whittle down in the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Translations for whittle down in the English»French Dictionary

Translations for whittle down in the English»French Dictionary

whittle [Brit ˈwɪt(ə)l, Am ˈ(h)wɪdl] VB trans

I.down1 [Brit daʊn, Am daʊn] ADV Down often occurs as the second element in verb combinations in English (go down, fall down, get down, keep down, put down etc.). For translations, consult the appropriate verb entry (go, fall, get, keep, put etc.).
When used to indicate vague direction, down often has no explicit translation in French: to go down to London = aller à Londres; down in Brighton = à Brighton.
For examples and further usages, see the entry below.

2. down (indicating position at lower level):

II.down1 [Brit daʊn, Am daʊn] PREP

III.down1 [Brit daʊn, Am daʊn] ADJ

IV.down1 [Brit daʊn, Am daʊn] VB trans inf

See also put, keep, go, get, fall

I.put [Brit pʊt, Am pʊt] N

put FIN → put option

II.put <pres part putting, pret, pp put> [Brit pʊt, Am pʊt] VB trans

2. put (cause to go or undergo):

III.to put oneself in VB refl

I.keep [Brit kiːp, Am kip] N

II.keep <pret, pp kept> [Brit kiːp, Am kip] VB trans

III.keep <pret, pp kept> [Brit kiːp, Am kip] VB intr

1. go (move, travel):

aller (from de, to à, en)

18. go (extend in depth or scope):

II.go [Brit ɡəʊ, Am ɡoʊ] VB trans see usage note

III.go <pl goes> [Brit ɡəʊ, Am ɡoʊ] N

IV.go [Brit ɡəʊ, Am ɡoʊ] ADJ

he's all go inf!
it's all the go inf!
that was a near go inf!
to go off on one Brit inf
to go off like a frog in a sock Aus inf event:
there you go inf!

I.get <pres part getting, prét got, pp got, gotten Am> [ɡet] VB trans This much-used verb has no multi-purpose equivalent in French and therefore is very often translated by choosing a synonym: to get lunch = to prepare lunch = préparer le déjeuner.
get is used in many idiomatic expressions (to get something off one's chest etc.) and translations will be found in the appropriate entry (chest etc.). This is also true of offensive comments (get stuffed etc.) where the appropriate entry would be stuff.
Remember that when get is used to express the idea that a job is done not by you but by somebody else (to get a room painted etc.) faire is used in French followed by an infinitive (faire repeindre une pièce etc.).
When get has the meaning of become and is followed by an adjective (to get rich/drunk etc.) devenir is sometimes useful but check the appropriate entry (rich, drunk etc.) as a single verb often suffices (s'enrichir, s'enivrer etc.).
For examples and further uses of get see the entry below.

II.get <pres part getting, prét got, pp got, gotten Am> [ɡet] VB intr

get her inf!
get him inf in that hat!
to get it up vulg sl
bander vulg sl
to get it up vulg sl
to get one's in Am inf

I.fall [Brit fɔːl, Am fɔl] N

III.fall <pret fell, pp fallen> [Brit fɔːl, Am fɔl] VB intr

1. fall (come down):

9. fall ground → fall away

down2 [Brit daʊn, Am daʊn] N (all contexts)

whittle down in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for whittle down in the English»French Dictionary

whittle <-ling> [ˈwɪtl, Am ˈwɪt̬-] VB trans

See also up

American English

Monolingual examples (not verified by PONS Editors)

English
It was a comfortable margin, but defections always seemed to whittle down the lead and sometimes produced defeat.
en.wikipedia.org
Carefully whittle down the end of a round stick so it fits snugly in the end, reaching down to the beginning of the hole.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
None of us would wish to whittle down that principle in the slightest.
en.wikipedia.org
His high pace quickly began to whittle down the group.
cyclingtips.com
Multiple drafts of the budget may be required to whittle down costs.
en.wikipedia.org
It's hard to whittle down the year in local sports into 706 words, especially when hundreds of stories made headlines throughout 2016.
www.stratfordbeaconherald.com
Transaction costs and price cuts would whittle down existing equity and impede financing availability.
www.troymedia.com
The government's prudent approach has meant that it has managed to whittle down projected deficits for five years in a row, she said.
www.torontosun.com
At the same time, authorities sought to whittle down their list of unaccounted for individuals.
www.rte.ie
By functionality, the legislature was supposed to be the most senior partner in the tripod but many things have happened to whittle down that effect.
www.vanguardngr.com

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