strain

strain

A n

1 Phys (weight) effort m, contrainte f (on sur) ; (from pulling) tensions fpl (on de) ; to put a strain on soumettre [qch] à des efforts or à des sollicitations [beam, bridge, rope] ; fatiguer [heart, lungs] ; faire travailler [muscles] ; to be under strain [bridge, structure] être soumis à des efforts or des sollicitations ; to grimace/sweat under the strain grimacer/suer sous l'effort ; to take the strain [beam, bracket, rope] être soumis à des efforts or des sollicitations ; the rope/shelf can't take the strain la corde/l'étagère ne résistera pas ;

2 (pressure) (on person) stress m ; (in relations) tension f ; mental ou nervous strain tension f nerveuse ; to put a strain on avoir un effet néfaste sur [relationship] ; créer des tensions au sein de [group, alliance] ; surcharger [system, network] ; provoquer une crise dans [sector, prison system] ; grever [economy, finances] ; mettre [qch] à rude épreuve [patience, goodwill] ; to be under strain [person] être stressé ; [relations] être tendu ; [network, system] être surchargé ; to take the strain [person] supporter la pression ; he can't take the strain il supporte mal le stress or la pression ; to crack under the strain [person] craquer sous la pression ; to take the strain out of faciliter [climb, management, organization] ; to show signs of strain [person] montrer des signes de fatigue ; the strain (on him) was beginning to tell il montrait des signes de fatigue ; the strains within the coalition les tensions au sein de la coalition ; it's a strain talking to him c'est pénible de lui parler ; it's getting to be a strain ça commence à devenir pénible ;

3 (injury) muscle m froissé ; a calf/thigh strain un muscle du mollet/de la cuisse froissé ;

4 (breed) (of animal) race f ; (of plant, seed) variété f ; (of virus, bacteria) souche f ;

5 (recurring theme) (of melancholy, etc) courant m (of de) ;

6 (tendency) (in family, nation, group) tendance f (of à) ;

7 (style) veine f, ton m ; the rest of the speech was in the same strain le reste du discours était dans la même veine.

B strains npl (tune) littér (of piece of music, song) air m ; to the strains of… aux accents de…

C vtr

1 (stretch) tendre [rope, cable] ; to strain one's eyes (to see) plisser les yeux ; to strain one's ears tendre l'oreille ; to strain one's muscles/every muscle tendre ses muscles/tous ses muscles (to do pour faire) ; ⇒ nerve ;

2 fig grever [resources, finances, economy] ; compromettre [relationship, alliance] ; surcharger [network, system] ; mettre [qch] à rude épreuve [patience, credulity, understanding] ; it would be straining the truth to say… ce serait exagéré de dire… ; the writer has strained the possibilities of conventional language l'écrivain a dépassé or sublimé les possibilités du langage conventionnel ;

3 (injure) to strain a muscle se froisser un muscle ; to strain one's thigh/groin/shoulder se froisser un muscle de la cuisse/l'aine/l'épaule ; to strain one's eyes/heart se fatiguer les yeux/le cœur ; to strain one's voice forcer sa voix ; to strain one's back se faire un tour de reins ;

4 (sieve) passer [tea, sauce] ; égoutter [vegetables, pasta, rice].

D vi to strain against sth pousser de toutes ses forces contre qch ; to strain at tirer sur [leash, rope] ; to strain to see/hear faire un gros effort pour voir/entendre ; to strain forward se pencher en avant.

E v refl to strain oneself

1 (injure) se blesser ;

2 (tire) se fatiguer ; don't strain yourself! iron ne te fatigue surtout pas!

Phrasal verb

■ strain off :

▶ strain [sth] off, strain off [sth] faire égoutter [water, liquid, fat].

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.