whim

caprice, envie soudaine

Envie soudaine de faire quelque chose, sans raison claire ni longue réflexion.

En anglais simple : A sudden wish to do something, without a clear reason or much thought.

• I bought the hat on a whim.
• Her latest whim is to learn the violin.
• We cannot change our plans at his every whim.

Synonymes : impulse, fancy

Expressions courantes : on a whim, passing whim, at someone’s whim

treuil de mine

Grande machine tournante, actionnée par des chevaux ou la vapeur, qui remonte des matériaux d’une mine.

En anglais simple : A large turning machine, powered by horses or steam, that lifts material from a mine.

• A horse powered the whim.
• The miners used a whim to raise buckets of ore.
• The old whim stood beside the mine shaft.

Synonymes : winding engine

Expressions courantes : horse whim, steam whim, whim drum

canard siffleur

Espèce de canard présente en Europe et en Asie.

En anglais simple : A kind of duck found across Europe and Asia.

• A whim landed on the pond.
• The hunter pointed out a male whim among the ducks.
• Several whim fed at the edge of the marsh.

Synonymes : Eurasian wigeon, wigeon

Expressions courantes : a male whim, flock of whim