lean
vb ( leaned or leant pt, pp )
(=rest)
to lean against sth
[person] s'appuyer contre qch
→ She was feeling tired and was glad to lean against the wall.
He leant his back against the wall. Il appuya son dos contre le mur., Il s'adossa au mur.
to be leaning against sth
[ladder, object] être appuyé (e) contre qch
The ladder was leaning against the wall. L'échelle était appuyée contre le mur.
(=be on a slope, be askew)
[building, structure] pencher
to lean to one side
[building] pencher d'un côté
→ The cottage was so old that it leant to one side.
(=move)
[person] se pencher
→ She leaned and rested her hand over his.
→ She leaned and jabbed her cigarette out in an ashtray.
→ I leaned to kiss her.
to lean closer se pencher plus près
→ He leaned closer to confide the rest of his story.
to lean closer to sb se pencher vers qn
→ She leaned closer to him, whispering in his ear.
vt
to lean sth against sth appuyer qch contre qch
He leant his bike against the wall. Il appuya son vélo contre le mur.
[person] mince
→ He was a lean, handsome man.
→ Like most athletes, she was lean and muscular.
[meat] maigre
→ It is a beautiful meat, very lean and tender.
I only eat lean meat. Je ne mange que de la viande maigre.
(fig)
[period, time, year] de vaches maigres
→ In the lean years, crop failures are common.
It is a lean time for the oil business. C'est une période de vaches maigres pour l'industrie pétrolière.
▲
lean across
vi
[person] se pencher sur le côté
She leaned across and opened the passenger door. Elle se pencha sur le côté et ouvrit la portière du passager.
▲
lean back
vi
[person] se pencher en arrière
▲
lean forward
vi
[person] se pencher en avant
→ He leaned forward to give her a kiss.
▲
lean on
[person]
[+wall, windowsill] s'appuyer contre
→ A man was leaning on the railing.
He leant on the wall. Il s'est appuyé contre le mur.
to lean on one's stick s'appuyer sur sa canne
(=depend on)
[+person] reposer sur
(=put pressure on)
[+person] mettre la pression sur
→ He told us to get stuffed so we leaned on his kid.
He was being leaned on by his bankers. Ses banquiers lui mettaient la pression.
vt sep
to lean one's head on sb's shoulder poser la tête sur l'épaule de qn
to lean one's elbows on the table mettre ses coudes sur la table
▲
lean out
vi
[person] se pencher au dehors
to lean out of sth se pencher par qch
She leant out of the window. Elle s'est penchée par la fenêtre.
▲
lean over
vi
[person] se pencher
Don't lean over too far. Ne te penche pas trop.
▲
lean towards
vt fus
[+opinion, viewpoint] pencher pour
→ Most scientists would probably lean toward this viewpoint.
to lean towards the right (politically)
être plutôt à droite
lean manufacturing , lean production
n production f allégée
→ efficiency-raising techniques such as lean manufacturing
lean-to
n appentis m