peck

picorer, becqueter

Pour un oiseau, frapper avec son bec ou détacher de petits morceaux.

En anglais simple : If a bird does this, it hits or picks at something with its beak.

• The hens peck at seeds.
• A bird pecked my finger.
• The woodpecker was pecking a hole in the tree.

Comment l'utiliser : peck at something (The pigeons pecked at crumbs on the pavement.)

Expressions courantes : peck at seeds, peck the ground, peck something open

avancer petit à petit

Faire quelque chose petit à petit, en s’arrêtant entre les tentatives.

En anglais simple : To do something a little at a time, with pauses between attempts.

• He pecked away at his essay.
• She pecks at the keyboard with two fingers.
• We have been pecking away at this project for months.

Comment l'utiliser : peck away at something (I pecked away at the report whenever I had a spare moment.)

Synonymes : chip away, work intermittently

Expressions courantes : peck away, peck at something, peck away at something

peck

Ancienne unité de volume pour les produits secs, égale à huit quarts, soit environ neuf litres.

En anglais simple : An old unit for measuring dry goods, equal to eight quarts or about nine liters.

• We bought a peck of apples.
• Four pecks make a bushel.
• The old recipe calls for half a peck of potatoes.

Comment l'utiliser : a peck of something (The farmer sold me a peck of apples.)

Expressions courantes : peck of apples, peck of grain, half a peck

tas, quantité

Très grande quantité de quelque chose, surtout de problèmes.

En anglais simple : A very large amount of something, especially trouble.

• That boy causes a peck of trouble.
• The children brought a peck of dirt into the house.
• She had a whole peck of worries that winter.

Comment l'utiliser : a peck of something (That careless remark brought him a peck of trouble.)

Synonymes : lot, heap, great deal

Expressions courantes : peck of trouble, peck of dirt