Mots difficiles en anglais

lair

tanière, repaire (propre et fig.)

landmark

repère, point de repère → « The tower is a landmark visible for miles → Big Ben is one of London's most famous landmarks. »
to be a landmark = faire date / époque → « The discovery of penicillin was a landmark in medicine. » (cf: milestone)
qui fait jurisprudence → « The payout is believed to be a landmark case because it breaks the established principle that... → the landmark decision that prompted US deregulation. »

lavish

fastueux she is famed for her lavish dinner parties he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, changing his car 10 times in a four-year period he buys lavish gifts for everyone.

layman

profane (=non-expert) « The mere mention of the words `heart failure', can conjure up, to the layman, the prospect of imminent death. »        
in layman's terms = en langage de tous les jours, en termes profanes « explaining scientific breakthroughs in layman's terms. »

lead time

délai. « A way to reduce the building's lead time. »

leaf blower

leaf blowersouffleur de feuilles

leash

laisse
to be on a leash = être en laisse « All dogs in public places should be on a leash. »

leech

sangsue (sens propre et figuré)

legit

réglo, honnête, sérieux. « It's not a very legit business. »
to go legit = faire les choses dans les règles

legwork

travail de terrain

leniency

indulgence. To show leniency. « His parents' leniency towards him. »
clémence « She wrote to the judge pleading for leniency. »
légèreté (d'une peine) « The leniency of the sentence. »

leotard

justaucorps

leverage

effet de levier → « you're going to have so much leverage it's going to pull the screw out. »
influence
to have leverage with sb = avoir une influence sur qn → « I have no leverage with the committee. »
to have the leverage to do sth = pouvoir peser dans la balance pour faire qch.

likewise

de même
to do likewise (=do the same)= faire de même → he made donations and encouraged others to do likewise.

limelight

to be in the limelight = être sous les projecteurs
to be thrust into the limelight = être propulsé (e) sous les projecteurs → « Tony has now been thrust into the limelight, with a high-profile job. »

limp

boiter, fait de boiter she was limping badly = elle boitait beaucoup. because of his limp = parce qu'il boite. the accident left him with a limp = depuis son accident il boite.
mou « adding volume and lift to limp hair. »

lip service

If you say that someone pays lip service to an idea, you are critical of them because they say they are in favour of it, but they do not do anything to support it.

liquorice

réglisse

little girl's room

toilettes where's the little girl's ?

logging

loggingexploitation forestière. A logging company.

longing

désir, envie → « Soon several of them were divulging their secret longings. »
longing for sth = envie de qch → « She tried to put into words her longing for a baby. »
nostalgie → longing for sth = nostalgie de qch → His longing for the Australian landscape drew him back. « He felt a longing for the familiar = Il avait la nostalgie des choses familières. »
[look, glance] plein d'envie / de nostalgie.

loony

timbré, cinglé
loony bin = maison  f  de fous

loony

timbré, cinglé They all thought I was a loony.

loony

fou, cinglé they thought I was a loony
loony bin = maison de fous

loophole

faille, lacune (dans une loi) a loophole in the law
a legal loophole = un vide juridique
to close a loophole = combler une lacune It's time we closed the loophole which allows criminals to gain easy access to lethal weapons.

loose end

détail inexpliqué « there are some annoying loose ends in the plot. » 
to tie up loose ends = mettre au point les derniers détails, régler les derniers détails « there are lots of loose ends to tie up in this case. »
to be at (a) loose end(s) = ne pas trop savoir quoi faire. « adolescents are most likely to get into trouble when they're at loose ends. »

loot

piller
looting = pillage

lousy

nul → a lousy movie, a lousy idea.
I'm a lousy cook = Je suis nul en cuisine.
to be lousy at sth = être nul en qch → he is lousy at public relations.
infect → the food in the canteen is lousy.

low life

dépravé

low-angle shot

contre-plongée « pictures of trees in low angle shot. » high angle shot = plongée

ludicrous

[situation, idea, claim] ridicule, absurde « as far as withholding information... that's ludicrous »    « the growth of government the last thirty years is ludicrous »

ludicrous

[situation, idea, claim] ridicule, absurde

lukewarm

[liquid] tiède (=tepid)
[response, welcome, applause] peu enthousiaste

lumpy

grumeleux « When the rice isn't cooked properly it goes lumpy. »
bosselé « The barn floor is a little lumpy, but better than sleeping with 60 guys snoring and coughing. »

lurk

lurking in the bushes outside.
rôder → I dared not open the door for fear of the photographers lurking outside.
planer (fig.)→ this threat always lurks somewhere in the background.
menacer → fascism is always lurking somewhere.

luscious

succulent, appétissant « the luscious taste of fresh-picked raspberries. »
pulpeux « A gorgeous girl » with big breasts and luscious lips.

lush

[vegetation, fields, countryside] luxuriant « lush hillsides and mountains outside San Jose (Costa Rica) »

lush

luxuriant « a rather pretty town, surrounded by lush fields and woods. » « I love the rich lush sounds of jazz piano. »
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