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1 precious few/little
(very few/little: I've precious little money left.) bien/fort peu (de) -
2 precious
precious ['preʃəs](a) (jewel, material, object) précieux, de grande valeur;∎ the world's most precious resources les ressources les plus précieuses de la planète(b) (friend, friendship, moment) précieux;∎ my time is precious mon temps est précieux;∎ the ambulance lost precious minutes in a traffic jam l'ambulance a perdu des minutes précieuses dans un embouteillage;∎ a few precious drops of water quelques précieuses gouttes d'eau;∎ that photo is very precious to me je tiens beaucoup à cette photo(c) (affected → style, person) précieux∎ I don't want your precious advice je ne veux pas de vos fichus conseils;∎ here's your precious book! le voilà ton sacré livre!2 adverbfamiliar très□ ;∎ there's precious little chance of that happening il y a bien peu ou très peu de chances (pour) que cela se produise;∎ precious few of them turned up il y en a très peu qui sont venus3 noun∎ (term of affection) (my) precious mon trésor►► precious metal métal m précieux;precious stone pierre f précieuse -
3 precious
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4 precious
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5 precious
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6 few
few [fju:](a) (not many) peu de;∎ few people have done that peu de gens ont fait cela;∎ there are very few suitable candidates for the post très peu de candidats ont le profil requis;∎ so/too few books to read si/trop peu de livres à lire;∎ there are four books too few il manque quatre livres;∎ we are few (in number) nous sommes peu nombreux;∎ with few exceptions à peu d'exceptions près, sauf de rares exceptions; (with def art, poss adj etc)∎ on the few occasions that I have met him les rares fois où je l'ai rencontré;∎ her few remaining possessions le peu de biens qui lui restaient;∎ these few precious souvenirs ces quelques précieux souvenirs;∎ it is one of the few surviving examples of… c'est un des rares exemples qui restent de…;∎ she is one of the few women to have held the post c'est une des rares femmes à avoir assumé ces fonctions;∎ visitors are few and far between les visiteurs sont rares;∎ grants will be few and far between in future les bourses se feront rares à l'avenir∎ every few minutes toutes les deux ou trois minutes;∎ the first few copies les deux ou trois premiers exemplaires;∎ in the past/next few days pendant les deux ou trois derniers/prochains jours;∎ he's been living in London for the past few years ça fait quelques années qu'il habite à Londres;∎ these past few weeks have been wonderful ces dernières semaines ont été merveilleuses2 pronoun(not many) peu;∎ how many of them are there? - very few combien sont-ils? - très peu nombreux;∎ there are very/too few of us nous sommes très peu/trop peu nombreux;∎ there are so few of them ils sont tellement peu nombreux;∎ I didn't realize how few there were je ne m'étais pas rendu compte qu'ils étaient aussi peu nombreux;∎ few could have predicted the outcome peu de personnes ou rares sont ceux qui auraient pu prévoir le résultat;∎ few of them could speak French peu parmi eux parlaient français;∎ the few who knew her les quelques personnes qui la connaissaient;∎ the chosen few les heureux élus;∎ British History the Few = les aviateurs britanniques qui ont défendu leur pays pendant la bataille d'Angleterre;∎ Bible many are called but few are chosen il y a beaucoup d'appelés mais peu d'élus3 a fewquelques;∎ I have a few ideas j'ai quelques idées;∎ he has a few more friends than I have il a un peu plus d'amis que moi;∎ a few more days/months/years quelques jours/mois/années de plus;∎ a few more days should see the job done encore quelques jours et le travail devrait être fini2 pronounquelques-uns (quelques-unes) mpl, fpl;∎ do you have many friends? - I have a few est-ce que tu as beaucoup d'amis? - (j'en ai) quelques-uns;∎ we need a few more/less il nous en faut un peu plus/moins;∎ a few of these cakes/the survivors quelques-uns de ces gâteaux/des survivants;∎ a few of you quelques-uns d'entre vous;∎ there are only a few of us who attend regularly seuls quelques-uns parmi nous y vont régulièrement;∎ to name but a few pour n'en citer que quelques-uns;∎ not a few pas peuun assez grand nombre de;∎ there were a good few or quite a few mistakes in it il y avait un assez grand nombre de ou pas mal de fautes dedans;∎ quite a few minutes passed un bon moment s'est écoulé2 pronounun assez grand nombre;∎ quite a few agreed with me ils étaient assez nombreux à être d'accord avec moi;∎ quite a few of us/of the books un assez grand nombre d'entre nous/de livres;∎ I hadn't seen all her films, but I'd seen a good few je n'avais pas vu tous ses films, mais j'en avais vu un assez grand nombre -
7 steal
(a) (money, property) voler;∎ to steal sth from sb voler qch à qn;∎ he stole money from her purse il a volé de l'argent dans son porte-monnaie;∎ I've had my purse stolen on m'a volé mon porte-monnaie;∎ several paintings have been stolen from the museum plusieurs tableaux ont été volés au musée;∎ they've stolen my idea! ils ont volé mon idée!∎ to steal sb's heart séduire qn;∎ to steal a kiss voler un baiser;∎ to steal all the credit for sth s'attribuer tout le mérite de qch;∎ may I steal a few moments of your precious time? pouvez-vous m'accorder quelques instants de votre temps si précieux?;∎ to steal a glance at sb jeter un regard furtif à qn;∎ British to steal a march on sb prendre qn de vitesse, couper l'herbe sous le pied à qn;∎ to steal the show from sb ravir la vedette à qn;∎ he really stole the show with that act of his! son numéro a été le clou du spectacle!;∎ to steal sb's thunder éclipser qn(a) (commit theft) voler;∎ he was caught stealing il a été pris en train de voler;∎ Bible thou shalt not steal tu ne voleras point∎ to steal in/out entrer/sortir à pas furtifs ou feutrés;∎ to steal into a room se glisser ou se faufiler dans une pièce;∎ she stole up on me from behind elle s'est approchée de moi par derrière sans faire de bruit;∎ figurative literary shadows began to steal across the courtyard des ombres commencèrent à envahir la cour;∎ literary a strange sadness stole over me une étrange tristesse m'envahit3 noun∎ it was a steal c'était une bonne affairepartir furtivement, s'esquiver
См. также в других словарях:
precious few — precious little/few/ phrase used for emphasizing how little there is of something I’ve had precious little sleep over the last two days. There are precious few decent restaurants left around here. Thesaurus: words used to describe small amounts… … Useful english dictionary
precious few — ► precious little (or few) informal extremely little (or few). Main Entry: ↑precious … English terms dictionary
precious few — very small number, very little … English contemporary dictionary
few — [ fju ] (comparative fewer; superlative fewest) function word, quantifier *** Few can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (followed by a plural noun): Few people live there now. There were a few animals in the barn. as a pronoun: Many… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
precious little — precious little/few/ phrase used for emphasizing how little there is of something I’ve had precious little sleep over the last two days. There are precious few decent restaurants left around here. Thesaurus: words used to describe small amounts… … Useful english dictionary
few — W1S1 [fju:] determiner, pron, adj comparative fewer superlative fewest [: Old English; Origin: feawa] 1.) [no comparative] a small number of things or people a few ▪ I have to buy a few things at the supermarket. ▪ Pam called to say she s going… … Dictionary of contemporary English
precious — [[t]pre̱ʃəs[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED If you say that something such as a resource is precious, you mean that it is valuable and should not be wasted or used badly. After four months in foreign parts, every hour at home was precious... A family break… … English dictionary
precious — pre|cious1 [ preʃəs ] adjective ** 1. ) worth a lot of money: VALUABLE: a precious jewel historic houses with rare and precious contents a ) loved or valued by someone: a precious memory Her daughter is the most precious thing in the world to her … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
precious — I UK [ˈpreʃəs] / US adjective ** 1) worth a lot of money a precious jewel historic houses with rare and precious contents a) loved or valued by someone a precious memory Her daughter is the most precious thing in the world to her. b) rare or very … English dictionary
few — /fju:/ quanountifier, noun (plural) 1 a few/the few (no comparative) a small number (of): I ve got a few books on gardening. | I ll pop into the supermarket and get a few bits and pieces. | only a few hundred yards past the crossroads | It s one… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
precious little/few — extremely little or few (used for emphasis) police still know precious little about the dead man | you will find precious few atheists on operating tables … Useful english dictionary