act
(=action) acte m
→ He was accused of 30 terrorist acts.
→ the act of reading
an act of kindness un acte de gentillesse
an act of sabotage un sabotage
in the act of doing sth en train de faire qch
→ Ken was in the act of paying his bill when Neil arrived.
→ He saw Jones in the act of snatching a gun.
to catch sb in the act prendre qn sur le fait, prendre qn en flagrant délit
to catch sb in the act of doing sth surprendre qn en train de faire qch
→ The men were caught in the act of digging up buried explosives.
→ They caught her in the act of stealing a jar of coffee.
(=part of theatre play) acte m
in the first act au premier acte
(=performance, entertainment routine) numéro m
a comedy act un numéro de comédie
→ a show consisting of songs and comedy acts
to get one's act together * se reprendre en main
→ The Government should get its act together.
→ We have to get our act together and organize ourselves.
to clean up one's act * s'acheter une conduite
to get in on the act * emboîter le pas
→ Outrage poured from the letters pages and local politicians got in on the act.
→ With digital radios costing well over £1,000, the BBC's enthusiasm seemed to wane. Then, two years later, commercial radio got in on the act.
(=pretence) cinéma m
→ His anger was real. It wasn't an act.
→ There were moments when I wondered: did she do this on purpose, was it all just a game, an act?
It's only an act. C'est du cinéma.
(POLITICS)
(=law) loi f
→ the 1944 Education Act
(=perform action)
[person] agir
→ We have to act quickly.
→ Police acted to stop widespread looting.
The police acted quickly. La police a agi rapidement.
(=have a particular rôle or job)
to act as sth servir de qch
→ Among his other duties, he acted as ship's surgeon and as chaplain.
→ The Cunard Princess acted as a support ship for American forces.
She acts as his interpreter. Elle lui sert d'interprète.
It acts as a deterrent. Cela a un effet dissuasif.
→ the belief that capital punishment acts as a deterrent
to act for sb, to act on behalf of sb
[lawyer] représenter qn
→ Webster acted for us while practising in Glasgow.
→ Because we travelled so much, Sam and I asked a broker to act on our behalf.
acting in my capacity as chairman, I ... en ma qualité de président, je ...
[medicine, drug] agir
→ The drug acts swiftly, preventing liver damage.
(=behave) agir
→ We have acted properly and responsibly in this case.
They were acting suspiciously. Ils agissaient d'une manière suspecte.
You're acting like a lunatic. Tu agis comme un fou.
to act as if ... agir comme si ...
→ He acted as if he hadn't heard.
[actor] jouer
→ I was acting in a play in Edinburgh.
→ I had always wanted to act.
He acts really well. Il joue vraiment bien.
(=pretend) jouer la comédie
She's just acting. Elle joue la comédie.
→ Ignore her, she's just acting.
(in theatre)
[+role] jouer, tenir
to act Hamlet (British) tenir le rôle d'Hamlet, jouer le rôle d'Hamlet
→ I acted the part of Malvolio.
(=behave in certain way) jouer to act surprised jouer la surprise → Chris acted surprised as he examined the note. to act the innocent faire l'innocent → Don't act the innocent! You knew all about it. to act the fool (British) faire l'idiot to act the loving husband jouer le mari amoureux → Smith always acted the loving husband.
ACT
n abbr ( American College Test) examen de fin d'études secondaires examen de fin d'études secondaires
▲
act on
vt fus
to act on sth agir sur la base de qch
→ A patient will usually listen to the doctor's advice and act on it.
The police are acting on information received last night. La police agit sur la base de renseignements reçus la nuit dernière.
▲
act out
vt sep
[+event] raconter en mimant
→ The students act out events from history.
→ The group acts out the stories in such a way that the members experience really being there.
[+fantasies] réaliser
→ situations where he acted out his deepest fears
▲
act up
vi
(=not work properly) faire des caprices
The TV is acting up again. La télé fait encore des caprices.
(=mess around)
[person] faire l'idiot
→ I could hear Jonathan acting up downstairs.
act of faith
n acte m de foi
act of God
n catastrophe f naturelle
→ The President described the disaster as an act of God.
Act of Parliament
n (British) loi f
by an Act of Parliament, by Act of Parliament par une loi
→ the Bank of England was granted a 12 year charter by Act of Parliament in 1694.
→ The practice was made illegal by an Act of Parliament in the late 19th century.
balancing act
n (fig) tour m d'adresse
→ Boosting investment growth while meeting income needs is a delicate balancing act
to perform a balancing act, to do a balancing act faire un tour d'adresse
a balancing act between sth and sth, The magazine performed the usual balancing act between privacy concerns and the public's right to know. Le magazine a comme d'habitude jonglé avec la protection de la vie privée et le droit qui revient au public de savoir., Le magazine a fait le tour d'adresse habituel pour satisfaire à la protection de la vie privée et le droit qui revient au public de savoir.
data protection act
n loi sur la protection des données à caractère personnel loi sur la protection des données à caractère personnel
double act , double-act
n
(=pair of performers) duo m
→ ... a famous comedy double act ...
(=performance) duo m
to do a double act faire un duo
→ I met a pal of mine later and he suggested that we do a double act.
Freedom of Information Act
n loi f sur la liberté d'information
juggling act
n (fig) exercice m de jonglerie
→ Trying to continue with a demanding career and manage a child or two is an impossible juggling act.
the juggling act between job and family l'exercice de jonglerie entre le travail et la famille
Official Secrets Act
n (British) loi relative aux secrets d'État loi relative aux secrets d'État
opening act
n
[+concert, event] première partie f
→ My helium balloon and I were the opening act of the Lord Mayor's Show
play-act
vi jouer la comédie
→ The `victim' revealed he was only play-acting.
→ I wasn't really hurt - I was just play-acting.
riot act
n
to read sb the riot act
[teacher, parent] faire la leçon à qn
sex act
n acte m sexuel
Trade Descriptions Act
n (British) loi protégeant les consommateurs contre la publicité et les appellations mensongères loi protégeant les consommateurs contre la publicité et les appellations mensongères
vanishing act
n
* to do a vanishing act
(=leave) s'éclipser