wedge

cale, quartier

Pièce épaisse d’un côté et mince de l’autre, souvent utilisée pour maintenir des éléments écartés.

En anglais simple : A piece with a thick end and a thin edge, often used to hold things apart.

• Put a wedge under the door.
• She served the fish with lemon wedges.
• He drove a metal wedge into the log.

Expressions courantes : wooden wedge, lemon wedge, cheese wedge, metal wedge

cause de division, barrière

Ce qui provoque des désaccords ou éloigne des personnes ou des groupes les uns des autres.

En anglais simple : Something that makes people or groups disagree or grow apart.

• The dispute drove a wedge between them.
• Politics can create a wedge between friends.
• Her lies became a wedge in their marriage.

Comment l'utiliser : a wedge between A and B (Money became a wedge between the brothers.)

Synonymes : division, barrier

Expressions courantes : drive a wedge, wedge between people

coincer

Faire entrer quelque chose de force dans un espace étroit, où il reste bien serré.

En anglais simple : If you force something into a tight space, you push it in until it fits closely.

• Wedge the bag into that gap.
• My shoe was wedged between two rocks.
• Can we wedge another chair into this corner?

Comment l'utiliser : wedge something between A and B (She wedged her bag between two seats.); wedge something into something (He wedged the box into the cupboard.)

Synonymes : jam, cram

Expressions courantes : wedge something in, wedge something between, wedge into something

caler

Maintenir quelque chose solidement en plaçant un objet dur dessous ou contre lui.

En anglais simple : If you put a solid object under or against something, you keep it firmly in place.

• Wedge the door open, please.
• She wedged the window shut with a small block.
• The table was wedged securely with pieces of wood.

Comment l'utiliser : wedge something open/shut (We wedged the door open with a brick.); wedge something with something (They wedged the wheel with a wooden block.)

Synonymes : prop, secure

Expressions courantes : wedge something open, wedge something shut

se bloquer, planter

Pour un ordinateur ou un programme, ne plus répondre et ne plus pouvoir fonctionner.

En anglais simple : If a computer or program does this, it stops responding and cannot continue working.

• The server may wedge during startup.
• The kernel wedged after the update.
• If the process wedges, restart the computer.

Synonymes : freeze, hang

Expressions courantes : system can wedge, program may wedge