(=bad dream) cauchemar m
to have a nightmare faire un cauchemar
→ I had nightmares for weeks after the accident.
→ He comforted her when she had nightmares.
I still have nightmares about the attack. Cette agression me donne encore des cauchemars.
(=unpleasant or annoying situation) cauchemar m
It was a real nightmare! Ça a été un vrai cauchemar!
The bus journey was a nightmare. Le trajet en bus a été un vrai cauchemar.
→ The years in prison were a nightmare
→ My first day at work was a nightmare.
[journey] cauchemardesque → They finally crossed the border after a nightmare journey through enemy territory
[vision] de cauchemar, cauchemardesque → a nightmare vision of war spilling across borders and involving nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction
n scénario m catastrophe
→ If their demands are not met, nurses will go on strike, a nightmare scenario for the Government.
→ The Conservatives polled enough votes to avoid the `nightmare scenario" of gaining fewer than 1,000 seats.
→ If he was proved right about BSE, he envisaged a nightmare scenario for the British sheep farming industry.
Translation English - French Collins Dictionary
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"Collins English French Electronic Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers 2005"