passer

I.

v. trans.

1. Passer quelque chose à quelqu'un:

  a To 'rough up', to beat someone up (also: passer quelqu'un à tabac).

  b To give someone a 'roasting', a 'wigging', to give someone a severe telling-off. Qu'est-ce qu'elle lui passe quand il rentre à deux heures du mat'! When he gets home at 2 a.m. she's waiting for him rollingpin at the ready! (also: passer un savon à quelqu'un).

2. Passer quelque chose à l'as: To 'spirit something away', to make something disappear for one's own benefit. (The intransitive expression passer à l'as, directly related to the conjurer's legerdemain, illustrates the 'now-you-see-it, now-you-don't' aspect of the disappearing trick.)

3. Le faire passer. To engineer an abortion (usually through 'backstreet' methods).

4. Cela me passe! (corr. cela me dépasse!): That's got me stumped! — That beats me! Comment qu'ils se débrouillent avec si peu de fric, cela me passe! I just can't understand how they manage on so little money!

5. Ça lui passera! (of pet liking, obsession): He'll grow out of it! — He'll get over it!

II.

v. intrans.

1. Passer à travers (quelque chose): To miss out on something good.

2. Passer au travers (de quelque chose): To escape something unpleasant. Comme de bien entendu, il est passé au travers de tous ces emmerdements! As luck would have it, the jammy bugger got away scot-free!

3. Y passer. To go through an unpleasant experience.

  a (of woman): To be forced into sexual intercourse.

  b To 'croak', to 'snuff it', to die. Tout le monde y passe, vous savez! We all have to go sometime, you know!

4. Sentir passer quelque chose: To smart, to suffer where physical punishment is concerned.

5. Passer sous une voiture: To get run over.

6. Passer sous le nez (of opportunity): To slip by. Ça lui est passé sous le nez! He let a good thing go by!

7. Il faut passer par là ou par la fenêtre! (iron.): It's a case of Hobson's choice! — Really you have no alternative!