pale

pâle, clair

D’une couleur peu intense, ou dont le visage a moins de couleur que d’habitude.

En anglais simple : Having a light colour, or less colour than usual in your face.

• She wore a pale blue dress.
• You look pale today.
• His face went pale when he heard the news.

Synonymes : light, pallid

Contraires : dark

Expressions courantes : pale blue, pale skin, look pale

terne, faible

Beaucoup moins fort ou moins impressionnant que l’original ou qu’auparavant.

En anglais simple : Much weaker or less impressive than the original or than before.

• The sequel is a pale imitation of the original.
• He is a pale shadow of his former self.
• Their celebrations were a pale reflection of past festivals.

Synonymes : feeble, weak, faint

Contraires : strong

Expressions courantes : pale shadow, pale imitation, pale reflection

pâlir

Paraître moins important ou moins impressionnant en comparaison avec autre chose.

En anglais simple : To seem less important or impressive when compared with something else.

• Our problems pale in comparison with theirs.
• His earlier achievements paled beside this victory.
• These costs pale into insignificance against the potential losses.

Comment l'utiliser : pale in comparison with/to something (My worries pale in comparison with yours.); pale beside something (Their offer pales beside the one we received yesterday.)

Synonymes : diminish

Expressions courantes : pale in comparison, pale into insignificance, pale beside something

pâlir

Perdre sa couleur, surtout au visage sous l’effet de la peur ou d’un choc.

En anglais simple : To lose colour, especially in your face because of fear or shock.

• She paled at the news.
• His face paled when the police arrived.
• He began to pale with fear.

Comment l'utiliser : pale at something (He paled at the sight of the blood.)

Synonymes : blanch

Expressions courantes : pale with fear, pale at something

clôturer

Entourer un terrain de piquets en bois ou d’une clôture.

En anglais simple : To surround an area with wooden posts or a fence.

• They paled the field with wooden stakes.
• The owner ordered workers to pale the garden.
• A strip of land had been paled against wandering cattle.

Synonymes : fence, enclose

Expressions courantes : pale a field, pale a garden

pieu

Poteau étroit en bois qui fait partie d’une clôture.

En anglais simple : A narrow wooden post used as part of a fence.

• One wooden pale had broken.
• They replaced the rotten pales along the fence.
• Each pale was fixed to a horizontal rail.

Synonymes : picket, stake

Expressions courantes : wooden pale, fence pale, pointed pale