muff

• Nom avec deux sens distincts : manchon tubulaire chaud pour les mains et, dans le sport, cas où le ballon a été raté.

A noun with two distinct meanings: a warm tubular covering for the hands, and in sports, an instance of dropping the ball.

1. Hand warmerB1formal

   A soft, tubular covering made of fur or fabric, open at both ends, used to keep the hands warm in cold weather.

   manchon

   • She wore a fur muff to protect her hands from the winter chill.
   • Victorian ladies often carried a muff as a fashionable accessory.
   • He pulled his hands deep into the muff for warmth.

2. Dropped ballB2informal

   An error in sports, especially baseball or cricket, where a player fails to catch or hold onto the ball.

   Échapper une balle

   • The outfielder made a muff of the easy catch.
   • His muff in the final inning cost the team the game.
   • The goalkeeper's muff allowed the opponent to score.

   Synonymesbobbledroperrorfumblemisplay

• Verbe signifiant rater ou mal attraper quelque chose, ou manquer une occasion.

A verb meaning to fail to catch or handle something properly, or to bungle an opportunity.

1. B2informal

   To fail to catch or handle something properly, especially a ball in sports.

   rater (une balle)

   • The goalkeeper muffed the ball and let in a goal.
   • He muffed an easy catch during the cricket match.
   • She muffed the pass, causing the team to lose possession.

   Synonymesbobbledropflubfumblemishandlemiss

   Antonymescatchgraspsnag

2. Make a mess ofB2informal

   To spoil or ruin something through incompetence or clumsiness.

   rater, gâcher

   • He completely muffed his job interview by arriving late.
   • She muffed the recipe by adding too much salt.
   • They muffed the presentation with poor preparation.

   Synonymesblowbotchbungleflubfumblemess upmuck upruinspoil

   Antonymesaccomplishexecutemastersucceed