[on one’s good behavior] {adv. phr.} Behaving right to make a goodimpression. While his father was around the boy was on his goodbehavior, but when the father left the boy soon got into mischief. The minister is coming to dinner, and Mother wants us to be on ourgood behavior.
[feet on the ground] {n. phr.} An understanding of what can bedone; sensible ideas. Used with a possessive. John has his feet onthe ground; he knows he cannot learn everything at once. Teddreams of sudden riches, but Henry keeps his feet on the ground andexpects to work for his money. Mrs. Smith was a dreamer, … Читать далее
Идиома: cross one’s heart (and hope to die) Перевод: клясться, уверять, что что-либо сказанное является правдой; быть готовым перекреститься в качестве правдивости чего-либо Пример: «I promise that I will give you the money next week. Cross my heart and hope to die.» Обещаю, что на следующей неделе дам тебе деньги. Умереть мне на этом месте.
[set in] {v.} To begin; start; develop. Before the boat couldreach shore, a storm had set in. He did not keep the cut clean andinfection set in. The wind set in from the east.
[hang on to your hat] or [hold on to your hat] or [hold your hat]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. Watch out; be prepared. — Used as a command, usually to warn of an unexpected action. «Hold on to your hat,»said Jim as he stepped on the gas and the car shot forward. 2. Getready for a … Читать далее
[stay up late] {v. phr.} To not go to bed until very late. Peterhas to stay up late these days as he is preparing for hiscomprehensive exams. See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.
Идиома: knock someone dead Перевод: сразить наповал, поразить (как правило, хорошим исполнением, хорошо выполненной работой, и т. п.) Пример: The performance of the jazz group knocked the audience dead. Выступление джазовой группы сразило зрителей наповал.
[on the track of] or [on the trail of] Hunting or looking for;trying to find; following. The hunter is on the track of a deer. The lawyer is on the trail of new proof in the case. Jim collectsold stamps; he is on the track of one in Midville this afternoon.
[hand-pick] {v.}, {informal} To choose very carefully. Thisdebating team should win because its members are all hand-picked. The political bosses hand-picked a man for mayor who would agree withthem.
[get on one’s good side] {v. phr.} To gain the favor of someone;flatter or please another. A clever lobbyist knows how to get onthe good side of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
[latch on] or [hitch onto] {v.}, {informal} 1. To get hold of;grasp or grab; catch. He looked for something to latch onto andkeep from falling. The football player latched onto a pass. 2.{slang} To get into your possession. The banker latched onto athousand shares of stock. 3. {slang} To understand. The teacherexplained the idea of … Читать далее
[set on] also [set upon] {v.} 1. To begin suddenly to fightagainst; attack fiercely. Tom was walking through the park when agang of boys set on him. 2. To cause to attack. Some boys went tosteal melons but the farmer set his dog on them.
[visiting nurse] {n.} A nurse who goes from home to home takingcare of sick people or giving help with other health problems. After John returned home from the hospital, the visiting nurse cameeach day to change his bandages.
[fence with] or [spar with] {v.} To talk with as if youwere fighting like a swordsman or boxer; to give skillful answers orarguments against. The governor was an expert at fencingwith reporters at press conferences.
[for hours on end] {adv. phr.} For many hours; for a very longtime. We have been trying to get this computer going for hours onend, but we need serious professional help.
Идиома: as good as one’s word Перевод: держать свое слово Пример: My friend is as good as his word. You can always trust him. Мой друг держит свое слово. Ему всегда можно довериться.
Идиома: get the upper hand (on someone) Перевод: иметь превосходство над кем-либо, господствовать над кем-либо Пример: I got the upper hand during my dispute with the apartment manager. У меня было превосходство во время спора с управляющим квартирой.
Идиома: hand in glove / hand and glove (with someone) Перевод: в тесной связи, заодно Пример: The supervisor and manager work hand in glove to create a positive atmosphere in the company. Руководитель и менеджер работают в тесном контакте друг с другом, чтобы создать позитивную атмосферу в компании.
[bright and early] {adj. phr.} Prompt and alert; on time and ready; cheerful and on time or before time. He came down bright and early to breakfast. She arrived bright and early for the appointment.
[I’ll bet you my bottom dollar] {interj.}, {informal} Anexaggerated assertion of assurance. I’ll bet you my bottom dollarthat the Cubs will win this year.
[get one’s brains fried] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {also usedcolloquially} 1. To sit in the sun and sunbathe for an excessivelength of time. Newcomers to Hawaii should be warned not to sit inthe sun too long — they’ll get their brains fried. 2. To get high ondrugs. He can’t make a coherent sentence anymore — he’s … Читать далее
[duty calls] {n. phr.} One must attend to one’s obligations. «I’d love to stay and play more poker,» Henry said, «but duty calls and I must get back to the office.»
[tooth and nail] {adv. phr.} With all weapons or ways of fightingas hard as possible; fiercely. — Used after «fight» or a similar word. When the Indian girl was captured, she fought tooth and nail to getaway. The farmers fought tooth and nail to save their crops fromthe grasshoppers. His friends fought tooth and nail … Читать далее
[eye shadow] {n. phr.} A cream used to darken the eyelids in orderto make the eyes more noticeable. Jane’s mother told her that girlsin the ninth grade shouldn’t be using eye shadow.
[lead off] {v.} To begin; start; open. Richardson led off theinning with a double. We always let Henry lead off. Mr. Jonesled off with the jack of diamonds. When the teacher asked if thefilm helped them to understand, Phil led off by saying that he learneda lot from it.
[play hooky] {v. phr.}, {informal} To stay out of school to play. Carl is failing in school because he has played hooky so many timesduring the year.
[beat down] {v.} 1. To crush or break the spirit of; win over; conquer. All their defenses were beaten down by the tanks. 2. {informal} a. To try to get reduced; force down by discussing. Can we beat down the price? B. To persuade or force to accept alower price or easier payments. He tried … Читать далее
[clip joint] {n.}, {slang} A low-class night club or other business where people are cheated. The man got drunk and lost all his money in a clip joint. The angry woman said the store was a clip joint.
Идиома: at the appointed hour / at the appointed time Перевод: в назначенный час / время Пример: We went to meet the lawyer at the appointed time. Мы пошли встретиться с адвокатом в назначенное время.
Идиома: get ahold of someone or something / get hold of someone or something Идиома: get ahold of someone or something / get hold of someone or something разг. Перевод: 1. связаться с кем-либо; 2. схватиться, ухватиться за что-либо Пример: I have been trying very hard to get a hold of my old high school … Читать далее
[something else] {adj.}, {slang}, {informal} So good as to bebeyond description; the ultimate; stupendous. Janet Hopper is really something else.
[get the jump on] or [have the jump on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To getahead of; start before ; have an advantage over. Don’t letthe other boys get the jump on you at the beginning of the race. Our team got the jump on their rivals in the first minutes of play, and held the lead … Читать далее
[by virtue of] also [in virtue of] {prep.} On the strength of; because of; by reason of. By virtue of his high rank and position, the President takes social leadership over almost everyone else. Plastic bags are useful for holding many kinds of food, by virtue of their clearness, toughness, and low cost. Compare: BY … Читать далее
[have a sweet tooth] {v. phr.} To be excessively fond of dessertitems, such as ice cream, pies, etc. Jill has a sweet tooth; shealways orders apple pie after a meal in a restaurant.
Идиома: go for it Перевод: сделать что-либо с энтузиазмом; решиться сделать что-либо; попробовать что-либо Пример: We decided to go for it and try to climb the mountain. Мы решились попробовать и залезть на гору.
[flash in the pan] {n. phr.}, {slang} A person or thing that startsout well but does not continue. The new quarterback was a flash inthe pan. Mary got 100 on the first test in arithmetic but it wasjust a flash in the pan because she failed in arithmetic.
[stash bag] or [stuff bag] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A small bagcontaining marijuana cigarettes or the ingredients for making them. The police are holding John because they found a stash bag full ofthe stuff on him. 2. Any small bag resembling a stash bag used forsmall personal items such as lipstick, driver’s license, etc. Doyou … Читать далее
Идиома: arm in arm Перевод: держаться руками, за руки; рука в руку Пример: Both couples walked arm in arm around the grounds of the estate. Обе пары ходили, держась за руки, по поместью.
[against the grain] {adv. phr.} 1. Across rather than with the direction of the fibers. He sandpapered the wood against the grain. 2. So as to annoy or trouble, or to cause anger or dislike. — Usually follows «go». His coarse and rude ways went against the grain with me. It went against the grain … Читать далее
[I’ll say] or [I tell you] {interj.}, {informal} I agree with thiscompletely. — Used for emphasis. Did the children all enjoy AuntSally’s pecan pie? I’ll say! I’ll say this is a good movie!
[square one’s shoulders] {v. phr.} To stand strong and ready togive battle; be brave. Jack squared his shoulders and entered thegame. Graduates must square their shoulders and face the world.
[sweet tooth] {n. phr.} A great weakness or predilection forsweets. Sue has such a sweet tooth that she hardly eats anythingelse but cake.
Идиома: quite a few Перевод: много (употребляется с неисчисляемыми существительными) Пример: The boy has quite a few DVDs at home. У этого мальчика дома много DVD дисков.
Идиома: for one Перевод: что касается, что до Пример: I for one feel very grateful. Что касается меня, то я очень благодарен. Her mother for one was worried. Что до ее матери, то она волновалась.
[pull rank] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To assert one’s superiorposition or authority on a person of lower rank as in exacting aprivilege or a favor. How come you always get the night duty? — Phineas Leman pulled rank on me.
[big cheese] or [big gun] or [big shot] or [big wheel] or [big wig]{n.}, {slang} An important person; a leader; a high official; a person of high rank. Bill had been a big shot in high school. John wanted to be the big cheese in his club. Compare: WHOLE CHEESE.
[man in the moon] {n. phr.} An imaginary or nonexistent person. Stop asking me suchdifficult questions about nuclear physics; I know as much about it asthe man in the moon.
Идиома: feel like a million dollars Перевод: чувствовать себя замечательно, самым лучшим образом Пример: I feel like a million dollars today so I think that I will go for a long walk. Сегодня я чувствую себя просто превосходно, поэтому, думаю, я отправлюсь на долгую прогулку.
Идиома: take something into account / take something into consideration Перевод: принимать что-либо во внимание, учитывать что-либо Пример: Please take into account the fact that the girl has only been studying French for a few weeks. Пожалуйста, прими во внимание то, что девочка изучает французский всего несколько недель.
[later on] {adv.} Later; not now. Finish your lessons. Later on, we may have a surprise. Bill couldn’t stand on his head whenschool started, but later on he learned how.