[in relation to] or [with relation to] {prep.} In connection with;in dealing with; as concerns; in comparison to; respecting; about. Father spoke about school in relation to finding a job when we areolder. What did you say in relation to what happened yesterday? With relation to his job, skill is very important. In relation toTexas, … Читать далее
[lose ground] 1. To go backward; retreat. The soldiers began tolose ground when their leader was killed. Compare: GIVE GROUND. 2. Tobecome weaker; get worse; not improve. The sick man began to loseground when his cough grew worse. When the Democrats are in power, the Republicans lose ground. Contrast: GAIN GROUND.
[turn of the century] {n. phr.} The time at the end of one centuryand the beginning of the next century; {especially}: The time when the1800’s became the 1900’s; the early 1900’s. Automobiles werestrange things to see at the turn of the century.
[in the middle] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} In between two sides of anargument; caught between two dangers. Mary found herself in themiddle of the quarrel between Joyce and Ethel. John promised Tomto go fishing, but his father wanted him to help at home. John was inthe middle.
[tie down] {v.} To keep from going somewhere or doingsomething; prevent from leaving; keep in. Mrs. Brown can’t come tothe party. She’s tied down at home with the children sick. Thenavy tied the enemy down with big gunfire while the marines landed onthe beach. I can’t help you with history now! I’m tied down withthese … Читать далее
[pay off] {v. phr.} 1. To pay the wages of. The men were paidoff just before quitting time, the last day before the holiday. 2. Topay and discharge from a job. When the building was completed hepaid off the laborers. 3. To hurt who has done wrong toyou; get revenge on. When Bob tripped Dick, … Читать далее
[sell off] {v. phr.} To liquidate one’s holdings of certain setitems. The retired professor had to sell off his rare butterflycollection to meet his health expenses.
[the creeps] {n.}, {informal} 1. An uncomfortable tightening of theskin caused by fear or shock. Reading the story of a ghost gave Joethe creeps. The queer noises in the old house gave Mary thecreeps. 2. A strong feeling of fear or disgust. The cold, damp, lonely swamp gave John the creeps. The dog was so … Читать далее
[Johnny-come-lately] {n.} Someone new in a place or group;newcomer; also: a new person who takes an active part in group affairsbefore tlie group has accepted him; upstart. Everybody was amazedwhen a Johnny-come-lately beat the old favorite in the race. Whenit looked as though Mr. Brown had a good chance of winning, manyJohnny-come-latelies began to support … Читать далее
Идиома: in black and white Перевод: в письменной форме, в печатном виде Пример: I want to get the information in black and white before I go to the meeting. Я хочу распечатать эту информацию, прежде чем идти на собрание.
Идиома: in a flash Перевод: мигом, быстро Пример: I was finished with the job interview in a flash. Я быстро прошел собеседование для приема на работу.
Идиома: on all fours Перевод: на четвереньках Пример: I was down on all fours as I looked for my grandmother’s hearing aide. Я на четвереньках искал слуховой аппарат моей бабушки.
[rained out] {adj.} Stopped by rain. The ball game was rainedout in the seventh inning. The Friday night rally in the stadiumwas rained out.
[regular guy] or [regular fellow] {n.}, {informal} A friendlyperson who is easy to get along with; a good sport. You’ll likeTom. He’s a regular guy. Syn.: GOOD EGG.
[man] or [the man] {n.}, {slang} 1. The police; a policeman. Iam gonna turn you in to the man. 2. The boss; the leader; the mostimportant figure in an organization or outfit. The man willdecide.
Идиома: cross a bridge before one comes to it Перевод: думать, волноваться о будущих событиях, проблемах, до того, как они произойдут Пример: We should not worry about that problem now. We can cross that bridge when we come to it. Не следует сейчас волноваться об этой проблеме. Мы позаботимся об этом, когда придет время.
[paint a gloomy picture] {v. phr.} To describe something in agloomy, pessimistic way. We are sad because the weather forecasthas painted a gloomy picture for all of next week when we go onvacation.
[drive to the wall] {v. phr.} To defeat someone completely; to ruin someone. Poor Uncle Jack was driven to the wall by his angry creditors when his business failed. Compare: GO TO THE WALL.
[a la] {prep.} In the same way as; like. Billy played ball like a champion today, a la the professional ball players. Joe wanted to shoot an apple off my head a la William Tell.
[knock oneself out] {v. phr.}, {informal} To work very hard; make agreat effort. Mrs. Ross knocked herself out planning her daughter’swedding. Tom knocked himself out to give his guests a good time. Compare: BREAK ONE’S NECK, FALL OVER BACKWARDS, OUT OF ONE’S WAY.
[cross-check ] {v.} To test the truth of by examining in different ways or by seeing different reports about. If you see something in a book that may not be true, be sure to cross-check it in other books.
[one of these days] or [some of these days] {adv. phr.} Someday;sometime soon. One of these days Herbert will be famous. I’mgoing to do that sewing some of these days.
Идиома: at face value Перевод: по номинальной стоимости Пример: At face value the old stamp was worth almost nothing. Номинальная стоимость этой марки была равна почти что нулю.
Идиома: armed to the teeth Перевод: вооружен до зубов Пример: The police were armed to the teeth during the raid. Во время облавы полицейские были вооружены до зубов.
Идиома: last-ditch effort Перевод: последняя попытка, последнее усилие Пример: The government made a last-ditch effort to prevent a strike by the teachers. Правительство сделало последнюю попытку предотвратить забастовку учителей.
Идиома: speak one’s piece / speak one’s mind Перевод: говорить откровенно, начистоту; говорить все, как есть Пример: I think that it is time for me to speak my piece and tell somebody about my complaints about our company. Наверное, теперь и мне пора сказать то, что я думаю и пожаловаться кому-нибудь на нашу компанию.
[puffed up] {adj.} Elated; proud; conceited. Just because Bobinherited some money from his father is no reason for him to act sopuffed up.
[face up to] {v. phr.} 1. To bravely confront a person or achallenge; admit. Jack doesn’t want to face up to the fact thatHelen doesn’t love him anymore. Jane cannot face up to hermother-in-law who always wins every argument they have. 2. To confesssomething to someone; confess to having done something. Jim had toface up … Читать далее
[zero hour] {n.} 1. The exact time when an attack or other militaryaction is supposed to start. Zero hour for the bombers to take offwas midnight. 2. The time when an important decision or change issupposed to come; the time for a dangerous action. It was zero hourand the doctor began the operation on the … Читать далее
[straight ticket] {n.} A vote for all the candidates of a singleparty. Uncle Fred was a loyal member of his party. He always votedthe straight ticket. Contrast: SPLIT TICKET.
Идиома: all important Перевод: самое важное, срочное или необходимое Пример: The meeting is all important and I plan to attend it. Собрание очень важное, и я собираюсь посетить его.
[thank one’s lucky stars] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be thankful forgood luck; think oneself lucky. You can thank your lucky stars youdidn’t fall in the hole.
[make a dent in] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make less by a very smallamount; reduce slightly. — Usually used in the negative or with suchqualifying words as «hardly» or «barely». John shoveled andshoveled, but he didn’t seem to make a dent in the pile of sand. Mary studied all afternoon and only made a dent … Читать далее
[misfire] {v.} To fail to appeal; fall flat. The standup comic’sjokes misfired with the audience. Compare: GO OVER LIKE A LEADBALLOON.
Идиома: quiet as a mouse Перевод: быть очень тихим, молчаливым, робким Пример: The little boy was quiet as a mouse as he moved around the kitchen. Маленький мальчик был очень тих, когда передвигался по кухне.
[all walks of life] {n. phr.} All socioeconomic groups; all professions and lines of work. A good teacher has to be able to communicate with students from all walks of life. A clever politician doesn’t alienate people from any walk of life.
[give an ear to] or [lend an ear to] {v. phr.}, {literary} Tolisten to. Children should give an ear to their parents’ advice. The king lent an ear to the complaints of his people.
[call one’s bluff] {v. phr.}, {informal} To ask someone to prove what he says he can or will do. . Tom said he could jump twenty feet and so Dick called his bluff and said «Let’s see you do it!»
[horse of a different color] or [horse of another color] {n. phr.},{informal} Something altogether separate and different. Anyone canbe broke, but to steal is a horse of a different color. Do youmean that the boy with that pretty girl is her brother? I thought hewas her boyfriend. Well, that’s a horse of another color.
Идиома: prone to something Перевод: склонный к чему-либо Пример: Our manager is prone to saying some very strange things. Наш менеджер постоянно говорит какие-то очень странные вещи.
[dead set against] {adj. phr.} Totally opposed to someone or something. Jack is dead set against the idea of marriage, which upsets Mary.
[change one’s tune] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make a change in your story, statement, or claim; change your way of acting. The man said he was innocent, but when they found the stolen money in his pocket he changed his tune. Bob was rude to his teacher, but she threatened to tell the principal and … Читать далее
[so it goes] Akin to the French «c’est la vie!» This exclamationmeans «that’s life.» Too bad Jim has lost his job but there arelots of people who are better qualified; well, so it goes!
[in days] or [weeks] or [years to come] {adv. phr.} In the future. In the years to come I will be thinking of my father’s advice aboutlife.
Идиома: recognize someone or something for what it / he / she is Перевод: видеть и понимать, что кто-либо или что-либо из себя представляет Пример: Everyone was able to recognize our new principal for what he is. He is a very difficult person to work with. Все понимали, что собой представляет наш новый директор. С … Читать далее
[drink like a fish] {v. phr.} To drink in great quantities; to be addicted to alcohol. John is a nice guy but, unfortunately, he drinks like a fish.
[end in itself] {n. phr.} Something wanted for its own sake; apurpose, aim, or goal we want for itself alone and not as a way tosomething else. The miser never spent his gold because for him itwas an end in itself.
[jot down] {v. phr.} To quickly commit to writing; make a quicknote of something. Let me jot down your address so that I can sendyou a postcard from Europe.
[head start] {n.} 1. A beginning before someone; lead or advantageat the beginning. The other racers knew they couldn’t catch Don ifhe got too big a head start. Joe has a head start. He began tostudy earlier than we did. 2. A good beginning. Let’s get a headstart in painting the house by getting up … Читать далее
Идиома: put the cart before the horse Перевод: ставить телегу впереди лошади; сделать что-либо в неправильном порядке, спутать, перепутать; неправильно что-либо расположить Пример: I think that my friend is putting the cart before the horse to talk about remodeling the house before he buys it. Мне кажется, что мой друг ставит телегу впереди лошади, когда … Читать далее