to backtrack faire machine arrière (voir aussi MISHMASH_1 “to backpedal”) If you backtrack from something you previously said or agreed to do, you begin to stop supporting it = to say that you did not mean something you said earlier or say that you have changed your opinion. The government backtracked on plans that would have increased taxes. The officers were forced to backtrack on their statements. She refused to backtrack from her criticisms of the proposal.

Give me a shout ! appelle-moi / fais-moi signe to tell someone something, get in touch with someone. Any questions please give me a shout. I think that should about cover everything, give me a shout if there’s anything I’ve forgotten to mention. “when you’re passing back, give me a shout”. Give me a shout when you’ve finished in the bathroom. Hope this makes sense, if not give me a shout.

compelling adj (preuve) irréfutable / (argument) convaincant / (film, livre,…) captivant / (argument) puissant, énergique, percutant The prosecutor has compelling methods of interrogation. Le procureur a recours à des méthodes percutantes quand il s’agit d’interroger.

hard of hearing adj dur d’oreille not able to hear well My father is quite old now and he’s increasingly hard of hearing.

emotional roller coaster in British English ascenseur émotionnel
a situation or experience that alternates between making you feel excited, exhilarated, or happy and making you feel sad, disappointed, or desperate This trip has been an emotional roller coaster for me. (…) admits that designing new menu items during lockdown was something of an emotional rollercoaster

chop and change British, informal être une vraie girouette, ne cesser de passer de…à…to keep changing (especially one’s mind) I wish they’d stop chopping and changing, and make their minds up once and for all. In other words, subordinates are unsettled by a boss who chops and changes between autocracy, persuasion, consultation and democracy.

report card bulletin de notes (à l’école) (School) Retention redoublement The term “retention” in regards to school means repeating an academic year of school. Retention in school is also called grade retention, being held back, or repeating a grade. Detention retenue (“colle”)

when hell freezes over quand les poules auront des dents
Never; at no time ‘They might give you a pay rise soon.’ ‘Yeah, right. When hell freezes over!’ (“yeah, right” signifie “c’est ça, t’as raison” et se prononce en traînant un peut sur les 2 mots et en les séparant bien « yeaaah,…. riiight ».

to vilify diaboliser, diffamer
spread negative information about; to attack the reputation of (a person or thing) with strong or abusive criticism. He was vilified by the press as a monster. He claimed he was unfairly vilified by the press. Sure, we’re living in an age when every political campaign and policy debate seems to come down to who can better vilify their opponent.

to detoxify verb dédiaboliser
(IMPROVE REPUTATION) to change or get rid of negative or damaging ideas that people connect with a company, product, political party, etc.: He embarked on a systematic campaign to detoxify the party brand. (…) to attack Le Pen, who has spent a decade attempting to “detoxify” the image of the far-right party

And that’s it! I hope there is something here for you in this Séquence Didactique #18 🥰

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