Читать книгу 1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний - А. И. Григорьева - Страница 2

ад кромешный

(a) hell on earth

The wounded soldiers described the battle as ‘hell on earth’.

альфа и омега

the alpha and omega

ангельское терпение

the patience of Job

You need the patience of Job to deal with customers like that.

Ахиллесова пята

Achilles’ heel; a chink in someone’s armour

His Achilles’ heel is that he always wants to be right.

The lack of experience may be a chink in his armour.

бабушкины сказки

an old wives’ tale

It is an old wives’ tale that drinking milk prevents cold.

бабье лето

an Indian summer

бальзам на душу

music to someone’s ears

What he said was music to my ears.

бедный как церковная крыса

(as) poor as a church mouse

My uncle was as poor as a church mouse.

без всякого преувеличения

to say the least

Her behaviour towards her boss was very rude, to say the least.

без обиняков

straight from the shoulder

John told me, straight from the shoulder, that he was not at all pleased with my work.

бить баклуши

to twiddle one’s thumbs

Don’t sit around twiddling your thumbs. Get down to work!

бить в цель

to hit the mark

His remarks hit the mark perfectly and really provided an important message for the graduating students.

бить мимо цели

to miss the mark

His speech missed the mark and he failed to gain support from the audience.

бить ниже пояса (кого-л.)

to hit someone below the belt; to be below the belt

In the run-up to the election, he won’t hesitate to hit his opponent below the belt.

Her remarks about my money problems were a bit below the belt.

биться головой о стену

to bang one’s head against a brick wall

He was banging his head against a brick wall trying to teach that dog to obey.

биться не на жизнь, а на смерть

to fight tooth and nail

They fought tooth and nail to defend their son against the false accusations.

благодарить судьбу

to thank one’s lucky stars

You can thank your lucky stars that she was there to help you.

блаженное неведение

a fool’s paradise

You are living in a fool’s paradise if you think that the business will recover shortly.

бледный как полотно

(as) white as a sheet

He looked as white as a sheet after the accident.

блуждать в потемках

to be in the dark

I’m totally in the dark about what’s going on.

Бог его знает

God knows!

Will we ever win? – God knows!

боевое крещение

baptism of fire

He was given a very important project to carry out in his first month. It was a real baptism of fire.

Боже мой!

good God/gracious/grief!; oh dear!; dear me!

Good God! You’ve finished the work already!

Oh dear! I’ve lost my keys.

Dear me! I forgot to phone him.

Боже упаси!

God/heaven forbid!

I hope we won’t have any trouble with the car. – God forbid!

бок о бок

side by side

They walked along the river side by side.

более или менее

more or less

The distance is ten miles, more or less.

Have you finished yet? – More or less.

большая шишка

a big cheese/gun/noise/shot/wheel

Bill’s father is quite a big shot in the government.

бояться собственной тени

to be afraid of one’s own shadow

Jane never goes anywhere – she seems to be afraid of her own shadow.

брать быка за рога

to take the bull by the horns

I decided to take the bull by the horns and asked my boss for a holiday.

брать верх (над кем-л./чем-л.)

to get the upper hand (over someone/something)

Our team managed to get the upper hand in the end.

брать голыми руками (кого-л.)

to beat someone hands down

The last time we played chess he beat me hands down.

брать за душу

to tug at the heartstrings

The story of a lost child was one that really pulled at the heartstrings.

брать свои слова обратно

to eat one’s words

You shouldn’t say that to me. I’ll make you eat your words.

брать себя в руки

to get a grip on oneself; to pull oneself together

Come on, get a grip on yourself and tell me what happened.

She started to panic but managed to pull herself together.

брать слово

to take the floor

Mr Smith took the floor to talk about the government’s new plans to reduce unemployment.

браться за ум

to come to one’s senses

John, you should come to your senses and stop gambling.

бросать в лицо (что-л. кому-л.)

to throw something in someone’s face

She was always throwing her husband’s clumsiness in his face.

бросать деньги на ветер

to throw money down the drain

Don’t gamble on the horses. That’s just throwing money down the drain.

бросать камень (в кого-л.)

to throw stones at someone

Many politicians seem to spend too much time throwing stones at each other.

бросать на произвол судьбы (кого-л.)

to leave someone in the lurch

Soon after their son was born he went off and left her in the lurch.

бросать перчатку

to throw down the gauntlet

He threw down the gauntlet by challenging my conclusions.

бросаться в глаза (кому-л.)

to catch someone’s eye; to stick out like a sore thumb

His shiny black car caught my eye.

The dinner is formal; if you wear old jeans you’ll stick out like a sore thumb among all the well-dressed guests.

бряцать оружием

to rattle one’s sabre

He may rattle his sabre at his enemies in public, but then will bend over backwards to agree behind closed doors.

буква закона

the letter of the law

There was the danger that the judge may follow the letter of the law rather than its spirit.

буря в стакане воды

a storm in a teacup

This isn’t a serious problem – just a storm in a teacup.

была не была

here goes

‘Well, here goes!’ shouted the parachutist and jumped out of the plane.

быть беде

the fat is in the fire

The fat’s in the fire now that she has discovered about her husband’s lover.

быть на высоте

to give a good account of oneself

John gave a good account of himself during the match.

быть навеселе

to have had one too many; to have had a few (too many)

He looks as if he has had one too many.

She’s jad a few; you should take her home and put her to bed.

быть на побегушках (у кого-л.)

to fetch and carry (for someone); to be at someone’s beck and call

She is so lazy because her husband is always there to fetch and carry for her.

I had to be at his beck and call 24 hours a day.

быть нечистым на руку

to have light fingers

The employee on the till had light fingers and got fired.

в бегах

on the run

The jail-breakers were on the run from the police.

в глубине души

in one’s heart of hearts

In her heart of hearts, she knew that she wasn’t cut out to be a surgeon.

в здравом уме

in one’s right mind

No one in his right mind would go there.

в интересном положении

in the family way

I’ve heard that Martin’s wife is in the family way.

в кулаке (у кого-л.)

under someone’s thumb; in the palm of someone’s hand; in someone’s pocket

My sister is completely under her husband’s thumb.

The mayor had the local press in the palm of his hand and was never criticised by any of them.

Most of the officials in that country are in the pocket of a few very rich businessmen.

в курсе дела

in the know

Let’s ask Paul. He’s in the know.

в лицо (кому-л.)

to someone’s face

He wouldn’t dare say it to my face!

в лучшем случае

at best

The buses were all late and at best I could only hope to be home before midnight.

в любом случае

in any case/event; at any rate

In any event, I’ll see him on Tuesday.

At any rate we must go tomorrow.

в мгновение ока

in the twinkling of an eye

The new machine can do all the calculations in the twinkling of an eye.

в общем и целом

on the whole; all in all; first and last

On the whole, this was a very good journey.

All in all we haven’t done badly.

She is, first and last, a hard worker.

в объятиях Морфея

in the land of Nod

She was in the land of Nod and I didn’t want to wake her.

в одно ухо входит, а в другое выходит

to go in one ear and out the other

Everything she says to her son seems to go in one ear and out the other.

в одной лодке

in the same boat

When I told her that I was broke she said that she was in the same boat.

в первую очередь

in the first place

In the first place, I don’t have enough money to buy a new house.

в подметки не годиться (кому-л.)

cannot hold a candle to someone

She can’t hold a candle to her mother when it comes to cooking.

в полном разгаре

in full swing

The party was in full swing.

в порядке вещей

all in a day’s work

Dealing with complaints from quests is all in a day’s work to anyone working in a hotel.

в поте лица

by the sweat of one’s brow

I can proudly say that whatever I achieved was by the sweat of my brow.

в своей стихии

in one’s element

She is in her element when she’s singing.

в своем уме

in one’s right mind

You’re not in your right mind! That sounds crazy!

в стельку пьяный

as drunk as a lord

When he came home last night, he was as drunk as a lord.

в ус не дуть

not to give a damn

She was unemployed, but she didn’t give a damn.

в форме

on form

John was back on form and nobody could beat him.

в хороших руках

in good hands

This hospital is excellent – your mother will be in good hands.

в худшем случае

if the worst comes to the worst

If the worst comes to the worst, we’ll have to stay in the hotel for another night.

в чем мать родила

in one’s birthday suit; in the buff/altogether/raw

I used to go down to the beach and swim in my birthday suit.

He always sleeps in the raw.

в шкуре (кого-л.)

in someone’s skin

I wouldn’t want to be in your skin.

важная птица

a big cheese/gun/noise/shot/wheel

She is one of the directors of our company – a big noise.

валится из рук (у кого-л.)

to be all fingers and thumbs

I’m all fingers and thumbs today. Can you thread this needle for me?

валить с ног (кого-л.)

to lay someone low

The blow laid him low.

I was laid low by the flu for about two weeks.

валиться с ног

to be ready/fit to drop; to be on one’s last legs

After walking several miles I was ready to drop.

I worked all day in the garden and felt like I was on my last legs.

валять дурака

to play the fool

My father told me to stop playing the fool and start working hard for my examinations.

вбивать в голову (что-л. кому-л.)

to get something into someone’s head

The teacher couldn’t get the Latin grammar into his pupils’ heads.

вбивать себе в голову

to get it into one’s head

For some reason, he got it into his head that everybody was persecuting him.

вверх дном

upside down

The children turned the house upside down.

вводить в курс дела (кого-л.)

to put someone in the picture

I was new to this project and the manager put me in the picture.

вдоль и поперек (досконально)

inside out; backwards and forwards; through and through

He has lived in London for 30 years and knows the city inside out.

She knows the fashion business backwards and forwards.

I’ve studied his report through and through but couldn’t find any mistakes.

вдоль и поперек (во всех направлениях)

far and wide, the length and breadth of something

The police searched far and wide for the missing girl.

We travelled the length and breadth of the town looking for a good hotel.

вдохнуть жизнь (во что-л.)

to breathe life into something

The new director will help to breathe life into the project.

везет как утопленнику (кому-л.)

just someone’s luck

It was just my luck that the train left five minutes before I got to the station.

верить на слово (кому-л.)

to take someone’s word for it; to take someone on trust

John will be late again. Take my word for it.

He always took his friends on trust.

вертеться как белка в колесе

to be on the go

With three children to look after she is always on the go from morning till night.

вертеться на языке (у кого-л.)

to be on the tip of one’s tongue

What’s the name of that tree? Hold on, it’s on the tip of my tongue.

вертеться под ногами (у кого-л.)

to be under someone’s feet

I can’t cook the dinner with three children under my feet all the time.

верхушка айсберга

the tip of the iceberg

The reported cases of the disease might be only the tip of the iceberg.

вечный сон

the long sleep

вешать голову

to lose heart; to look down in the mouth

Don’t lose heart, even when you’re faced with serious difficulties.

She looked very down in the mouth when I told her that I couldn’t go with her.

взад и вперед

back and forth; to and fro; up and down; backwards and forwards

The lion was pacing back and forth inside the cage.

She walked to and fro in the hospital waiting room.

We’ve been running up and down the street looking for you.

The pendulum was moving slowly backwards and forwards.

взбредать в голову (кому-л.)

to take it into one’s head

Ann took it into her head to become an actress.

взвешивать свои слова

to weigh one’s words

I had to weigh my words carefully before asking my boss for more pay.

видать виды (много испытать)

to see the world; to go through the mill

He had the appearance of a man who has seen the world.

The young soldiers really went through the mill during the first two months of their training.

видать виды (поношенный)

have seen better days

My old hat has seen better days.

видеть насквозь (кого-л.)

to read someone like a book

You won’t deceive me with your lies. I can read you like a book.

видеть свет в конце туннеля

to see the light at the end of the tunnel

видит Бог

honest to God/goodness!

I didn’t break the window, honest to God!

винтика в голове не хватает (у кого-л.)

to have a screw loose; to have bats in the belfry

He must have a screw loose to walk around barefoot.

The poor old woman had bats in the belfry.

висеть на волоске

to hang by a thread

His life was hanging by a thread.

висеть над головой (у кого-л.)

to hang over one’s head

The threat of dismissal hung over my head.

витать в облаках

to have one’s head in the clouds

The new secretary must be in love. She has her head in the clouds most of the time.

вить веревки (из кого-л.)

to twist/wrap someone round one’s little finger

His wife can twist him round her little finger.

владеть собой

to keep one’s temper

You should learn to keep your temper.

власти предержащие

the powers that be

The powers that be have decided to demolish the old building to make space for a car park.

влетать в копеечку (кому-л.)

to cost someone a pretty penny

That house must have cost them a pretty penny.

вместе с водой выплеснуть и ребенка

to throw the baby out with the bath water

I know there are weaknesses in the programme but we shouldn’t act too hastily and throw the baby out with the bath water.

вне себя

beside oneself

She was beside herself with joy when she heard the news about her son.

вносить свою лепту

to do one’s bit

We must all do our bit to finish this job in time.

во весь голос

at the top of one’s voice

He was shouting at the top of his voice.

во весь опор

at full tilt; for all one is worth

The boy was running at full tilt down the street.

I ran to the station for all I was worth to catch the last train.

во все глаза

all eyes

The children were all eyes, taking in every detail of their new house.

во всю мочь

with all one’s might

He struggled with all his might to open the stiff door but it stayed shut.

во всю прыть

like greased lightning; like a bat out of hell

He ran out of the room like greased lightning.

The dog ran after the cat like a bat out of hell.

во плоти

in the flesh

I’ve never seen the Queen in the flesh.

во что бы то ни стало

at all costs; at any price

You must at all costs avoid an argument with your employer.

He was determined to get his freedom at any price.

водить за нос (кого-л.)

to lead someone up the garden path; to take someone for a ride

He never realised that she had been leading him up the garden path.

The people who have invested their money in this project have been taken for a ride.

водой не разольешь

as thick as thieves

Mary and Tom are as thick as thieves. They go everywhere together.

возводить на пьедестал (кого-л.)

to put someone on a pedestal

He has put his wife on a pedestal and won’t listen to a word of criticism against her.

возлагать надежды (на кого-л./что-л.)

to pin one’s hopes on someone/something

We are pinning our hopes on the new advertising campaign.

возродиться из пепла

to rise from the ashes

He bought the firm when it was bankrupt. Now it has risen from the ashes and is in profit.

войти в историю

to go down in history

I’m sure that his name will go down in history.

волк в овечьей шкуре

a wolf in sheep’s clothing

I always suspected that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

волосы становятся дыбом (у кого-л.)

one’s hair stands on end

When the boy heard that sound, his hair stood on end.

вольная птица

(as) free as a bird

He felt as free as a bird when he escaped to his country house.

вооруженный до зубов

armed to the teeth

The robber was armed to the teeth and ready to fight.

I arrived for the interview armed to the teeth with letters of recommendation.

вопрос жизни и смерти

a matter of life and death

Go and get the doctor. Tell him it’s a matter of life and death.

воротить нос (от чего-л.)

to turn one’s nose up at something

She always turns her nose up at my cooking.

ворошить прошлое

to rake over the ashes/coals

Jim has already made an apology for his rude behaviour, so there’s no need to rake over the ashes.

воскрешать в памяти (что-л.)

to call something to mind

I know this actor but I can’t call his name to mind.

воспрянуть духом

to take heart

The soldiers took heart when they heard the news.

вот тебе и раз!

well, did you ever!; I say!

Well, did you ever! Mrs Smith has finally decided to move house.

I say! What a surprise!

впадать в детство

to be in one’s second childhood

He was acting very strange, as if he was in his second childhood.

впадать в немилость

to fall from grace

He was one of the president’s closest advisers for several years but fell from grace when the fraud was discovered.

впадать в уныние

to lose heart

After so many unsuccessful attempts to win the championship, he began to lose heart.

впитать с молоком матери (что-л.)

to imbibe something with one’s mother’s milk

We imbibed a love for music with our mother’s milk.

врать как сивый мерин

to lie through one’s teeth

When he said he was not married he was lying through his teeth but I pretended to believe him.

время от времени

from time to time; (every) now and again/then; (every) once in a while

From time to time he sends me flowers.

I drink coffee every now and then.

We go to the cinema every once in a while.

все до одного

one and all

I would like to invite you to dinner, one and all.

всей душой

with all one’s heart and soul; heart and soul

I hope with all my heart and soul that you will succeed.

He loved her heart and soul.

вставать на колени (перед кем-л.)

to throw oneself at the feet of someone; to go down on one’s hands and knees (to someone)

Do I have to throw myself at your feet to convince you that I’m really sorry?

I won’t go down on my hands and knees to her, no matter how important she is.

вствать с левой ноги

to get out of bed on the wrong side

She must have got out of bed on the wrong side today – she is so grumpy.

вставлять палки в колеса (кому-л.)

to put a spoke in someone’s wheel; to throw a spanner in the works

We disagree about it, but I won’t put a spoke in his wheel.

You threw a spanner in the works supplying me with the wrong information.

всыпать по первое число (кому-л.)

to knock someone into the middle of next week; to give someone hell

My brother promised to knock me into the middle of next week if I crash his car.

His wife gave him hell when he came home late last night.

втирать очки (кому-л.)

to pull the wool over someone’s eyes; to throw dust in someone’s eyes

He tried to pull the wool over my eyes with some feeble explanation.

He only gave this information in order to throw dust in our eyes.

втираться в доверие (кому-л.)

to worm oneself into someone’s confidence

Within a few months he had wormed himself into her confidence and soon he was the only person she trusted.

вторая натура

second nature

It was second nature to Sally to tell everyone else what to do.

входить в долю

to go halves

I went halves with my sister when we bought Mum a birthday present.

входить в курс дела

to learn the ropes

I’ll be able to do my job better once I learn the ropes.

входить в положение (чье-л.)

to put oneself into someone’s shoes

Try putting yourself into my shoes – I really couldn’t help your sister at that time.

вчера родиться

to be born yesterday

You must think I was born yesterday if you expect me to believe that nonsense.

выбивать из колеи (кого-л.)

to put someone off one’s stroke

His tricky questions put me off my stride and I got confused.

выбивать почву из-под ног (у кого-л.)

to cut the ground from under someone’s feet; to pull the rug from under someone

The politician completely cut the ground from under his opponent’s feet.

His girlfriend pulled the rug from under him by going to Spain alone.

выбросить из головы (что-л.)

to get something out of one’s system/mind

He couldn’t get that problem out of his system.

выведенного яйца не стоить

not worth a damn

His opinion isn’t worth a damn.

выводить из равновесия (кого-л.)

to throw someone off balance

The conflicting information threw me off balance.

выводить из себя (кого-л.)

to get someone’s goat; to make someone’s hackles rise

The way she keeps denying the obvious really gets my goat.

His rude remarks made my hackles rise.

выдерживать характер

to stand/hold one’s ground; to stand firm/fast; to stick to one’s guns

The boss stood his ground and refused to accept my resignation.

He wanted me to bend to his wishes, but I stood fast and held back the tears.

John has been asked to withdraw his complaint, but he is sticking to his guns.

выжимать все соки (из кого-л.)

to bleed someone dry

The police fines have bled us dry.

вызывать на ковер (кого-л.)

to have someone on the carpet

The boss will have him on the carpet for causing trouble.

вылетать в трубу

to go bust; to go to the wall

This company he works for has gone bust.

Many small firms went to the wall in the past year.

вылетать из головы (у кого-л.)

to slip someone’s mind

I meant to invite him to lunch, but it slipped my mind.

выносить сор из избы

to wash one’s dirty linen in public

It is unfortunate that his wife has chosen to wash their dirty linen in public.

выпадать на долю (кому-л.)

to fall to someone’s lot

It fell to his lot to tell Paul the bad news about his brother.

выплакать все глаза

to cry one’s eyes out

She cried her eyes out when he married another girl.

выплывать на свет божий

to come to light

All his secrets have come to light.

выпускать из рук (что-л.)

to let something slip through one’s fingers

You will always regret that you have let such an opportunity slip through your fingers.

выпускать пар

to let off steam

Tom’s shouting didn’t mean he was angry with you; he was just letting off steam.

выходить в люди

to make one’s way in the world

He has made his own way in the world – his parents have not helped him at all.

выходить из своей скорлупы

to come out of one’s shell

Nancy was very shy when she first went to school, but since she has made some friends, she has come out of her shell.

выходить из себя

to lose one’s temper/rag; to fly off the handle; to go off the deep end

She lost her temper and shouted at her husband.

My father flew off the handle when he saw my report card.

I knew my father would be angry with me, but I had no idea he’d go off the deep end like this.

выходить сухим из воды

to get off scot free; to land/fall on one’s feet

Mark cheated on the examination and got caught, but he got scot free.

No matter what trouble he gets himself into, he always seems to land on his feet.

гадкий утенок

an ugly duckling

гладить по головке (кого-л.)

to pat someone on the back

You shouldn’t criticise him all the time. Why don’t you pat him on the back occasionally?

гладить против шерсти (кого-л.)

to ruffle someone’s feathers; to rub someone up the wrong way

She always tried not to ruffle his feathers.

He rubbed me up the wrong way and this led to an argument.

глаза полезли на лоб (у кого-л.)

one’s eyes nearly popped out of one’s head

When I heard how much money she was spending on clothes, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

глаза разгорелись (на что-л.)

to set one’s heart on something

I’ve set my heart on having that new dress.

глазом не моргнуть

not to bat an eyelid; not to turn a hair

Tom didn’t bat an eyelid when he was told that his daughter was getting married.

He didn’t turn a hair when a large dog ran straight towards him.

глас вопиющего в пустыне

a voice crying in the wilderness

глупый как пробка

to be dead from the neck up

Her husband was dead from the neck up.

глухой как пень

(as) deaf as a post

He won’t hear us – he’s as deaf as a post.

гнать волну

to make waves

Why do you always have to make waves?

гнать в три шеи (кого-л.)

to throw someone out on one’s ear

If you continue to be so late, the director will throw you out on your ear.

гнуть свою линию

to stand/hold one’s ground; to stand firm/fast; to stick to one’s guns

The referee stood his ground and refused to be intimidated.

The customer stood fast and got a refund on the faulty good he brought back.

She was sticking to her guns and nobody could persuade her to do something against her wishes.

гнуть спину

to break one’s back; to work one’s fingers to the bone

I’m not going to break my back working all day for such low wages.

His parents worked their fingers to the bone so he could have everything he needed.

говорить без обиняков

not to mince matters; to talk turkey

Not to mince matters, he is absolutely useless.

I wanted to discuss his behaviour and I was prepared to talk turkey.

говорить на ветер

to waste one’s breath

You’re wasting your breath. He won’t agree to go with you.

голову даю на отсечение

I’ll eat my hat!

I’ll eat my hat if it wasn’t your little sister who stole my book.

голубая кровь

blue blood

They are very poor, but they have blue blood in their family.

голыми руками

with one’s bare hands

A desperate man can kill a leopard with his bare hands.

гора с плеч

a load off someone’s mind

It is a load off my mind to know that he has solved that problem.

городить чушь

to talk through one’s hat

You’re talking through your hat. You don’t know anything about it.

горькая пилюля

a bitter pill (to swallow)

His betrayal came as a bitter pill to swallow.

горячая линия

a hot line

The society has set up a hot line for people to report sightings of whales and dolphins.

грабеж средь бела дня

daylight robbery

The prices in this shop are unbelievable – it’s daylight robbery.

греть руки

to line one’s pockets; to feather one’s nest

When the company discovered that the director had been lining his pockets with bribes and commissions, he was dismissed.

The mayor used a lot of public money to feather his nest.

гроша медного не стоить

not worth a damn

Your advice isn’t worth a damn.

давать волю (кому-л.)

to give someone free rein

The boss gave me free rein with the new project.

давать волю (чему-л.)

to give something free rein; to give way to something

In writing that book he gave his imagination free rein.

He gave way to anger and yelled at the children.

давать выход (чему-л.)

to give vent to something

June gave vent to her anger and frustration in a furious letter to her husband.

давать жару (кому-л.)

to give someone hell

If he goes to a pub with his friends, his wife gives him hell.

давать на лапу (кому-л.)

to grease someone’s palm

We had to grease the palms of numerous officials before we could renew the licence.

давать от ворот поворот (кому-л.)

to give someone the boot/push/heave-ho/brush-off

My sister has given her latest boyfriend the heave-ho.

давать пищу сплетням

to set tongues wagging

The news of her marriage set tongues wagging through the whole village.

давать себе волю

to let oneself go

She really let herself go at the party and drank far too much beer.

давать тягу

to take to one’s heels; to turn tail and run; to do a bunk

The thief saw me and took to his heels.

Two boys did a bunk during the morning break.

I was so nervous that my only thought was to turn tail and run.

далеко не так

far from it

I thought your wife spoke fluent German. – Far from it – she doesn’t even know how to say ‘hello’.

далеко пойти

to go far

Her son has a talent for painting and I’m sure he will go far.

Дамоклов меч

the sword of Damocles

дать дуба

to kick the bucket; to cash in one’s chips

His children were just waiting for the old man to kick the bucket.

Tony is too young to cash in his chips.

дать урок (кому-л.)

to teach someone a lesson

I decided to teach my neighbour a lesson after I caught him peeping through my windows.

два сапога пара

birds of a feather

I’m sure that Debbie and her boyfriend are birds of a feather.

действовать на нервы (кому-л.)

to get on someone’s nerves; to get under someone’s skin; to drive someone up the wall

Please stop whistling. It’s getting on my nerves.

I can’t stand this woman – she gets under my skin.

Their children always drive me up the wall.

делать вид

to make believe; to put on an act

The children made believe they were pirates and treasure hunters.

I thought he had hurt his foot, but he was only putting on an act.

делать из мухи слона

to make a mountain out of a molehill

Aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? I’m sure he’ll give you the money back.

делать посмешище (из кого-л./чего-л.)

make someone/something a laughing stock

It is a silly idea. It will make our university a laughing stock.

делать хорошую мину при плохой игре

to put on a brave face

My brother was disappointed by his failure in the examinations, but he put on a brave face and pretended nothing had happened.

делать честь (кому-л.)

to do someone credit

His honesty does him credit.

делать шиворот-навыворот

to put the cart before the horse

Isn’t it rather putting the cart before the horse to buy the furniture when you haven’t yet moved to your new house?

держать (свое) слово

to keep one’s word

You must keep your word if you promised to help him.

держать в ежовых рукавицах (кого-л.)

to keep a tight rein on someone; to rule someone with a rod of iron

The teacher kept a tight rein on his students.

His wife rules him with a rod of iron.

держать в неведении (кого-л.)

to keep someone in the dark

Peter kept his wife in the dark about his plans to buy a new car.

держать в руках (кого-л./что-л.)

to have someone/something in the palm of one’s hand

The politician has the local press in the palm of his hand.

держать в узде (кого-л./что-л.)

to keep a tight rein on someone/something

She had to keep a tight rein on her feelings.

держать на почтительном расстоянии (кого-л.)

to keep someone at arm’s length

Jack wanted to know my sister better, but she kept him at arm’s length.

держать на коротком поводке (кого-л.)

to have someone on a string

He has his poor wife on a string – she always does what he says.

держать под каблуком (кого-л.)

to have someone in the palm of one’s hand

My sister has her husband in the palm of her hand.

держать порох сухим

to keep one’s powder dry

We must act cautiously and keep our powder dry.

держать рот на замке

to keep one’s mouth shut; to button one’s lip(s)

Will he keep his mouth shut about the mistake we made?

Button your lip about me being late for work.

держать руку на пульсе

to keep one’s finger on the pulse

My father has retired from the company now, but he still likes to keep his finger on the pulse.

держать ухо востро

to keep/have one’s ear to the ground; to keep one’s eyes open; to keep a weather eye open

If you keep your ear to the ground you’ll soon find a good job.

Keep your eyes open and see if you can learn something.

A crisis is boiling up. Keep a weather eye open.

держать хвост пистолетом

to keep one’s chin up

Keep your chin up – things will get better.

держать язык за зубами

to hold one’s tongue; to keep mum

I don’t think he can be trusted to hold his tongue.

Please keep mum about my plans to go into medicine.

держаться за юбку (кого-л.)

to be tied to someone’s apron-strings

He can’t make any decisions himself because he is tied too much to his mother’s apron-strings.

держаться на ниточке

to hang by a thread

His chances to win the election were hanging by a thread.

детские игрушки

child’s play; kids’ stuff

My brother is an experienced mountaineer, so climbing that mountain was child’s play to him.

Making chairs is kid’s stuff to my father.

дешевле пареной репы

dirt cheap

He got that computer dirt cheap.

до второго пришествия

till kingdom come

I don’t want to wait till kingdom come for you to decide what to do.

до кончиков ногтей

to one’s fingertips

He is an artist to his fingertips.

до мозга костей

to the backbone; through and through

Your brother is a gentleman to the backbone.

She is a liar through and through.

до поры до времени

for the time being

I am staying at the hotel for the time being.

доводить до белого каления (кого-л.)

to make someone see red; to make someone’s blood boil

The sight of reporters standing outside her house made Helen see red.

His words really made my blood boil.

дойти до ручки

to be at the end of one’s tether

I am at the end of my tether, and if I hear that noise again, I’ll scream.

доходить до ушей (чьих-л.)

to come to someone’s ears

It has come to our ears that you have bought a new house.

дрожать как осиновый лист

to shake like a leaf

The boy stood in the corner shaking like a leaf.

дурной глаз

the evil eye

Nothing is going right for him – he is sure somebody put the evil eye on him.

дух захватывает (у кого-л.)

to take someone’s breath away

The girl was so beautiful she took my breath away.

душа нараспашку (у кого-л.)

to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve

I think she was really disappointed about your absence, but she is not a person who wears her heart on her sleeve.

душа общества

the life and soul of the party

He is so quiet at work that you’d never think he was the life and soul of the party last night.

душа ушла в пятки (у кого-л.)

to have one’s heart in one’s boots; one’s heart sank to one’s boots

I had my heart in my boots when I went to see the director.

When I saw his face, my heart sank to my boots.

души не чаять (в ком-л.)

to think the world of someone

She thinks the world of her husband.

дым коромыслом

all hell breaks loose

All hell broke loose in the house when the children started to play cowboys and Indians.

дырявая голова

to have a head/memory like a sieve

I can’t remember her name – I’ve got a memory like a sieve.

дышать на ладан (быть при смерти)

to have one foot in the grave

His children treat him as though he has one foot in the grave.

дышать на ладан (существовать последние дни)

to be on one’s last legs

My fridge is on its last legs – I’ve had it twenty years.

если бы да кабы

if wishes were horses, beggars would ride

если уж на то пошло

come to that

I haven’t seen Judy for a long time. Come to that, I haven’t seen her husband either.

ехать в Тулу со своим самоваром

to carry coals to Newcastle

Taking her flowers would be like carrying coals to Newcastle – she grows flowers in her own garden.

ждать, откуда ветер подует

to see how the wind blows; to see which way the cat jumps

Before we tell them about our plans, I think we should see which way the wind blows.

My husband always waits to see which way the cat is going to jump before making a decision.

жечь корабли

to burn one’s boats

I’ve burnt my boats by telling my boss that I was leaving, but I haven’t got another job.

Жив курилка!

there is life in the old dog yet

жив-здоров

safe and sound; alive and kicking

Her son returned safe and sound from the war.

The last time I saw John, he was alive and kicking.

живого места не оставить (на ком-л.)

to beat someone black and blue; to beat the living daylights out of someone

The man beat Tom black and blue for stealing.

If you do that again, I’ll beat the living daylights out of you.

жить как кошка с собакой

to lead a cat and dog life

She and her brother lead a cat and dog life. They are always quarrelling.

жить не по средствам

to live beyond one’s means

No wonder the Browns are deeply in debt; they have been living beyond their means for years.

жребий брошен

the die is cast

I’m not sure that I’ll find a better job but the die is cast – I’ve told my boss I wanted to leave.

за спиной (у кого-л.)

behind someone’s back

She has been saying unpleasant things about you behind your back.

за деревьями леса не видеть

not to see the wood for the trees

When people get stressed they often can’t see the wood for the trees.

за здорово живешь

for kicks

The boy said that he had stolen the car just for kicks.

за плечами (у кого-л.)

under one’s belt

Gerald has a lot of experience under his belt.

за решеткой

behind bars

He spent five years behind bars after being convicted of forgery.

забот полон рот (у кого-л.)

to have one’s hands full; to have a lot on one’s plate

He has her hands full looking after four children.

Sorry, I can’t help you – I’ve got too much on my plate at the moment.

заводить волынку

to harp on the same string

I wish you’d stop harping on the same string every time I light a cigarette. I won’t give up smoking.

заговаривать зубы (кому-л.)

to spin someone a yarn

He managed to spin me a yarn about being ill to explain his lateness.

загонять в угол (кого-л.)

to box someone into a corner

Her convincing arguments quickly boxed me into a corner.

задавать головомойку (кому-л.)

to haul someone over the coals

The teacher hauled the boy over the coals for being late for school.

задавать тон

to set the pace; to call the tune

His work sets the pace for future experiments.

The secretary calls the tune in the office.

задевать за живое (кого-л.)

to cut someone to the quick; to hit/touch a (raw) nerve

Her angry words cut me to the quick.

I think I touched a nerve when I asked him about his children.

задирать нос

to put on airs and graces

Because they have a big house she is always putting on airs and graces.

закатывать истерику

to have/throw a fit

She’ll have a fit when she knows you’ve broken her vase.

закидывать удочку

to put out feelers

They put out feelers to see if anyone was interested in buying the shop.

закон джунглей

the law of the jungle

закрывать глаза (на что-л.)

to close one’s eyes to something; to turn a blind eye to something

She chose to close her eyes to her son’s rude behaviour.

The director always turned a blind eye to her mistakes in order to prevent trouble.

закрыть лавочку

to shut up shop; to put up the shutters

They’d worked hard all morning and at half past three they decided to shut up shop and go home.

During the war many shops had to put up the shutters.

закусить удила

to take the bit between one’s teeth

There was a lot of work to be finished, so he took the bit between his teeth and stayed late at the office.

зализывать раны

to lick one’s wounds

Tom was still licking his wounds from his marriage break-up.

заметать следы

to cover one’s tracks

The criminals have covered their tracks very cleverly.

замолвить словечко (за кого-л.)

to put in a good word for someone

My father is going to put in a good word for me in the hope that the boss will give me another chance.

запеть на другой лад

to change one’s tune

She said she liked travelling by car, but when she saw the road she changed her tune.

запретный плод

forbidden fruit

Forbidden fruit is always the most desirable.

заразительный смех

an infectious laugh

His laugh was so infectious that we all joined in.

заснуть вечным сном

to be called to one’s eternal rest

застигать врасплох (кого-л.)

to take someone by surprise; to catch someone with one’s pants/trousers down

The news took us by surprise.

He asked me where I’d been last night and I was caught with my pants down.

застигать на месте преступления (кого-л.)

to catch someone red-handed; to catch someone in the act

The police caught the burglars red-handed.

The thief was caught in the act of breaking into the shop.

затаить дыхание

to hold one’s breath

She held her breath as she watched the attempt to save the drowning child.

заткнуть за пояс (кого-л.)

to run rings round someone; to put someone to shame

Jane is good at French but her brother David can run rings round her – he can speak Dutch and German as well.

I thought I was in good shape for this race but my friend Tom, who was much older than me, put me to shame.

затыкать рот (кому-л.)

to shut someone’s mouth

They threatened to shut his mouth if he talks to the police.

затянуть пояс потуже

to tighten one’s belt

If the crisis gets worse, we shall just have to tighten our belts.

заходить (слишком) далеко

to go too far; to overstep the mark

He has always been a bully but this time he went too far and even his parents were ashamed of him.

You overstepped the mark when you shouted at the director.

звонить во все колокола

to shout it from the rooftops

If I’d known you were going to shout it from the rooftops, I wouldn’t have told you about my work.

здоров как бык

(as) sound as a bell

At the age of eighty her grandfather was as sound as a bell.

зеленая улица

the green light

The government gave the green light to the minister’s plan for the new road.

злой как черт

(as) cross as two sticks; like a bear with a sore head

The man was as cross as two sticks when his wife left without waiting for him.

When my brother has to get up early, he’s like a bear with a sore head.

змея подколодная

a snake in the grass

Don’t be deceived by his friendliness – he’s a real snake in the grass.

знать в лицо (кого-л.)

to know someone by sight

I know Gregory by sight but I’ve never met him.

знать свое дело

to know one’s stuff/onions

He is a good worker and knows his stuff. I’d be sorry if he left our company.

We’ve worked with him in the past. He is a man who knows his onions.

знать как свои пять пальцев (что-л.)

to know something like the back of one’s hand; to know something inside out

He knew Manchester like the back of his hand.

He is a very good plumber who knows his job inside out.

знать свое место

to know one’s place

I knew my place and kept silent.

знать, что к чему

to know what is what

You don’t have to worry about him – he knows what’s what.

золотая середина

a happy medium

You can surely find some happy medium between exercising all the time and doing nothing.

золотое дно

a gold-mine

The report represents a gold-mine of useful information.

золотое правило

the golden rule

The golden rule of teaching is to be clear.

золотое сердце

a heart of gold

His wife is a lovely woman. She has a heart of gold.

золотой телец

the golden calf

зондировать почву

to put out feelers

I wanted to get a new job, so I put out some feelers with our competitors.

и глазом не успел моргнуть

before you can say Jack Robinson

I’ll catch a train and be there before you can say Jack Robinson.

и дело с концом

that’s that

You are not going to the party alone, and that’s that.

И не говорите!

you are telling me

It’s hot today, isn’t it? – You’re telling me.

(и) туда и сюда

back and forth; up and down; to and fro; backwards and forwards

The wind moved the leaves gently back and forth.

We’ve been driving up and down the street looking for you.

She walked to and fro in the room waiting for the news.

The pendulum was moving slowly backwards and forwards.

играть в кошки-мышки (с кем-л.)

to play cat and mouse with someone

If you continue to play cat and mouse with your boyfriend, he’ll break up with you.

играть вторую скрипку

to play second fiddle

He was tired of playing second fiddle to his older brother.

играть на руку (кому-л.)

to play into someone’s hands

I had an uncomfortable feeling that by leading my men into the valley I had played into the enemy’s hands.