it was the least I could do

(the) least — (il) meno; (in negative constructions) (il) minimo

they had the least food — hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti o la minor quantità di cibo

nobody knew it, Tom least of all o least of all Tom — nessuno lo sapeva, Tom meno di tutti o meno di tutti Tom

(the) least — (il) meno; (in negative constructions) (il) minimo

they had the least food — hanno ricevuto meno cibo di tutti o la minor quantità di cibo

nobody knew it, Tom least of all o least of all Tom — nessuno lo sapeva, Tom meno di tutti o meno di tutti Tom

am I disturbing you? - not in the least — ¿te molesto? - en lo más mínimo or en absoluto

with the least possible delay — con el menor retraso posible, a la mayor brevedad posible frm

• she wasn't the least bit jealous — no estaba celosa en lo más mínimo

• we haven't the least idea where he is — no tenemos la más mínima or la menor idea de dónde está

• the least thing upsets her — se ofende a la mínima or por lo más mínimo

• that's the least of it — eso es lo de menos

• the least said the better — cuanto menos se hable de eso mejor

• accommodation was basic to say the least — el alojamiento era muy sencillo, por no decir otra cosa

• that's the least of my worries — eso es lo que menos me preocupa

• "don't you mind?" - " not in the least" — -¿no te importa? -en absoluto or -para nada

• at least —

I must have slept for at least 12 hours — debo de haber dormido por lo menos or como mínimo or al menos 12 horas

he earns at least as much as you do — gana por lo menos or al menos tanto como tú

we can at least try — al menos or por lo menos podemos intentarlo

it's rather laborious but at least it is not dangerous — requiere bastante trabajo pero por lo menos or al menos no es peligroso

Etta appeared to be asleep, at least her eyes were shut — Etta parecía estar dormida, al menos or por lo menos tenía los ojos cerrados

• least of all me — y yo menos, yo menos que nadie

• for a variety of reasons, not least because it is cheap — por toda una serie de razones, entre ellas que es barato

am I disturbing you? - not in the least — ¿te molesto? - en lo más mínimo or en absoluto

at least — (in expressions of quantity, comparisons) co najmniej, przynajmniej; (still, or rather) przynajmniej

that's the least of our problems — das ist unser geringstes Problem; see also academic.ru/41855/last">last I 1.

the least I can do — das mindeste, was ich tun kann

the least he could do would be to apologize — er könnte sich wenigstens entschuldigen

at least — mindestens; (if nothing more; anyway) wenigstens

not [in] the least — nicht im geringsten

least of all — am allerwenigsten

the least likely answer — die unwahrscheinlichste Lösung

the least expensive car — das billigste or preiswerteste Auto

he's the least aggressive of men — er ist nicht im Mindesten or mindesten aggressiv

I have many worries, and money is the least of them — ich habe viele Sorgen, und Geld kümmert mich am wenigsten

you gave yourself the least — du hast dir (selbst) am wenigsten gegeben

at the very least you could apologize — du könntest dich wenigstens or zumindest entschuldigen

he was not in the least upset — er war kein bisschen or nicht im Geringsten verärgert

to say the least — um es milde zu sagen

the least said, the better, least said, soonest mended (Prov) — je weniger man darüber spricht, desto besser

that's the least of our problems — das ist unser geringstes Problem; see also last I 1.

at least — mindestens; (if nothing more; anyway) wenigstens

Then he left, standing on the porch for a moment to verify he still had the Bar K to himself. Of course he did. Yet for a blink or two, there at the end, he’d felt uneasy—almost as though he’d been scented. By some sort of In-World telepathy, mayhap. / There is such; you know it. The touch, it’s called. — Потом вышел из бункера, постоял на крыльце, дабы убедиться, что на ранчо “Полоса К”, кроме него, по-прежнему никого нет. Разумеется, не было. Однако на мгновение-другое ему стало как-то не по себе, он словно почувствовал, что его засекли. Может, с помощью какого-то неведомого ему шестого чувства. / Оно существует, ты это знаешь. Дар, так оно называется. (ТБ 4)

“Dan-dinh—where did you hear that, Jake?” / “Never did. Picked it up from your mind, I think.” Jake added hastily: “I don’t go snooping in there, or anything like that, but sometimes stuff just comes. Most of it isn’t very important, I don’t think, but sometimes there are phrases.” / <…> / “Yes.” That he hadn’t been concentrating on, and he would have felt better had Jake not known of it. But the boy was strong in the touch, and Roland believed him when he said he hadn’t been snooping. At least not on purpose. — Дан-дин… где ты это слышал, Джейк? / – Нигде. Думаю, почерпнул из твоей головы, – тут Джейк торопливо добавил. – Специально я туда не залезал, будь уверен, но иногда что-то мне перепадает. Обычно всякая ерунда, но бывает, и какие-то фразы. / <…> / – Да, – вот на этом он не сосредотачивался, даже предпочел бы, чтобы Джейк об этом не узнал. Но в прикосновениях мальчику, похоже, уже не было равных, и Роланд верил его словам о том, что он не залезает в чужих головах. Во всяком случае, специально. (ТБ 5)

“Not Andy,” Roland repeated. It was just a feeling, but his feelings were his version of the touch. “There’s time to think about it, Pere… and we’ll think, too.” — Не Энди, – повторил Роланд. Он ориентировался на свою интуицию, а интуиция, как известно, сродни прикосновениям. – Еще есть время подумать об этом, отец… и мы тоже подумаем. (ТБ 5)

Now she went to the foot of her bed, knelt, and passed one hand over the earth floor there. Lines appeared in the sour dirt as she did. They formed a square. She pushed her fingers into one of these lines; it gave before her touch. She lifted the hidden panel (hidden in such a way that no one without the touch would ever be able to uncover it), revealing a compartment perhaps a foot square and two feet deep. — Теперь она подошла к изножью кровати, встала на колени и сделала пасс рукой над земляным полом. Под её ладонью в затхлой земле проявились линии, определившиеся в квадрат. Она сунула пальцы вдоль одной из линий, которая разошлась от такого контакта. Приподняла скрытую там дощечку (скрытую таким образом, что никто не смог бы её открыть, не обладая даром прикосновения), под которой оказалось небольшое углубление размером около фута по каждой стороне и двух футов в глубину. (ТБ 4)

“I hate that noise,” Alain said. He sounded morose and sleepy. In fact, he had been troubled by odd dreams and premonitions all night—things which, of the three of them, only he was prey to. Because of the touch, perhaps—with him it had always been strong. — Ненавижу я этот шум, – пробормотал Ален. Но в действительности его тревожили странные сны, которые донимали его всю ночь. Из всех троих снились они только ему. Из-за дара, возможно, только его природа наградила шестым чувством. (ТБ 4)

Aye,” she said, “pie for the bumbler, too, as I’m sure he’s Arthur Eld in disguise and will reward me with jewels and gold and the healing touch.” — Ага, ушастик-путаник тоже получит пирог. Я уверена, что на самом деле он – Артур Эльдский, который, вернув себе человеческий облик, вознаградит меня драгоценными камнями, золотом и даром врачевания. (ТБ 5)

Cuthbert patted Roland’s face with no result. Alain pushed him aside, knelt, and took the gunslinger’s hands. He had never used the touch this way, but had been told it was possible—that one could reach another’s mind, in at least some cases. / Roland! Roland, wake up! Please! We need you! / At first there was nothing. Then Roland stirred, muttered, and pulled his hands out of Alain’s. — Катберт похлопал Роланда по щеке. Безрезультатно. Ален оттолкнул его, опустился на колени, взял руки стрелка в свои. Он никогда не использовал свой дар для того, чтобы помочь человеку прийти в себя, но ему говорили, что такое возможно: в некоторых случаях дар позволяет проникнуть в разум другого. / Роланд! Роланд, проснись! Пожалуйста! Ты нам нужен! / Поначалу ответная реакция напрочь отсутствовала. Потом Роланд шевельнулся, что-то пробормотал, выдернул руки из пальцев Алена. (ТБ 4)

you could have killed us all! — podrías or podías habernos matado a todos!

could I use your bathroom? — ¿podría or me permitiría pasar al baño?

I could have killed her — la hubiera matado, la podría or podía haber matado

you could have killed us all! — podrías or podías habernos matado a todos!

could I use your bathroom? — ¿podría or me permitiría pasar al baño?

I could have killed her — la hubiera matado, la podría or podía haber matado

An old procuress, that's what she was, and not even honest. She knew quite well that the chain was the price he was paying her to arrange things for him and when she did not deliver the goods surely the least she could have done would be to return the purchase price. (W. S. Maugham, ‘Then and Now’, ch. XXXV) — Эта Монна Катарина - старая сводница. Наобещала с три короба, а ничего не сделала. Она ведь знала, что цепь он ей дал в уплату за будущие услуги. Так она хотя бы деньги за цепь вернула.

There's a million dollars been put up to hang that Goober crowd, and if you deliver the goods, you'll get your share, and get it right on time. (U. Sinclair, ‘100%’, ch. 20) — Ассигновали целый миллион долларов, чтобы привести на виселицу эту губеровскую компанию, и если ты внесешь свою лепту, то в свое время получишь причитающуюся тебе долю, будь спокоен.

You, chaps, have got to deliver the goods. (C. P. Snow, ‘The New Men’, ch. 38) — Вам, друзья, придется довести дело до конца.

Ellie: "He always used to say he could succeed if he only had some capital. He fought his way along, to keep a roof over our heads and bring us up well, but it was always a struggle: always the same difficulty of not having capital enough, I don't know how to describe it to you." Mrs. Hushabye: "Poor Ellie! I know. Pulling the devil by the tail." Ellie (hurt): "Oh no. Not like that. It was at least dignified." Mrs. Hushabye: "That made it all the harder, didn't it? I shouldn't have pulled the devil by the tail with dignity. I should have pulled hard." (B. Shaw, ‘Heartbreak House’, act I) — Элли: "Он всегда говорил, что добился бы успеха, если бы у него были деньги. А ему всю жизнь приходилось с трудом сводить концы с концами, только чтобы не оставить нас без крова и чтобы дать нам хорошее воспитание. И вся его жизнь - это непрерывная борьба. Вечно одно и то же препятствие - нет денег. Я просто не знаю, как вам это рассказать." Миссис Хашебай: "Бедняжка Элли! Я понимаю. Вечно изворачиваться." Элли ( уязвленная): "Нет, нет, совсем не то. Он, во всяком случае, никогда не терял достоинства." Миссис Хашебай: "А это еще трудней. Я бы не могла изворачиваться и при этом сохранять достоинство. Я бы изворачивалась до потери достоинства."

Of course it's only a flash in the pan... She'll never write anything else. (W. S. Maugham, ‘Complete Short Stories’, ‘The Colonel's Lady’) — Успех ее книги - успех мимолетный... Она никогда ничего больше не напишет.

‘My girl,’ I wanted to say, ‘Things are going badly. My bit of success may have a flash in the pan.’ (C. P. Snow, ‘Time of Hope’, ch. XLV) — - Девочка моя, - хотелось мне сказать Шейле, - дела наши идут скверно. Моя карьера, начавшаяся весьма удачно, может кончиться полным фиаско.

There was little or no surprise that a play of mine should be so appallingly bad, for, in their minds at least I had never been anything but a flash in the pan, a playboy whose meteoric rise could only result in an equally meteoric fall into swift oblivion. (N. Coward, ‘Present Indicative’, part VIII, ch. 2) — Не приходится удивляться (или почти не приходится), что моя пьеса оказалась столь ужасающе плохой. Ибо я, по крайней мере с точки зрения театральных критиков, был кратковременной вспышкой на литературном небосклоне, несерьезным писакой, чей головокружительный успех должен смениться столь же головокружительным провалом и полной безвестностью.

• menos aún — even less

• menos de — [con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo] less than; [con sustantivos contables] fewer than

llegamos en menos de diez minutos — we got there in less than o in under ten minutes

• en menos de nada — in no time at all

• menos que — less than

• al menos — at least

• de menos, hay siete de menos — we're seven short, there are seven missing

me dieron un paquete con medio kilo de menos — they gave me a packet which was half a kilo short o under weight

• echar de menos a algn — to miss sb

• ir a menos — to come down in the world

• lo menos diez — at least ten

• eso es lo de menos — that's the least of it

• ¡menos mal! — thank goodness!

• era nada menos que un rey — he was a king, no less

• no es para menos — quite right too

• por lo menos — at least

• ¡ qué menos!, -le di un euro de propina -¡qué menos! — "I tipped her a euro" - "that was the least you could do!"

• quedarse en menos, no se quedó en menos — he was not to be outdone

• tener a menos hacer algo — to consider it beneath o.s. to do sth

• venir a menos — to come down in the world

• y menos, no quiero verle y menos visitarle — I don't want to see him, let alone visit him

• ¡ ya será menos! — come off it!

• menos... que, A tiene menos ventajas que B — A has fewer advantages than B

no soy menos hombre que él — * I'm as much of a man as he is

este es menos coche que el anterior — * this is not as good a car as the last one

• ser menos que, ganaremos porque son menos que nosotros — we'll win because there are fewer of them than there are of us

cinco menos dos — five minus o less two

• a menos que — unless

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

Ex: Service to the whole community implies positive discrimination towards those who through social or educational deprivation are least adept at using information tools.