuck in his throat To laugh sb to scorn : faire des gorges chaudes Gouine : dyke Ther'll be ructions : grabuge Faire du grabuge : to create havoc Mettre son grain de sel ! To stick one's oar in
To grease sb’s palm
To have delusions of grandeur
Mettre le grappin : to collar sb
He pulled a wry face
That noise really sets your teeth on edge
Faire grise mine : to pull a long face :/ to give sb a cool reception Grivois : saucy
The simmering discontent of the unions : grogne
The rumbling of mounting anger : le grondement de la colère The incident is fraught with consequences
It’s a safe bet that :il y a gros à parier que
Gros bonnet : big shot
To act the he-man : jouer les gros bras
Uncouth individual
To be in a huff with sb : faire la gueule
To be jinxed : guigne
to be full of beans : guilleret
His audience listened with bated breath
I looked in on the off-chance
To take pride of place : tenir le haut du pavé
To cut the ground from under sb’s feet
The cat’s fur stood on end :: se hérissa
To be impervious to
he has found his match : son homme
I am honor bound to do it
What are all these flowers in aid of ? En quel honneur
The denizens of the wood : hôtes
Sous la houlette de : leadership
To the boos of the crowd
To add fuel to the flames : huile
The talks are continuing behind closed doors to take out / vent one’s ill humour on sb
à la hussarde : in a rough and ready way
Racism is raising his ugly head again :: hydre / hydra
The audience went wild : hystérie
His face was aglow with happiness : illluminer
the family reunion was a touching scene of traditional family life : image d’épinal
The two cultures are inextricably interlinked / deeply immeshed
A people steeped in prejudice
Engrossed in his own problems
Our country must get out of the rut it is in : impasse
To break the deadlock in the negociations
Unruffled in the face of danger
Imprécateur : doomsayer
To inveigh against : imprécations
Imprévoyant : improvident : argent
To speak off the cuff : impromptu
He arived quite out of the blue one evening : impromptu I dropped in on him unexpectedly
Spurred on by their leaders
x
Impelled by anger : impulsion
They enjoy the way people get off scot-free : impunité Incartade : prank
She looked daggers at him : incendier du regard Winter sports enthusiasts : inconditionnels
Espoir inconsistant : flimsy
Inconvenance : indecorous behaviour
Commettre des indélicatesses : indiscretions
To work freelance : en indépendant
Dearth of ideas
I listened to him waxing indignant about
It’s a disgrace : indignité
away from prying eyes
To be conceited about one’s looks : infatué
Full of self-conceit
To pledge alllegiance : s’inféoder à
I gather from this that : inférer
I need some time to get to know about computers Inoui : unheard of
quel insouciant (tu fais) ! you’re such a heedless ou happy-go-lucky person! selon l’inspiration du moment according to the mood of the
sur ou devant les instances de ses parents in the face of his parents’ entreaties insuffler le courage/le désir à qn to breathe courage/desire into sb
pas de zèle intempestif! no misplaced ou excessive zeal!
c’est mon interlocuteur privilégié he’s the person liaise with (Police)
il y a eu une dizaine d’interpellations : about ten people were taken in for questioning
se montrer intransigeant ou adopter une ligne de conduite intransigeante envers qn : to take a hard line with sb
intrépide : barefaced
son itinéraire philosophique/religieux his philosophical , religious path
il a de la jactance ! he’s got the gift of the gab! *
faire jaillir des étincelles : to make sparks fly
c’est un jaloux : he’s the jealous type
des monstres jaillis de son imagination : monsters sprung from his imagination
mise en jambes : warming-up exercises
faire qch par-dessous ou par-dessus la jambe : to do sth carelessly ou in a slipshod way
elle est toujours dans mes jambes* she’s always getting in my way, c’est un janus he’s two-faced
il le jaugea du regard :he looked him up and down jauger qn d’un coup d’oeil : to size sb up at a glance
faire la java : to live it up
sa remarque a jeté un froid : his remark put a damper on things
ça lui a fichu les jetons : it gave him the jitters
il faut que jeunesse se passe :youth must have its fling
la jeunesse dorée : the young jet set
elle joint l’intelligence à la beauté : he combines intelligence and beauty utiliser son joker (lit) :to play one’s joker; (fig) to play one’s trump card se jouer des difficultés to make light of the difficulties
on l’attend d’un jour à l’autre he’s expected any day (now)
il est toujours dans les jupes de sa mère : he’s still tied to his mother’s apron
. jurer comme un charretier :to swear like a trooper
prendre le jus ou un coup de jus : to get a shock
: ça justifie mon point de vue : it bears out ou vindicates my opinion
il nous a lâchés en plein milieu du travail : he walked out on us right in the middle of the work
il ne m’a pas lâché d’une semelle : he stuck close all the time,
lâcher pied :to fall back , give way
lâcher bride à qn (fig) to give sb more of a free rein
ladre : mean, miserly
il ne faut pas te laisser tondre ou manger la laine sur le dos :you shouldn’t let people walk all over you
les laissés-pour-compte de la société :society’s rejects
ce sont les laissés-pour-compte du progrès : these people are the casualties of progress
progress has left these people on the scrap heap
faire un laïus : to hold forth at great length, give a long-winded speech
avoir la langue déliée ou bien pendue : to be a bit of a gossip, have a ready tongue les langues vont aller bon train (hum) tongues will start wagging
elle a une langue de vipère :she’s got a vicious ou venomous tongue
mon petit lapin my sweetheart
faire un lapsus : make a slip of the tongue
largeur de vues : broadness of outlook
être un peu largué : to be a bit lost
drôle de lascar (louche) shady character*; (malin)
avoir toute latitude pour faire qch : to have a free hand ou have carte blanche laisser/donner toute latitude à qn : to allow/ give sb full scope ou a free hand on a une certaine latitude : we have some leeway
s’endormir ou se reposer sur ses lauriers to rest on one’s laurels je m’en lave les mains (fig) I wash my hands of it
il est du genre lécheur : he’s always sucking up to someone léguer qch à qn par testament to bequeath sth to sb
jeter ou lâcher du lest (lit) to dump ballast; (fig) to make concessions
ce matin, il s’est levé du pied gauche : he got out of bed on the wrong |side this morning
j’ai les lèvres scellées : (fig) my lips are sealed
il a du liant : he is sociable
faire des libelles contre qn :to lampoon sb
lieu de débauche (+ ou hum) den of iniquity lieu de perdition den of iniquity
être l’homme lige de qn (flg) : to be sb’s henchman
de haut lignage of noble lineage
tout se ligue contre moi :everything is in league ou is conspiring against me
dans les limbes (Rel) in limbo
c’est un fin limier he’s a really good sleuth
ils ne se sont pas injuriés/battus, mais c’était limite they didn’t actually insult at each other/come to that
x
écrire de la littérature alimentaire : to write potboiler
le pays a été livré au pillage/à l’anarchie :the country was given over to pillage/to anarchy regarder ou voir les choses par le petit bout de a lorgnette (fig) to take a very limited
ou narrow view of things
l’homme est un loup pour l’homme brother will turn on brother
to stop beating about the bush
il avait une lueur malicieuse dans le regard : he had a mischievous gleam ou glint in his eye . il décrocherait la lune pour elle : he’d move heaven and earth to please
il faut lui mâcher son travail : you have to spoon-feed him
il ne mâche pa ses mots : he doesn’t mince his words
où ont-ils caché le magot ? where did they stash the loot?
c’est le roi de la magouille : he’s a born schemer
magouilles politiques : political skulduggery
la mainmise de l’Église sur l ‘éducation : the Church’s stranglehold on education
il est majeur et vacciné (hum) he’s old enough to look after himself
at daggers drawn
se mettre mal avec qn : to get on the wrong side of sb,
se donner un mal de chien pour faire qch : to bend over backwards ou go to great lengths to do sth
faux malade : malingerer
tu ne vas pas en faire une maladie : don’t you get in (such) a state over it!
malappris : boorish
.il a joué de malchance (gén) he was out of luck;
il y a maldonne (lit) there’s been a misdeal
appeler la malédiction sur qn :to call down curses upon sb
je le ferai malgré tout : I’ll do it all the same ou come what may
malheur à toi si tu y touches ! woe betide you if you touch it!
faire un malheur (= avoir un gros succès) [spectacle] to be a big hit; [artiste, joue ne fais pas ton ou le malin * don’t try to show off
être malmené par la critique (fig) to be given a rough ride by the critics malotru : nm,f lout, boor,
malséant : (littér) unseemly
malversation [ma: embezzlement
c’est un maniaque de la propreté :he’s fanatical about cleanliness
he’s a stickler for punctuality
ne fais pas de manières avec nous you needn’t stand on ceremony with us encore une de ses manigances another of his little schemes ou tricks
manquer à ses promesses : to go back on one’s promises
mante religieuse (lit) praying mantis
prendre le maquis :to take to the bush
mariner en prison to stew in prison
faire un massacre [spectacle, chanteur] to be a roaring success *
Maternage : cosseting; (fait de i travail) spoonfeeding
il parle un français mâtiné d’espagnol :he speaks a mixture of French and Spanish mauvais coucheur : awkward customer
mauvais pas: tirer qn/se sortir d’un mauvais pas :to get sb out of/get out of a tight spot mauviette : wimp
twists and turns : twists and tums ou ins and outs ou complexities of his thought il a éventé ou vendu la mèche : he gave the game
elle est toujours en train de médire : she’s always running people down
être en butte à la médisance : to be made a target of malicious gossip
être dans la mélasse : be on one’s beam ends
mêle-tout : nosy parker *
de mémoire d’homme : in living nemory
il les a congédiés sans ménagement : he dismissed them without further ado
c’est un homme qui ménage ses paroles : he’s a man of few words
mendier des compliments : to fish for compliments
déjouer les menées de qn : to foil sb’s manoeuvres
mener qn par le bout du nez : to lead sb by the nose : il est mené par le bout du nez par sa femme : his wife has got him on a string
se creuser les méninges :to rack one’s brains
pieux mensonge : white lie
tout ça, c’est des mensonges : it’s all a pack of lies
menu fretin (lit, fig) small fry
menus larcins pilferage
messager de bonheur : harbinger of glad tidings
vous n’avez pas mesuré la portée de vos actes ! you did not weigh up ou consider the consequences of your actions!
mesurer le travail aux forces de qn : to match ou gear the work to sb’s strength .
the same old routine day in, day out
il s’est bien mis à l’anglais : he’s really taken to
Il est temps de s’y mettre it’s (high) time we got down to it ou got
qu’est-ce que tu es énervant quand tu t’y mets ! * you can be a real pain when you get going! * ou once you get started! *
lâcher la meute sur : to set the pack on
on leur fit un accueil mi-figue mi-raisin :they received
mièvre : sourire makis / charme vapid
oh oui, dit-elle en minaudant / oh yes, she simpered
faire des minauderies to put on simpering airs
il ne fait même pas mine de résister / he didn’t even put up a token resistance
miné par le chagrin/l’inquiétude :worn down by grief/anxiety
budget mini : shoestring budget
mon temps est minuté : l’ve got an extremely tight schedule
miroir aux alouettes : (lit) decoy
il lui fit miroiter les avantages qu’elle aurait à accepter ce poste :he painted in glowing colours what she stood to gain from taking the job
avoir la mite à l’œil : to have sleep in one’s eyes
prendre pour modèle :to model ou pattern o.s. up sb
modérez vos propos ! tone down your remarks!
faire le modeste : to put on ou make a show of modesty
pourri* ou corrompu jusqu’à la moelle : rotten to the core,
mener une vie mondaine : to be a socialite
donner ou rendre à qn la monnaie de sa pièce to repay sb in kind
il monologue pendant des heures : he talks away ou holds forth for hours
the discussion is getting heated
quelqu’un lui a monté la tête contre moi : someone has set him against me monter qch en épingle : to blow sth up out of all proportion
il a fait preuve d’une grande force morale : he showed great moral fîbre cracher le morceau : to come clean
x
discours plein de mordant :speech full of bite ou punch
il avait la mort dans l’âme : his heart ached
c’est un mort vivant/un mort en sursis : he’s living on borrowed time
mouchard : informer
il faut toujours qu’il fasse la mouche du coche : he’s always fussing around as if he’s indispensable
prendre la mouche : get into ou go into a huff
moulin à paroles : chatterbox
il sentit la moutarde lui monter au nez : he felt his temper flaring
ils se comportent comme des moutons de Panurge : they behave like sheep
j’ai eu une journée assez mouvementée : l’ve had quite a hectic day
rester entre quatre murs [prisonnier] to stay within the confines of one’s cell
il y a un mur entre nous : there is a barrier between us
ils se murmuraient les mots tendres :they were whispering sweet nothings to each other
être né coiffé : to be born lucky
je me sens un peu nauséeux : l’m feeling a bit queasy ou nauseous
le gouvernement doit naviguer entre les écueils : the government must tread a delicate path Négligé : slovenly, sloppy
avoir les nerfs fragiles : to be highly strung
avoir les nerfs en boule * ou en pelote : to be very tensed up être sur les nerfs : to be all keyed up *
allons du nerf ! ou un peu de nerf ! come on, buck up!
dire des niaiseries : to talk rubbish
chez eux, c’est nickel : their home is always spick and span
avoir un noeud dans la gorge : to have a lump in one’s throat
le noeud de l’intrigue :the crux of the plot
il m’a opposé une fin de non-recevoir : he turned down my request point-blank avoir la gorge nouée (par l’émotion) : to have a lump in one’s throat
j’ai l’estomac noué : my stomach is in knots
sa gorge se noua : a lump came to his throat
ironie nuancée d’amertume : irony with a tinge ou a note ou a hint of bitterness porter ou mettre qn aux nues : to praise sb to the skies
ça se perd dans la nuit des te mps : it’s lost in the mists of time : ça remonte à la nuit des temps that goes back to the dawn of time,
c’est un nullard : he’s a dead loss *
c’est un sacré numéro ! what a character!
tradition oblige : as tradition has it
ne pas être en odeur de sainteté : auprès de qn to be in bad odour with sb
décocher une oeillade à qn : to wink at sb, give sb a wink
* avoir des oeillères : to wear blinkers
les orages de la vie : the turmoils of life
nager dans l’opulence : to live in the lap of luxury
tirer les oreilles à qn : to tweak sb’s eyes
jeter qqch aux orties :throw sth out of the window
il ne fera pas de vieux os (= il ne vivra pas longtemps) he won’t last ou live long il est pourri jusqu’à l’os* : he’s rotten to the core
il ya un os : there’s a snag ou hitch
ours mal léché : uncouth fellow
outrage à la pudeur : gross indecency
outrage public à la pudeur : indecent exposure
ouvrir les oreilles :to pin back one’s ears
ce week-end fut pour moi une bouffée d’oxygène : it did me a power of good
l’angoisse de l’écrivain devant la page : writer’s block
je n’ai pas envie de l’entendre palabrer pendant des heures : I don’t want to listen to him going on ou waffling on * (Brit) for hours
personnage sans panache : lacklustre individual
ne les mets pas tous dans le même panier (fig) : don’t lump them all together il a essayé de me paniquer : he tried to put the wind up me *
pantelant : gasping for breath
pantouflard :stay-at-home
. être/ne pas être dans les petits papiers de qn : to be in sb’s good/bad books être au parfum * to be in the know *
je suis partant count me in
si c’est comme ça, je ne suis plus partant : if that’s how it is , count me out
avoir partie liée (avec qn) : to be hand in glove (with sb)
prendre qn à partie (= apostropher) to take sb to task
littér) parvenu : upstart
passade : passing fancy,
être dans ou traverser une mauvaise passe (gén) to be having a rough time, be going through a bad patch
patraque :off-colour
peau de chagrin :shagreen
le whisky, c’est son péché mignon : he’s rather partial to whisky
ça donne la pêche it gets you going
il n’a pas la pêche : he’s feeling a bit low
faire pencher la balance (flg) : to tip the scales
to set the record straight
pépinière : tree nursery ; fig breeding-ground
il ne perd pas le nord * : he keeps his wits about him
valoir son pesant d’or [personne] to be worth one’s weight in gold
les remords lui pèsent sur la conscience : remorse lies heavy on his conscience
pétri de culture orientale/littérature slave steeped m Eastern culture/Slavic literature personnalité phare leading light
philistin [fui (fig) philistine
avoir la phobie de : to have a phobia about
veux ma photo ? * what are you staring at?
piaffer d’impatience [personne] to be champing at the bit
avec pièces à l’appui :with supporting documents
être au pied du mur :to have one’s back to the wall :mettre qn au pied du mur to call sb’s bluff
il a suivi vos conseils au pied de la lettre : he followed your advice to the letter
faire un pied de nez à qn to sb, cock a snook at
pimpant, spruce
porter ou mettre qn au pinacle (flg) to praise sb to the skies pinalller : to quibble,
elle a eu un pincement de coeur : she felt a twinge of sorrow
pincer les lèvres to purse (up) one’s lips
c’est un pince-sans-rire he’s got a deadpan sense of humour pique-assiette :scrounger*, sponger
se lancer sur la piste de qn to follow sb’s trail, set out
x
il a eu le poste par piston he got job thanks to a bit of string-pulling
remuer ou tourner le couteau o*
personnage sans panache : lacklustre individual
ne les mets pas tous dans le même panier (fig) don’t lump them all together il a essayé de me paniquer he tried to put the wind up me *
pantouflard :stay-at-home
être/ne pas être dans les petits papiers de qn : to be in sb’s good/bad books
ceci a un parfum de scandale/d’hérésie (fig) : that has a whiff of scandal être au parfum * to be in the know *
je suis partant count me in
si c’est comme ça, je ne suis plus partant : if that’s how it is , count me out
avoir partie liée (avec qn) : to be hand in glove (with sb)
prendre qn à partie (= apostropher) to take sb to task
mettre qn au pas to bring sb to heel
passade :passing fancy,
être dans ou traverser une mauvaise passe (gén) to be having a rough time, be going through a bad patch
patraque :off-colour
le whisky, c’est son péché mignon he’s rather partial to whisky > ça donne la pêche it gets you going
> il n’a pas la pêche he’s feeling a bit low
arrêtez de me peloter :stop pawing me!
il ne perd pas le nord * : he keeps his wits about him
lacuisinière est une perle : the cook is an absolute gem
valoir son pesant d’or [personne] to be worth one’s weight in gold
les remords lui pèsent sur la conscience remorse lies heavy on his conscience
pétri de culture orientale/littérature slave steeped m Eastern culture/Slavic literature avoir la phobie de : to have a phobia about
veux ma photo ? * what are you staring at?
piaffer d’impatience [personne] to be champing at the bit
je ne sais pas sur quel pied danser I don’t know what to do
être au pied du mur :to have one’s back to the wall :mettre qn au pied du mur to call sb’s bluff
il a suivi vos conseils au pied de la lettre he followed your advice to the letter
je ne sais pas sur quel pied danser I don’t know what to do
je ne pige rien à la chimie chemistry’s all Greek
les lèvres pincées with pursed lips
piocher dans ses économies to dip in one’s savings
les dés sont pipés
the dice are loaded
mettre qch au placard to shelve sth
faire pencher la balance (flg) to tip the scales
remettre les pendules à l’heure : to set the record straight personnalité phare leading light
philistin [fui (fig) philistine
faire un pied de nez à qn to sb, cock a snook at
je ne pige rien à la chimie chemistry’s all Greek
mettre un livre au pilon (Typo) to pulp a book
porter ou mettre qn au pinacle (flg) to praise sb to the skies pinalller : to quibble,
c’est un pince-sans-rire he’s got a deadpan sense of humour
piocher dans ses économies to dip in one’s savings
pique-assiette :scrounger, sponger
il a eu le poste par piston he got jpb thanks to a bit of string-pulling
mettre qch au placard to shelve sth
u le fer dans la plaie :to twist ou turn the knife in the wound, rub salt in the wound
il s’est planté dans ses calculs he got his calculations wrong
marcher sur ou piétiner les plates-bandes de qn * (fig) to trespass on sb’s preserve, tread on sb’s patch, poach on
pleurnicherie [piSRnijRi] nf snivelling
» faire pleuvoir des injures sur qn to shower insults on sb, subject
il plissa son visage his face creased in smile
n’a pas de plomb dans la tête : he’s featherbrained
un sentiment de jalousie/haine commençait à poindre he (ou tie) began to feel th the first stirrings of jealousy/hatred
point chaud (Mil) trouble spot, hot spot;
pointilleux :pernickety
» des normes d’hygiène de plus en plus pointues : increasmgly stringent ou rigorous standards of hygiene
une violente polémique s’est engagée sur… a fierce controversy has flared up about…
… » relancer une polémique to rekindle a controversy
passer de la pommade à qn * to butter sb up *, so
tomber dans les pommes * to faint, pass out
tre/se sentir pompette to be/feel tipsy
en porte-à-faux mur, construct :slanting
poseur, -euse [pozSR, < show-off, poseur
c’est de la poudre aux yeux it’s all just for show
> jeter de la poudre aux yeux de qn : to impress sb
poussif, -ive [i short-winded; cheval
il fait figure de précurseur dans ce domaine he’s something of a trail- blazer in this field
) » avoir une prédilection pour qch to be partial to sth
c’est une première mondiale (gén) it’s a world first
c’est une grande première pour notre équipe it’s a big first for our team
ce travail est trop prenant this job is too time-consuming
. il se prépare quelque chose de louche there’s somethtng fishy going on *
presse à scandale ou à sensation gutter press
prévarication [pReva 1 nf corrupt practices
être d’humeur primesautière to have an impulsive temperament ou nature
man of principle, he’s got principles
un gouvernement en prise avec les réalités du pays a governement in tune with
> prise de guerrc spoils of war
faire des propositions (malhonnêtes) à une femme : proposition a woman
leparlement s’est prorogé jusqu’en octobre the parliament has prorogued until October
la prose administrative (péj) officialese
il est très attaché au protocole he’s a stickler for form
ça m’a mis la puce à l’oreille that started ou got me thinking
pudibond, e [pydiba ) prudish, prim
c’est la quadrature du cercle (fig) it’s like trying to square the q circle
la police a établi un quadrillage serré du quartier the area is under close ou tight police control
x
je n’irai pas par quatre chemins l’m not going to beat about the bush
querelle de chapelle ou de clocher petty squabbling (NonC) ou in-fighting (NonC)
finir en queue de poisson to come to an abrupt end sans queue ni tête* cock-and-bull story
le quiproquo durait depuis un quart d’heure, sans qu’ils s’en rendent compte they had been talking at cross-purposes for a quarter of an hour
quolibet ] [k: î) gibe, jeer
il rabâche toujours la même chose he keeps rambling ou harping on the same thing rabattre les couvertures :to pull the blankets up
» rabattre l’orgueil de qn to humble sb’s pride
rabattu, e [Ra adj col, bords turned down
racaille [Rakaj ia nf rabble, rifraff
raccrocher au nez de qn » il m’a raccroché dans la rue he stopped ou waylaid ou buttonholed me in the street
c’est du racket ! it’s daylight robbery
radin :tight-fisted
» ça ne vaut pas un radis it’s not worth a penny
“f
» il est ramenard he’s a real show-off
passer la rampe : to get across to the audience
bon à mettre au rancart : fit for the scrap heap
oubliez vos vieilles rancunes put aside || your old grudges sans rancune ! no
raser les murs to hug the walls
quand je lui ai dit de m’aider, il a rechigné when I told him to help me he balked ou he made a sour face
dans les recoins de sa mémoire in the recesses of his mind
“ redonner vie à un quartier/un village to give an area/a village a new lease of life
redoubler (une classe) (Sçol) to repeat a year
» il s’est fait refiler une fausse pièce someone has palmed ou fobbed a forged coin off
on him;
regonfler le moral qn to bolster sb up
sa renommée a rejailli sur ses collègues his fame brought his colleagues some reflected glory il rejette la responsabilité sur moi :he lays the responsibility at my door
> il ya du relâchement dans la discipline discipline is getting lax
relayer l’information to pass the message on
. ça a des relents de racisme it smacks of racism
on s’est fait rembarrer we were sent packing
le ministre a dû rempocher son projet de réforme the minister had to shelve his reform plan lâcher les rênes (llt) to loosen ou slacken the reins
renifler quelque chose de louche to smell a rat
* vivre de ses rentes to i::l||B| live on ou off one’s private mcome
“«. la nouvelle l’a renversé the news bowled him over ou staggered him
renvoyer l’ascenseur (fig) to retum the favour
renvoyer qch aux calendes grecques tc postpone sth ou put sth off mdefinitely
les grévistes ont réoccupé les locaux the strikers have staged another sit-in
repaître ses yeux de qch to feast one’s eyes on sth
Il s”est fait repêcher à l’oral he scraped through ou just got a pass thanks to the oral
lot of resistance ou stamina; (athlète)
. ce poème éveillé en moi des résonances (littér) this poem struck a chord with me <
an assiste à un retour en force de leur parti sur la scène politique their party is making a big
comeback
vont ils réussir leur coup ? willl they manage to pull it off?
c’est le revers de la médaille (fig) that’s the other side of the coin
“ toute médaille a son revers (fig) every rose has its thorn (prov)
devant ce refus, elle a eu un nouvement de révolte she bridled at this refusal j’ai entendu des ricanements I heard someone sniggering
tenir rigueur à qn to hold it against sb
faire qch sans rime ni raison to do sth without either rhyme or reason
> rivaliser de générosité/de bons mots avec qn to vie with sb ou try to outdo sb in generosity/wit,
rompre en visière :to quarrel openly with so
rond-de-cuir :penpusher
ronger son frein fig) [cheval] to champ at the bit
il ronronnait de sâtisfaction (fig) he was purring with satisFaction “ ça roni
sa vie n’était pas bien rose his life was no bed of roses
«.il n’est qu’un rouage dans cette organisation he’s -^ lerely a cog in this organization » les i » les rouages de l’État the machinery ofstate “ les
il lui roucoulait des mots tendres he was whispering sweet nothings to her
c’est une petite rouée she’s a little minx
“ rouge d’émotion flushed with emotion » devi
saper le moral à qn to knock the stuffing out of sb *
nous partirons séance tenante we shall leave forthwith
elle a été très sèche avec moi she was very curt with me
je suis resté sec sur ce sujet I drew a blank on the subject
ça démarre sec ce soir the evening’s off to a good start *
les séquelles du colonialismethe legacy of colonialism »
à cette vue, son coeur se serra :at the sight of this he felt a pang of anguish
‘est pas malade, c’est de la simulation :he isn’t ^ ‘ ill - it’s all put on ou he’s just malingering pour essayer de conjurer le (mauvais) sort to try to ward off fate
le sort en est jeté the die is cast
tirer au sort to draw lots * tirer qch
souillon [supl if slattern, slut
chanter tout son soûl to sing one’s heart out
1 cette vue, son coeur se souleva his stomach turned at the sight
être dans ses petits souliers s (fig) to feel awkward ou ill at ease
il est (très) soupe au lait, c’est une soupe au lait he flies off the handle easily,
tout lui sourit everything goes his way
elle était la statue du désespoir she was the picture of despair
peine avec sursis ou assortie du sursis suspended ou deferred sentence
j’aurais préféré être mince, beau et riche, tant qu’à faire I would have preferred to have been slim, handsome and rich for that matter
elle lui a tapé dans l’oeil * he took a fancy to her
taquiner la muse (hum) to dabble in poetry
“ il est tatillon, c’est un tatillon he’s very finicky ou pernickety
discours teinté de puritanisme speech tinged with puritanism
temporiser [toplay for time
de temps à autre, de temps en temps from time to time, now and again, every now and then en temps et lieu in due course
le remords le tenaillait he was racked with remorse
les tenants et (les) aboutissants d’une affaire the ins and outs of a question
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quelle tendance (politique) ppartient-il ? what are his (political) leanings?
sa plus tendre enfance from his earliest i
> c’est un tendre he’s tender-hearted
i gardé des tendresses royalistes he has retained pus] royaUst sympathies
avant le match il était tendu : all keyed-up before the match
sonder ou tâter le terrain (fig) to test thc ground, put out feelers *
discussion en tête-à-tête discussion in private
théâtre de guignol = Punch and Judy show
le théâtre est plein ce soir it’s a full house \ tonight, the performance is sold out
avoir le timbre voilé :to have a muffled voice
voix bien timbrée beautifully resonant voice » mal timbré lacking in resonance
il tire sur la soixantaine he’S
Ils se toisèrent they looked each other up and down
1 est tombé en pleine réunion/scène de ménage :he walked straight into a meeting/a domestic row
:a tombe à point ou à pic* that’s perfect tuning
avoirune toquade pour qn to have a crush on sb
ilest tordant he’s a scream
un ( torchonné a slipshod ou badly done of homework
je vais lui tordre cou* (fig) l’ll wring his neck (for
»la peur lui tordait l’estomac his stomach was churning with fear avoir l’esprit tordu to have a warped mind
se torturer le cerveau ou l’esprit to rack ou cudgel one’s brains
tour de force (lit) feat of strength, tour
tourner qn/qch en ridicule to make sb/sth a laughing stock, sa rougeur l’a trahie her blushes gave her away ou betrayed her
un trait satirique/ l’ironie a shaft of satire/of irony trait (d’esprit) flash ou shaft of wit, witticis:
l il n’a pas dit un traître mot he didn’t breathe a word
prendre/attaquer qn en traître to take/ attack sb off-guard
un coup en traître a stab in the back
je ne veux pas vous prendre en traître I want to take up front with you il se trame quelque chose there’s somethmg brewing
transfuge [tRasi , Pol) renegade
in homme de sa trempe a man of his calibre ou of his moral fibre
son coeur tressaillait his heart was fluttering
trêve de plaisanteries, tu veux vraiment te marier avec lui ? avec lui ? joking apart,
cée de son joueur préféré trônait sur son bureau the signed photograph of his favourite player had pride of place on his desk
une période trouble de l’histoire a murky chapter ou period in history
il se trouble facilement lorsqu’il doit parler en public he’s easily flustered when he has
to speak in public tnibllon [tRyblilîJ n troublemaker, agi- tru
truffé de citations peppered ou larded with quotations
truffé de fautes ou d’erreurs ti riddled with mistakes et tutti quanti loc adv and all the
rest
il est/c’est unique en son genre he’s/it’s one of a kind veillée funèbre wake, funeral veilli
passer sur le ventre de qn (flg) to ride roughshod over sb
Vétuste : timeworn
il a fait une virée en Espagne we went on a trip ou tour round Spain
vocation artistique artistic calling
Point-blank : à brûle pourpoint
To come up against a difficulty
Caid : ace
Fumer le calumet de la paix : to smoke the pipe of peace
Le calvaire du christ : christ’s martyrdom
La canaille : the riffraff
Casanier : stay-at -home
Catin : trollop
Cénacle : coterie
Un cercle de badauds : ring of onlookers
Avoir un chagrin d’amour : to have an unhappy love affair
Monter en chaire to go up the pulpit
Fortune smiles on him
Chantre : poète : bard / minstrel / le grand chantre de : the high piest of Hats off to Paul for his new song : coup de chapeau
À la charnière de deux époques : at the cusp of two eras
To have a frog in one’s throat : un chat
To throw one’s weight around : jouer au petit chef
Chialer : to blubber
I feeel like a wet rag : chiffe molle
Chimère : pipe dream
Chipie : vixen
Chorale : choir
To live in a closed world : en circuit fermè
To put it plainly : en clair
He stays cooped up in his office all day : claquemuré
He’s really in a class of his own
The matter is closed now
To keep to oneself : rester dans son coin
Être collant : to cling
La statue du commandeur : the statue of the commendatore
His attitude speaks for itself
Compassé : stuffy / starchy
She held his boldness against him
To bar one’s door to sb : condamner sa porte
to jump from one subject to another : faire un coq à l’âne
Coqueluceh : whooping cough / to be the idol ou the darling of
It has caused a lot of ink to flow
Coup monté : setup
Se croiser les bras : to lounge around
They dropped in on us unexpectedly
To take down a dictation of stgh
He didn’t lift a finger to help us
He looks gentle : doux
Égérie de la bande : the brains behind
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Flights of fancy
All the switches are flush with the wall Encaustique :wax polish
Encensoir : thurible
Bevy of girls : essaim
Exorde : exordium
/ to crack jokes
Faussetr : falsetto
Billet de faveur : complimentary ticket
Kick up the backside
It sparked things off : feu aux poudres
Fieffé : arrant
he always has his mother in tow
Flop : four
To have several tasks in hand
To have a change of scenery : changer d’horizon At an ungodly hour
vu son jeune âge : in view ofhis youth
Jobard : adj gullible
la Joconde the Mona Lisa
lénifiant : discours mollifying, soothing
mal en point : personne, voiture in a bad ou sorry state
les deux cousins sont au plus mal
il est vraiment maladroit de ses mains : he’s really useless with his hands faire des misères à qn :to be nasty to sb
muflerie : my boorishness
faire la nique à qn to cock a snook at sb (Brit)
* il est noctambule : l he’s a night reveller
Ouailles : flock
pâle de peur :white with fear
. papillonner autour ‘une femme : to hover round a woman
ceci a un parfum de scandale/d’hérésie (fig) : that has a whiff of scandal partie carrée wife-swapping party
mettre qn au pas to bring sb to heel
» tomber dans les/ tirer des pattes de qn to fall into/get out ( sb’s clutches
peaufiner : to put the finishing touches to
arrêtez de me peloter :stop pawing me!
peaufiner : to put the finishing touches to
elle a eu un pincement de cour : she felt a twinge of sorrow
les dés sont pipés the dice are loaded
remuer ou tourner le couteau o
» donner un pot-de-vin à qn to grease sb’s palm
pot-pourri : pot-pourri
avoir du punch [personne] to have lots of drive
dire à qn ses quatre vérités to tell sb a few plain ou home truths quatuor : quartet(te);
y!
râle :groan
“ remettez-vous ! pull yourself together!
I y aura un retour de manivelle (fig) it’ll backfire (on them]
Il a marché ou été omme sur des roulettes * [plan] it went like clockwork
“ secrets d’alcove intimate talk
faire le singe to monkey about
songe-creuxf [ssskRi visionary
précis) à 4 heures sonnnantes on the stroke of 4
en sous-main (fig) agir, négocier secretly, behind the scenes
il ne faut pas tenter le diable don’t tempt fate,
c’est à se cogner ou se taper la tête contre les murs it’s enough to drive you up the wall avoir la tête sur les épaules to be levelheaded « calcule
thuriféraire [ “r, sycophant
réussir le tiercé dans l’ordre/dans le désordre ou dans un ordre différent to win on the tiercé with the right placmgs/without the right placings
pris sous des tirs croisés to be caught in the crossfire
tirage sort drawing lots
son avenir est tout tracé future is all mapped out
une volée d’enfants a swarm of children “
you will come to no harm
come off it : expressing disbelief
don’t come the innocent with me : play the part of
the whole kit and caboodle
she cackled with laughter
cut the cackle
cagey
a spokesman was cagey about the arrangements his company had struck
close call : close shave
callous : his callous comments about the murder made me shiver
can of worms : complicated matter to question the traditional method of education opens up too big a can of worms
canoodle :
she was caught canoodling with her boyfriend
to cap it all
they carried on in a very adult fashion
to cash in on so’s fame cheapskate
miserly / dishonest cheaseparing
cheesy cheap , unpleasant
a cheesy grin
to chew the fat : to have a friendly conversation for a long time we chewed the fat fat until the early hours of the morning
after the show the children chilled out in the car park
to send a chill down so’s spine
chime in with
this poem chimes in with our modern experience of loss interject a remark
yes , you do that , Doreen chimed in eagerly
x
keep one’s chin up : remain cheerful in difficult circumstances
keep yourt chin up , we’re not lost yet
when the chips are down : when a difficult situation arises when the chips are down you won’t get any help from her
chisel : cheat or swindle
he’s chiselled me out of my dues
churlish : mean -spirited
it seems churlish to complain churn
her stomach was churning at the thought of the ordeal cinch
his advice cinched her decision to accept the order
it’s a cinch that you will beat them
to drop a clanger : embarrassing mistake when you are talking
to make a clean breast of it : to confess fully one’s mistakes it was time to come clean with my mother
cut corners
cough up for
i had to cough up for the medical bills
he was eventually forced to cough up details of the crime cramp
to cramp so’s style
cross between : most of their music is a cross between jazz and rock
kids often get caught in the crossfire when parents are divorcing
she promised she would curb her temper
to cut so dead
to cut it fine he left the hotel at 9 am ;, which was cutting it fine for his 9.15 meeting
i think it’s about time you cut loose from your family : stop being influenced
to cut so down to size
B ill was never cut out to be her parent
the triumph of civilisation cut both ways
to cut no ice : inf : to have no effect
day
make a day of it
demur
both teams accepted the decision without demur
Graham had a dig at me in the press
cut the mustard : inf : come up to expectations : i didn’t cut the mustard as a hockey player dig in one”s heels
officers dug their heels in on particular points
downer
a dispiriting factor
the thought of the danger his son was in put stgh of a downer on the situation draw the line : set a limit
she drew the line at prostitution
he tries to dress it up but he is basically a waiter ebb
be at a low ebb
my confidence was at its lowest ebb
give a sharp quality : the bitterness that edged her voice
face the music
she fell in with a group of troublemakers i can get you out of this fix
he’s up to his eyeballs in debt
on the face of it
fizzle : end in a disappointing way : their revolt fizzled out at yesterday’s meeting he won’t go into the room and that’s flat
giggle
to have the giggles
the shape of the parcel was a dead giveaway
gloss : try to conceal :the social costs of this growth are glossed over
the way so understand stgh
the newspapers all gave their own gloss on the president’s offer
he could no longer gloss over his failures
meander : to walk in a slow relaxed way , not in any particular direction : we meandered aimlessly along the road
bumptious : outrecuidant
she choked back her sobs
by courtesy of so : grâce à
cowed : frightened
to cower : se tapir
crotchety : capricieux , grognon
it is a far cry from
he was debarred from attending the meeting : exclu
to get a word in edgeways
to mince : minauder
glower : have an angry or sullen look
his jibe had evidently hit the mark
she glowered at him suspiciously
grisly : causing horror : grisly crimes
i’m afraid cookery isn’t really in my line
i sat there to mull things over in my mind
to be caught napping : être pris au dépourvu
a nosey-parker
overweening pride , arrogance
to pamper so
it’s a pandemonium : c’est un désordre indescriptible to pander to a vice : se prêter à
to strike a bad patch : être en guigne
pettifogging : chicanier
phoney : fumiste
to keep a poker face : impassible
he was positive that he has seen it
to play possum : faire le mort
antiques are at a premium
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