ménage, n.m., housekeeping, household; housewifery, house; household goods; family; husbandry, economy, saving. Toile de —; home-spun linen. Liqueurs de —; home-made wines. Tenir —, être en —; to keep house, to be a house-keeper. Entrer en —; to begin housekeeping. Rompre son —; to leave off housekeeping. Dépense de —; household expenses. — de garçon; bachelor’s household. Faire bon —; to live well together. Pain de —; household bread. Toile de —; homespun cloth. Femme de —; charwoman. Elle entend bien le —; she is a good house-wife. Vivre de —; to live sparingly. Faire le —; to do the housework. Mettre en —; to settle any one.
ménagement (-na-jmān), n.m., regard, respect, consideration; circumspection, caution, discretion; management, conduct.
ménager, v.a., to husband, to manage, to spare, to be sparing, to save, to be saving; to take care of, to be careful of, to conduct carefully; to treat with caution, to treat gently, to treat kindly, to treat with respect, to humor, to bring about; to reserve; to procure; to contrive; to dispose, to arrange, to prepare; to help to. — son bien; to husband one’s fortune. — quelqu’un; to treat any one with respect, consideration. Je n’ai rien à —; I have no measures to keep. Pour — notre faiblesse; out of compassion for our weakness. — les termes; to weigh what one says. — l’occasion; to improve the opportunity. — ses forces; to spare one’s strength. — ses amis; to forbear being troublesome to one’s friends. — son crédit; to make the most of one’s credit. Je lui ai ménagé une place; I helped him to get a situation. — ses ressources; to husband one’s resources. — une agréable surprise à; to prepare, to procure, an agreeable surprise for. — une étoffe; to make the most of a stuff. — un escalier dans un bâtiment; to contrive a staircase in a house. — la chèvre et le chou; to hold with the hare and run with the hounds. Qui vaut aller loin ménage sa monture; he who wishes to live long avoids excess.
se ménager, v.r., to take care of one’s self; to spare one’s self; to behave with care, with caution, to conduct one’s self cautiously. Se — avec quelqu’un; to keep in, to keep on good terms, with any one. Se — entre deux partis contraires; to steer a successful course between two adverse parties, and remain friendly with both.
ménager, v.n., to save, to save up. Il ménage pour ses enfants; he is saving up for his children.
ménag-er, -ère, adj., thrifty, saving, sparing, provident, frugal.
ménager, n.m., economist; thrifty, saving, frugal, sparing man. Être bon — du temps; to husband one’s time well.
ménagère, n.f., economical housewife; thrifty, saving, frugal, sparing woman; housewife; housekeeper; (of things) cruet-frame, cruet-stand.
ménagerie (-na-jrî), n.f., menagerie.
mendiant, -e, n. and adj., beggar, mendicant; beggar-woman; (c.rel.) mendicant-friar, mendicant. Les quatre —s; the four orders of mendicant friars; raisins, figs, almonds, and nuts (at dessert).