brindille « Crows sometimes use tools, from twigs to their own feathers. » piger « He didn't twig what was going on until it was too late. »« She kept dropping hints but I still didn't twig. »
pâquerette « A field of daisies. »
daisy chain = guirlande de pâquerettes
as fresh as a daisy = frais comme une rose
daisy-wheel printer = imprimante à marguerite
tas, monceau, pile « a heap of clothes »« a heap of coal »« a heap of work »« a heap of problems ».
a rubbish heap = un tas d'ordures
to be at the bottom / top of the heap = être en bas/haut de l'échelle « if you want to stay on top of the heap. »
heaps = des tas « Is ther misery in your country ? Heaps. »
heaps of = beaucoup de « I've got heaps of work to do »« We've got heaps of time »« a job that might suit someone with heaps of experience. »
to heap = entasser, amonceler « They heaped the dead leaves in the corner of the garden. »
to heap praise / gifts on sb = couvrir qn d'éloges / de cadeaux
to have a peek at sb/sth = jeter un coup d'œil à qn/qch
→ « Could I have a peek at the arrangements? » to peek / sneak a peek / take a peek at sb/sth = jeter un coup d'œil furtif à qn/qch → « She peeked at him through a crack in the wall → I took a peek at the list. » No peeking! = On ne regarde pas! peek over [+fence, wall] = jeter un coup d'œil par-dessus → « peek over the fence to see what your neighbour is doing. »
accélérer, précipiter « This could well hasten the collapse of the country's industry. »« There is no question that Napoleon's doctors hastened his death. » se hâter, s'empresser « She hastened back to the house. »« He hastened to assure me that there was nothing to worry about. »« He hastened to say that nobody was hurt. »
con, connard « he's a git! »« Oh, shut your face, you racist git! »
Linus Torvalds (créateur de Linux) a appelé son logiciel "Git"... Il l'explique ainsi : "je ne suis qu'un sale égocentrique, donc j'appelle tous mes projets d'après ma propre personne. D'abord Linux, puis Git."
obus
to be a bombshell = faire l'effet d'une bombe « his resignation after thirteen years is a political bombshell. » to drop a bombshell = annoncer une nouvelle qui fait l'effet d'une bombe « she dropped a bombshell: "I'm pregnant." » coming as a bombshell = faisant l'effet d'une bombe.
unique a one-off payment = un paiement en une seule fois. it's a one-off = il n'y en a qu'un comme ça it's a one-off = ça ne va pas se reproduire they'll never beat us again, it was a one-off.
véritable ; généralisé ; complet. A full-blown failure. « Since 2005, Ethiopia has degenerated into a full-blown dictatorship. » full-blown AIDS : SIDA avéré.
petit (d'un animal). Lion cub, fox cub, bear cub. « A lion and her cubs. » cub reporter = journaliste stagiaire. « He had been a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. »
onomatopée utilisée pour désigner le bruit d'un dunk au basket-ball ("boom" pour le dunk, et "shakalaka" pour la vibration du panneau).
fig.: wao! - j'ai gagné! - je t'ai eu ! « I shot the monster ! boom shakalaka ! »
désœuvré « A healthy child cannot be idle; he has to be doing something all day. »« It is not his nature to be idle. »« idle bureaucrats who spend the day reading newspapers. » au chômage « many steel workers are idle. » au repos « 6 per cent of the country's factories were idle. » vain, futile, oiseux « He hasn't time for idle gossip. » bone idle = paresseux comme une couleuvre
to idle away one's time = passer son temps à ne rien faire.
colère
to throw a tantrum, to have a tantrum = piquer une colère. « He immediately threw a tantrum, screaming like a child. »« My son had a tantrum and banged his fist on the ground. »
intestin « Raw food is absorbed more slowly in the gut. » ventre « His gut sagged out over his belt. » boyaux « The entire carcass, hide, guts and bones, was devoured. » beer gut = bedaine
guts (fig.) : tripes, cran. To have guts. « These guys have guts. »« You talk a lot but I don't think you have the guts. » It takes guts to stand up to her.
« »
augmenter « The violence has heightened tension in the state. »« Teachers can help build students' vocabulary knowledge by heightening their interest in words. » to heighten awareness = sensibiliser. « This association seeks to heighten awareness about animal rights. »
avancer/chercher à tâtons, tâtonner « He groped his way through the darkness »« I groped for the timetable I had in my pocket. »« Europe is still groping for solutions to the crisis. »« She groped for the right words. » peloter « He tried to grope her and put his hand up her skirt. »