Her·pe·tol·o·gy

her·pe·tol·o·gy  [hur-pi-tol-uh-jee]  noun the branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians. Origin:  1815–25;  < Greek herpetó ( n ) a creeping thing (Compare hérpein  to creep) + -logy; cf. serpent  Related forms her·pe·to·log·ic  [hur-pi-tl-oj-ik] , her·pe·to·log·i·cal, adjective her·pe·to·log·i·cal·ly, adverb her·pe·tol·o·gist, noun

Lepidopterology

lepidopterology : lep·i·dop·ter·ol·o·gy  [lep-i-dop-tuh-rol-uh-jee]  Show IPA noun the branch of zoology dealing with butterflies and moths. 

Grist to the mill

Grist to the mill , grist to one's mill , grist for the mill , grist for one's mill:  anything that can be turned to profit or advantage  

Con·tre·temps

con·tre·temps noun \ˈkän-trə-ˌtäⁿ, kōⁿ-trə-täⁿ\ : an unfortunate or embarrassing event, argument, or disagreement plural con·tre·temps     Full Definition of CONTRETEMPS  1 :  an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence or situation 2 :  dispute, argument  See contretemps defined for English-language learners » Examples of CONTRETEMPS  The senator dismissed his disagreement with the President as a minor contretemps. <there was a bit of a contretemps over the seating arrangements for the upcoming wedding> Origin of CONTRETEMPS  French, from contre- counter- + temps time, from Latin tempus First Known Use: 1769

Co·mes·ti·ble

Co·mes·ti·ble  (k-mst-bl) adj. Fit to be eaten; edible. n. Something that can be eaten as food: meat, cheese, and other comestibles. 

Bone up

bone up informal — phrasal verb with bone    /bəʊn/       /boʊn/ verb       Definition › to learn as much as you can about something for a special reason: She boned up on economics before applying for the job. 

Harry S. Truman

If you can't convince them, confuse them. 

Haircut

Haircut A sketch from A Bit of Fry & Laurie   Watch this video on its original page Contribute a better video URLSubmit Stephen is dressed as, and therefore in dramatic terms is, a barber. Hugh enters the shop. Stephen Good morning sir.  Hugh Morning.  Stephen Yes sir, I do believe we're in for a spell as they used to say in the music halls. Not too hot, but not too mild neither..  Hugh Mmm.  Stephen Re the weekend just past, might I enquire as to whether sir was in receipt of an enjoyableness, or did events prove themselves to be of an otherwise nature?  Hugh Very pleasant thank you.  Stephen Thank you sir. Very pleasant. Good. Then in presumption of sir's answer, I may take it that sir was for that period without the boundaries of Lincolnshire, wherein, I understand, it rained like a bitch.  Hugh No, I was nowhere near Lincolnshire.  Stephen Sir, I am uplifted to hear such news.  Hugh My wife and I spent the weekend in Hull.  Stephen Sir is married?  Hugh Yes.  Stephen I had literally no idea.  Hugh Well never mind ...  Stephen Will sir at some future time, as yet unspecified, forgive me for not having immediately congratulated him on his joyousness in the good tidings department?  Hugh Of course. I didn't expect you ...  Stephen Would sir perhaps consider it to be beyond- boundingly forward of me, on behalf of all the staff here, to send a bouquet of flower-style objects to Mrs Sir?  Hugh Well that's really not necessary.  Stephen Sir, since I began as a barber, not thirty-nine years ago, the phrase "not necessary" has been neither more nor less than as a spur to quicken my actions.  Hugh Well thank you, that's very kind of you ...  Stephen Alright sir. To business. Being one of the shrewdest sirs it has been my privilege to meet, you are no doubt keen to exploit the social and financial advantages inherent in having a hair cut?  Hugh A haircut, that's right.  Stephen Of course. A hair cut is a hair enhanced if sir will fail to slash my throatlet for being so old. Now the hair in question is ... ?  Hugh What?  Stephen The hair presently under advisement belongs to ... ?  Hugh What do you mean?  Stephen What do I mean?  Hugh Yes.  Stephen Haha. I sneak myself towards the suspicion that sir has me cast as the mouse in his ever popular cat drama.  Hugh What are you talking about? It's my hair. I want you to cut my hair.  Stephen Ah. So sir's own hair is the hair upon which this entire transaction is to be founded?  Hugh Well of course. Why would I come in here to get someone else's hair cut.  Stephen Sir. Please set fire to my legs if I am trying to make haircutting seem more glamorous that it really is, but may I just say this - you cannot be too careful in my position.  Hugh Really?  Stephen Indeed sir. Once and only once, I cut a gentleman's hair against his will. Believe me when I say it was both difficult and impossible.  Hugh No, well it's my hair I want cut.  Stephen Your hair.  Hugh Yes.  Stephen The hair of sir.  Hugh Yes.  Stephen Excellent. Then let us proceed to the next and most important of stages. Which one?  Hugh Which one what?  Stephen Which of sir's manifold hairs would he care to place in my professional care for the purposes of securing an encutment.  Hugh Well all of them.  Stephen All of sir's hairs?  Hugh Yes.  Stephen Sir is absolutely sure?  Hugh Of course I'm sure. What's the matter with you?  Stephen I seek not to question the drasticity of sir's decision, only to express the profoundness of my humblings at the prospect of such a magnificent task.  Hugh Well, all of them.  Stephen All of them. My word.  Hugh Is that a problem.  Stephen By no means. I merely hope that sir can find a moment in his otherwise hectic schedule to appreciate that for me to cut every one of sir's hairs represents the snow-capped summit of a barber's career.  Hugh Well you've done it before, haven't you?  Stephen Indeed, sir. I once cut all the hairs on a gentleman's head in Cairo, shortly after the War, when the world was in uproar and to a young man everything seemed possible.  Hugh Once?  Stephen It would be pointless for me to deny that I was fitter and better-looking then, but let us hope for sir's sake, that the magic has not entirely disappeared up its own rabbit hole. We shall see.  Hugh Wait a minute. Wait just one cotton-picking minute here.  Stephen Sir?  Hugh You've cut someone's hair, all of it that is, once since the war?  Stephen Would sir have preffered that in the sphere of total hair cuttation, I was to him a virgin?  Hugh I beg your pardon?  Stephen That I can respect.  Hugh What?  Stephen The desire that we should both of us embark upon this voyage as innocents, wide-eyed travellers in a foreign land, unknowning of our destination, careless of our fate - to emerge somewhere, some day, bruised, tender, a little sad perhaps, but ultimately and joyously alive.  Hugh Goodbye.  Stephen Sir is leaving?  Hugh Yup.  Stephen Might I be favoured with an explanation as to why?  Hugh Because I don't believe you have the faintest idea as to how you're going to end this sketch, and I simply don't want to be around when you try. It's going to be painful and embarrassing for both of us, and to be honest I'd much rather it was only painful and embarrassing for you.  Stephen But sir!  Hugh What?  Stephen Sir could not be more mistaken if he tried. I know precisely how this sketch is going to end.  Hugh Really?  Stephen Really.  Hugh Go on then.  Stephen It might take time.  Hugh Yes, time and pain and embarrassment. Goodbye.  Stephen You bastard.  Hugh Here we go.  Stephen The number of times I've hung around while you've stumbled on to some pathetic ending.  Hugh You see? You're completely stuck.  Stephen No I'm not.  Hugh Ha.  Stephen Forty-five seconds. I can end this sketch in forty- five seconds.  Hugh Yeah?  Stephen Yeah.  Hugh OK. Forty-five seconds.  Stephen If sir will resume the seatedness of his posture.  Hugh Alright.  Stephen Can I assume that sir is close to the level of maximum comfort?  Hugh Forty seconds.  Stephen I will now fetch the necessary tools. Stephen exits. Hugh Haha. It's going to be a chainsaw or some bloody ... tscch. Hugh looks at his watch. Stephen does not re-enter. Long pause. Hugh realises he has been left holding the baby. Fuck.

fu·sil·lade

 fu·sil·lade  [fyoo-suh-leyd, -lahd, -zuh-] , verb, fu·sil·lad·ed, fu·sil·lad·ing. noun 1. a simultaneous or continuous discharge of firearms. 2. a general discharge or outpouring of anything: a fusillade of questions. verb (used with object) 3. to attack or shoot by a fusillade. Origin:  1795–1805;  < French,  equivalent to fusill ( er ) to shoot (see fusil1 ) + fusillade  (ˌfjuːzɪˈleɪd, -ˈlɑːd)    — n 1. a simultaneous or rapid continual discharge of firearms 2. a sudden outburst, as of criticism   — vb 3. ( tr ) to attack with a fusillade   [C19: from French, from fusiller  to shoot; see fusil 1 ]

scuppered

scuppered . [skuhp-er]  verb (used with object) British . 1. Military . to overwhelm; surprise and destroy, disable, ormassacre. 2. Informal. to prevent from happening or succeeding; ruin; wreck. Origin:  1880–85;  

Quisling

quisling   

quis·ling  [kwiz-ling]  Show IPA

noun

a person who betrays his or her own country by aiding an invading enemy, often serving later in a puppet government; fifth columnist.

Origin: 

1940;  after Vidkun Quisling  (1887–1945), pro-Nazi Norwegian leader

quisling  (ˈkwɪzlɪŋ) 

 

— n

a traitor who aids an occupying enemy force; collaborator

 

[C20: after Major Vidkun Quisling  (1887--1945), Norwegian collaborator with the Nazis]

quisling 

1940, from Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945), Norwegian fascist politician who headed the puppet government during the Ger. occupation of Norway in World War II; shot for treason after Ger. defeat. First used in London "Times" of April 15, 1940, in a Swed. context.

Lowest Common Denominator

Lowest Common Denominator:  In relation to people, they are the simplest group in a population. They have the simplest opinions, the simplest views and the simplest lifestyles. They are the unsophisticated (which is not correlated to the amount of happiness they have - in fact, living a simple life may make you even more happy than living a sophisticated one). Because these people do not think as much as a sophisticated person, they tend to be more naive and more gullible to gut feelings, and the ingrained culture and social laws that are around them. Their trust is easily earned.  In terms of politics, this can be taken advantage of when politicians use their persona and the gut feelings of their audience to gain followers, even when their policies and views might be to their disadvantage. 

peccadillo

pec·ca·dil·lo  [pek-uh-dil-oh] 

noun, plural pec·ca·dil·loes, pec·ca·dil·los.

a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.

Origin: 

1585–95;  < Spanish pecadillo,  diminutive of pecado  sin < Latin peccātum  transgression, noun use of neuter of past participle of peccāre  to err, offend

Synonyms 

lapse, slip, faux pas, indiscretion.

Weltanschauung

Welt·an·schau·ung    [velt-ahn-shou-oong]  

noun German .

a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity's relation to it.

Origin: 

literally, world-view 

— n

a comprehensive view or personal philosophy of human life and the universe.

 

[from Welt  world + Anschauung  view]

All right already

All right already Part of Speech:   interj Definition:   enough!; hold on!; yes, now! 

Example: All right already! I will serve dinner. 

Righty hoe

Righty hoe

is another way of saying alright or righty 'o' then.

"lets go to the shops".

"righty hoe"

, Groucho Marx quotes (American Comedian, Actor and Singer, 1890-1977)

“Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”

Mea culpa

Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my mistake" or "my fault". To emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in mea maxima culpa, which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault."

New car or a new wife

"When a man opens the car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife."

  

  Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Chasm

Chasm noun \ˈka-zəm\

Definition of CHASM

1

: a deep cleft in the surface of a planet (as the earth) : gorge

2

: a marked division, separation, or difference

 See chasm defined for English-language learners »

See chasm defined for kids »

Examples of CHASM

<a chasm in the ocean floor>

Origin of CHASM

Latin chasma, from Greek; akin to Latin hiare to yawn — more at yawn

First Known Use: 1596

Related to CHASM

Synonyms: abysm, abyss, deep, gulf, ocean

[+]more

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rhymes with CHASM

plasm, spasm

Pros·e·ly·tize

Pros·e·ly·tize verb \ˈprä-s(ə-)lə-ˌtīz\

pros·e·ly·tizedpros·e·ly·tiz·ing

Definition of PROSELYTIZE

intransitive verb

1

: to induce someone to convert to one's faith

2

: to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause

transitive verb

: to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause

— pros·e·ly·ti·za·tion  noun

— pros·e·ly·tiz·er  noun

 See proselytize defined for English-language learners »

See proselytize defined for kids »

Examples of PROSELYTIZE

He uses his position to proselytize for the causes that he supports.

<the efforts of early missionaries to proselytize the Native Americans of Minnesota were largely unproductive>

They are a sport-shirted, discomforted lot, pacing, puffing feverishly on cigarettes, perspiring freely and proselytizing furiously. —Nicholas Dawidoff, Sports Illustrated, 19 Aug. 1991

[+]more

Origin of PROSELYTIZE

(see 1proselyte)

First Known Use: 1679

Related to PROSELYTIZE

Synonyms: proselyte, convert

[+]more

Rhymes with PROSELYTIZE

accessorize, acclimatize, actualize, aerobicize, aestheticize, Africanize, allegorize, alphabetize, analogize, anatomize, anesthetize, ani...

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Louche

Louche

adjective
dubious; shady; disreputable.

Louche adjective \ˈlüsh\

Definition of LOUCHE

: not reputable or decent

<before gentrification, it was the sort of louche neighborhood where people went looking for illegal drugs>

Origin of LOUCHE

French, literally, cross-eyed, squint-eyed, from Latin luscus blind in one eye

First Known Use: 1819

Related to LOUCHE

Synonyms: discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, ignominious, infamous, disreputable, notorious, opprobrious, shady, shameful, shoddy, shy, unrespectable

Antonyms: honorable, reputable, respectable

Rhymes with LOUCHE

douche, ruche, squoosh, swoosh, whoosh

Learn More About LOUCHE


louche, adj.
View as: Outline |Full entryQuotations: Show all |Hide all
Pronunciation:  /luʃ/
Etymology:  < French louche squinting, Old French lousche, originally only feminine < Latin ... (Show More)
Thesaurus »

  Oblique, not straightforward. Also, dubious, shifty, disreputable.

1819   Lady Morgan Passages from Autobiogr. (1859) 318   There is some~thing louche about him, which does not accord with the abandon of careless, intimate intercourse.
1850   Thackeray Pendennis II. xxxi. 312   There's something louche regarding him.
1873   G. H. Lewes Diary 16 Jan. in ‘G. Eliot’ Lett. (1956) V. 368   The whole thing appeared louche and unpromising.
1905   G. B. Shaw Lett. to Granville Barker (1956) 53   You could play Snobby. I want a slim, louche, servant-girl-bigamist, half-handsome sort of rascal.
1921   A. Huxley Crome Yellow xvii. 182   There had seemed to be something a little louche in the way she had suddenly found herself alone with Ivor.
1945   W. H. Auden Sea & Mirror ii. 46   A quick cold clasp now and then in some louche hovel.
1945   E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited 236,   I knew of a louche little bar quite near here.
1959   P. H. Johnson Humbler Creation xlviii. 328   As if he were an unfrocked priest due for reception into the world of the louche and the lost.
1970   Times Mar. (Saturday Suppl.) p. iv/6   There is plenty of marvellous delicate comedy and superbly louche menace.
1974   Daily Tel. 14 June (Colour Suppl.) 30/4   His louche greeting, ‘Ladeez and Gentlemen’ was a byword among..BBC Light Programme listeners.

Handler

Handler - an agent who handles something or someone; "the senator's campaign handlers"

agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations

Am·per·sand

Am·per·sand  /ˈæmpɚˌsænd/ noun

plural am·per·sands

[count] : a character & that is used for the word and 

▪ Mr. & [=and] Mrs. Joe Smith

Colander

Colander

col·an·der

  [kuhl-uh n-der, kol-] Show IPA

noun

a metal or plastic container with a perforated bottom, for draining and straining foods.

Also, cullender.

Origin: 

1400–50; late Middle English colyndore,  perhaps (with nasalization) < Old Provençal colador  < Medieval Latin cōlātōrium,  equivalent to Latin cōlā ( re ) to strain (verbal derivative of cōlum  strainer) + -tōrium -tory2

Can be confused: calendar, calender, colander.

Tease

Tease  (tiːz) 

 

4. ( tr ) to separate the fibres of; comb; card

5. ( tr ) to raise the nap of (a fabric) with a teasel

6. ( US ), ( Canadian ) Also: backcomb  to comb the under layers of (the hair) towards the roots to give more bulk to a hairstyle

7. ( tr ) to loosen or pull apart (biological tissues, etc) by delicate agitation or prodding with an instrument

 

tease 

O.E. tæsan "pluck, pull apart" (fibers of wool, flax, etc.), from W.Gmc. *taisijanan (cf. Dan. tæse, M.Du. tesen, Du. tezen "to draw, pull, scratch," O.H.G. zeisan "to tease, pick wool"). The original sense is of running thorns through wool or flax to separate, shred, or card the fibers.

Seminal

Seminal   

sem·i·nal  [sem-uh-nl]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen.

2.

Botany . of or pertaining to seed.

3.

having possibilities of future development.

4.

highly original and influencing the development of future events: a seminal artist; seminal ideas.

Origin: 

1350–1400; Middle English  < Latin sēminālis,  equivalent to sēmin-  (stem of sēmen ) seed, semen + -ālis -al1

Related forms

sem·i·nal·i·ty, noun.

sem·i·nal·ly, adverb.

in·ter·sem·i·nal, adjective.

pre·sem·i·nal, adjective.

Synonyms 

4. germinal, primary, formative, innovative.

Nicher

Nicher [niʃe] 

verbe intransitif  

1.  [faire son nid]     to nest

2.  (familier) [habiter]     to hang out,   to doss (UK)

3.  [couver]     to brood

   nicher [niʃe] 

verbe transitif   

    to nestle 

 elle nicha sa tête sur mon épaule   she nestled her head on OU against my shoulder 

  se nicher 

verbe pronominal intransitif  

1.  [faire son nid]     to nest

2.  [se blottir]     to nestle 

 je rêve d'un petit chalet niché dans la montagne   I dream of a little chalet nestling among the mountains

3.  [se cacher] 

 où l'amour-propre va-t-il se nicher?   pride is found in the strangest places!

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

1 Put that in your pipe and smoke it

"Please contemplate my arguments against your delusions."

"I do not contest the idea that free trade stimulates economic growth. But such growth may be short term for the nation with higher per capita income as rising unemployment, due to displaced workers, lessens demand on goods and services. Have you also considered the policies of the trading partner? We don't want to exacerbate child labor or global emissions of toxic chemicals do we? Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

2. put that in your pipe and smoke it

Means to tell the person you are engaged in conversation with to ponder that.

" Well trust me, I know your siter is a tramp, so why dont you put that in your pipe and smoke it"

3. put that in your pipe and smoke it

It is a command which compels the person it is directed towards to not respond to my last comment for it has settled the dispute

"Look, you can say what you want about me, but your girlfriend is a whore, that's why the whole hood banged her, now put that in your pipe and smoke it."

*  

Put that it your pipe and smoke it, which might be reinterpreted for modern life as 'Deal with it' and  for which an earlier synonym had been the 18th century's blunter 'Take you that!' is currently first recorded in R.B. Peake's two-act comedy Americans Abroad (1824). Eric Partridge, in his Dictionary of Catch Phrases, attributes it to the image that links pipe-smoking and meditation, but such peaceful contemplation fails to  suggest the enforced acceptance of the unpalatable that underlies the phrase.  For Francophiles the equivalent is 'mets ca dans ta poche et ton mouchoir par dessus': put that in your pocket with your handkerchief on top. And a  colloquial translation of that might be 'stick it where the sun don't shine'.

Espèce

Espèce [ɛspɛs], nom féminin, 1.  sciences   species (singulier), l'espèce humaine   the human race, mankind, des espèces animales/végétales   animal/plant species, espèce en voie de disparition   endangered species, 2.  [sorte]   sort, kind, rangez ensemble les livres de même espèce   put books of the same kind together, des escrocs de ton/son espèce   crooks like you/him, des gens de leur espèce   their sort (péjoratif), the likes of them (péjoratif), les gens de cette espèce   that sort, people of that ilk, de la pire espèce   terrible, c'est un menteur de la pire espèce   he's the worst kind of liar, he's a terrible liar, ça n'a aucune espèce d'importance!   that is of absolutely no importance!, une espèce/l'espèce de (péjoratif)   :  c'était une espèce de ferme   it was a sort of farm OU a farm of sorts, l'espèce de malfrat barbu qui nous conduisait   the shady-looking fellow with a beard who was driving, espèce de (familier & péjoratif)   :  espèce d'idiot!   you idiot!, 3.  droit   particular OU specific case, espèces, nom féminin pluriel, 1.  finance   cash, payer en espèces   to pay cash, espèces sonnantes et trébuchantes   hard cash, 2.  religion   species, en l'espèce, locution adverbiale, in this particular case, j'avais de bons rapports avec mes employés mais en l'espèce l'affaire a fini au tribunal   I always had good relations with my employees but in this instance, the matter finished up in court

Put someone out to pasture

 Put someone out to pasture Fig. to retire someone. (Based on put a horse out to pasture.) Please don't put me out to pasture. I have lots of good years left. This vice president has reached retirement age. It's time to put him out to pasture.  Put somebody out to pasture to make someone stop working at their job because they are too old to be useful He felt he was still too young to be put out to pasture. Put somebody out to pasture to make someone stop working at their job because they are too old to be useful At 62, he felt he was not ready to be put out to pasture. Etymology: based on the tradition of keeping farm animals that are too old to work in a pasture (land covered with grass) See also: out, pasture, put

Jump the gun

Jump the gun

to do something before it should be done We do not want to jump the gun by making a statement about what caused the explosion before the investigation is completed.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of jump the gun (to begin to run a race before the gun that signals the start has been shot)

For crying out loud

For crying out loud (spoken)

I am annoyed or surprised by this No, I haven't bought her a present yet. Her birthday is a month away, for crying out loud.

Usage notes: used for emphasis

Related vocabulary: for Christ's sake

Début

Début [deby]  nom masculin 1. [commencement]   beginning, start   salaire de début   starting salary   un début   :  ce n'est pas mal pour un début   it's quite good for a first try OU attempt   ce n'est qu'un début   that's just the start OU beginning   il y a un début à tout   you have to start sometime   un début de   :  ressentir un début de fatigue   to start feeling tired   un début de grippe   the first signs of flu 2. [dans l'expression des dates]   début mars   at the beginning of OU in early March     débuts  nom masculin pluriel  [dans une carrière]   start  [dans le spectacle]   debut   il a eu des débuts difficiles   it wasn't easy for him at the start   mes débuts dans le journalisme   my first steps OU early days as a journalist   en être à ses débuts  a. [projet]   to be in its early stages  b. [personne]   to have just started (out)  [en société]   debut   faire ses débuts   to make one's debut  [première période]   beginnings   le rock à ses débuts   early rock music     au début  locution adverbiale    at first, to begin with     au début de  locution prépositionnelle   au début du printemps/de l'année   at the beginning of spring/of the year   j'en suis encore au début du livre   I've only just started the book     au tout début  locution adverbiale ,    tout au début  locution adverbiale    at the very beginning, right at the beginning      dès le début  locution adverbiale    from the outset OU very start OU very beginning      du début à la fin  locution adverbiale  [d'un livre, d'une histoire]   from beginning to end  [d'une course, d'un événement]   from start to finish  

Avouer

Avouer [avwe] 

verbe transitif

1.  [erreur, forfait]     to admit,   to confess (to), to own up to (inseparable) 

 elle a avoué voyager sans billet/tricher aux cartes   she owned up to travelling without a ticket/to cheating at cards 

(en usage absolu) 

 il a avoué [à la police]   he owned up, he made a full confession

2.  [doute, sentiment]     to admit OU to confess to 

 elle refuse d'avouer ses angoisses/qu'elle a des ennuis   she refuses to acknowledge her anxiety/admit that she has problems 

 je t'avoue que j'en ai assez   I must admit that I've had all I can take 

 il lui a fallu du courage, j'avoue, mais ...   what he did required courage, I grant you, but ...

  s'avouer 

verbe pronominal intransitif 

 elle ne s'avoue pas encore battue   she won't admit defeat yet 

 je m'avoue complètement découragé   I confess OU admit to feeling utterly discouraged 

Arracher

Arracher [araʃe] 

verbe transitif  

1.  [extraire - clou, cheville]     to pull OU to draw out (separable) 

[ - arbuste]     to pull OU to root up (separable) 

[ - betterave, laitue]     to lift

[ - mauvaises herbes, liseron]     to pull OU to root out (separable) 

[ - poil, cheveu]     to pull out (separable) 

[ - dent]     to pull out (separable), to draw, to extract 

 se faire arracher une dent   to have a tooth out 

 il a eu un bras arraché dans l'explosion   he had an arm blown off in the explosion 

 ça arrache la gorge (familier & figuré)   it burns your throat 

 il t'arracherait les yeux s'il savait   he'd tear OU scratch your eyes out if he knew 

 arracher son masque à quelqu'un   to unmask somebody

2.  [déchirer - papier peint, affiche]   to tear OU to rip off (separable) 

[ - page]     to tear out (separable), to pull out (separable)

3.  [prendre - sac, billet]     to snatch,   to grab 

 j'ai réussi à lui arracher le pistolet des mains 

a. [très vite]   I managed to snatch the gun away OU to grab the gun from him 

b. [après une lutte]   I managed to wrest the gun from his grip 

[obtenir - victoire]     to snatch 

 arracher des aveux/une signature à quelqu'un   to wring a confession/signature out of somebody 

 arracher des larmes à quelqu'un   to bring tears to somebody's eyes 

 arracher un sourire à quelqu'un   to force a smile out of somebody 

 pas moyen de lui arracher le moindre commentaire   it's impossible to get him to say anything

4.  [enlever - personne] 

 arracher quelqu'un à son lit   to drag somebody out of OU from his bed 

 comment l'arracher à son ordinateur?   how can we get OU drag him away from his computer? 

 arraché très jeune à sa famille   torn from the bosom of his family at an early age (littéraire) 

 arracher un bébé à sa mère   to take a child from its mother 

 arracher quelqu'un au sommeil   to force somebody to wake up

5.  [le sauver de] 

 arracher quelqu'un à   to snatch OU to rescue somebody from 

 arracher quelqu'un à la mort   to snatch somebody from (the jaws of) death

  s'arracher 

verbe pronominal transitif  

1.  [s'écorcher] 

 je me suis arraché la peau du genou en tombant   I fell over and scraped my knee

 c'est à s'arracher les cheveux (familier)   it's enough to drive you crazy 

 s'arracher les yeux   to scratch each other's eyes out

2.  [se disputer - personne, héritage]   to fight over (inseparable)

  s'arracher 

verbe pronominal intransitif   

(très familier) 

[partir] 

 allez, on s'arrache!   come on, let's be off! 

  s'arracher à 

verbe pronominal plus préposition , 

  s'arracher de 

verbe pronominal plus préposition 

  to tear oneself away from 

 s'arracher au sommeil   to tear oneself from sleep 

 s'arracher à ses rêveries   to snap out of one's daydreams 

 s'arracher à son travail/à son ordinateur/de son fauteuil   to tear oneself away from one's work/computer/armchair 

Réveillon

Réveillon [revɛjɔ̃] 

nom masculin 

 family meal eaten on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve 

 réveillon (de Noël) 

a. [fête]   Christmas Eve party 

b. [repas]   Christmas Eve supper 

 réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre OU du Jour de l'An 

a. [fête]   New Year's Eve party 

b. [repas]   New Year's Eve supper 

Plutôt

Plutôt [plyto] 

adverbe

1.  [de préférence]   rather 

[à la place]   instead 

 plutôt mourir!   I'd rather die! 

 mets mon manteau plutôt, tu auras plus chaud   put my coat on instead, you'll be warmer 

 demande plutôt à un spécialiste   you'd better ask a specialist 

 plutôt que   rather than, instead of 

 plutôt que de travailler, je vais aller faire des courses   I'm going to do some shopping instead of working 

 plutôt mourir que de céder!   I'd rather die than give in!

2.  [plus précisément]   rather 

 la situation n'est pas désespérée, disons plutôt qu'elle est délicate   the situation is not hopeless, let's say rather that it is delicate 

 ce n'était pas une maison de campagne, mais plutôt un manoir   it wasn't a country house, it was more of a country manor 

 elle le méprise plutôt qu'elle ne le hait (soutenu)   she doesn't so much hate as despise him

3.  [assez, passablement]   rather, quite

4.  [en intensif] 

 il est plutôt collant, ce type! (familier)   that guy's a bit of a leech! 

 il est idiot, ce film! — plutôt, oui!   it's stupid, this film! — you can say that again OU you're telling me!

Ramener

Ramener [ramne] 

verbe transitif  

1.  [personne, véhicule - au point de départ]     to take back (separable) 

[ - à soi]     to bring back (separable) 

 je vous ramène? 

a. [chez vous]   shall I give you a lift home? 

b. [à votre point de départ]   shall I give you a lift back? 

 son chauffeur le ramène tous les soirs   his chauffeur drives him back every evening 

 ramener à [un endroit]   to take back to

2.  [rapporter] 

 ramène-moi un journal   bring me back a newspaper 

 il faut que je ramène les clefs à l'agence   I've got to take the keys back to the estate agent

3.  [rétablir]     to bring back (separable), to restore 

 ramener la paix   to restore peace

4.  [placer] 

 elle ramena le châle sur ses épaules   she pulled the shawl around her shoulders 

 ramener ses cheveux en arrière   to draw one's hair back 

 ramener ses genoux sous son menton   to pull one's knees up under one's chin

5.  [faire revenir] 

 l'été a ramené les visiteurs   the summer has brought back the tourists 

 le film m'a ramené dix ans en arrière   the film took me back ten years 

 ramener à   :  ramener le débat au sujet principal   to lead OU to steer the discussion back to the main subject 

 ce qui nous ramène au problème de...   which brings us back to the problem of... 

 ramener la conversation à OU sur quelque chose   to bring the conversation back (round) to something 

 ramener quelqu'un à la vie   to bring somebody back to life, to revive somebody 

 ramener un malade à lui   to bring a patient round

6.  [réduire] 

 cela ramène le problème à sa dimension financière   it reduces the problem to its purely financial aspects 

 ramener tout à soi   to bring everything back to OU to relate everything to oneself

7.  (locution) 

 la ramener, ramener sa fraise 

a. (familier) [vouloir s'imposer]   to stick one's oar in 

b. [faire l'important]   to show off

  se ramener 

verbe pronominal intransitif   

(familier) [arriver]     to turn OU to show up 

 ramène-toi en vitesse!   come on, hurry up! 

  se ramener à 

verbe pronominal plus préposition 

[se réduire à]     to boil down to 

 toute l'affaire se ramenait finalement à une querelle de famille   in the end the whole business boiled down to OU was nothing more than a family quarrel