seize up

se raidir, se contracter

Pour les muscles ou les articulations, devenir raides ou tendus et difficiles à bouger.

En anglais simple : To become stiff or tight and difficult to move.

• My back has seized up.
• Her fingers seized up in the cold.
• My legs seize up if I sit still too long.

Comment l'utiliser : seize up with something (My fingers seized up with the cold.)

Synonymes : stiffen, tighten up

Contraires : loosen up

Expressions courantes : muscles seize up, seize up painfully

gripper, se bloquer

Pour un moteur ou une machine, avoir des pièces qui se coincent soudain et empêchent son fonctionnement.

En anglais simple : If an engine or machine does this, its parts suddenly become stuck and it cannot run.

• The engine seized up yesterday.
• Without oil, this motor will seize up.
• The mechanic said the pump had seized up completely.

Synonymes : seize, jam, lock up

Expressions courantes : engines seize up, seize up suddenly

se bloquer, se paralyser

Cesser de fonctionner, souvent à cause d’un problème ou d’un blocage.

En anglais simple : To stop working or operating, often because of a problem or blockage.

• The payment system seized up.
• Trade seized up when the border closed.
• Without fresh funding, the whole operation could seize up.

Synonymes : stop, freeze, grind to a halt

Expressions courantes : seize up completely, markets seize up