Chapitre 4

Question 1

weathercock

= weather vane

Answer 1

girouette

Question 2

low-spirited

Answer 2

sad and despondent, depressed

Question 3

to strike one’s colours

Answer 3

to surrender

colours the flag of a country, regiment, or ship

Question 4

pretence

Answer 4

an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.
pretext
*
His anger is masked by a pretence that all is well
He claimed the police beat him up under the pretence that he was resisting arrest

Question 5

to lull
to lull sb to sleep
to be lulled into

Answer 5

calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements.
*
The rhythm of the boat lulled her to sleep
We were lulled into a false sense of security

Question 6

gossip

Answer 6

(personne)

personne qui gossipe

Question 7

to ensue

Answer 7

happen or occur afterwards or as a result
*
A brief but violent scuffle ensued.
the difficulties which ensued from their commitment to Cuba.

Question 8

ruddy

Answer 8

(of the complexion) having a healthy reddish colour
*
He had a naturally ruddy complexion.

Question 9

near

Answer 9

avare, pingre
(old-fashioned / archaic)
They joked about him being so near with his money.

Question 10

closehanded

Answer 10

avare, pingre

Question 11

to flit

Answer 11

voltiger, voleter
move swiftly and lightly
an act of moving house or leaving one’s home, typically secretly so as to escape creditors or obligations.
*
The bird that flits from tree to tree
Moonlight flits from one insalubrious dwelling to another

Question 12

a churl

Answer 12

un rustre, un malotru

Question 13

unfledged

Answer 13

(of a bird) not yet fledged.
(of a person) inexperienced; youthful.
fledged = (of a young bird) having wing feathers that are large enough for flight; able to fly.
*
She was unfledged, and, her mother saw, physically unawakened
The young fledge around four weeks after hatching

Question 14

dunnock

Answer 14

type d’oiseau

Question 15

cast out

Answer 15

(literary)
exclude someone from a group or place.
*
Individuals who do not accept the norms are cast out from the group

Question 16

deed

Answer 16

(literary)
acte, action
an action that is performed intentionally or consciously.
*
Doing good deeds
His heroic deeds were celebrated in every corner of the country

Question 17

gruel

Answer 17

gruau, ≈ porridge

Question 18

to bustle

Answer 18

de démener, s’affairer
to hurry with a great show of energy or activity
*
My parents bustled around the kitchen.

Question 19

pitch

Answer 19

a level of emotion
*
Tensions have reached such a pitch in the area that the army have been called in.

Question 20

bonnie

Answer 20

(literary)

used as a form of address for one’s beloved or baby

Question 21

whip

Answer 21

fouet

Question 22

to stand off

Answer 22

to stay at a distance from something

Question 23

ragged

Answer 23

en lambeaux, en haillon
(of cloth or clothes) old and torn
*
a rough-looking man wearing ragged clothes

Question 24

to fling

Answer 24

to throw with force
*
I flung the book on the table and stormed out.

Question 25

brat

Answer 25

goose, enfant
a child, typically one that is badly behaved.
*
She’s been acting like a spoiled brat all evening

Question 26

bairn

Answer 26

(Scottish, northern English)
noun: bairn; plural noun: bairns
a child.

Question 27

to fend for yourself

Answer 27

to look after oneself

She was just left to fend for herself.

Question 28

as good as

Answer 28

as good as —
very nearly —.
*
The editor as good as told him he was lucky to get £50 a week
used of a result which will inevitably follow.
If we pass on the information, he’s as good as dead

Question 29

content yourself with something

Answer 29

se contenter de
to make yourself accept something as satisfactory, although it could be better
*
We had to content ourselves with watching the sea lions from the shoreShe had to content herself with the knowledge that she had been right.

Question 30

former / latter

Answer 30

Former : refers to something that is first in the order of two or more things.
Latter : refers to something that is either second in a group of two things or last in a group of several.
*
Joe debated whether to order pizza or a sandwich, eventually settling on the former to satisfy his pepperoni craving.
The dealership offered the car in both red and blue. She chose the latter because it reminded her of the sky.

Question 31

to blubber

Answer 31

chialer, pleurer (comme un veau)
cry noisily and uncontrollably; sob without restraint
*
He was blubbering like a child

Question 32

humour

Answer 32

a state of mind
*
Could that have been the source of his good humour?

Question 33

to grin

Answer 33

sourire, grimacer
to smile broadly, showing one’s teeth
*
He grinned, delighted at the memory.

Question 34

thick

Answer 34

(archaic)
very friendly
*
You’re thick with the new student, aren’t you?

Question 35

to plague sb

Answer 35

to annoy or pester pester or harass (someone) continually
especially by asking repeated questions
*
I’m not going to plague you with a lot of questions.
He’s been plaguing me for a loan of the book.

Question 36

to wrong

to be wronged

Answer 36

maltraiter, faire du tort
être victime d'une injustice
to treat (someone) unjustly
act unjustly or dishonestly towards.
*
She felt she had been wronged.
They would kill a man who wronged a family

Question 37

to take to sb / sth

Answer 37

to begin to like someone
*
I took to John immediately.
Did the children take to him?

(take to sth = même traduction + prendre l’habitude)

Question 38

wayward

Answer 38

rebelle
erratic, selfish, or stubborn
difficult to control or predict because of wilful or perverse behaviour
*
wayward children with a history of behavioural problems

Question 39

to brood

Answer 39

couver, broyer du noir
think deeply about something that makes one unhappy, angry, or worried.
NB : (of a bird) sit on (eggs) to hatch them.
*
She had brooded over the subject a thousand times

Question 40

measles

Answer 40

rougeole

Question 41

to tend

Answer 41

to take care of
care for or look after; give one's attention to
*
He tended the cat in her illness.
Varela tended plants on the roof

Question 42

at once

Answer 42

immediately
*
I fell asleep at once

Question 43

wit

Answer 43

the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence.
ability to think quickly and make sensible decisions
*
She does not lack perception or native wit

Question 44

To have somebody do something

Answer 44

to convince somebody to do something
or to arrange for somebody to do something
I have the gardener take care of everything.

Question 45

vain

Answer 45

excessively proud of one’s appearance or achievements
*
Don’t worry about what he said, he’s shallow, vain and self-centred.
She is very vain about her appearance

Question 46

commendation

Answer 46

praise
*
Both teams deserve commendation for their performance.
The film deserved the highest commendation

Question 47

to dote on

Answer 47

to love (someone or something) to an excessive degree
be extremely and uncritically fond of
*
she doted on her two young children

Question 48

hold

Answer 48

controlling influence
*
It’s always useful to have a hold over people.

Question 49

colt

Answer 49

jeune cheval male (different poulain= foal qui peut être masc ou fem de moins d’1 an)

Question 50

lame

Answer 50

disabled or crippled in the legs or feet

Question 51

thrashing

Answer 51

raclée, rossée
a severe beating
*
She knew if she was caught she would get a thrashing.

Question 52

to cuff

Answer 52

gifle
strike (someone) with an open hand, especially on the head.
*
She cuffed him playfully around the ear.

Question 53

to stagger

Answer 53

to walk unsteadily
*
He was staggering and had to lean on the bar.

Question 54

beggarly

Answer 54

poverty-stricken; very poor
*
His circumstances were beggarly
a beggarly existence in the slums

Question 55

interloper

Answer 55

intrus
a person in a place or situation where he or she has no right to be
*
She had no wish to share her father with any interloper.

Question 56

to wheedle

to wheedle out

Answer 56

to try to persuade (someone) by coaxing or flattery
*
They managed to wheedle some more money out of me.
She wheedled her way on to the guest list

Question 57

imp

Answer 57

a small demon
a mischievous child
*
He sees the devil as a little imp with horns.
I didn't say that, you little imp!