À la limite


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French Expression

Meaning	to the limits, if pushed, at most, ultimately, in a pinch, barely…
Literally	to the limit
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[ah lah lee meet]
IPA		[a la li mit]

Usage notes: The French expression à la limite is extremely versatile – it’s hard to pin down exactly what it means. It’s often something in the family of possibilities.

Par exemple…

Tu me pousses à la limite de ma patience.		You’re pushing me me to the limits of my patience.
À la limite, on croirait qu’elle le fait exprès.		You’d almost think she was doing it on purpose.
Cette soupe est à la limite du comestible.		This soup is barely edible.
J’irais chez mes parents à la limite.		In a pinch, I’d go to my parents’ house.

You can use the French expression à la limite when you’re not quite sure about a quantity.

Le soleil va se coucher dans cinq ou six minutes, à la limite.		The sun is going to set in 5 or 6 minutes at most.
Nous achèterons deux cartons, trois à la limite.		We’ll buy two boxes, three at the most.
On travaillera pendant quatre heures à la limite.		We’ll work for four hours at most.

Synonym: à la rigueur