Philip says that Shmike 'made a healthy profit in the 90's'.

In this context, 'healthy' means:

nutritious

Profits cannot be described as 'nutritious', which refers to food which is good for the body. 'Nutritious' is similar in meaning to 'healthy', however it is not correct to use this term to describe profits or money. This term (nutritious) is never used in a financial context.

sane

Philip is expressing that Shmike made large or considerable profits in the 90's, not that their profits were 'sane', which means 'mentally stable' in English. Profits aren't described as 'sane'.

paltry

The term 'paltry' actually expresses the opposite meaning of Philip's term 'healthy'. A 'paltry' sum of money is extremely small, or 'next to nothing'.

sizeable

When Philip describes Shmike's profits as 'healthy', he is saying that they were 'considerable', 'sizeable', or 'strong'. In this context, 'healthy' doesn't express an idea related to 'health' or the human body. The term is being used idiomatically to indicate Shmike's large profits (the money they earned) in the 1990's.

well-balanced

Philip is not expressing that Shmike's profits were 'well-balanced' in the 90's, but rather that they were significant or sizeable. If something is 'well-balanced' it is evenly proportioned or regular.

Paltry en français : traduction et définition

Traduction et définition

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