lest

ballast

noun LEST Rare

Usage Note

Lest is the heavy material (stones, water, sand) used to stabilise ships or hot-air balloons. The key phrase is lâcher du lest, literally 'to drop ballast', used figuratively to mean 'to make concessions' or 'to back down' — a very common idiom in political and negotiation contexts.

Examples

"Le capitaine a largué le lest pour alléger le bateau."

Natural Translation

The captain released the ballast to lighten the boat.

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