polish

polish

A n

1 (substance) (for wood, floor, furniture) cire f ; (for shoes) cirage m ; (for brass, silver) pâte f à polir ; (for car) lustre m ;

2 (action) to give sth a polish (dust) faire reluire or briller qch ; (put polish on) cirer qch ;

3 (shiny surface) éclat m ; to lose its polish perdre son éclat ; table with a high polish table f vernie ;

4 fig (elegance) (of manner, performance) brio m ; (of person) chic m.

B vtr

1 lit cirer [shoes, wood, floor, furniture] ; astiquer [leather, car, glass, glasses, silver, brass] ; polir [stone, jet, marble] ;

2 fig (refine) soigner [performance, act, image] ; affiner [manner, style].

C vi cirer.

Phrasal verbs

■ polish off ○ :

▶ polish off [sth], polish [sth] off

1 (eat, finish) expédier ○ [food, meal, job, task] ;

2 (see off, beat or kill) liquider ○ [opponent, team, rival].

■ polish up :

▶ polish up [sth], polish [sth] up

1 lit astiquer [glass, car, cutlery, silver] ; cirer [wood, floor, table] ;

2 ○ (perfect) parfaire [Spanish, piano playing] ; perfectionner [sporting skill] ; to polish up one's act fignoler ○ son numéro.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.