Английские идиомы

[give gray hair] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make anxious, confused, or worried. The traffic problem is enough to give apoliceman gray hairs. Compare: GET GRAY HAIR.

[plan on] {v.} 1. To have the plan of; have in mind. — Used with averbal noun. I plan on going to the movies after I finish myhomework. Mary was planning on seeing John at the baseball game. Syn.: FIGURE ON. 2. To think you will do or have; be sure about;expect. I’m hoping to … Читать далее

[knock it off] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. To stop talkingabout something considered not appropriate or nonsensical by thelistener. — Used frequently as an imperative. Come on, Joe, knockit off, you’re not making any sense at all! 2. To cease doingsomething; to quit. — Heavily favored in the imperative. Come onboys, knock it off, you’re … Читать далее

Идиома: on second thought Перевод: после обдумывания чего-либо; после того, как о чем-либо подумать Пример: On second thought I do not think that I will go to a movie tomorrow. Подумав, я, наверное, не пойду завтра в кино.

[sleep a wink] {v. phr.} To get a moment’s sleep; enjoy a bit ofsleep. — Used in negative and conditional statements and in questions. I didn’t sleep a wink all night.

[leave hanging] or [leave hanging in the air] {v. phr.} To leaveundecided or unsettled. Because the committee could not decide on atime and place, the matter of the spring dance was left hanging. Ted’s mother didn’t know what to do about the broken window, so hispunishment was left hanging in the air until his father … Читать далее

[not for the world] or [not for worlds] {adv. phr.} Not at anyprice; not for anything. I wouldn’t hurt his feelings for theworld. Not for worlds would he let his children go hungry.

[short end] {n.} The worst or most unpleasant part. The new boygot the short end of it because all the comfortable beds in thedormitory had been taken before he arrived. The girls who servedrefreshments at the party got the short end of it. When everybody hadbeen served, there was no cake left for them.

[open heart] {n.} 1. No hiding of your feelings; frankness;freedom. She spoke with an open heart of her warm feelings for herpupils. She told her troubles with an open heart. Compare: HEARTON ONE’S SLEEVE. 2. Kindness; generosity. She contributed to thefund with an open heart. Mr. Jones has an open heart forunderprivileged children. Compare: OPEN … Читать далее

Идиома: in luck Перевод: везти, быть удачливым Пример: I think that we are in luck. I was able to buy two tickets for the concert. Думаю, нам везет. Я смог купить два билета на концерт.

[lay on] {v.} 1. To spread on or over a surface; apply. He toldus that we should lay on a second coat of paint for better protectionagainst the weather. 2. To beat; to strike. Little John seized astaff and began to lay on with great energy. 3. See: LAY IT ON.

[good egg] {slang} or {informal} [good scout] {n. phr.} A friendly, kind or good-natured person, a nice fellow. Tommy is such a goodegg that everybody wants to be his friend. Syn.: REGULAR GUY. Contrast: BAD EGG.

[cut loose] {v.} 1. To free from ties or connections, cut the fastenings of. The thief hastily cut the boat loose from its anchor. Compare: LET LOOSE. 2. {informal} To break away from control; get away and be free. The boy left home and cut loose from his parents’ control. 3. {informal} To behave freely … Читать далее

[have a mind to] {v. phr.} To consider doing; intend to witha high degree of probability. I have a good mind to tell my bossthat he doesn’t know how to run our enterprise.

[between the devil and the deep blue sea] or {literary} [between two fires] or [between a rock and a hard place] {adv. phr.} Between two dangers or difficulties, not knowing what to do. The pirates had to fight and be killed or give up and be hanged; they were between the devil and the deep … Читать далее

Идиома: under one’s thumb Перевод: под каблуком, под башмаком, в подчинении, во власти Пример: He is only an assistant salesman but he has his boss under his thumb. Он всего лишь продавец, но его начальник у него во власти.

[industrial park] {n.} A complex of industrial buildings and Orbusinesses usually located far from the center of a city in a settingespecially landscaped to make such buildings look better. Thenearest supermarket that sells car tires is at the industrial parktwenty miles from downtown.

[throw one’s weight around] {v. phr.}, {informal} To use one’sinfluence or position in a showy or noisy manner. John was the starof the class play, and he was throwing his weight around telling thedirector how the scene should be played. Bob was stronger than theother boys, and he threw his weight around. Compare: PULL RANK.

Идиома: amount to the same thing / add up to the same thing / come to the same thing Перевод: быть одним и тем же; или иметь один и тот же эффект, как и что-либо другое Пример: Going by taxi or by bus amounts to the same thing. We will still be late for the … Читать далее

Идиома: mend one’s fences / mend fences with someone Перевод: восстанавливать хорошие, дружественные отношения после ссоры, спора, и т. п. Пример: I made an effort to mend fences with my friend after our recent fight. Я сделал попытку восстановить хорошие отношения с другом после нашей недавней ссоры.

[wiener roast] or [hot dog roast] {n.} A party where frankfurtersare cooked and eaten over an outdoor fire. For his birthday party, John had a wiener roast in his backyard. Mary’s Girl Scout troophad a hot dog roast on their overnight hike.

[follow through] {v. phr.} 1. To finish a movement that you havestarted; continue an action to its natural ending. A footballpasser should follow through after he throws the ball. 2. To finishan action that you have started. Bob drew plans for a table for hismother, but he did not follow through by making it.

[take the fifth] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. Taking refuge behind theFifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States whichguarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself whiletestifying at a trial. Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked whetherhe was a member of the Communist Party. 2. Not to answer any questionin an informal … Читать далее

[crop out] {v.} To appear at the surface; come through or show through from hiding or concealment. Rocks often crop out in New England pasture land. A hidden hate cropped out in his words.

[make away with] {v.}, {informal} Take; carry away; cause todisappear. The lumberjack made away with a great stack ofpancakes. Two masked men held up the clerk and made away with thepayroll. Compare: MAKE OFF.

[gang up on] or [gang up against] {v. phr.}, {informal} To jointlyattack someone, either physically or verbally; take sides in a groupagainst an individual. The class bully was stronger than all theother boys, so they had to gang up on him to put him in his place. Compare: LINE UP.

[pinch and scrape] {v. phr.} To save as much money as possible byspending as little as possible. They are trying to buy their firsthouse so they are pinching and scraping every penny they can.

[hold back] {v.} 1. To stay back or away; show unwillingness. The visitor tried to gel the child to come to her, but he held back. John held back from social activity because he felt embarrassedwith people. 2. To keep someone in place; prevent from acting. Thepolice held back the crowd.

[all-out effort] {n.} A great and thorough effort at solving a given problem. The President is making an all-out effort to convince Congress to pass the pending bill on health care.

[Smokey Bear] or [Smokey-the-Bear] or [the Smokies] {n.}, {slang},{citizen’s band radio jargon} A policeman; a patrol car; frequentlyabbreviated as Smokey. Slow down, Smokey’s ahead! A Smokey ison the move, heading east.

[take it] {v. phr.} 1. To get an idea or impression; understandfrom what is said or done. — Usually used with «I». I take it fromyour silence that you don’t want to go. 2. {informal} To beartrouble, hard work, criticism; not give up or weaken. Henry couldcriticize and tease other boys, but he couldn’t take … Читать далее

Идиома: stay put Перевод: оставаться на месте, не уходить Пример: I’m not going anywhere tonight; I’m going to stay put at home. Сегодня вечером я никуда не иду, я останусь дома.

[musical chairs] {n. phr.} The transfer of a number of officers in an organization intodifferent jobs, especially each other’s jobs. The boss regularlyplayed musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh on thejob.

[look over] {v.} To look at and try to learn something about; lookat every part or piece of or at every one of; examine; inspect; study. I looked hurriedly over the apples in the basket and took one thatlooked good. Mrs. Jones spent the evening looking over the month’sbills and writing checks. When a new … Читать далее

[room clerk] or [desk clerk] {n.} A person who is responsible forassigning rooms and providing service to guests in hotels, motels, inns, etc. At first-class hotels, room clerks are trained to be atthe service of every guest. Sometimes resort hotels in themountains hire college students as room clerks during the summer.

[hug the road] {v. phr.} To stay firmly on the road; ride smoothlywithout swinging. A heavy car with a low center of gravity will hugthe road. At high speeds a car will not hug the road well.

Идиома: rock the boat Перевод: раскачивать лодку, нарушать равновесие, портить положение вещей Пример: The woman is a very quiet worker and never likes to rock the boat at work. Эта женщина — очень тихий работник, и она никогда не портит положение вещей на работе.

[by the sweat of one’s brow] {adv. phr.} By hard work; by tiring effort; laboriously. Even with modern labor-saving machinery, the farmer makes his living by the sweat of his brow.

[get away with murder] {v. phr.}, {informal} To do something verybad without being caught or punished. John is scolded if he is latewith his homework, but Robert gets away with murder. Mrs. Smithlets her children get away with murder.

Идиома: by the skin of one’s teeth Идиома: by the skin of one’s teeth разг. Перевод: еле-еле, едва Пример: We were able to catch the train but only by the skin of our teeth. Мы еле-еле смогли успеть на поезд. He won the election by one vote, by the skin of his teeth. Он едва … Читать далее

[twist one’s arm] {v. phr.}, {informal} To force someone; threatensomeone to make him do something. — Usually used jokingly. Will youdance with the prettiest girl in school? Stop, you’re twisting myarm! I had to twist Tom’s arm to make him eat the candy!

[go halfway] or [go halfway to meet one] or [meet one halfway] {v. phr.} To give up part of what you want or to do your share in reachingan agreement with someone. Our neighbors are willing to go halfwayto meet us and pay their share for a fence between our houses. Bobwants to make up … Читать далее

[draw lots] {v. phr.} To select at random from a series in order to determine precedents or apportionment. The refugees to be evacuated drew lots on who would get a place on the first airplane out of the besieged city.

Идиома: make up for lost time Перевод: делать что-либо быстро, из-за потерянного раннее времени Пример: We wasted several days before we started to prepare for our holiday so we had to work hard to make up for lost time. Мы потеряли несколько дней, перед тем, как начали готовиться к отпуску, поэтому нам пришлось делать все … Читать далее

[latch string] {n.} 1. A string that opens an old-fashioned door bylifting a small bar. The early settlers kept the latch stringoutside the door when they were working around the house, but at nightthey pulled it to the inside. 2. {informal} A warm welcome; afriendly greeting. — Used in such phrases as «the latch string … Читать далее

[touch base with] {v. phr.} To confer or consult with one. Before we make a decision, I’d like to touch base with our financialdepartment.

[eat humble pie] {v. phr.} To be humbled; to accept insult orshame; admit your error and apologize. Tow told a lie about George, and when he was found out, he had to eat humble pie. In some oldstories a boy with a stepfather has to eat humble pie.

[round trip] {n.} A return trip; passage to a place and back. The ticket agent explained that a ticket for a round trip to Hawaiiat certain times of the year may cost less than a one-way ticketduring the high season.

[to no avail] or [of no avail ] {adj. phr.}, {formal} Having noeffect; useless, unsuccessful. Tom’s practicing was of no avail. Hewas sick on the day of the game. Mary’s attempts to learnembroidering were to no avail.

[get even] {v.}, {informal} 1. To owe nothing. Mr. Johnson has alot of debts, but in a few years he will get even. 2. To do somethingbad to pay someone back for something bad; get revenge; hurt back. Jack is waiting to get even with Bill for tearing up his notebook. Last April First Mr. … Читать далее