stiff

raide, rigide

Difficile à plier ou à bouger facilement, notamment lorsque les muscles sont douloureux.

En anglais simple : Difficult to bend or move easily, especially because your muscles hurt.

• My neck is stiff.
• His legs felt stiff after the long walk.
• This stiff cardboard will not bend easily.

Synonymes : rigid

Contraires : flexible

Expressions courantes : stiff neck, stiff muscles, stiff cardboard

sévère, dur

Très sévère ou difficile à affronter.

En anglais simple : Very severe or difficult to deal with.

• He received a stiff fine.
• The new team faces stiff competition.
• Judges imposed stiffer penalties this year.

Synonymes : severe, harsh, tough

Contraires : mild

Expressions courantes : stiff fine, stiff penalty, stiff competition

fort

Qui a beaucoup de force ou produit un effet puissant.

En anglais simple : Having a strong effect or great force.

• He wanted a stiff drink.
• A stiff breeze shook the trees.
• She poured herself a stiffer whisky.

Synonymes : strong, powerful

Contraires : weak

Expressions courantes : stiff drink, stiff breeze, stiff dose

travailleur ordinaire

Personne ordinaire, surtout quelqu’un qui travaille dur pour un faible salaire.

En anglais simple : An ordinary person, especially someone who works hard for little money.

• He is a working stiff.
• Most working stiffs cannot afford that hotel.
• She writes stories about ordinary stiffs with boring jobs.

Synonymes : ordinary person, working person

Expressions courantes : working stiff, ordinary stiff, poor stiff

macchabée

Terme familier et peu respectueux pour le corps d’une personne morte.

En anglais simple : The body of a dead person.

• They found a stiff upstairs.
• The detective examined the stiff in the morgue.
• Two stiffs lay under white sheets.

Synonymes : corpse, dead body

Expressions courantes : a stiff, find a stiff

pigeon

Personne que l’on peut facilement tromper ou escroquer.

En anglais simple : A person who is easily tricked or cheated.

• The stiff believed every word.
• They tricked another stiff into paying.
• The thieves searched for stiffs with plenty of cash.

Synonymes : sucker, mark

Expressions courantes : a gullible stiff, cheat a stiff

ne pas payer

Ne pas payer à quelqu’un l’argent qu’on lui doit.

En anglais simple : If you do this, you fail to pay someone money you owe them.

• They stiffed the waiter.
• My last boss stiffed me on my wages.
• Have any customers stiffed you today?

Comment l'utiliser : stiff someone on something (The customer stiffed her on the tip.)

Synonymes : cheat, shortchange

Expressions courantes : stiff someone, stiff the waiter