Lexique des mots difficiles en anglais, Capes d'anglais, TOEFL, TOEIC

to stumble

trébucher, tituber
to stumble over the words = buter sur les mots
to stumble on, upon = tomber sur

eye candy

personne ou chose qui est là pour le plaisir des yeux

hiccup

(=hiccough)
hoquet
contretemps, petit problème => « The free market system is wonderful, even if once in a while we have a hiccup as we're having right now »

chunk

gros morceau, gros bout, paquet (fig.) => « they were given chunk of money »
[+bread] quignon m

fussy

[person] tatillon
[style, decoration] qui manque de simplicité
I'm not fussy = ça m'est égal

spoof

parodie, canular « that's a spoof of a dramatic music video »

studded with

studded with sth = truffé de qch « those tombs are studded with emerald and other precious stones »

lush

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

ludicrous

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

high-end

haut de gamme « Mortgage market turmoil is starting to hit buyers of high end homes as interest rates surge on Jumbo loans ».

edge

bord « He banged his knee against the edge of the chair. »
cutting-edge = bout coupant
bleeding-edge (=cutting-edge) = de pointe bleeding-edge, cutting edge technology.

to override

[+order, objection, decision] passer outre this text opens the possibility for Islam to override democracy
[+consideration, wishes] primer sur

whiny

geignard whiny little kids
to whine = gémir, pleurnicher
to whine [siren, engine] = hurler

to splurge

dépenser sans compter (≈to go on a spending spree) Let's splurge and take a taxi home.
a splurge = une folie « Her last splurge was a last-minute plane ticket to Miami. »

blistering

[heat, summer] torride
[sun] brûlant
[remark, attack] cinglant
[pace] foudroyant China is growing at a blistering pace

to reckon

[+amount] estimer
considérer, estimer
to reckon on = compter sur, s'attendre à
to reckon with = tenir compte de (=take into account)
to reckon without = ne pas tenir compte de

to withhold

[+support, consent] refuser
[+evidence, information] dissimuler despite the law's requirements he could withhold some of the information
[+money] retenir

to garner

[+information, +support, +votes] recueillir the bush administration manipulated and withheld intelligence in order to garner support for the invasion of Iraq

setup

manière dont les choses sont organisées
coup monté

to be in dire straits

être aux abois there's so many people out of work and and in dire straits

[on person, relationship, system, finances] pression the tax evasion scandal put considerable strain in the relationship between Germany and Liechtenstein
tension (nerveuse)

to strain [+rope] = tendre ; [+system, resources, relations] peser sur, mettre à l'épreuve
to strain a muscle = se froisser un muscle

to strain oneself = se forcer Shy people have a low Self-worth. To increase the self worth, one has to strain oneself in order to prove to oneself that one is actually worth something, able to achieve something.

strained = [voice, face] tendu ; [laugh] forcé

dicey

risqué
it's a bit dicey = c'est un peu risqué

bonding

(formation de) liens affectifs This trip was father son bonding opportunity
bond (between people) = lien

to frog-march

to frog-march sb out = faire sortir qn de force

to subside

[flood, waters] baisser
[storm, wind, fear, pain] s'apaiser when God begins to take control fear and resistance will begin to subside
[land, earth, building] s'affaisser

craze

à la mode the latest craze = le dernier cri, la dernière trouvaille pointy ears is the latest craze

inquisitive

[person] curieux, fureteur, inquisiteur

to equivocate

user de faux-fuyants (=to be evasive) I'm not trying to equivocate here

to take chances

courir le risque, prendre des risques I'll take my chances winners take chances

warden

[+institution] directeur
[+park, game reserve] gardien
traffic warden = contractuel

spook

fantôme
agent secret, barbouze
to spook = faire peur à « you spooked her!
spooky : qui donne la chair de poule, sinistre that's spooky! [audio] »
to spook = effrayer
to be spooked by sth = être effrayé par qch

predicament

situation difficile

mole

taupe
moleskin = moleskine (peau de taupe) = toile imitant le grain du cuir (ou carnet recouvert de cette matière)

glimmer

[+light, +hope, interest] lueur
to glimmer = luire

to crumble

s'émietter, s'effriter, s'ébouler, se délabrer, tomber en ruines
(fig) [marriage, market, economy, empire, coalition] s'effondrer

beauty spot

grain de beauté
site pittoresque => « The Valley of Vinales is a lush and fertile valley and one of Cuba's finest beauty spots »

blindfold

bandeau
[tasting] à l'aveugle
les yeux bandés

[+hostage] to blindfold= bander les yeux à

aluminium foil

papier d'aluminium (=kitchen foil =silver foil)

off-the-shelf

[goods, item, software] de la grande distribution, standard (non personnalisé)
[clothing] prêt-à-porter (contraire de sur mesure)

obnoxious

[person] odieux, insupportable
[smell] nauséabond
[noise] désagréable

bigotry

(religious) fanatisme, sectarisme « he had to defend himself against accusations of bigotry »
racist bigotry = intolérance raciste

slur

insulte racial slur "Canadian" becomes newest racial slur : racists in the American South have begun using the term "Canadian" as a slur against African Americans. Stronger words, including the “N” word are too harsh to be used without repercussions.
to be a slur on sth = porter atteinte à qch (=to smear)
(=mumble) bredouillement
to slur = mal articuler

Mots difficiles en anglais