back 



nom
[ANAT] esquena
expr back seat
[TRANSP] seient del darrere
expr turn your back on (somebody / something)
girar l'esquena a (algú / alguna cosa)
back away
recular / fer-se enrere
back down
1. desdir-se'n / retractar-se'n / abandonar (una reclamació)
Australia won't back down on its immigration policy
The Americans believe that if they put pressure on North Korea they will back down on their plans to build more nuclear missiles
The question everybody is asking is 'who will back down first, the French or the Americans?'
2. [TRANSP] fer baixar enrere (un vehicle)
back into
1. [TRANSP] xocar amb alguna cosa fent marxa enrere
At the very beginning of my driving test I put the car in reverse by mistake and managed to back into a parked car. Needless to say, I failed!
There was a crash on the M62 last night when a lorry backed into the path of an oncoming vehicle
nota: Si es diu que un vehícle 'backed into' una cosa concreta com per exemple un cotxe, la paret d'un edifici etc., vol dir que es va xocar amb aquest, però si es diu que un vehícle 'backed into' un espai lliure com per exemple un carrer, un espai d'aparcament, etc, vol dir senzillament que es va entrar en aquest espai fent marxa enrere, no implica que es va xocar amb res.
sin. reverse into
2. [TRANSP] entrar en un espai lliure fent marxa enrere
sin. reverse into
back off
1. recular / fer-se enrere
2. fer recular
back out
1. fer sortir enrere (un vehicle)
2. retirar-se (sobretot d'un negoci)
back up
1. donar suport a
The student insisted that the death penalty was a good way of preventing crime, but nobody took much notice of him as he always failed to provide any real evidence to back his arguments up
The protestors claimed that the government had acted illegally and should be overthrown. However, their cries fell on deaf ears as they never managed to back their statements up with any facts
2. corroborar
If you don't believe me ask Sarah. She'll back me up
The man claimed he was nowhere near the house at the time of the murder and three neighbours came forward to back him up
You're my best friend. You're supposed to back me up not drop me in it!')
sin. vouch for (someone)
3. [TRANSP] fer marxa enrere
sin. reverse
4. recular / anar enrere
5. [INFORM] fer una còpia de seguretat
If you don't regularly back up your work files you risk losing them all should your computer get hit by a virus
We strongly recommend that you back up the system every day!
background 



nom
1. fons
2. rerefons
3. antecedents
bad 



adjectiu
mal / dolent
expr bad breath
halitosi
expr bad guy
dolent / roí (Val.)
In most Hollywood films the bad guy always loses and the good guy always wins.
expr bad hair day
(col.loq) un d'aquells dies en què sembla com si vagis despentinat encara que és ben possible que hagis passat una bona hora i mitja pentinant-se els cabells aquell matí ;-)
expr that's too bad
(Am) és una llàstima
Br. = that's a pity
bank 



nom
[FIN] banc
riba / ribera / vora / voral
expr break the bank
fer saltar la banca
bank upon refiar-se de
bar 


nom
1. barra
2. bar
3. [ESPORT] travesser
sin. crossbar
4. [ESPORT] llistó
sin. crossbar
verb conj
1. prohibir
sin. ban
2. barrar
prep
excepte / menys / tret de
All bar two of the recipes are for a family of four
All bar three of the survivors went on to make a full recovery
sin. except
bar from excloure de
basic 


adjectiu
bàsic
basis 


nom
base
bat 


nom
1. [ZOOL] rat-penat
2. (argot) bruixa
sin. witch
pal / pala
verb conj batre
expr bat for the other side
(col.loq) ser homosexual
I don't think Nikki is interested in men, to be honest. I rather suspect she bats for the other side.
bat out
fer ràpidament (alguna cosa), sense gaires esforços
be 



verb conj (was/been)
ser / ésser / estar
be after
perseguir
be around
ser per aquí o per allà
be away
estar fora
be back
ser present (després d'haver tornat)
be by
(generalment en futur o condicional) arribar
be down with (something)
estar (malalt i) al llit amb
be in
ser present (a casa, a la feina...)
Is John in? I need to talk to him.
be into (something)
(col.loq) tenir interès (o entusiasme) per (alguna cosa)
be off
1. (un aparell) ser apagat
Is the TV off? If not, can you switch it off please?
2. anar-se'n
John and Julia are off now, are you coming to say goodbye?
Right, that's it, I'm off. See you later!
3. ser passat
be on to (something)
haver descobert alguna cosa (o situació bona)
be on to (someone)
ser conscient de les malifetes o dels enganys d'un altre
be up
1. estar despert
2. acabar-se (temps)
be up to (something)
1. fer (alguna cosa)
What is he up to now?
2. trobar-se capaç a / ser prou bo per a
I've put Jessica in charge of the office while I'm out. Do you think she's up to it?
bear 



nom
ós
verb conj (bore/borne)
aguantar / sofrir
sin. put up with
expr bear in mind
tenir present / tenir en compte
expr bear market
[FIN] mercat baixista / mercat a la baixa
sin. bearish market
bear with
tenir paciència amb
beat 



verb conj (beat/beaten)
1. derrotar / vèncer
Sunderland beat Newcastle in a nail-biting final by three goals to two
Although Tony Blair is currently very unpopular, it seems unlikely that the Conservative party has regained enough strength to beat Labour at the next election
He was determined to beat his illness
sin. defeat
2. pegar
The man was sentenced to 18 months in jail forbeating his wife
The man confessed to beating his friend to death over a silly argument
3. [MED] bategar
When I finished the race my heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to die
Driving a fast car makes your adrenaline level rise and your heart beat quicker
nom
1. [MÚSICA] toc
2. [MED] batec
3. [MÚSICA] ritme
4. [MÚSICA] compàs
5. pulsació
adjectiu
(col.loq) esgotat
sin. bushed (col·loq.), knackered (col·loq.) (Br.), dog-tired (col·loq.), worn out, exhausted
expr if you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Si no els pots vèncer, uneix-t'hi
interj it beats me
(col.loq) no en tinc ni idea!
I'm not surprised they're getting a divorce. It beats me why she married him in the first place!
beat down
abatre a cops
beat off
repel·lir
beat out
1. apagar (un foc) a cops
2. (Am) (col.loq) vèncer / superar
HTTP and the Internet beat out all the other protocol-based Bulletin Board Services.
beat up
apallissar
beat up on (somebody)
(Am) pegar
Roger likes to beat up on his little brother when his parents aren't watching.
became 



because 


conj
perquè
become 



verb conj (became/become)
esdevenir
become of
fer-se de
before 



adverbi
abans / anteriorment
prep
1. abans de
2. davant
began 



begin 


verb conj (began/begun/beginning)
començar / iniciar
I've got so much work to do I don't really know where to begin
This past winter in England was really, really cold. I'm beginning to understand why a lot of English people spend the winter in Australia!
The group began the concert with one of their recent top-ten singles
sin. start
begun 



behind 


prep
darrere
nom
(argot) cul
Every day Peter's wife cooks, cleans and looks after the children while he just sits on his fat behind and watches television.
Belgium 



nom
Bèlgica
best 



adjectiu
millor
nota: 'Best' és el superlatiu de l'adjectiu 'good' i l'adverbi 'well'.
expr best of British
(Br) molta sort!
sin. good luck
better 


verb tr conj millorar
adjectiu
millor
nota: 'Better' és el comparatiu de l'adjectiu 'good' i l'adverbi 'well'.
between 



prep
entre
expr between you and me
dit (sigui) entre nosaltres
beverage 


nom
(formal) beguda
bias 


nom
1. prejudici
2. biaix
bid 


verb conj (bid/bid/bidding)
1. licitar / fer una oferta / oferir
2. concursar (per un contracte)
3. (joc de cartes) envidar
nom
1. oferta (quantitat de diners que s'ofereix per comprar una cosa)
2. candidatura
Barcelona made a bid to host the Olympic Games - Barcelona va presentar la seva candidatura per organitzar els Jocs Olímpics
3. intent
4. (joc de cartes) envit
expr bid farewell
(formal) acomiadar-se / dir adéu
big 



adjectiu
1. gran
nota: Els adjectius 'big' i 'large' equivalen més o menys a la paraula catalana 'gran'. Però, no sempre són sinònims. A més del fet que 'large' és més formal que 'big', i que 'big' s'utilitza habitualment per a referir-se a les persones (per ex.: 'She's a big girl', 'His friend is very big'), hi ha moltes altres diferències súbtils. Assenyalar totes aquestes diferències ultrapassa l'abast d'aquest diccionari però us donem alguns substantius que sempre van acompanyats de 'big' (big boss, big breath, big brother, big decision, big favour, big grin, big hit, big problem, big sigh, big sister, big smile, big yawn).
2. gros
big up
(Br) (argot) encomiar / enaltir alguna cosa (o algú) (potser més del que es mereix)
Podcasting went mainstream when the BBC bigged it up and Apple integrated it into iTunes.
If you ask me, there's too much hype around it. The media have bigged it up to be a lot better than it actually is.
The judges bigged him up and dissed all the other contestants.
billion 



nom
mil milions
pl. billion
bios 


(Basic Input Output System)
nom
bios
biotechnology 



nom
biotecnologia
sin. biotech
bit 



nom
[INFORM] bit
tros / xic / mica
expr bit by bit
poc a poc / de mica en mica
black 


adjectiu
negre
expr black and white photo
foto en blanc i negre
expr black box
[TRANSP] caixa negra
expr Black Cats
(Br) (col.loq) sobrenom de l'equip de futbol anglès Sunderland AFC
expr Black Death
Pesta Negra
expr black hole
forat negre
expr black market
mercat negre
expr Black Sea
Mar Negre
black out
desmaiar-se
block 



verb tr conj
1. obstruir / estroncar / barrar
2. embussar / bloquejar
nom
1. bloc
2. obstacle
3. blocatge / bloqueig
4. the blocksblocs de sortida
bloc (de cases) / illa
expr block printer
estampador
expr have been round the block (a few times)
tenir molta experiència
expr starting blocks
blocs de sortida
block up
1. embussar-se
2. embussar
blog 



nom
1. bloc
2. blog
blogger 


nom
1. blocaire
2. bloguista
blue 



adjectiu
1. blau
2. (col.loq) trist
3. verd
nom
1. blau
2. bluesblues
3. The Blues (Br) (col.loq) sobrenom dels següents equips de futbol anglesos: Birmingham City, Chelsea, Everton i Manchester City i l'equip escocès Stranraer FC
expr blue book
1. registre d'estadístiques i altra informació
nota: (Sentit general).
2. (Br) informe oficial del Parlament
3. (Am) llista de preus dels vehicles nous i de segona mà
What's the blue book value of that 1995 Subaru Impreza?
nota: (Kelley) Blue Book
expr blue joke
acudit verd
expr out of the blue
inesperadament
body 


nom
1. cos
2. cadàver
3. (before noun) corporal
4. entitat
5. (Br) [ROBA] bodi
Am. = bodysuit
expr body image
imatge corporal
expr body temperature
temperatura corporal
body forth
encarnar / personificar
bold 


nom
negreta
adjectiu
1. valent / agosarat / atrevit
sin. courageous, daring
2. audaç
book 



nom
llibre
verb conj reservar
sin. reserve
expr be booked up
1. (hostaleria) estar ple / tenir totes les habitacons ocupades
2. estar compromès (sense cap hora o dia lliure)
expr to throw the book at someone
caure el pèl a algú
He's shown no remorse at all for what he's done. I hope they throw the book at him!
expr to be a turn-up for the books
ser una sorpresa
Uzbekistan's qualification for the World Youth Championship was a turn-up for the books.
book into
registrar en (un hotel)
bookmark 



nom
punt (de lectura o de llibre)
adreça d'interès / preferit
boost 


nom
empenta / augment
verb conj augmentar / elevar / millorar
booth 


nom
1. cabina
2. estand
expr phone booth
cabina telefònica
bought 



bow 


nom
1. llaç
2. arc (per a llençar fletxes)
Bow and arrows - Arc i fletxes
3. [MÚSICA] arquet
4. reverència
5. proa
nota: 'Bow' es pronuncia /bóu/ en les accepcions 1-3; es pronuncia /bau/ en les accepcions 4 i 5.
verb conj
1. inclinar-se
2. inclinar
3. baixar
bow out
retirar-se, no participar
box 


nom
1. caixa
2. casella
3. llotja
4. capsa
Box of matches - Capsa de llumins
5. (argot) televisor
verb conj
1. boxejar
2. embalar
box up
posar en caixes
break 


verb conj (broke/broken)
1. trencar
If you say that once more I swear I'll break your neck!
If it isn't broken, don't try and fix it!
It seemed like Jim was always breaking the rules and getting away with it
The footballer was out for the entire season as he broke his leg during training
2. avariar
3. infringir / transgredir
nom
1. descans
2. pausa
3. ruptura
expr break a law
infringir / transgredir una llei
expr commercial break
pausa publicitària
break away
separar-se (d'un grup)
break down
1. deixar de funcionar / avariar-se
My car broke down halfway to London
Why do freezers only ever break down just before Christmas when they're full of food??
2. fracassar
The couple couldn't pinpoint the exact moment their relationship had broken down. They had been drifting apart for years.
3. descompondre's
To be truly biodegradable, a substance should break down into carbon dioxide, water and naturally occurring minerals.
4. debilitar-se
5. posar-se a plorar
John broke down when they told him his mother had died
break (something) down
1. descompondre
Lipases help the body break down fats and oils.
2. desmuntar
3. dividir (per analitzar)
When we break down the figures by region, the effect is even more dramatic
4. destrossar / abatre (tirar a terra el que està dret)
The police broke down the door and stormed into the house
break in
1. entrar amb força (sobretot trencant la porta o una finestra)
Just after the betting shop closed for the night, John broke in and stole the day's takings
2. domar (un cavall salvatge)
3. interrompre
break into
1. forçar (una porta / una finestra) i entrar en un edifici / un vehícle
John broke into the betting shop and stole the day's takings
Steven broke into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and covered her walls with graffitti.
2. [INFORM] entrar en un ordinador / sistema sense permissió
He broke into the bank's computer system
3. començar a (fer una cosa de sobte)
nota: Es pot utilitzar el verb 'to break into' amb un substantiu per a significar 'començar a fer una cosa de sobte' (per exemple: 'He broke into song', 'He broke into a run', 'He broke into a cold sweat', 'He broke into a big grin').
break off
1. trencar separant-se
2. terminar bruscament (p.e. una relació)
3. parar de parlar (o fer alguna cosa) durant un cert temps
He broke off mid-sentence as if he had just remembered something
We worked hard all morning but at 12 we broke off for a quick lunch.
break open
1. obrir (sobretot amb força)
The police broke open the door and stormed into the house.
Let's break open a bottle of champagne to celebrate your engagement!
2. trencar (un partit, una competició, etc.) (obtenir-hi un avantatge sobtat, important i permanent)
Gonzalez broke open the game with 10 runs in the second inning.
break out
1. esclatar (una cosa desagradable, com ara una guerra, una plaga, etc.)
On the day war broke out towns and villages across Britain were brought to a standstill by anti-war protests
2. produir-se (un incendi / una baralla)
120 people were made homeless yesterday when a fire broke out in their neighborhood
Lesley left the party after the second fight of the evening broke out
3. escapar-se (de la presó)
The prison's governor was stunned when he learnt that an inmate had broken out by climbing down a rope made of bed sheets
break out in
quedar ple (de grans)
break through
1. superar (una barrera, un obstacle)
2. avançar (superant un impediment)
3. sortir / erupcionar
break up
1. separar-se (una parella) / desfer-se (un matrimoni o una relació)
Jim and Alice broke up just three months after getting married
2. acabar-se
3. dispersar-se (una gentada)
4. (Br) tancar-se per vacances
This year our school breaks up for Christmas on the 21st of December
break (something) up
1. esmicolar / fragmentar / trencar en trossos
2. dissoldre / dispersar
Hundreds of police armed with water cannons and tear gas finally broke up the demonstration
3. acabar d'una vegada (una lluita)
4. desarticular
break up with (someone)
separar-se d'(algú)
bridge 



nom
pont
broker 


nom
1. agent comercial / corredor (d'assegurances)
2. broker / stockbroker
browse 



verb conj
1. [INFORM] navegar
2. fer una ullada
browse through
1. fer una ullada a
2. fullejar
browser 


nom
[INFORM] navegador
bubble 


nom
bombolla
expr bubble bath
1. gel de bany
2. bany d'escuma
buck 



nom
1. (Am) (col.loq) [FIN] dòlar
2. [ZOOL] cérvol (mascle)
3. the buckresponsabilitat
I accept responsability for the mistake. The buck stops here. - Assumeixo l'error. Jo en sóc el responsable. No és culpa de ningú més.
expr buck your ideas up
espavilar-se
expr pass the buck
culpar un altre
buck up
1. encoratjar / animar
2. animar-se
bud 


nom
1. poncella
2. (Am) company / amic
Br. = mate / pal
budget 



nom
pressupost
adjectiu
de baix cost
verb conj (~ for) pressupostar
expr budget airline
línia aèria de baix cost
expr operating budget
pressupost de funcionament / pressupost operatiu
bug 



verb conj (Am) (col.loq) empipar
Quit bugging me!
sin. pester
nom
1. [ZOOL] insecte / bitxo
sin. insect
2. [INFORM] brossa
3. [INFORM] bug
4. petit micròfon o petita camareta que utilitzen els detectius / forces de seguretat per escoltar les converses privades
bug off
(col.loq) anar-se'n (deixant algú en pau)
bug out
(Am) (col.loq) anar-se'n / escapolir-se
bug out on
(Am) (col.loq) abandonar (algú, evitant un deure o una responsibilitat)
building 



nom
edifici
expr building firm
empresa constructora
built 



bull 


nom
1. [ZOOL] toro / brau
2. (argot) bestieses
nota: Abreviatura de 'bullshit'.
expr bull market
[FIN] mercat alcista / mercat a l'alça
sin. bullish market
expr like a bull in a china shop
com un elefant en una terrisseria / com un elefant en una cristalleria
expr take the bull by the horns
agafar el bou per les banyes
bulletin board 


nom
1. taulell d'anuncis
2. [INFORM] BBS
expr bulletin board system
BBS
nota: 'BBS' és un acrònim de l'expressió anglesa 'bulletin board system' que vol dir (literalment) 'sistema de tauler d'anuncis').
burden 


nom
càrrega
burnt 



business 



nom
1. negoci
The (building/hotel) business - El negoci (de la construcció / del sector hoteler)
2. (col.loq) assumpte
Why should I tell him? It's none of his business!
Why can't she just keep her nose out of my business?
sin. affair
negoci / empresa / companyia
adjectiu
empresarial
but 



conj
1. però
2. sinó
expr all but
pràcticament
He's all but told me that I've got the job.
button 


nom
botó
button up cordar (del tot) els botons
buy 


verb conj (bought/bought)
1. comprar
sin. purchase
2. (col.loq) acceptar / creure
Fergal reckons that he didn't deliberately download those pornographic pictures from the Internet and that he must have done it accidentally. Well, I'm sorry but I just don't buy that!
Daniel swore blind that he had no idea how he got lipstick on his shirt collar, but his girlfriend wasn't buying it!
sin. believe, fall for
buy back
comprar (el que s'ha venut)
buy into
1. participar invertint diners a / invertir a / adquirir un interès en
2. creure
I never really bought into that whole 'God is on our side' way of thinking.
nota: (Generalment negatiu).
buy off
subornar
buy out
comprar (un negoci)
buy up
acaparar / comprar (tot el que hi ha disponible)
by 



prep
1. [temps] per / per a / abans de / de / no més tard que / quan
Sadly, the party was over by the time she got there - Malauradament, la festa s'havia acabat quan ella va arribar
We had finished our meal by about 5 o'clock - Havíem acabat de menjar cap a les 5 de la tarda
Can you have my car fixed by Friday evening? - Pots tenir el meu cotxe arreglat per a divendres al vespre?
By day, the city is fairly safe but, by night, it is really quite dangerous - De (o durant el) dia, la ciutat és prou segura però, de (o durant la) nit, és veritablement força perillosa
2. [relació] per / per a
This book was written by Jasper Fforde - Aquest llibre el va escriure (o va ser escrit per) Jasper Fforde
I'm listening to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana - Estic escoltant Smells Like Teen Spirit de Nirvana
The protest was broken up by the police - La manifestació va ser dissolta per la policia
If it's all right by you, it's all right by me - Si per a tu està bé, doncs per a mi també
3. [relació - by + pronom reflexiu] per un mateix / tot sol
He doesn't want help. He wants to do it by himself - No vol ajuda; vol fer-ho per si mateix / tot sol
Did you do that all by yourself? - Has fet tot això per tu mateix / tot sol?
4. [mitjà / agent] per / amb / per mitjà de
You can donate to our charity by mail or by phone - Podeu fer donació a la nostra institució per (mitjà de) correu o per (mitjà de) telèfon
Trade and commerce started to expand and most of this trade was by sea - Els negocis i el comerç van començar a expandir-se i molt d'aquest negoci va ser per mar
Imagine islands entirely powered by renewable energy - Imagina les illes totalment impulsades amb (o per) energies renovables
Climate-change apathy is driven by fear and resentment - L'apatia en el canvi climàtic és produïda per la por i el ressentiment
Alarmed by his behaviour, we immediately called the doctor - Alarmats pel seu comportament, de seguida vam trucar al metge
The best way to teach is by example - La millor forma d'ensenyar és amb l'exemple
5. [transport] amb
We travelled from Phoenix to Las Vegas by car - Vam viatjar des de Phoenix a Las Vegas amb cotxe
The only possible way of entering Peru by train is from Chile - L'única forma possible d'entrar al Perú amb tren és des de Xile
6. [manera] per / amb
Some people still insist on paying by cheque at the supermarket - Algunes persones encara insisteixen de pagar amb xec al supermercat
They met by chance - Es van trobar per casualitat
7. [mesura] per
I normally buy eggs by the dozen - Normalment compro els ous per dotzenes
At our local market, it is possible to buy mango(e)s by the crate - Al nostre mercat municipal es poden comprar mangos per caixes
The room is 2 metres by 3 metres - L'habitació fa 2 metres per 3 (metres)
Their team is behind by three points - El seu equip perd per tres punts
8. [augmentar / disminuir] en
UK troops in Basra are to be cut by 1,000 - Les tropes del Regne Unit a Bàssora seran retallades en 1.000 efectius
House prices are set to rise by at least 10% over the next year - Els preus dels immobles creixeran en un 10%, al menys, durant el pròxim any
The environmental treaty will cut worldwide pollution by half - El tractat mediambiental retallarà la pol·lució arreu del món en un 50% / a la meitat
9. [by + gerundi] gerundi / en (o per) + infinitiu
Please support our work by making a donation - Doneu suport a la nostra feina fent-nos una donació
Earn money by referring people to Amazon - Guanyeu diners adreçant gent a Amazon
Joseph's reply starts by pointing to the results of our last survey - La resposta d'en Josep comença tot referint-se als resultats de la nostra darrera enquesta
The cat got her tail burnt by lying too close to the fire - El gat es va encendre la cua en / per jaure massa aprop del foc
10. [segons] per
The lists of books are sorted alphabetically by author - Les llistes de llibres estan classificades alfabèticament per autor
The papers can be browsed by publication date - Els textos poden ser fullejats per data de publicació
You can search the results by town, state or zip code - Podeu cercar els resultats per ciutat, estat o codi postal
11. [moviment] per davant de / prop de
The meteor passed by the Moon two days ago - Fa dos dies el meteorit passà per davant de (o prop de) la lluna
Suddenly, three soldiers ran / walked / stumbled by our front door - De sobte tres soldats passaven caminant / corrent / entrebancant-se per davant la porta de casa nostra
nota: Observem que, pel que fa als verbs de moviment, a vegades es tradueix en català el gir 'verb + by' (p.e. walked by / ran by) pel gir 'passar + gerundi + per' (p.e. passaven caminant / corrent per).
adverbi
passant un cert punt en l'espai o en el temps
They waved to us as we passed by - Ens han saludat (amb la mà) mentra passàvem
byte 


nom
octet / byte
(c) 2003 - 2007 dacco project - under the LGPL license