être détendu, s'affaisser, ployer, pendre, tomber (propre et fig.) the bed sags in the middle = le lit s'affaisse au milieu [prices, stocks, demand] fléchir, baisser traîner the novel sags a bit in the middle = le roman perd un peu de son intérêt au milieu
haleter, souffler to gasp for breath / for air avoir le souffle coupé to gasp in / with amazement = avoir le souffle coupé par la surprise I'm gasping for a cigarette = je meurs d'envie de fumer une cigarette = I'm craving for a cigarette I'm gasping (for a drink) = je meurs de soif
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.
hourra, bravo I heard a cheer go up = j'ai entendu des acclamations three cheers for the winner! = un hourra pour le gagnant! bonne humeur, gaieté to cheer = acclamer, pousser des acclamations cheering Crowd remonter le moral à, réconforter
to go on a binge (=spree) = faire la bringue they went on a shopping binge = ils sont allés dépenser du fric dans les magasins an eating binge = une grosse bouffe beuverie bringue (cf.: binge drinking)
[revolt, opposition] réprimer, étouffer [emotion] dompter, maîtriser [pain] apaiser, soulager I married her to give the illusion of meaning, to quell the panic. [doubts, fears] dissiper
expression signifiant que les mots d'une personne dépassent souvent sa pensées et sont souvent pires que ses actions. You shouldn't worry about her :her bark is worse than her bite and she is really a very nice person.
[of people] petit groupe tas, amas, enchevêtrement x to go into a huddle (informal) = se réunir en petit comité
to huddle = se blottir they huddled round the fire = ils se sont blottis autour du feu se recroqueviller, se blottir she was huddling under a blanket to huddle together = se serrer, se blottir les uns contre les autres huddled = blotti, pelotonné, recroquevillé Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses (extrait du poème "The New Colossus" de Emma Lazarus, gravé sur le socle de la Statue de la Liberté)
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. »
donner des coups -> she lashed out in all directions = elle se débattit de toutes ses forces fig.: fustiger -> he lashed out at his critics = il a fustigé ses détracteurs
se serrer les coudes they would be far better off, emotionally, if they all pulled together. In times of crisis, we all need to pull together. to pull o.s. together = se ressaisir She made an effort to pull herself together before going into the room.
malédiction they believe that there is a curse fallen on their village to call down / to put a curse on = maudire quelqu'un the town is under a curse = la ville est sous le coup d'une malédiction
faire gicler (liquide), faire jaillir squirt some oil on the hinges = mettez quelques gouttes d'huile sur les gonds. they were squirting each other with water = they were squirting water at each other he squirted some soda water into his whisky. giclée, jet [of mustard, ketchup, etc] péj.: minus, avorton, mioche
accueillir placer -> the children were fostered (out) at an early age les enfants foster child = enfant masculin placé dans une famille d'accueil foster home = famille d'accueil foster mother/father = mère/père de la famille d'accueil
[hill, road] raide, abrupt, escarpé it's a steep climb to the village ; the plane went into a steep dive = l'avion se mit à piquer du nez [increase, fall] fort a steep drop in share prices = une forte chute du prix des actions [unreasonable] it's a bit steep asking us to do all that work by Friday! = c'est un peu fort or un peu raide de nous demander de faire tout ce travail pour vendredi to steep = (faire) tremper, macérer, mariner fig.: I want to steep myself in the atmosphere of the place.