-
1 thin
(a) (layer, wire) mince, fin; (wall) mince, peu épais(aisse); (person → skinny) maigre; (→ lean) mince; (leg, neck) maigre; (lips, book) mince; (clothing, blanket) léger, fin; (carpet) ras; (crowd) peu nombreux, épars;∎ to become or to get or to grow thin (person) maigrir;∎ he's as thin as a British rake or American rail il est maigre comme un clou ou sec comme un coup de trique;∎ it's the thin end of the wedge cela ne fait que commencer et ne présage rien de bon;∎ the move appears to be the thin end of the wedge of eventual privatisation cette mesure est vraisemblablement le prélude à une privatisation à venir;∎ cheap hotels are thin on the ground les hôtels bon marché sont rares;∎ honest people are thin on the ground les gens honnêtes sont rares ou ne courent pas les rues(b) (sparse → beard, hair) clairsemé;∎ he's getting a bit thin on top il commence à perdre ses cheveux, il se dégarnit(c) (in consistency → soup, sauce) clair; (→ cream) liquide; (→ paint, ink) délayé, dilué; (→ blood) appauvri, anémié∎ she seemed to vanish into thin air elle semblait s'être volatilisée;∎ to conjure sth out of thin air sortir qch de nulle part∎ the report is rather thin on facts le rapport ne présente pas beaucoup de faits concrets∎ to have a thin time of it (go through difficult time) traverser une période difficile; (not enjoy oneself) s'ennuyer, s'embêter;∎ there are thin times ahead for the coal industry une période de vaches maigres s'annonce pour l'industrie houillère;∎ Stock Exchange trading was thin le marché était calme2 adverb(sauce, soup) allonger, délayer, éclaircir(crowd) s'éclaircir, se disperser; (fog) se lever, devenir moins dense ou épais(aisse); (smoke) devenir moins dense ou épais(aisse); (population) se réduire;∎ his hair is thinning il perd ses cheveux►► Electronics thin film transistor transistor m en couche mince(sauce, soup) allonger, éclaircir, délayer; (paint) délayer, diluer(person) maigrir➲ thin out -
2 wedge
wedge [wedʒ]1. nounb. ( = piece) [of cake, cheese, pie] (grosse) part f2. plural noun• she was sitting on the bench, wedged between her mother and her aunt elle était assise sur le banc, coincée entre sa mère et sa tante4. compounds* * *[wedʒ] 1.1) (to insert in rock, wood etc) coin m; ( to hold something in position) cale f; (of cake, pie, cheese) morceau m2) ( in golf) cocheur m de sable2.noun modifier3.transitive verb1) ( make firm)to wedge something in ou into place — caler quelque chose
the door is wedged shut — ( stuck) la porte est coincée
2) ( jam)4.to be wedged against/between — être coincé contre/entre
Phrasal Verbs:- wedge in•• -
3 wedge
A n1 ( block) (to insert in rock, wood etc) coin m ; ( to hold sth in position) cale f ; ( in rockclimbing) piton m ; (of cake, pie, cheese) morceau m ; a wedge of lemon une tranche de citron ; a wedge of high pressure Meteorol une dorsale barométrique ; a wedge of geese un vol d'oies ;B modifC vtr1 ( make firm) to wedge sth in ou into place caler qch ; to wedge a door open/shut caler une porte pour la tenir ouverte/fermée ; the door is wedged shut ( stuck) la porte est coincée ;2 ( jam) to wedge sth into enfoncer or faire rentrer qch dans [gap, hole] ; to be wedged against/between être coincé contre/entre.to drive a wedge between X and Y monter X contre Y ; it's (only) the thin end of the wedge ce n'est qu'un début.■ wedge in:▶ wedge [sb/sth] in, wedge in [sb/sth] coincer [qn/qch]. -
4 thin
thin [θɪn]1. adjectivea. [person, face, legs, arms] maigre ; [lips, layer, slice, strip, sheet] mince ; [line] fin ; [cloth, garment] léger ; [mattress, wall] peu épais (- aisse f)• to get thin(ner) [person] maigrirb. ( = runny) [liquid, oil] fluide ; [soup, sauce] clairc. ( = not dense) [cloud] léger ; [air, atmosphere] raréfiéd. [crowd] épars ; [hair, beard] clairsemé• to become thinner [crowd, plants, trees, hair] s'éclaircire. ( = feeble) [evidence, plot] peu convaincant ; [majority] faible2. adverb[spread] en couche fine ; [cut] en tranches fines[+ paint, sauce] délayer ; [+ trees] éclaircir[fog, crowd] se disperser ; [numbers] se réduire5. compounds► thin out[crowd, fog] se disperser[+ seedlings, trees] éclaircir* * *[θɪn] 1.1) ( in width) [nose, lips, stick, wall] mince; [line, stripe, string, wire] fin; [strip] étroit2) ( in depth) [slice, layer] fin, mince3) ( in consistency) [mud, mixture] liquide; [soup, liquid, sauce] clair; [oil] fluide4) ( lean) maigre5) ( fine) [card, paper] fin; [fabric, mist] léger/-ère6) ( in tone) ( high-pitched) aigre; ( weak) fluet/fluette7) [population, crowd, hair] clairsemé8) fig [excuse] peu convaincant; [evidence] insuffisant; [plot] squelettiqueto wear thin — [joke, excuse] être usé
9) [air] raréfié2.(colloq) adverb [slice] en tranches fpl fines; [spread] en couche mince3.transitive verb (p prés etc - nn-)1) (also thin down) diluer [paint]; allonger [sauce, soup]4.intransitive verb (p prés etc - nn-) (also thin out) [fog, mist] se dissiper; [crowd] se disperser; [hair] se raréfier5.thinning present participle adjective [hair, crowd] clairseméPhrasal Verbs:- thin out•• -
5 wedge
[we‹] 1. noun1) (a piece of wood or metal, thick at one end and sloping to a thin edge at the other, used in splitting wood etc or in fixing something tightly in place: She used a wedge under the door to prevent it swinging shut.) coin; cale2) (something similar in shape: a wedge of cheese.) morceau2. verb(to fix or become fixed by, or as if by, a wedge or wedges: He is so fat that he got wedged in the doorway.) (se) coincer
См. также в других словарях:
(the) thin end of the wedge — the thin end of the wedge phrase something that is not important by itself but will have serious, usually bad, effects in the future If we bend the rules for him this time, it will be the thin end of the wedge. Thesaurus: small and minor… … Useful english dictionary
the thin end of the wedge — Brit : the beginning of something that will become more serious, unpleasant, etc. The bank s decision to raise rates could be the thin end of the wedge. [=many other banks may also decide to raise rates] • • • Main Entry: ↑thin the … Useful english dictionary
the thin end of the wedge — UK ► something that is not very harmful in itself but that will be the start of a harmful development: »The introduction of a fee for the service has been described as the thin end of the wedge by union leaders. Main Entry: ↑thin … Financial and business terms
the thin end of the wedge — ► the thin end of the wedge informal an action of little importance in itself but likely to lead to more serious developments. Main Entry: ↑wedge … English terms dictionary
(the) thin end of the wedge — British & Australian the start of a harmful development. There are those who see the closure of the hospital as the thin end of the wedge … New idioms dictionary
the thin end of the wedge — something that is not important by itself but will have serious, usually bad, effects in the future If we bend the rules for him this time, it will be the thin end of the wedge … English dictionary
thin end of the wedge — The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly unimportant that will lead to something much bigger and more serious. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** To refer to an event or action as the thin end of the wedge means that it… … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
thin end of the wedge — The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly unimportant that will lead to something much bigger and more serious … The small dictionary of idiomes
Thin end of the wedge — The thin end of the wedge is something small and seemingly unimportant that will lead to something much bigger and more serious … Dictionary of English idioms
thin end of the wedge — noun Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment. The MP told parliament that legalising cannabis would be the thin end of the wedge … Wiktionary
the thin end of the wedge — informal an action of little intrinsic importance that is likely to lead to more serious developments. → wedge … English new terms dictionary