light
[+sun, lamp] lumière f
→ It was difficult to see in the dim light.
→ Suddenly there was a flash of white light in the sky.
artificial light la lumière artificielle
→ The corridors are lit by artificial light.
there's light at the end of the tunnel on voit le bout du tunnel
(indicating exposure, revelation)
to come to light
(=become known)
[fact, information] être mis (e) mise au jour
it has come to light that ... il s'est avéré que ...
It has come to light that he was lying. Il s'est avéré qu'il mentait.
to be brought to light
[fact, information] être mis (e) mise au jour
The truth is unlikely to be brought to light by the enquiry. Il est peu probable que l'enquête fasse émerger la vérité.
to cast light on sth, to shed light on sth
(=clarify) éclaircir qch, éclairer qch
→ information that might cast light on her death
→ the tiniest nuance which might cast light on the mystery
→ A new approach offers an answer, and may shed light on an even bigger question
This casts light on a problem which I mentioned last year. Cela éclaire le problème que j'ai mentionné l'année dernière.
to cast a new light on sth apporter un nouvel éclairage sur qch
→ A new approach offers an answer, and may shed light on an even bigger question
to throw light on sth éclaircir qch, éclairer qch
→ an anthropologist wishing to throw light on the origins of humanity
in the light of sth
(=given) à la lumière de qch
In the light of this information it is now possible to identify a number of key issues. On peut maintenant, à la lumière de cette information, identifier un certain nombre de problèmes clés.
light dawned on me
(=at last I understood) la lumière se fit dans mon esprit
(=aspect)
to present sth in a favourable light présenter qch sous un jour favorable
in a better light sous un meilleur jour
→ He has worked hard in recent months to portray the city in a better light.
(=daylight) lumière f
at first light
(=daybreak) aux premières lueurs du jour
(=lamp) lumière f
There's a light by my bed. Il y a une lampe près de mon lit., Il y a une lumière près de mon lit
Do you need a light? Tu as besoin d'une lumière?
to switch on the light, to turn the light on allumer la lumière
to switch off the light, to turn the light off éteindre la lumière
The janitor comes round to turn the lights off. Le gardien passe pour éteindre les lumières.
to go out like a light *
(=fall asleep quickly) s'endormir en un clin d'œil
(=traffic light) feu m
the lights les feux
→ The lights were green all the way
(=headlamp) phare m
→ People drove with their lights on.
(for cigarette)
have you got a light? avez-vous du feu?
(=fire)
to set light to sth (mainly British) mettre le feu à qch
→ They poured fuel through the door and set light to it.
vt ( lighted or lit pt, pp )
[+candle, cigarette, fire] allumer
→ She lit the fire as soon as I arrived.
→ Stephen bent down to light a cigarette.
(=not dark)
[colour] clair (e)
a light blue sweater un pull bleu clair
a light blue shirt une chemise bleu clair
(=full of light)
[room] lumineux (-euse)
→ The bedroom was big and light.
(=not night)
to be light faire jour
It was still light when we arrived. Il faisait encore jour lorsque nous sommes arrivés.
(=not heavy)
[clothes] léger (-ère)
→ Try to wear light, loose clothes.
[metal] léger (-ère)
→ We need a light metal, like aluminium.
[rain] léger (-ère)
→ A light rain was falling.
[sleep] léger (-ère)
→ She had drifted into a light sleep.
→ The children help with light housework.
[traffic] fluide
→ A mile down the road she joined Route 1. Traffic was light
The traffic is usually lighter on Sundays. La circulation est habituellement plus fluide le dimanche.
There was a light knock at the door. On entendit frapper doucement à la porte.
a light jacket une veste légère
a light meal un repas léger
(=not severe)
[sentence] léger (-ère)
→ judges who pass light sentences on first offenders
(=not serious)
[music, novel] léger (-ère)
→ He doesn't like me reading light novels.
on a lighter note ...
(=to turn to something less serious) sur une note plus légère ...
Let's finish on a lighter note. Finissons sur une note plus légère.
to make light of sth
(=present as unimportant) prendre qch à la légère, faire peu de cas de qch
→ Roberts attempted to make light of his discomfort.
[travel] léger, avec peu de bagages I prefer to travel light. Je préfère voyager léger., Je préfère voyager avec peu de bagages.
arc light
n lampe f à arc
→ ... the brilliant glare of the arc lights.
brake light
n feu m stop
courtesy light
n (in car)
plafonnier m
electric light
n lumière f électrique
filter light
n (on traffic light)
flèche f (de feux de signalisation)
green light
n
(=traffic light) feu m vert
(=go-ahead)
to give sb/sth the green light donner le feu vert à qn/qch
to be given the green light to do sth, to get the green light to do sth recevoir le feu vert pour faire qch
→ The food industry was given the green light to extend the use of these chemicals.
→ The clinic got the green light to reopen.
indicator light
n
[+car] clignotant m
→ ... a car with a faulty indicator light.
laser light
n lumière f laser
→ The electrons in these molecules absorb laser light, and become excited.
leading light
n
(=person) figure f de proue
He is one of the leading lights of the new generation of poets. C'est l'une des figures de proue de cette nouvelle génération de poètes.
He's one of the leading lights in the campaign. C'est l'une des personnalités les plus en vue de la campagne., C'est l'une des figures de proue de la campagne.
▲
light up
[screen, sign, device] s'allumer
→ a keypad that lights up when you pick up the handset
[face] s'éclairer
→ His face lit up at the sight of Cynthia.
(=smoker) allumer une cigarette
vt sep
(=illuminate) éclairer
→ The fire was still blazing, lighting up the sky.
light aircraft
n avion m léger
light ale
n (British) bière f blonde
light beer
n (US) bière f allégée
light bulb
n ampoule f , ampoule f électrique
light cream
n (US)
(=single cream) crème f légère
light entertainment
n divertissement m léger, variétés fpl
light-fingered
adj chapardeur (-euse)
light fitting
n appareil m d'éclairage
light-footed
adj
[person] au pas léger
to be light-footed avoir le pas léger
light-haired
adj aux cheveux clairs
light-headed
adj étourdi (e)
→ I was light-headed; I had not slept and I was very hungry.
light-hearted
adj
[person] au cœur léger
They were light-hearted and prepared to enjoy life. Ils avaient le cœur léger et étaient prêts à profiter de la vie.
(=not serious)
[mood, atmosphere] léger (-ère)
[question, comment] léger (-ère)
→ Let me finish with a slightly more light-hearted question.
He was in a light-hearted mood. Il était d'humeur légère.
light heavyweight
n
(=cruiserweight) poids m mi-lourd
light industry
n industrie f légère
light meter
n photomètre m , cellule f
light opera
n opérette f
light pen
n crayon m optique
light reading
n lecture f légère
light show
n spectacle m son et lumière
light switch
n interrupteur m
light year
n année-lumière f
neon light
n néon m
→ In the city squares the neon lights flashed in turn.
night light , nightlight
n (electric)
veilleuse f
(=tealight) bougie f chauffe-plats
overhead light
n plafonnier m
→ The guard switched on an overhead light.
pilot light
n veilleuse f (de cuisinière, de chauffe-eau)
reading light
n (on desk)
lampe f de bureau , (in train, plane)
liseuse f
red light
n
(=traffic light) feu m rouge
to go through a red light brûler un feu rouge
→ He was caught going through a red light.
red-light district
n quartier m des prostituées
reversing light
n (British) feu m de recul, feu m de marche arrière
reversing lights feux de recul, feux de marche arrière
strip light
n (British) néon m , tube m au néon
tail light , tail-light, taillight
n
[+vehicle] feu m arrière
→ She stood watching the car's tail-lights disappear down the drive.
warning light
n témoin m lumineux
