Formes composées
|
| a fool's game n | figurative, informal (unwise venture) | jeu de dupes nm |
| | Gambling is a fool's game. Do something more sensible with your money. |
a hairbreadth away (US),
a hair's breadth away (UK) expr | figurative (very close) (victoire,...) | à un cheveu (de [qch]), à deux doigts (de (faire) [qch]) loc adv |
| | The house that I bought was a hair's breadth away from the sea. |
| | (familier : être, passer) | à ça (de (faire) [qch]) adv |
| | (pour une distance physique) | à deux pas (de [qch]), à un saut de puce (de [qch]) adv |
| | La maison que j'ai achetée est à deux pas de la mer. |
| | (pour une distance physique) | tout près (de [qch]) adv |
| | La maison que j'ai achetée est tout près de la mer. |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream n | (title of comedic play) (pièce de Shakespeare) | Le Songe d'une nuit d'été nm propre |
| Note: Comedy by English playwright and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616). |
| a stone's throw n | figurative, informal (short distance) | à deux pas |
| | The distance from our house to hers is a stone's throw. |
| | Notre maison est à deux pas de la sienne. |
| a stone's throw away expr | figurative, informal (nearby) | à deux pas loc adv |
| | | à un jet de pierre loc adv |
| | We can easily walk to Martha's house; she lives a stone's throw away. |
| | Nous pouvons facilement nous rendre chez Martha à pied : elle habite à deux pas. |
a stone's throw from [sth],
within a stone's throw of [sth] expr | figurative, informal (near) | à deux pas de [qch] |
| | The shop is just a stone's throw from my house. |
| | Le magasin est à deux pas de chez moi. |
Abbe condenser,
Abbe's condenser n | (light condenser for microscope) | condenseur d'Abbe nm |
| ABC's npl | (alphabet) | alphabet nm |
| ABC's npl | figurative (basic skills or facts) | b.a.-ba nm |
| | | bases nfpl |
according to the wishes of [sb],
according to [sb]'s wishes expr | (what [sb] wants) | selon les souhaits de [qqn], selon les désirs de [qqn] expr |
| | According to her wishes, Margaret was buried next to her husband. |
| Adam's apple n | (prominent part of man's throat) | pomme d'Adam nf |
| | A man's Adam's apple sticks out from his throat. |
| Addison's disease n | (glandular disorder) | maladie d'Addison nf |
| | John F. Kennedy reportedly suffered from Addison's disease. |
| be a man/woman after [sb]'s own heart v expr | (sharing your tendencies) | être un homme/une femme comme [qqn] les aime expr |
| agent's lien n | (right to hold property) | privilège de l'agent nm |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland n | (1865 novel) (roman) | les Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles n propre |
| | (courant) | Alice au pays des merveilles n propre |
| Note: Novel by English writer Lewis Carroll (1832-1898). Commonly known and adapted for film as "Alice in Wonderland". |
| all in a day's work expr | informal, figurative (routine activity) | je n'ai fait que mon travail expr |
| | | ça fait partie du travail de [qqn] expr |
| | There's no need to thank me - it's all in a day's work for me. |
| | Vous n'avez pas à me remercier, je n'ai fait que mon travail. |
| | Vous n'avez pas à me remercier, cela fait partie de mon travail. |
All's well that ends well.,
All is well that ends well. expr | (everything is resolved happily) | Tout est bien qui finit bien expr |
| Note: This is the title of a play by Shakespeare. |
| Alzheimer's disease n | (progressive brain disease) | maladie d'Alzheimer nf |
angel hair,
angel's hair n | (Christmas tree decoration) (décoration de Noël) | cheveux d'ange nmpl |
| anybody who's anybody pron | informal (anyone who is important) (familier) | tout le gratin pron |
anybody's guess,
anyone's guess expr | (impossible to determine) | nul ne le sait, Dieu seul le sait expr |
| anyone who's anyone pron | (important person) | les gens importants nmpl |
| apple of [sb]'s eye n | (beloved person) | prunelle de ses yeux nf |
| | Jenny loved all her children, but her eldest child was the apple of her eye. |
| | Jenny aimait tous ses enfants, mais l'aîné était la prunelle de ses yeux. |
April Fools',
April Fool's n | abbreviation, informal (April Fools' Day) | premier avril, 1e avril nm |
April Fools',
April Fool's n as adj | (joke, prank: played on 1st April) | du premier avril, du 1e avril loc adj |
April Fools' Day,
April Fool's Day,
All Fools' Day n | (1st April) | premier avril, 1er avril nm |
| | On April Fools' Day in the UK, it's traditional to play practical jokes on people before midday. |
| arm's-length n as adj | figurative (not intimate) | à distance loc adj |
| | | distant adj |
artist studio (US),
artist's studio (UK),
art studio n | (workshop of an artist) | atelier d'artiste nm |
| | One half of the barn has been converted into an artist's studio. |
| | That potter whose work you loved finally opened his art studio to the public. |
ASAP,
A.S.A.P.,
asap,
a.s.a.p. adv | acronym (as soon as possible) (anglicisme, jargon entreprise) | ASAP, asap adv |
| | | dès que possible loc adv |
| Note: Most commonly used in American English as an acronym, and in British English as an initialism |
| | Please send your reply to the following address ASAP. |
| | Veuillez répondre à cette adresse dès que possible. |
associate degree,
associate's degree n | US (2-year qualification) (équivalent approximatif en France) | BTS nm, abr |
| | For an associate degree, it's not unusual for students to study part time. |
| | Pendant un BTS, il n'est pas inhabituel que les étudiants étudient à mi-temps. |
| at a snail's pace expr | (extremely slowly) | comme un escargot, comme une tortue loc adv |
| | | à pas de tortue loc adv |
| | | très lentement loc adv |
| | (familier) | à deux à l'heure loc adv |
| at arm's length adv | figurative (at safe distance) | à distance adv |
| | He has lied to me before, so I keep him at arm's length now. |
| | Il m'a déjà menti, alors je préfère le tenir à distance. |
| at arm's length adv | literal (at end of your arm) | à portée de main loc adv |
| | (changement de sujet) | pouvoir presque toucher [qch/qqn] loc v |
| | The wild deer stood at arm's length from us. |
| | On pouvait presque toucher le cerf. |
| at death's door adv | figurative (very ill, about to die) | à l'article de la mort loc adv |
| at each other's throats expr | figurative, informal (arguing) (figuré) | à couteaux tirés loc adj |
| | | to be at each other's throats : s'étriper⇒ v pron |
| | The couple are constantly at each other's throats, always arguing about something or other. |
| | Ils sont à couteaux tirés. |
at [sb]'s peril,
at [sb]'s own peril expr | (with risk of loss or harm) | aux risques et périls de [qqn] expr |
| at [sb]'s expense adv | figurative (causing [sb] discomfort) | aux dépens de [qqn] |
| | John made a joke at Lina's expense, causing everyone to laugh except Lina, who frowned in dismay. |
at the behest of,
at [sb]'s behest expr | literary (as ordered by) | sur ordre de [qqn] expr |
at the behest of,
at [sb]'s behest expr | literary (as strongly requested by) | sur ordre de [qqn] expr |
| | The accused man was deported to the UK at the behest of the British government. |
at [sb]'s bidding,
at the bidding of [sb] expr | (invited, summoned by [sb]) | à la demande de [qqn] loc adv |
at the discretion of [sb],
at [sb]'s discretion expr | (according to [sb]'s judgment) | à la discrétion de [qqn] expr |
at the expense of [sb],
at [sb]'s expense adv | (paid for by [sb] else) | aux frais de [qqn] |
| | Faculty can attend the conference at the university's expense. |
at the expense of [sb],
at [sb]'s expense prep | figurative (to the detriment of [sb]) | aux dépens de loc prép |
| | Many children make cruel jokes at the expense of other children. |
| | Beaucoup d'enfants font des blagues cruelles aux dépens d'autres enfants. |
| at [sb]'s expense prep | figurative (to detriment of [sb]) | aux dépens de |
at [sb]'s feet,
at the feet of [sb] adv | (in front of feet) (figuré) | aux pieds de [qqn] |
| | The pencil was lying at his feet, just where he had dropped it. |
| | Le crayon était à ses pieds, là où il l'avait fait tomber. |
at [sb]'s feet,
at the feet of [sb] adv | figurative (worshipping) (figuré) | aux pieds de [qqn] |
| | Michael had all of the audience at his feet when he sang his latest hit song. |
| | Michael avait le public à ses pieds tandis qu'il chantait son dernier tube. |
at [sb]'s hands,
at [sb]'s hand,
by [sb]'s hands,
by [sb]'s hand prep | (because of) | par prép |
| | | du fait de, à cause de loc prép |
at the insistence of [sb],
at [sb]'s insistence expr | (prompted by [sb] insisting) | sur l'insistance de [qqn] loc v |
| at [sb]'s mercy prep | (dependent) | dépendant de adj + prép |
at the request of [sb],
at [sb]'s request expr | (in response to [sb] asking) | à la demande de [qqn] expr |
| | At the request of the Headteacher, the teachers attended a conference. |
at the suggestion of [sb],
at [sb]'s suggestion expr | (in response to [sb] else's idea) | sur les conseils de [qqn] expr |
| | At the suggestion of my neighbor, I went to the library and checked out some good books. |
| at the water's edge adv | (on the bank or shore) | au bord de l'eau adv |
| | We strolled at the water's edge, picking up shells. |
| | Nous avons marché au bord de l'eau en cueillant des coquillages. |
at wit's end,
at your wit's end,
at your wits' end adj | (upset, frustrated) | abattu, submergé (par [qch]) adj |
| Note: Both positions of the apostrophe are in use: wit's and wits'. |
| | Kathy was at her wit's end with worry when her son failed to come home from school. |
| | Kathy était submergée par l'inquiétude quand son fils n'est pas rentré de l'école. |
at wit's end,
at your wit's end,
at your wits' end adj | (unable to find a solution) | ne plus savoir quoi faire loc v |
| | (soutenu) | ne savoir que faire loc v |
| | | ne pas trouver de solution loc v |
| Note: Both positions of the apostrophe are in use: wit's and wits'. |
| | Having spent three hours unsuccessfully trying to fix the photocopier, Dave was at his wit's end. |
| | Après trois heures passées à essayer de réparer le photocopieur sans succès, Dave ne savait plus quoi faire. |
at [sb]'s beck and call,
at the beck and call of [sb] expr | (available to serve you at any time) | au service de [qqn] adv |
| | | à disposition de [qqn] adv |
| | | obéir à [qqn] au doigt et à l'œil loc v |
| | I will be at your beck and call. |
| | Je serai à ton service. |
| | Je serai à ta disposition. |
| | Je t'obéirai au doigt et à l'œil. |
at [sb]'s disposal,
as the disposal of [sb/sth] adv | (available for your use) | à la disposition de [qqn] loc adv |
| | I'll leave the computer at your disposal. |
| | Je laisse l'ordinateur à votre disposition. |
at [sb]'s disposal,
as the disposal of [sb] adv | (person: available to serve you) | à la disposition de [qqn] loc adv |
| | | à [qqn] adv |
| | Once I finish this work I will be at your disposal. |
| | Je finis mon travail et je suis à votre disposition. |
| | Je finis mon travail et je suis à vous. |
| at [sb]'s elbow expr | figurative (within easy reach) | à portée de main de [qqn] expr |
| at [sb]'s fingertips expr | figurative (easily available) | à portée de main loc adv |
| | You should have everything you need at your fingertips before you start your work. |
| | Il faut tout avoir à portée de main avant de commencer à travailler. |
| be at [sb]'s heels expr | figurative (close behind, chasing) | être aux trousses de [qqn] loc v |
at [sb]'s side,
by [sb]'s side adv | (beside) | à côté de [qqn] adv |
| | I will sit at your side during the banquet. |
| | Je serai à côté de toi au banquet. |
at [sb]'s side,
by [sb]'s side adv | figurative (supporting, comforting) (figuré) | aux côtés de [qqn] adv |
| | Fortunately, your husband will always be at your side because he loves you. |
| | Heureusement, ton mari sera toujours à tes côtés parce qu'il t'aime. |
| athlete's foot n | (fungal infection) | pied d'athlète nm |
| | I wear sandals in the shower at the gym so I won't pick up athlete's foot. |
| | | mycose des pieds nf |
| B.S.A. n | initialism (Boy Scouts of America) | Boy Scouts d'Amérique nmpl |
| | The vision of the B.S.A. is to prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen. |
B/S,
b/s n | written, initialism (bill of sale) | acte de vente nm |
baby's tears,
baby's tears plant n | (herb) (plante) | larmes d'ange nfpl |
baby's-breath,
baby's breath,
babies'-breath n | colloquial (flowering plant: Gypsophila) (plante à fleurs) | gypsophile nf |
| | (plante à fleurs) | brouillard nm |
| Bachelor of Science n | (graduate degree) (France, équivalent) | licence (de sciences) nf |
| | (France, équivalent) | licence ès science nf |
| | (Can) | baccalauréat en sciences, baccalauréat ès sciences nm |
| | Richard has a Bachelor of Science from Lancaster University. |
| | Richard a une licence de l'université de Lancaster. |
| Bachelor of Science n | (holder of science degree) (France, équivalent) | licencié en sciences, licenciée en sciences nm, nf |
| | (France, équivalent) | licencié ès sciences, licenciée ès sciences nm, nf |
| | (France, équivalent) | avoir une licence en [qch] loc v |
| | (Can) | bachelier en sciences, bachelière en sciences nm, nf |
| | Kate is a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. |
| | Kate a une licence en chimie. |
bachelor party (US),
stag night,
stag party,
stag do (UK),
buck's party (AU) n | (party for a husband-to-be) | enterrement de vie de garçon nm |
| | Bachelor parties tend to be wild and crazy. |
| | We're going to a nightclub for Simon's stag do. |
| | Les enterrements de vie de garçon ont tendance à être fous et débridés. // On va en boîte pour l'enterrement de vie de garçon de Simon. |
| bachelor's degree n | (undergraduate qualification) (Éducation) | licence nf |
| | Most well-paying jobs today require at least a bachelor's degree. |
| | La plupart des métiers les mieux payés nécessitent au moins une licence. |
backbone of [sth],
[sth]'s backbone n | figurative ([sth/sb] that supports) (figuré) | épine dorsale, ossature nf |
| | (figuré) | pilier nm |
| | Jerry is the backbone of this office; it would never succeed without him. |
| | Jerry est l'épine dorsale de ce bureau, ça ne marcherait pas aussi bien sans lui. |
| bailee's lien n | (law: right to sell) (Droit) | privilège du dépositaire nm |
| | (Droit) | privilège du baillaire nm |
baker,
baker's n | informal (baker's shop) | boulangerie nf |
| | (France, avec des gâteaux) | boulangerie-pâtisserie nf |
| | | chez le boulanger, chez la boulangère nm, nf |
| | I asked George to stop by the baker and pick up a loaf of bread. |
| | J'ai demandé à George de faire une halte à la boulangerie pour acheter une miche. |
| | J'ai demandé à George de passer chez le boulanger pour acheter une miche. |
| Baker's Chocolate n | US, brand name (cooking chocolate) | chocolat pâtissier nm |
| baker's dozen n | (food: thirteen) | treize nm inv |
| | The bakery sells its fresh doughnuts by the baker's dozen. |
| | La boulangerie vend ses beignets frais par treize. |
| baker's yeast n | (leavening agent used in baking) | levure de boulanger nf |
| | Baker's yeast is used to leaven bread. |
| | La levure de boulanger est utilisée pour faire lever le pain. |
bakery,
also UK: baker's,
baker's shop,
also US: bakeshop n | (store that sells bread, cakes) (boutique) | boulangerie nf |
| | (France, avec des gâteaux) | boulangerie-pâtisserie nf |
| | The bakery on Main Street sells delicious rye bread. |
| | La boulangerie sur Main Street vend un pain de seigle délicieux. |
ball fern,
squirrel's-foot fern n | (fern: Asia) (plante asiatique) | fougère boule, fougère pied d'écureuil nf |
| banker's card n | UK (cheque guarantee card) | carte d'identité bancaire nf |
| banker's order n | (pay order, banker's cheque) | ordre de virement (bancaire) nm |
| banker's reference n | (letter of creditworthiness) | référence de la banque nf |
barber chair (US),
barber's chair (UK) n | (seat at male hairdresser's) | fauteuil de coiffeur nm |
| | In order to get my hair cut, the man asked me to sit on the barber's chair. |
barber shop,
barbershop (US),
barber's shop (UK) n | (men's hairdressing salon) | barbier, coiffeur pour homme nm |
| | A spinning red, white, and blue pole denotes a barbershop. |
barbershop quartet (US),
barber's shop quartet (UK) n | (singing group: four men's voices) (Musique) | groupe/quatuor/chœur d'hommes chantant a cappella nm |
| | Martin sings bass in a barbershop quartet. |
be in the driver's seat,
take the driver's seat,
have the driver's seat,
be in the driving seat v expr | figurative (have control) (figuré) | être aux commandes loc v |
| | (figuré) | prendre les rênes, tenir les rênes loc v |
| | If he thinks he can lead the team better, let him have the driver's seat. |
| | S'il pense qu'il peut mieux diriger l'équipe, laissons-lui prendre les rênes. |
| be in [sb]'s shoes v expr | figurative (be in another person's situation) | être à la place de [qqn] loc v |
be music to [sb]'s ears,
be music to the ears of [sb] v expr | figurative (be welcome news) | faire plaisir à entendre loc v |
| | | quelque chose que [qqn] aime entendre loc v |
| | (ironique) | Quelle douce mélodie ! interj |
| be on [sb]'s trail v expr | (follow [sb] or evidence of [sb]) | être sur la piste de [qch/qqn] loc v + prép |
| | | être à la recherche de [qch]/[qch] loc v + prép |
| | | chercher, rechercher prép |
| be [sb]'s eyes and ears v expr | figurative (gather information) | espionner pour [qqn] vi + prép |
| | | être les yeux et les oreilles de [qqn] loc v |
be to [sb]'s advantage,
be to the advantage of [sb] v expr | (benefit [sb]) | être de l'intérêt de [qqn], être dans l'intérêt de [qqn] loc v |
| | I know you're not a natural linguist, but learning French would be to your advantage, given that we live in France. |
| bear's den n | (lair of a bear) | tanière d'ours nf |
| beat a path to [sb]'s door v expr | figurative (be keen to meet with [sb]) | affluer⇒ vi |
| | (plus familier) | se ruer |
| | If you have a good idea, investors will beat a path to your door. |
| | Si tu disposes d'une bonne idée, les investisseurs vont affluer à ta porte. |
| | Si tu disposes d'une bonne idée, les investisseurs vont se ruer à ta porte. |
| beat [sb]'s brains out v expr | (physically beat [sb] severely) (familier) | tabasser⇒ vtr |
| the bee's knees n | figurative, informal (superb person, thing) | le meilleur, la meilleure nm, nf |
| | (familier) | le top nm |
| beginner's luck n | (success despite inexperience) | chance du débutant nf |
| | Joe attributed his success to beginner's luck. |
| | Joe attribua sa réussite à la chance du débutant. |