Словарь идиом английского языка

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U W Y

 

-A-

 

abide by - соглашаться и подчиняться

A basketball player may know he did not foul, but he must abide by the referee's decision.

about to do something - быть готовым что-либо сделать.

She was about to leave when the phone rang.

absent-minded - рассеянный.

My grandfather is very absent-minded and often forgets his key.

act one's age - делать то, что люди ожидают от человека твоего возраста.

Mr. O'Brien was playing tag with the children at the party. Then Mrs. O'Brien said, "Henry! Act your age!" and he stopped.

act up - скандалить, выкидывать номера; паясничать.

I could hear Jonathan acting up downstairs.

ahead of time - рано.

We started the meeting ahead of time so we could go home early.

all at once - вдруг, внезапно, неожиданно.

All at once the fire alarm rang so we had to leave the building.

all in all - в итоге, в конечном счете.

We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.

as luck would have it - то, что произошло; стечение обстоятельств; к счастью или несчастью.

As luck would have it, no one was in the building when the explosion occurred.

at a loss - "без понятия"; озадаченный.

When Don missed the last bus, he was at a loss to know what to do.

at heart - в основном, по существу, в глубине души.

She is a very nice person at heart although many people dislike her.

at odds with - не в ладах.

The neighbors were at odds with each other.

at someone's beck and call - в постоянной готовности услужить кому-либо.

His eldest daughter is always at his beck and call when he spends an evening at home.

-B-

 

be at cross purposes - делать что-л. наперекор (не намеренно, а из-за взаимного непонимания).

They are at cross purposes and are always arguing about what to do.

be left holding the bag - остаться с носом.

Be careful, don't let yourself be left holding the bag.

be up to something - чувствовать недостаток сил (знаний), чтобы сделать что-либо.

Are we up to meeting the delegation from Moscow and speaking Russian to them?

beaten path - устоявшееся направление действий.

If we always follow the beaten path, we'll never have the courage to try something new.

become of - случаться, происходить.

What will become of the children, now that both parents are in jail?

beef about - жаловаться на что-либо.

Stop beefing about your job, Jack. You could have done a lot worse!

birds of a feather - одного поля ягода.

Oliver and Alain were birds of a feather.

blue in the face - раздухарившийся, возбужденный.

He argued with the supervisor until he was blue in the face.

-C-

cast down - удрученный; расстроеный; печальный.

Mary was cast down at the news of her uncle's death.

cave in- обваливаться; уступать, сдаваться.

I thought he could face his opponent and not cave in so easily, but I was disappointed.

chance it - попробывать; рискнуть.

"Should we take the boat out in such stormy weather?" Jim asked. "We can chance it," Tony replied. "We have enough experience."

cheek by jowl - рядом, бок о бок, локоть к локтю.

The boxes were placed in the room cheek by jowl and nothing else could fit in.

child's play - действие, не требующее усилий.

Mary's work as a volunteer social worker is so agreeable to her that she thinks of it as child's play.

close at hand - под рукой.

If you need help we are always close at hand.

cold comfort - то, что заставляет чувствовать себя еще хуже, когда тебе плохо.

Mary spent her vacation sick in bed and Jane's letter about her trip was cold comfort.

come about - случаться, происходить.

When John woke up he was in the hospital, but he didn't know how that had come about.

come rain or shine - что бы ни случилось.

Come rain or shine, Fanny will always visit her mother on Sunday.

confuse the issue - напускать туману.

Don't even try to confuse the issue, nothing will come out of it.

cook one's goose - разрушить чьи-либо надежды, ожидания; навредить.

She cooked John's goose by reporting what she knew to the police.

cop-out - уклонение от конфликтов; отговорка (обык. жалкая); нелепый предлог.

Come on, Jim, that's a cheap cop-out, and I don't believe a word of it!

cost a pretty penny - обойтись в копеечку.

Your divorce will cost you a pretty penny.

crying shame - вопиющая несправедливость.

It is a crying shame that the children should be separated from one another because of their parents' divorce.

cut loose - освободиться, бросить что-либо, разорвать связи.

The painter cut himself loose from family responsibilities, and went to live on a tropical island.

-D-

 

date back - обозначить период в прошлом.

My ancestors date back to the sixteenth century.

day in and day out - регулярно, постоянно, изо дня в день.

He goes to that restaurant day in and day out and never gets tired of it.

dead duck - безнадежная ситуация, дохлый номер.

He is a dead duck and has no hope of recovering his former position.

die down - увядать, гаснуть, затухать.

When the sound of the music finally died down we were able to get to sleep.

do justice to - делать добросовестно; как следует.

Barbara had so many things to do that she could not do justice to her lessons.

do time - сидеть в тюрьме.

He was doing time when I first heard about him.

down the drain - без пользы, без толку; коту под хвост.

Our plans to go swimming went down the drain when it rained.

draw back - отступать, сдавать позиции; выходить из дела.

The firm drew back from its agreement and wanted to talk about a new contract.

-E-

ease off - стать менее напряженным, ослаблять(ся), расслабляться.

The rain should ease off before midday.

easy street - благоприятные условия; богатство.

Honestly, it's the chance of a lifetime. It would put you right on easy street.

eat one's words - брать назад свои слова.

He was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he was wrong.

eke out - зарабатывать с трудом.

He was unable to eke out a living on the farm so he sold it.

-F-

far cry - что-то очень отличное; разное.

The first automobile could run, but it was a far cry from a modern car.

feather one's nest - нагреть руки.

He is not going to feather his nest at our expense.

feel ill at ease with - чувствовать себя не в своей тарелке.

I always feel ill at ease with boss, I can't say why.

flight of fancy - полет фантазии.

Her plan is a flight of fancy. Nothing else.

flying visit - недолгое посещение.

Tom came to New York for only a flying visit. We had hardly eaten lunch when he had to leave.

for days on end - очень долго.

The American tourists tried to get used to Scottish pronunciation for days on end, but still couldn't understand what the Scots were saying.

from the bottom of one's heart - от чистого сердца.

We wished them very success in their work from the bottom of our hearts.

full of beans - живой, энергичный; в приподнятом настроении.

The football team was full of beans after winning the tournament.

fuss over nothing - мышиная возня.

All the preparations are just fuss over nothing. I'm sure nothing will come out of it.

-G-

gain ground - продвигаться вперед, делать успехи.

The toy company has been gaining ground in their effort to sell more products.

get a kick out of - получать удовольствие от чего-либо.

I think that my father got a kick out of seeing his old school friend.

get along - справляться с делом, жить, обходиться.

He is able to get along on very little money.

get chewed up - становиться беспокойным.

Don't get chewed up about the new law, it won't affect you.

get down cold - хорошо запомнить.

Terry got the text of his speech down cold.

get down to - начать делать что-либо.

Joe wasted a lot of time before he got down to work.

get stuck - оказаться в дураках.

The man got stuck when he paid six hundred dollars for that old car.

give oneself up - сдаваться.

The robbers gave themselves up when the police surrounded the house.

go ape - сходить с ума, увлечься.

Bill has gone ape over that new girl in the office.

go out of one's way - стараться изо всех сил.

She went out of her way to help me when I visited her in October.

go smash - вылететь в трубу

If I pay all my debts now and at once, I'll go smash.

go to the dogs - пойти прахом.

Dan ruined himself, all his life went to the dogs.

-H-

hammer out - придумывать, изобретать, приходить к решению после длительного обсуждения.

The union and managers were able to hammer out an agreement before midnight last night.

hand down - передавать по наследству, оставлять.

My grandmother handed down her silver jewellery to my mother.

hard-boiled - грубый; упрямый; жестокий.

"Because you were two minutes late," my hard-boiled boss cried, "I will deduct fifteen minutes worth from your salary!"

have a mind - быть склонным к; быть расположенным к чему-либо.

If I'd thought you capable of turning on me like this, I'd never have spoken to you. I've a good mind never to speak to you again.

have a screw loose - крыша поехала.

He might have a screw loose, if he believes in all this.

have not the foggiest idea - не иметь ни малейшего представления.

I have not the foggiest idea what you are talking about.

head above water - большие трудности, неприятности.

My brother has been having a hard time keeping his head above water since he lost his job.

hem and haw - заикаться, запинаться, затрудняться с ответом.

He hemmed and hawed when I asked him if he knew where the missing money was.

high and dry - без средств, покинутый в беде, устаревший, отставший (от времени и т. п.).

They left him high and dry when they moved the company to Europe.

hit the spot - подкрепиться; восстановить силы; воспрять духом.

A cup of tea always hits the spot when you are tired.

hit town - приехать в город.

Give me a phone call as soon as you hit town.

hope against hope - надеяться на чудо.

We all hoped against hope that he would become better.

-I-

ill at ease - нервничать, чувствовать дискомфорт, не по себе.

He appeared to be ill at ease during the interview.

in a big way - на широкую ногу.

His house is always full, he is so generous and does everything in a big way.

in a circle - безрезультатно; бесполезно.

He seemed to be working hard, but was just running around in circles.

in a nutshell - коротко, кратко, сжато.

I tried to explain the problem to him in a nutshell but there still wasn`t enough time.

in all conscience - по совести говоря.

I should have thought that his charges were high enough in all conscience without his asking for any extra money.

in cold blood - холоднокровно; безжалостно.

The bandits planned to murder in cold blood all farmers in the village by the river.

in grain - по натуре (по характеру).

He was a cowboy in grain.

in no time - скоро, быстро.

I will have this done for you in no time and then you can go for lunch.

in short - короче говоря.

In short, you have to admit that you have lost his game.

-J-

jump down one's throat - внезапно разозлиться на кого-либо.

The teacher jumped down Billy's throat when Billy said he did not do his homework.

jump out of one's skin - подпрыгнуть (обыкн. от восторга, веселого настроения или удивления).

The lightning struck so close to Bill that he almost jumped out of his skin.

just in case - на всякий случай.

She dialed her own number, just in case.

-K-

kill off - уничтожить, завершить окончательно.

The president suggested a new law to Congress but many members of Congress were against the idea and they killed it off.

-L-

lay bare - разоблачать; открывать; разглашать.

During his testimony the witness laid bare the whole story of his involvement with the accused.

level best - все возможное.

Eric refused to stay in school although his parents did their level best to make him finish.

lift a finger - сделать что-либо; помочь; "ударить палец о палец".

We all worked hard except Joe. He wouldn't lift a finger.

like two peas in a pod - очень похожие; "как две капли воды".

The twin sisters Eve and Agnes are like two peas in a pod.

look daggers - гневно смотреть; выражать ненависть или неприязнь взглядом.

Mary did not dare talk back to her father, but she looked daggers.

look in on - навестить кого-либо; сделать короткий визит.

On his way downtown, Jim looked in on his aunt.

-M-

make a clean breast of the matter - чистосердечно сознаться.

If you have stolen the money, you'd better make a clean breast of it to your father at once.

make a mental note of - намотать себе на ус.

Alex made a mental note of everything he had heard in that room.

mean business - говорить всерьез, искренне; иметь серьезные намерения.

The boss said he would fire us if we didn't work harder and he means business.

-N-

nest egg - деньги, отложенные на черный день; сумма, отложенная для определенной цели.

I made a nice nest egg when I was working and I am now able to go to school.

nip in the bud - останавливать в начале; уничтожать в зародыше.

The police nipped the plot in the bud.

none too - не очень; ничуть.

The doctor arrived none too soon as Lucy's fever was alarmingly high.

nurse a grudge - испытывать недовольство, помнить обиду.

Mary nursed a grudge against her teacher because she thought she deserved a better grade in English.

nut case - глупый; сумасшедший человек.

I am going to be a nut case if I don't go on a vacation pretty soon.

-O-

once in a while - иногда, изредка; время от времени.

We go for a picnic in the park once in a while.

once upon a time - когда-то, давным-давно; однажды.

Once upon a time there lived a king who had an ugly daughter.

over my dead body - через мой труп.

He will never marry my daughter, it will be only over my dead body.

over one's head - выше чьего-нибудь понимания.

They talked advanced mathematics. It was completely over my head.

-P-

pass the buck - переложить ответственность (на другого).

The foreman is always passing the buck and will never take responsibility for anything that he does.

pay dirt - полезная, выгодная находка, золотое дно.

We hit pay dirt when we got the rights to distribute the new product.

put aside - откладывать, приберегать; стараться не замечать.

Putting aside the fact that the man has been in prison, he would seem to be a suitable worker.

-Q-

queer fish - чудак.

Uncle Algernon dresses in heavy furs in the summer and short-sleeved shirts in the winter. No wonder everyone considers him a queer fish.

-R-

rake up the past - ворошить прошлое.

Why rake up the past? I thought it was all over and forgotten.

ready money - наличные деньги с собой.

Frank refuses to buy things on credit, but, if he had the ready money, he would buy that lovely old house.

round up - округлять (числа); собирать в одном месте; окружать, производить облаву.

Dave rounded up many names for his petition.

rub out - стирать, уничтожать, убивать.

The gangsters rubbed out four policemen before they were caught.

rush hour - час пик.

She gazed out at the oncoming waves of the rush hour traffic.

-S-

 

shot in the arm - что-нибудь вдохновляющее и воодушевляющее.

The general's appearance was a shot in the arm for the weary soldiers.

skin-deep - поверхностно; неискренне.

Mary's friendliness with Joan is only skin-deep.

soft in the head - слаб на голову.

Tom must be soft in the head to have believed that story.

spell out - разъяснять, растолковывать, читать по слогам.

The class could not understand the problem, so the teacher spelled it out for them.

stick around - стоять или ждать поблизости.

John's father told him to stick around and they would go fishing.

-T-

take someone's word for it - верить на слово.

Don't take her word for it - you can see for yourself.

take the cake - превзойти; выйти за пределы нормального поведения (обычно используется, чтобы выразить шок, вызванный чьим-либо плохим поведением);

David has done foolish things in the past, but I never thought he would do anything this foolish. This really takes the cake.

take the wind out of someone's sails - разрушить чьи-либо ожидания.

I was hoping to be accepted by that university. When the rejection letter arrived, it really took the wind out of my sails.

talk rot - нести вздор.

To says that the company is almost bankrupt. It seems to me that he is talking rot.

talk turkey - вести серьезный разговор.

I was ready to get serious about making an offer for the car. I was ready to talk turkey.

think over - подумать хорошенько; размышлять.

When Charles asked Betty to marry him, she asked him for time to think it over.

tit for tat - ответить на действие таким же действием, отплатить тем же.

Mark criticizes Mary's clothes and in return she criticized his haircut. It was tit for tat.

top dog (top banana) - хозяин положения; господствующая или победившая сторона; босс, влиятельный человек.

Who's the top dog in this outfit?

train of thought - направление умозаключения, последовательность взаимосвязанных мыслей.

Dianne couldn't seem to concentrate on her work. Her mind was wandering and she kept losing her train of thought.

troubled waters - неприятности, нерешенные проблемы.

The boy has been arrested repeatedly and has been in and out of jail for months. He's deep in troubled waters.

turn a deaf ear - игнорировать кого-либо.

The child had been whining and crying all day. Eventually his mother turned a deaf ear and ignored him.

turn over a new leaf - "начать новую жизнь".

The man promised the judge that he was finished with his life of crime and that he was ready to turn over a new leaf.

turning point - критический момент, когда выбор должен быть сделан.

Michael's heart attack was a real turning point in his life. He changed his reckless ways and began eating better, exercising more and relaxing more.

-U-

upside down - вверх дном.

Everything was upside down in Brain's room when he came back home.

-W-

 

walk dance on air - ног под собой не чувствовать.

Since Tom and Mary were engaged they have been walking on air.

weed out - удалять, вычищать; отбирать.

Mother weeded out the library because there were too many books.

white lie - невинная ложь, ложь во спасение.

I am too busy to go to their house for dinner tonight. I will call them and tell a little white lie about having the flu.

whole good hour - битый час.

Mary spent a whole good hour waiting for him to finish his conversation with his mother.

-Y-

you are the doctor - вам и карты в руки (разг).

He considered the situation and proposed to get one more chance. "I guess you're the doctor," she said.

your humble servant - ваш покорный слуга

All his letters to me were signed with old-fashioned words, "your humble servant".