Идиома: play innocent Перевод: притворяться невиновным Пример: The little boy played innocent when the teacher asked him about the broken window. Маленький мальчик делал вид, что он ни при чем, когда учитель спросил его о сломанном окне.
[make a fool of] or [make a monkey of] {v. phr.} To make look foolish. The boy made a fool of himself. Mary’sclassmates made a fool of her by telling her the party was to be amasquerade.
Идиома: sit back and let something happen Перевод: расслабиться и не вмешиваться во что-либо Пример: I did not want to sit back and let things happen so I began to make some phone calls about my situation. Я не хотел просто сидеть и ничего не делать, поэтому я начал звонить, пытаясь решить свою проблему.
[little does one think] {v. phr.} To not realize; not expect; behardly aware of. Little did Ed think that very soon he would be thefather of twin daughters.
[hold out] {v. phr.} 1. To put forward; reach out; extend; offer. Mr. Ryan held out his hand in welcome. The clerk held out a dressfor Martha to try on. The Company held out many fine promises toJack in order to get him to work for them. 2. To keep resisting; notyield; refuse to give … Читать далее
Идиома: song and dance / songs and dances Идиома: song and dance / songs and dances разг. Перевод: целая история, сказки (история, придуманная с целью оправдаться, ввести в заблуждение, или обмануть) Пример: My friend gave me a song and dance about being busy but I did not believe him. Мой друг рассказал мне целую историю … Читать далее
Идиома: ahead of the game Перевод: сделать более, чем необходимо Пример: We worked hard all week in order to be ahead of the game on Monday morning. Мы всю неделю много работали, чтобы успеть все сделать к утру понедельника.
[to blame] {adj. phr.} Having done something wrong; to be blamed;responsible. John was to blame for the broken window. Theteacher tried to find out who was to blame in the fight.
[room with] {v. phr.} 1. To live in a furnished room with someoneas a roommate without having an affair. I roomed with him incollege for four years. 2. To live together as husband and wifewithout the benefit of marriage. Dan and Sue have been roomingtogether for quite a while and people are wondering if they … Читать далее
Идиома: on the average Перевод: в среднем, обычно, в общем Пример: On the average I get about eight hours of sleep every night. В среднем, я сплю примерно восемь часов каждую ночь.
[on the ropes] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Against the ropes of aboxing ring and almost not able to stand up. The fighter was on theropes and could hardly lift his gloves. 2. Almost defeated; helpless;near failure. The new supermarket took most of the business fromMr. Thomas’s grocery, and the little store was soon on … Читать далее
[butter up] {v.}, {informal} To try to get the favor or friendship of by flattery or pleasantness. He began to butter up the boss in hope of being given a better job. Compare: POLISH THE APPLE.
[SWAT team] {n.}, {informal} Police unit trained for especiallyhazardous or sensitive law-enforcement assignments; short for SpecialWeapons and Tactics. Joe made the SWAT team of the NYPD due to hisathletic skills.
[in practice ] also [into practice] {adv. phr.} In actual doing. The idea sounds good but will it work in practice? It is easyto say that we will he good. It is harder to put the saying intopractice.
[have an affair with] {v. phr.} To have a sexual relationship withsomeone, either before marriage or outside of one’s marriage. Towand Jane had a long and complex affair but they never got married.
[shift for oneself] {v. phr.} To live or act independently with nohelp, guidance or protection from others; take care of yourself. Mrs. McCarthy was forced to shift for herself after her husbanddied.
[keep one’s word] {v. phr.} To do what one has promised; fulfillone’s promise. Paul kept his word and paid me the $250 that he owedme right on time.
[except for] or {formal} [but for] {prep.} 1. With the exceptionof; if were left out; omitting. Exceptfor John, the whole class passed the test. 2. Without. I’d havebeen lost but for you.
[pick holes in] {v. phr.} To criticize or find fault withsomething, such as a speech, a statement, a theory, etc. It iseasier to pick holes in someone else’s argument than to make a goodone yourself.
[make do] {v. phr.} To use a poor substitute when one does not havethe right thing. John did not have a hammer, and he had to make dowith a heavy rock. This motel isn’t what we wanted, but we mustmake do. Many families manage to make do on very little income. Compare: GET ALONG.
[not worth a tinker’s damn] or not [worth a tinker’s dam] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not worth anything; valueless. As a bricklayer hewas not worth a tinker’s damn. I am not familiar with the subjectso my opinion would not be worth a tinker’s dam.
Идиома: have a thick skin / be thick-skinned Перевод: толстокожий, нечувствительный к обидам, критике, оскорблениям Пример: People will tell you they don’t like your clothes or your voice or the color of your eyes, so you need to have a thick skin to survive. Люди будут говорить, что им не нравится твоя одежда, или твой … Читать далее
Идиома: a green thumb Перевод: талант, способность к садоводству, к выращиванию растений Пример: The man has a green thumb and has a very beautiful garden. У этого человека отлично получается все выращивать, и у него очень красивый сад.
[life of Riley] {n. phr.}, {informal} A soft easy life; pleasant orrich way of living. He’s living the life of Riley. He doesn’t haveto work anymore. Compare: BED OF ROSES, IN CLOVER, LIVE HIGH OFF THEHOG.
[turn off] {v.} 1. To stop by turning a knob or handle or byworking a switch; to cause to be off. He turned the water off. He turned off the light. 2. To leave by turning right or left ontoanother way. Turn off the highway at exit 5. The car turnedoff on Bridge Street. 3. … Читать далее
[breakthrough] {n.} A point of sudden success after a long process of experimentation, trial and error. The U. S. Space Program experienced a major breakthrough when Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in June of 1969.
[stick to one’s ribs] or [stick to the ribs] {v. phr.}, {informal}To keep you from getting hungry again too quickly. Doctors say youshould eat a good breakfast that sticks to your ribs. Farmers eatfood that sticks to the ribs.
[coming out party] {n. phr.} A debutante party in which a young girl is formally introduced to society. Coming out parties used to be more popular in the early twentieth century than nowadays, primarily because they cost a lot of money.
Идиома: take it easy Идиома: take it easy разг. Перевод: расслабиться, относиться к чему-либо поспокойнее Пример: I have been working hard recently so I have decided to take it easy for a few days. Последнее время я много работал, поэтому я решил отдохнуть несколько дней.
Идиома: fall in love (with someone or something) Перевод: влюбиться в кого-либо или что-либо Пример: I fell in love with the girl the first time that I saw her at the restaurant. Я влюбился в эту девушку, когда увидел ее в первый раз в ресторане. We fell in love with the house when we first … Читать далее
[worse for wear] {adj. phr.} Not as good as new; worn out; damagedby use. — Used with «the». Her favorite tablecloth was beginning tolook the worse for wear. — Often used with «none» to mean: as good asnew. The doll was Mary’s favorite toy but it was none the worse forwear.
[on occasion] {adv. phr.} Sometimes; occasionally. We go to NewYork on occasion. On occasion we feel like celebrating and have aparty. Compare: ONCE IN A WHILE, FROM TIME TO TIME.
[as you please] 1. As you like, whatever you like or prefer; as you choose. You may do as you please. 2. {informal} Very. — Used after an adjective or adverb often preceded by «as». There was Tinker, sitting there, cheerful as you please. She was dressed for the dance and she looked as pretty … Читать далее
[in tune] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. At the proper musical pitch;high or low enough in sound. The piano is in tune. 2. Going welltogether; in agreement; matching; agreeable. — Often used with «with». In his new job, John felt in tune with his surroundings and hisassociates. Contrast: OUT OF TUNE.
[soap opera] {n. phr.} Radio or television serialized stories of asentimental nature, often involving sex, crime, and social intrigue. These shows often advertise soap products, hence their name. Thetwo longest running soap operas in the United States were «Dallas» and»Knot’s Landing.»
[at bay] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} In a place where you can no longer run away; unable to go back farther; forced to stand and fight, or face an enemy; cornered. The dog ran the rat into a corner, and there the rat turned at bay. The police chased the thief to a roof, where … Читать далее
Идиома: throw someone under the bus Перевод: подставить кого-либо; переложить вину или ответственность на кого-либо Пример: He didn’t do his job properly, but instead of admitting it he threw his colleague under the bus. Он не выполнил свою работу как следует, но, вместо того, чтобы это признать, он возложил всю вину на своего коллегу. Every … Читать далее
[play ball] {v. phr.} 1. To begin play in a ball game. When theumpire calls «Play ball,» the game begins. 2. {informal} To join inan effort with others; cooperate. To get along during Prohibition, many men felt that they had to play ball with gangsters. A isoften good business to play ball with a political … Читать далее
[pack off] {v.}, {informal} To send away; dismiss abruptly. Whenan Englishman got in trouble long ago, his family would pack him offto Australia or some other distant land. Jane couldn’t really getstarted on her homework until she had packed the children off toschool.
Идиома: have a chip on one’s shoulder Перевод: искать повод для ссоры или драки; быть агрессивно настроенным, затевать ссоры Пример: Our neighbor has a chip on his shoulder and is always trying to start a fight. Наш сосед всегда ищет причины для спора, и всегда пытается затеять ссору. Ron has a chip on his shoulder. … Читать далее
Идиома: after all is said and done Перевод: когда все решено, в конечном счете Пример: After all is said and done the mayor of our city is doing a very good job. В конечном счете, наш мэр хорошо выполняет свою работу.
[ad lib] {v. phr.} To improvise; interpolate during speech. When the actress forgot her lines during the second act, she had to ad lib in order to keep the show going.
Идиома: be in the driving seat Идиома: be in the driving seat Перевод: находиться у руля, держать рычаги власти, иметь контроль над ситуацией Пример: The consumer is in the driving seat due to the huge range of goods on the market. Потребитель имел весь контроль над ситуацией из-за огромного выбора товаров на рынке.
[in a big way] {adv. phr.}, {informal} As fully as possible; withmuch ceremony. Our family celebrates birthdays in a big way. John likes to entertain his dates in a big way.
Идиома: set fire to something Перевод: поджечь что-либо Пример: The workers set fire to the building by accident. Рабочие случайно подожгли здание.
[cost a bomb] or [an arm and a leg] {v. phr.} To be extremely expensive. My new house has cost us an arm and a leg and we’re almost broke.
[get one down] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To make unhappy;cause low spirits; cause discouragement. Low grades are gettingHelen down. Three straight losses got the team down. 2. Toswallow; digest. The medicine was so bitter I couldn’t get itdown. 3. To depress a person’s spirit. Working at such an awfuljob got Mike down.
[break new ground] {v. phr.} 1. To start a new activity previously neglected by others; do pioneering work. Albert Einstein broke new ground with his theory of relativity. 2. To begin something never done before. The school broke new ground with reading lessons that taught students to guess the meaning of new words.
[second-guess] {v. phr.} 1. To criticize another’s decision withadvantage of hindsight. The losing team’s coach is alwayssecond-guessed. 2. To guess what someone else intends or would thinkor do. Television planners try to second-guess the public.
[both — and] {coord. conj.} Used to emphasize that two or more things are talked about. Both Frank and Mary were at the party. Millie is both a good swimmer and a good cook. In the program tonight Mary will both sing and dance. The frog can move quickly both on land and in the … Читать далее