voc "feeding Britain"

Question 1

to be awash with sth

Answer 1

to be covered or flooded with water, especially seawater or rain
containing large numbers or amounts of someone or something
≈ inondé
*
the boat rolled violently, her decks awash
the city was awash with journalists

Question 2

to muse

Answer 2

to be absorbed in thought
to say to oneself in a thoughtful manner
*
he was musing on the problems he faced
'I think I've seen him somewhere before,’ mused Rachel

Question 3

an outlier

Answer 3

a person or thing situated away or detached from the main body or system
qq chose ou qu’un en marge

Question 4

petrolhead

Answer 4

informal, British

car fanatic

Question 5

hairshirt

Answer 5

a shirt of haircloth made of rough uncomfortable cloth which some religious people used to wear to punish themselves
= un cilice (fr.)

Question 6

complacency

Answer 6

[disapproval]
a feeling of smug (= suffisance) or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements
= contentement de soi, excès de confiance
≠ complaisance en français qui n’a pas l’aspect négatif

Question 7

widget

Answer 7

small gadget or mechanical device

Question 8

petulance

Answer 8

the quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered
= irritabilité (puérile)
≠ pétulance en français qui est moins négatif (ardeur, exubérance)

Question 9

handout

Answer 9

often plural
gift of money, clothing, or food, which is given free to poor people
= assistance financière ou matérielle

Question 10

to right a wrong

to right wrongs

Answer 10

to amend, correct, or make up for a wrongdoing or unfair situation.

Question 11

to impede

Answer 11

to delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder
*
fallen rock is impeding the progress of rescue workers.

Question 12

to squander

Answer 12

to waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner
*
Hooker didn’t squander his money on flashy cars or other vices
He had squandered his chances to win

Question 13

ought / should

Answer 13

Should is used to express obligations, suggestions, or advice from a personal point of view. subjective.
Ought to is used to express obligations, suggestions, or advice that is correct ethically, or correct according to society’s point of view. more objective.
*
they ought to respect the law

Question 14

underway

Answer 14

having started and in progress; being done or carried out
*
recruitment is well under way

Question 15

benign climate

Answer 15

mild and favourable climate
*
the climate becomes more benign as we move nearer to the Black Sea

Question 16

upland

Answer 16

an area of high or hilly land

Question 17

overriding

Answer 17

more important than any other considerations
*
the overriding concern of the organizers was the financial crisis

Question 18

to dissemble

Answer 18

conceal or disguise one’s true feelings or beliefs
= dissimuler des sentiments
*
she smiled, dissembling her true emotion

Question 19

warfare

Answer 19

engagement in or the activities involved in war or conflict
= guerre / lutte
*
much of the violence is related to gang warfare

Question 20

to duck

Answer 20

depart quickly
avoid (a blow or missile) by moving quickly
*
I thought I saw you duck out
.he ducked a punch from an angry first baseman

Question 21

dire

Answer 21

extremely serious or urgent
*
misuse of drugs can have dire consequences

Question 22

to overhaul

Answer 22

analyse and improve (a system).
take apart (a piece of machinery or equipment) in order to examine it and repair it if necessary.
\+ réviser, réformer
*
the steering box was recently overhauled
moves to overhaul the income tax system

Question 23

lock-in

Answer 23

a period during which a person or company is bound by the terms of a contract
an arrangement according to which a person or company is obliged to deal only with a specific company

Question 24

to make no bones about

Answer 24

To say, do, or indicate something clearly and without hesitation, even if it may be unpleasant.
not to try to hide your feelings
*
he made no bones about his plans to cut expenses

Question 25

taut

Answer 25

stretched or pulled very tight
*
the clothes line is pulled taut and secured

Question 26

to act rashly

Answer 26

to act without careful consideration of the possible consequences; impetuously

Question 27

wry

Answer 27

Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm.
= sarcastique, sardonique

Question 28

whence

Answer 28

old-fashioned way to say “from which” or “from where
*
the Ural mountains, whence the ore is procured
whence it followed that the strategies were obsolete

Question 29

to scrabble

Answer 29

scratch or grope around with one’s fingers to find, collect, or hold on to something

Question 30

to be heartened

Answer 30

to be made more cheerful or confident.
*
she was heartened to observe that the effect was faintly comic

Question 31

level up

Answer 31

increase something in order to remove a disparity.
*
they said they would level up the gap between different drivers’ pay
***
Levelling up is a moral, social and economic programme for the whole of government. The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will spread opportunity more equally across the UK

Question 32

whammy

Answer 32

an event with a powerful and unpleasant effect; a blow
*
the third whammy was the degradation of the financial system

Question 33

bittersweet

Answer 33

(au fig)

arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain

Question 34

curtailment

Answer 34

the action or fact of reducing or restricting something
= restriction
*
the curtailment of human rights
the curtailment of your allowance means you’ll have to get a job
to curtail = to reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on

Question 35

to pick/take up the slack

Answer 35

slack ≠ taut
to provide or compensate for something that is missing or incomplete
*
new sources of oil will take up the slack resulting from the embargo
as domestic demand starts to flag, foreign demand will help pick up the slack
With our best player injured, other players have to pick up the slack

Question 36

choppy waters

Answer 36

having many small waves

Question 37

Whitehall

Answer 37

The street is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom and is lined with numerous departments and ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Horse Guards and the Cabinet Office.
Downing St est perpendiculaire à Whitehall
Consequently, the name ‘Whitehall’ is used as a metonym for the British civil service and government.

Question 38

to wield as

Answer 38

to hold and use (a weapon or tool)
have and be able to use (power or influence)
*
faction leaders wielded enormous influence within the party
a masked raider wielding a handgun

Question 39

top-down

Answer 39

denoting a system of government or management in which actions and policies are initiated at the highest level; hierarchical.
the decision-making process occurs at the highest level and is then communicated to the rest of the team

Question 40

to bolster

Answer 40

to support or strengthen
*
the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence