bricoler qch (=to fiddle around with) « he loves tinkering with the engine. » to tinker with a problem = bricoler des solutions « Instead of the Government admitting its error, it just tinkered with the problem. »
agacé « he sounded very peeved in his letter »« Susan was peeved that nobody had told her the news. » to be peeved about sth = être agacé par qch « he is peeved about the recent criticism of his company. »
défenseur, partisan « a leading advocate of free enterprise. » to play devil's advocate : se faire avocat du diable.
to advocate : recommander, prôner « he advocated the creation of a peace-keeping force. »
paître, brouter « Sheep may safely graze. » frôler, effleurer A« bullet grazed the back of his head. » écorcher « I grazed my legs as he pulled me up. »
avarié, pollué, contaminé « her breath was tainted with alcohol »« blood tainted with the AIDS and hepatitis viruses » entaché de « the report was tainted with racism. »
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. »
famille « she has gone to live with her husband's kin. » kith and kin = parents et amis « his loyalty, he said, was first of all to his own kith and kin. » next of kin = parent le plus proche « we have notified their next of kin (=nous avons avisé leurs proches). » "next of kin" (on forms) = "nom et prénom de votre plus proche parent".
mauvaise herbe « the garden's full of weeds. » désherber « mum was busy weeding the garden. » marijuana « I'm spending the evening at home with some weed. »
se montrer plus malin que, se montrer plus futé que « she used her wits to outsmart the enemy. » to try to outsmart (someone) = jouer au plus fin (= to have a battle of wits)
esprit « the girl laughed at his wit » = La fille riait de ses traits d'esprits.
with great wit = avec beaucoup d'esprit
witty man = homme d'esprit
witty woman = femme d'esprit
to have the wit to do sth = avoir la présence d'esprit de faire qch « No one had had the wit to bring a bottle-opener. » to wit = à savoir « we speak in a language they don't know: to wit, English. »« »
wits = tête (fig.) to use one's wits to do sth = se servir de sa tête pour faire qch.
to have one's wits about one = avoir toute sa tête.
to keep one's wits about one = garder la tête sur les épaules « she'd better learn to keep her wits about her. » to pit one's wits against sb = rivaliser d'esprit avec qn
to be at one's wits' end = ne plus savoir que faire « I'm at my wits' end. »
virage « a road full of dangerous bends » = une route pleine de virages dangereux.
to go into a bend, to take a bend = prendre un virage
blind bend = virage sans visibilité.
attirer.« All the attractions of the city beckon » = toutes les attractions de la ville nous attirent.
« Fame and fortune beckoned... » La gloire et la fortune (nous) attiraient...
to beckon to sb = faire signe à qn. « He beckoned to the waiter. » to beckon sb over = faire signe de venir à qn « he beckoned her over » = il lui fit signe de venir.
scrutin, vote The result of the ballot will not be known for two weeks.
to hold a ballot = procéder à un vote « The council will have no choice but to hold a ballot if 5 per cent of residents back the move. »
encombrer « I don't have much time for girls who overdose and clutter up the wards. » fouillis, fatras « The rooms were full of clutter. »« There's too much clutter in here. »
cluttered = encombré « a dirty, cluttered room filled with the evidence of a sloppy man. » cluttered screen = écran rempli de fenêtres.
« to get down to the nitty-gritty » = en venir au fond du problème « the nitty-gritty of politics » = la dure réalité de la politique « nitty-gritty of life » = dures réalités de la vie