Английские идиомы

[word of mouth] {n. phr.} Communication by oral rather than writtenmeans. The merchant told us that the best customers he had wererecommended to him by word of mouth.

[out of the swim] {adj. phr.} Not doing what others are doing; notactive in business or social affairs. Mary had to stay home andtake care of Mother while she was sick, and soon felt out of theswim. The toy manufacturer who is out of the swim will losemoney. Contrast: IN THE SWIM.

[play politics] {v. phr.} To make secret agreements for your owngain; handle different groups for your own advantage. In order toget elected, he had to play politics with both the unions and thebosses. Mary always gets what she wants by playing officepolitics.

[runner-up] {n.} The person who finishes second in a race orcontest; the one next after the winner. Tom won the race and Jackwas runner-up. Joan was runner-up in the contest for classsecretary. Compare: SECOND-BEST.

[no wonder] also [small wonder] {adj.} Not surprising; to beexpected. It is no wonder that the children love to visit thefarm. The Browns didn’t go to the fair. Small wonder — theydislike large noisy crowds.

[rule the roost] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be leader or boss; be incharge. Jim is very bossy; he always wants to rule the roost. Who rules the roost in the Smith’s house? Compare: WEAR THETROUSERS.

[iron horse] {n.}, {informal} A railroad locomotive; the engine ofa railroad train. In its first days, the iron horse frightened manypeople as it roared across country scattering sparks.

[keep a civil tongue in one’s head] {v. phr.} To be polite inspeaking. He was very angry with his boss, but he kept a civiltongue in his head. The bus driver began yelling at the woman andshe told him to keep a civil tongue in his head.

[lit up like a Christmas tree] {adj. phr.}, {informal} To be drunk. On New Year’s Eve Ned was lit up like a Christmas tree. Compare:THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[lose touch] {v. phr.}, {informal} To fail to keep in contact orcommunication. — Usually used with «with». After she moved toanother town, she lost touch with her childhood friends. Compare: OUTOF TOUCH.

[out of keeping] {adj. phr.} Not going well together; not agreeing;not proper. Loud talk was out of keeping in the library. It wasout of keeping for the kind man to kick the dog. Contrast: INKEEPING.

[come up in the world] or [rise in the world] {v. phr.} To gain success, wealth, or importance in life; rise to a position of greater wealth or importance. He had come up in the world since he peddled his wife’s baked goods from a pushcart. Compare: GET AHEAD. Contrast: COME DOWN IN THE WORLD.

[fall guy] {n.}, {slang} The «patsy» in an illegal transaction; asucker; a dupe; the person who takes the punishment others deserve. When the Savings and Loan Bank failed, due to embezzlement, the vicepresident had to be the fall guy, saving the necks of the owners.

[keel over] {v.} 1. To turn upside down; tip over; overturn. — Usually refers to a boat. The strong wind made the sailboat keelover and the passengers fell into the water. 2. {informal} To fallover in a faint; taint. It was so hot during the assembly programthat two girls who were standing on the stage … Читать далее

[throw something in one’s face] or [throw something in one’s teeth]{v. phr.} To blame a person for ; not allow someoneto forget. — Often used with «back». Bobcame home late for dinner last week, and his mother keeps throwing itback in his face. I made a mistake in the ball game and the boyskeep throwing … Читать далее

[harebrained] {adj.} Thoughtless; foolish. Most of theharebrained things Ed does may be attributable to his youth and lackof experience.

[control tower] {n.} A tower with large windows and a good view of an airport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and controlled, usually by radio. We could see the lights at the control tower as our plane landed during the night.

[fall over backwards] or [fall over oneself] {v. phr.} To doeverything you can to please someone; try very hard to satisfysomeone. The hotel manager fell over backwards to give the moviestar everything she wanted. The boys fell over themselves tryingto get the new girl’s attention.

[pie in the sky] {n. phr.}, {informal} An unrealistic wish or hope. Our trip to Hawaii is still only a pie in the sky. Compare: PIPEDREAM.

[chickens come home to roost] {informal} Words or acts come back to cause trouble for a person; something bad you said or did receives punishment; you get the punishment that you deserve. Fred’s chickens finally came home to roost today. He was late so often that the teacher made him go to the principal. — … Читать далее

[eager beaver] {n. phr.}, {slang} A person who is always eager towork or do anything extra, perhaps to win the favor of his leader orboss. Jack likes his teacher and works hard for her, but hisclassmates call him an eager beaver. The man who was promoted tobe manager was an eager beaver who got to … Читать далее

[knock about] or [knock around] {v.} To travel without a plan; gowhere you please. After he graduated from college, Joe knockedabout for a year seeing the country before he went to work in hisfather’s business. Compare: KICK AROUND.

[two] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA or BETWEEN TWOFIRES, TWO CENTS, BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH, CUT BOTHWAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE, IN TWO, KILL TWOBIRDS WITH ONE STONE, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER, STAND ON … Читать далее

[go by the board] also [pass by the board] {v. phr.} To go away ordisappear forever, be forgotten or not used. Tom had severalchances to go to college, but he let them go by the board. Grandfather said he was too old to go to the beach. «Those days havepassed by the board,» he said. … Читать далее

[kick up a fuss] or [kick up a row] or [raise a row] also [kick upa dust] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make trouble; make a disturbance. When the teacher gave the class five more hours of homework, theclass kicked up a fuss. When the teacher left the room, two boyskicked up a row. Compare: RAISE … Читать далее

[outback] {n.} 1. The remote and uncultivated wilderness areas ofAustralia or New Zealand, with very few inhabitants. Mike andBarbara roughed it in the Australian outback for nearly two years. 2.Any remote, sparsely populated region. Tom’s old ranch in Texas isnext to an arid outback.

[on trial] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. For testing or trying out for atime before making a decision. I was lucky that I had bought themachine on trial because I didn’t like it and was able to return it. Mother bought a new dishwasher on trial and was trying it outbefore deciding whether to keep … Читать далее

[ringleader] {n. phr.} The chief of an unsavory group; a higher-up. The FBI finally caught up with the ringleader of the dope smugglersfrom South America.

[in the long run] {adv. phr.} In the end; in the final result. John knew that lie could make a success of the little weekly paper inthe long run. You may make good grades by studying only beforeexaminations, but you will succeed in the long run only by studyinghard every day.

[fight off] {v. phr.} 1. To struggle against someone so as to freeoneself; push an attacker back. Suzy fought off her two attackersin Central Park with a couple of karate chops. 2. To strive toovercome something negative. After twelve hours at the computerterminal, Jane had to fight off her overwhelming desire to go tosleep.

[for good] also [for good and all] Permanently, forever, foralways. The lost money was gone for good. He hoped that therepairs would stop the leak for good. When John graduated fromschool, he decided that he was done with study for good and all. Syn.: FOR KEEPS.

[at face value] {prep. phr.} What one can actually hear, read, or see; literally. John is so honest that you can take his words at face value. This store’s advertisements are honest; take them at face value.

[blood runs cold] also [blood freezes] or [blood turns to ice] You are chilled or shivering from great fright or horror; you are terrified or horrified. — Usually used with a possessive. The horror movie made the children’s blood run cold. Mary’s blood froze when she had to walk through the cemetery at night. Oscar’s … Читать далее

[flip out] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To go insane, to go outof one’s mind. A is impossible to talk to Joe today — he must haveflipped out.

[fuck around] {v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} 1. To bepromiscuous. John fucks around with the secretaries. 2. To play atsomething without purpose, to mess around. He doesn’t accomplishanything, because he fucks around so much.

[believe one’s ears] {v. phr.} 1. To believe what one hears; trust one’s hearing. — Used with a negative or limiter, or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. He thought he heard a horn blowing in the distance, but he could not believe his ears. 2. To be made sure of. Is he really coming? … Читать далее

[think over] {v.} To think carefully about; consider; study. When Charles asked Betty to marry him, she asked him for time tothink it over. Think over what we studied in history this year andwrite a lesson on the thing that interested you most. Compare: MAKEUP ONE’S MIND, SEE ABOUT.

[chicken switch] {n.}, {slang}, {Space English} 1. The emergency eject button used by test pilots in fast and high flying aircraft by means of which they can parachute to safety if the engine fails; later adopted by astronauts in space capsules. Don’t pull the chicken switch, unless absolutely necessary. 2. The panic button; a panicky … Читать далее

[live and let live] To live in the way you prefer and let otherslive as they wish without being bothered by you. Father scoldsMother because she wears her hair in curlers and Mother scolds Fatherbecause he smokes a smelly pipe. Grandfather says it’s her hair andhis pipe; live and let live. Compare: GIVE AND TAKE, … Читать далее

[bug in one’s ear] {n. phr.}, {informal} A hint; secret information given to someone to make him act; idea. I saw Mary at the jeweler’s admiring the diamond pin; I’ll put a bug in Henry’s ear.

[live and learn] You learn more new things the longer you live; youlearn by experience. — A proverb. «Live and learn,» said Mother. «Inever knew that the Indians once had a camp where our house is.» Janet made her new dress from cheap cloth, and when she washed it, itshrank and was too little. Live … Читать далее

[give rein to] or [give free rein to] {v. phr.} To remove allrestrictions or limitations from someone or something. When shewrote her first mystery novel, the talented novelist gave rein to herimagination.

[with open arms] {adv. phr.} 1. With the arms spread wide forhugging or catching. When Father came home from work, little Sallyran out to meet him with open arms. Dick stood under the windowwith open arms, and Jean dropped the bag of laundry down to him. 2.With words or actions showing that you are glad … Читать далее

[over the top] {adv. phr.} 1. Out of the trenches and against theenemy. The plan was to spend the night in the trenches and go overthe top at dawn. Johnny found that he was braver than he thoughthe would be when his company went over the top. 2. Over the goal. Our goal was to … Читать далее

[thorn in the flesh] or [thorn in one’s side] {n. phr.} Somethingthat causes stubborn trouble; a constant bother; a vexation. Thenew voter organization soon became the biggest thorn in the senator’sside. The guerrilla band was a thorn in the flesh of theinvaders.

[head for the hills] {v. phr.}, {informal} To get far away in ahurry; run away and hide. — Often used imperatively. Head for thehills. The bandits are coming. He saw the crowd chasing him, so heheaded for the hills. When they saw the mean boy coming, they allheaded for the hills. Compare: BEAT IT, LIGHT … Читать далее

[heap coals of fire on one’s head] {v. phr.}, {literary} To be kindor helpful to someone who has done wrong to you, so that he isashamed. Alice heaped coals of fire on Mary’s head by inviting herto a party after Mary had gossiped about her. Jean Valjean stolethe Bishop’s silver, but the Bishop heaped coals … Читать далее

[top-drawer] {adj.}, {informal} Of the best; or most importantkind. Mary’s art work was top-drawer material. Mr. Rogers is atop-drawer executive and gets a very high salary.

[take advantage of] {v. phr.} 1. To make good use of. The cattook advantage of the high grass to creep up on the bird. Jeantook advantage of the lunch hour to finish her homework. 2. To treat unfairly for your own gain or help; make unfair use of. He took advantage of his friend’s kindness. … Читать далее

[nose out] {v.}, {informal} 1. To learn by effort ; uncover. The principal nosed out the truthabout the stolen examination. 2. To defeat by a nose length; come ina little ahead of in a race or contest. The horse we liked nosedout the second horse in a very close finish. The Democraticcandidate nosed out his … Читать далее