Идиома: all ears Идиома: all ears разг. Перевод: внимательно слушать, превратиться в слух Пример: I’m all ears, please tell me about the party. Я весь внимание — пожалуйста, расскажи мне о вечеринке.
Идиома: a slippery slope Перевод: скользкий путь; опасный путь, путь чреватый опасностями Пример: The matter of euthanasia is a slippery slope with both legal and moral considerations. Вопрос об эвтаназии — скользкий путь, как с правовой, так и с моральной точек зрения.
[go from strength to strength] {v. phr.} To move forward, increasing one’s fame, power, or fortune in a series of successfulachievements. Our basketball team has gone from strength tostrength.
[work into] {v.} 1. Force into little by little. John worked hisfoot into the boot by pushing and pulling. 2. Put into; mix into. Mary worked some blue into the rug she was weaving.
[take steps] {v. phr.} To begin to make plans or arrangements; makepreparations; give orders. — Usually used with «to» and an infinitive. The city is taking steps to replace its streetcars with busses.
[hatchet face] {n.} A long narrow face with sharp parts; also, aperson with such a face. Johnny was sent to the principal’s officebecause he called his teacher old hatchet face. He washatchet-faced and not at all handsome.
[see the light of day] {v. phr.} To be born or begun. Thechildren visited the old house where their great-grandfather first sawthe light of day. The party was a failure, and Mathilda wished herplan had never seen the light of day.
[in private] {adj.} or {adv. phr.} Not openly or in public; apartfrom others; confidentially; secretly. Mr. Jones waited until theywere home in private before he punished his son. The teacher toldSusan that she wanted to talk to her in private after class. Compare:IN SECRET. Contrast: IN PUBLIC.
[nutty as a fruitcake] {adj. phr.}, {slang} Very crazy; entirelymad. He looked all right, as we watched him approach, but when hebegan to talk, we saw that he was as nutty as a fruitcake.
[put on airs] {v. phr.} To show conceit; act in a superior orcondescending manner. The fact that her parents own a villa inCapri is no reason for Amanda to keep putting on airs.
[honeymoon is over] The first happy period of friendship andcooperation between two persons or groups is over. A few monthsafter a new President is elected, the honeymoon is over and Congressand the President begin to criticize each other. The honeymoon wassoon over for the new foreman and the men under him.
Идиома: raise eyebrows Перевод: поднять брови (от удивления, неодобрения, и т. п.) Пример: It raised eyebrows when the actress appeared at the party with no invitation. Когда актриса появилась на вечере без приглашения, все подняли брови от удивления.
Идиома: slap in the face Перевод: пощечина, оскорбление Пример: Not getting a promotion was a slap in the face for the sales manager. То, что менеджер по продажам не получил повышения, было ему как пощечина.
[lose one’s shirt] {v. phr.}, {slang} To lose all or most of yourmoney. Uncle Joe spent his life savings to buy a store, but itfailed, and he lost his shirt. Mr. Matthews lost his shirt bettingon the horses.
[by the piece] {adv. phr.} Counted one piece at a time, separately for each single piece. John bought boxes full of bags of potato chips and sold them by the piece. Mary made potholders and got paid by the piece.
[bee in one’s bonnet] {n. phr.}, {informal} A fixed idea that seems fanciful, odd, or crazy. Robert Fulton had a bee in his bonnet about a steam boat. Grandmother has some bee in her bonnet about going to the dance.
[go about one’s business] {v. phr.} To mind one’s own affairs. Fred kept bothering me with his questions all day, so I finally toldhim to go about his business and leave me alone.
[for all one cares] {adv. phr.} In the opinion of one who is notinvolved or who does not care what happens. For all Jane cares, poor Tom might as well drop dead.
[line of least resistance] or [path of least resistance] {n. phr.}The easiest way; the way that takes least effort. In becoming adoctor like his father John had really just followed the line of leastresistance. Some parents take the path of least resistance withtheir children and let them do as they please.
Идиома: go up in flames / go up in smoke Перевод: сгореть, быть уничтоженным огнем; провалиться, не суметь сделать что-либо; не осуществиться Пример: The waiter’s plans to open a new restaurant went up in smoke after he lost his job. Планы работника по открытию нового ресторана не осуществились, когда он потерял работу.
[ready money] {n. phr.} Cash on hand. Frank refuses to buythings on credit, but, if he had the ready money, he would buy thatlovely old house.
[in one’s favor] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} In a way that is good foryou. Both teams claimed the point, but the referee decided in ourfavor. Bob made good grades in high school, and that was in hisfavor when he looked for a job. Compare: COME ONE’S WAY.
[sight for sore eyes] {n. phr.}, {informal} A welcome sight. After our long, dusty hike, the pond was a sight for sore eyes. «Jack! You’re a sight for sore eyes!»
[lose face] {v.} To be embarrassed or shamed by an error orfailure; lose dignity, influence or reputation; lose self-respect orthe confidence of others. Many Japanese soldiers were killed inWorld War II because they believed that to give up or retreat wouldmake them lose face. John’s careless work made him lose face withhis employer. The banker … Читать далее
[in the prime of life] {adv. phr.} At the peak of one’s creativeabilities; during the most productive years. Poor John lost his jobdue to restructuring when he was in the prime of his life.
[fill out] {v.} 1. To put in what is missing; complete; finish;{especially}, to complete by writing the missing facts in the blank spaces; to write down factswhich are asked for in After Tom passedhis driving test he filled out an application for his driver’slicense. The policeman filled out a report of the accident. 2. Tobecome … Читать далее
Идиома: at first Перевод: сперва, вначале Пример: At first, I did not want to go to the movie but I later changed my mind. Сперва я не хотел идти в кино, но потом передумал.
[lie low] or {nonstandard} [lay low] {v.}, {informal} 1. To stayquietly out of sight; try not to attract attention; hide. Afterholding up the bank, the robbers lay low for a while. 2. To keepsecret one’s thoughts or plans. I think he wants to be electedpresident, but he is lying low and not saying anything.
[by inches] {adv. phr.} By small or slow degrees; little by little; gradually. The river was rising by inches. They got a heavy wooden beam under the barn for a lever, and managed to move it by inches. He was dying by inches.
[sit-up] {n.} A vigorous exercise in which the abdominal musclesare strengthened by locking one’s feet in a fastening device andsitting up numerous times. Do a few sit-ups if you want to reduceyour waist.
Идиома: put in time Перевод: тратить время на что-либо Пример: He put in a lot of time fixing up his house and now it looks very beautiful. Он много времени потратил на ремонт своего дома, и сейчас он очень красиво выглядит.
Идиома: a man of parts / a man of many parts Перевод: способный, талантливый человек; человек, умеющий многое Пример: Jim is a man of many parts — ruthless businessman, loving father, and accomplished sportsman, to name a few. Джим — способный человек — безжалостный бизнесмен, любящий отец, и успешный спортсмен, и это еще не все.
Идиома: afraid of one’s own shadow Перевод: бояться собственной тени; всего бояться; быть боязливым Пример: The small dog is afraid of his own shadow. Эта маленькая собака боится собственной тени.
[white elephant] {n. phr.} Unwanted property, such as real estate, that is hard to sell. That big house of theirs on the corner sureis a white elephant.
Идиома: be up to someone Перевод: принимать на себя ответственность, считать себя обязанным, брать на свое усмотрение Пример: The success of this project is up to us. Успех этого проекта зависит от нас. It is up to the manager to clean the apartment lobby. Ответственность за чистку вестибюля лежит на менеджере.
Идиома: brand-new / brand new Перевод: совершенно новый Пример: I was finally able to buy a brand-new car. Мне, наконец, удалось купить абсолютно новую машину.
Идиома: the reality of the situation Перевод: действительность, реальность того, что происходит Пример: The reality of the situation is that it is very difficult to enter that university. Реальность такова, что в этот университет очень сложно поступить.
[fasten on] {v. phr.} To attach; tie something to make it secure. «Fasten on your life jackets when you get into the life boats,» thecaptain said.
[sacred cow] {n.} A person or thing that is never criticized, laughed at, or insulted even if it deserves such treatment. Motherhood is a sacred cow to most politicians. The bold younggovernor had no respect for the state’s sacred cows. Televisionrespects too many sacred cows.
[chance on] also [chance upon] {v.} To happen to find or meet; find or meet by accident. On our vacation we chanced upon an interesting antique store. Mary dropped her ring in the yard, and Mother chanced on it as she was raking. Syn.: HAPPEN ON. Compare: RUN INTO.
[Pidgin English] {n. phr.} A jargon that consists of somemispronounced English words and some foreign words used by Orientalsin talking with Westerners. You can conduct a lot of business inPidgin English in the Far East.
[do with] {v.} 1. To find enough for one’s needs; manage. — Usually follows «can». Some children can do with very little spending money. Compare: GET ALONG, MAKE DO. 2. To make use of; find useful or helpful. — Follows «can» or «could». After a hard day’s work, a man can do with a good, … Читать далее
[magic carpet] {n.} 1. A rug said to be able to transport a personthrough the air to any place he wishes. The caliph of Baghdad flewon his magic carpet to Arabia. 2. Any form of transportation that iscomfortable and easy enough to seem magical. Flying the Concordfrom Dallas to London seemed like boarding the magic … Читать далее
[fade back] {v.} To back away from the line before passing infootball. The quarterback is fading back to pass. Compare: DROPBACK.
Идиома: pouring rain Перевод: проливной дождь, очень сильный дождь Пример: I went outside in the pouring rain and became very wet. Я вышел на улицу в проливной дождь и сильно намок.
[have a field day] {v. phr.} To enjoy great success or unlimitedopportunity. The visiting basketball team was so weak that ourschool had a field day scoring one point after another.
[about one’s ears] or [around one’s ears] {adv. phr.} To or into complete collapse, defeat, or ruin; to the destruction of a person’s plans, hopes, or happiness. They planned to have factories all over the world but the war brought their plans down about their ears. John hoped to go to college and become a … Читать далее
[son of a bitch] or [sunuvabitch] also S. O. B. {n. phr.}, {vulgar},{avoidable} . Fellow, character, guy, individual. Negatively: Get out of here you filthy, miserablesunuvabitch! Positively: So you won ten million dollars at thelottery, you lucky son of a bitch! Compare: SON OF AGUN.
[head out] {v.} 1. To go or point away. The ship left port andheaded out to sea. The car was parked beside the house. It washeaded out towards the street. 2. {informal} Leave; start out. Ihave a long way to go before dark. I’m going to head out.
[muscle in on] {v. phr.} To intrude; penetrate; force oneself intoanother’s business or territory. The eastern Mafia muscled in onthe western Mafia’s turf and a shooting war was started.