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atteler

to harness, to hitch up

verb at-LEH Rare

Also means

to buckle down, to get to work

Usage Note

Atteler originally meant to harness a horse to a vehicle; the reflexive s'atteler à is now common in figurative use meaning 'to get down to a task'. The noun attelage refers to a team of harnessed animals or, informally, a pair of people working together.

Examples

"Il s'attelle enfin à ce projet."

Natural Translation

He is finally buckling down to this project.

Literal Translation

He harnesses himself finally to this project.

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