Английские идиомы

[base on balls] {n.} First base given to a baseball batter who is pitched four balls outside of the strike zone. He was a good judge of pitchers and often received bases on balls.

[at one’s door] or [at one’s doorstep] {adv. phr.} 1. Very close; very near where you live or work. Johnny is very lucky because there’s a swimming pool right at his doorstep. Mr. Green can get to work in only a few minutes because the subway is at his door. 2. See: LAY AT ONE’S … Читать далее

Идиома: turn out all right Перевод: сойти, закончиться хорошо, благополучно Пример: At first we thought that the weather would be terrible but it turned out fine. Сначала мы думали, что погода будет отвратительной, но все оказалось хорошо.

Идиома: give-and-take / give and take Перевод: 1. компромисс, уступки 2. обмен мнениями; энергичный, живой разговор Пример: You must be willing to give-and-take if you want to have a good marriage. Нужно уметь идти на компромисс, если хочешь, чтобы у тебя был хороший брак. There was a lot of give-and-take of ideas among the scientists. … Читать далее

Идиома: be that as it may Перевод: пусть так; даже если и так; как бы то ни было Пример: Be that as it may, we are not going to permit the school dance to take place. Пусть даже и так, мы не собираемся давать разрешения на школьные танцы.

Идиома: hit the jackpot Перевод: сорвать куш, сорвать банк (в игре); быть очень удачливым, преуспевать Пример: My friend hit the jackpot when she bought a lottery ticket last week. Моя подруга сорвала куш, когда купила лотерейный билет на прошлой неделе.

Идиома: in other words Перевод: другими словами Пример: In other words, if I don’t finish the assignment by Wednesday I will not pass the course. Другими словами, если я не выполню задание до среды, мне не зачтут этот курс.

[put up a flght] {v. phr.} To resist. He putup a good fight but he was bound to lose in the end to the older, moreexperienced chess player.

[on one’s head] or [upon one’s head] {adv. phr.} On one’s self. When the school board fired the superintendent of schools, theybrought the anger of the parents upon their heads. Billy had beennaughty all day, but he really brought his parents’ anger down on hishead by pushing his little sister into a mud puddle. Compare: … Читать далее

[eat out of one’s hand] {v. phr.}, {informal} To trust someonefully; believe or obey someone without question. The governor hasthe reporters eating out of his hand. Helen is so pretty andpopular that all the boys eat out of her hand.

[ten to one] or [two to one] {adv.} or {adj. phr.}, {informal}Almost certainly, nearly sure to be true; very likely to happen. Ten to one it will rain tomorrow. It is ten; to one that Billwill be late.

[of age] {adj. phr.} 1a. Old enough to be allowed to do or managesomething. Mary will be of driving age on her next birthday. Contrast: OVER AGE, UNDER AGE. 1b. Old enough to vote; having theprivileges of adulthood. The age at which one is considered of ageto vote, or of age to buy alcoholic drinks, … Читать далее

Идиома: part and parcel (of something) Перевод: неотъемлемая составная часть (чего-либо) Пример: The house that we bought is part and parcel of a much larger piece of property. Дом, который мы купили, является неотъемлемой составной частью гораздо большего участка собственности.

[slip of the tongue] also [slip of the lip] {n. phr.} The mistakeof saying something you had not wanted or planned to say; an error ofspeech. No one would have known our plans if Kay hadn’t made a slipof the tongue. She didn’t mean to tell our secret; it was a slipof the lip.

[go through] {v.} 1. To examine or think about carefully; search. I went through the papers looking for Jane’s letter. Mother wentthrough the drawer looking for the sweater. Syn.: GO OVER. 2. Toexperience; suffer; live through. Frank went through many dangersduring the war. 3. To do what you are supposed to do; do what youpromised. … Читать далее

[scare away] or [off] {v. phr.} To cause to flee; frighten away. Jake is a confirmed bachelor; the best way to scare him off is tostart talking about marriage.

[throw out] or [toss out] {v.} 1. To put somewhere to be destroyedbecause not wanted. He didn’t need the brush anymore so he threw itout. Syn.: THROW AWAY. 2. To refuse to accept. The inspectortossed out all the parts that didn’t work. 3. To force to leave;dismiss. When the employees complained too loudly, the owner … Читать далее

Идиома: serve someone’s purpose Перевод: послужить цели кого-либо Пример: The small screwdriver should serve my purpose until I find the correct size. Пока сгодится и маленькая отвертка, пока я не найду нужный размер.

[nervous prostration] {n.} An illness of the mind that makes youfeel very tired, worried, and bored, and that often causes headaches, upset stomach, and other sickness. Aunt Jane said that taking careof us children all day was enough to give any woman nervousprostration.

[see about] {v.} 1. To find out about; attend to. If you are toobusy, I’ll see about the train tickets. 2. {informal} To consider;study. I cannot take time now but I’ll see about your plan when Ihave time. Compare: SEE TO, LOOK INTO, THINK OVER.

[bring out] {v.} 1. To cause to appear; make clear. His report brought out the foolishness of the plan. Brushing will bring out the beauty of your hair. 2. To help grow or develop. The teacher’s coaching brought out a wonderful singing voice of great power and warmth. 3. To offer to the public by … Читать далее

[cast up] {v.}, {literary} 1. To turn or direct upward; raise. The dying missionary cast up his eyes to heaven and prayed. 2. {archaic} To do sums; do a problem in addition; add. Cast up 15, 43, 27, and 18. When John had all the figures, he cast them up.

[within reason] {adv.} or {adj. phr.} Within the limits of goodsense; in reasonable control or check; moderate. I want you to havea good time tonight, within reason. If Tom wants to go to thefair, he must keep his expenses within reason. Jean’s plans arequite within reason.

[set right] {v. phr.} To discipline; correct; indicate the correctprocedure. «Your bookkeeping is all messed up,» the accountantsaid. «Let me set it right for you, once and for all.»

[burst with joy] or [pride] {v. phr.} To be so full of the feeling of joy or pride that one cannot refrain from showing one’s exuberant feelings. Armstrong and Aldrin burst with pride when they stepped out on the moon in July, 1969.

[on the shelf] {adv.} or {adj. phr.}, {informal} Laid aside; notuseful anymore. When a girl grows up, she puts childish habits onthe shelf. Mr. Myron’s company put him on the shelf when hereached the age of 65.

[cross one’s mind] or [pass through one’s mind] {v. phr.} To be a sudden or passing thought; be thought of by someone; come to your mind; occur to you. At first Bob was puzzled by Virginia’s waving, but then it crossed his mind that she was trying to tell him something. When Jane did not … Читать далее

[birds of a feather flock together] People who are alike often become friends or are together; if you are often with certain people, you may be their friends or like them. — A proverb. Don’t be friends with bad boys. People think that birds of a feather flock together.

[bow out] {v.}, {informal} 1. To give up taking part; excuse yourself from doing anymore; quit. Mr. Black often quarreled with his partners, so finally he bowed out of the company. While the movie was being filmed, the star got sick and had to bow out. 2. To stop working after a long service; retire. … Читать далее

[drive-in] {adj.} {n.} A kind of movie theater, fast food restaurant, or church, where the customers, spectators, or worshippers do not leave their automobiles but are served the food inside their cars, can watch a motion picture from inside their cars, or can participate in a religious service in their cars. Let’s not waste time … Читать далее

[cut and run] {v.}, {informal} To abandon an unfavorable situation. When the price of coffee dropped sharply many investors wanted to cut and run.

[on the make] {adj.}, {slang} 1. Promiscuous or aggressive in one’ssexual advances. I can’t stand Murray; he’s always on the make. 2.Pushing to get ahead in one’s career; doing anything to succeed. The new department head is a young man on the make, who expects to becompany president in ten years.

[bear up] {v.} 1. To hold up; carry; support; encourage. The old bridge can hardly bear up its own weight any more. He was born up by love of country. 2. To keep up one’s courage or strength; last. — Often used with «under». This boat will bear up under hurricane winds. She bore up … Читать далее

[come up with] {v. phr.} 1. To offer. We can always depend on John Smith to come up with a good solution for any problem we might have. 2. To produce on demand. I won’t be able to buy this car, because I cannot come up with the down payment you require. 3. To find. … Читать далее

Идиома: a drop in the ocean / a drop in the bucket Перевод: капля в море; маленькое, незначительное количество, размер, особенно по сравнению с тем, что необходимо Пример: The money that my friend repaid me was a drop in the bucket compared to what he owes me. Те деньги, которые мой друг мне вернул, как … Читать далее

Идиома: have a good thing going Перевод: делать, заниматься чем-либо выгодным, чем-либо, что приносит пользу Пример: I have a good thing going with my company and my schedule is very good. У меня все хорошо в моей компании и у меня очень хорошее расписание.

[improve on] or [improve upon] {v.} To make or get one that isbetter than. Dick made good marks the first year, but hethought he could improve on them. Charles built a new model racerfor the derby race, because he knew he could improve upon his oldone.

Идиома: pull the rug (out) from under somebody or something / pull the rug (out) from under somebody’s feet Перевод: выбить почву из-под ног Пример: Our boss pulled the rug out from under our plans to open a bigger office. Наш начальник выбил нам почву из-под ног с нашими планами открыть офис большего размера.

[get the sack] {v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be fired or dismissed fromwork. John got the sack at the factory last week. 2. To be told byone’s lover that the relationship is over. Joanna gave Sam thesack. See: GET THE AX and GET THE BOUNCE.

[hard-boiled] {adj.} Unrefined; tough; merciless. «Because youwere two minutes late,» my hard-boiled boss cried, «I will deductfifteen minutes worth from your salary!»

[in advance] or [in advance of] {adv. phr.} 1. In front; ahead ; first. In the parade, the band will march in advanceof the football team. The soldiers rode out of the fort with thescouts in advance. 2. Before doing or getting something. The motelman told Mr. Williams he would have to pay in advance. … Читать далее

Идиома: bear fruit Перевод: приносить плоды Пример: The girl’s hard work began to bear fruit when she won the dance contest. Усилия девушки начали приносить плоды, когда она выиграла танцевальный конкурс.

[take the bull by the horns] {v. phr.}, {informal} To take definiteaction and not care about risks; act bravely in a difficulty. Hedecided to take the bull by the horns and demand a raise in salaryeven though it might cost him his job. Compare: TAKE THE BIT IN ONE’SMOUTH, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE’S OWN … Читать далее

[something else again] {n. phr.} A different kind of thing;something different. I don’t care if you borrow my dictionarysometimes, but taking it without asking and keeping it is somethingelse again. «But I don’t want a new car,» Charles said to the cardealer, «I want a used car.» «Oh,» said the car dealer, «that’ssomething else again.»

[from time to time] {adv. phr.} Not often; not regularly;sometimes; occasionally; at one time and then again at another time. Even though the Smiths have moved, we still see them from time totime. Mother tries new recipes from time to time, but the childrennever like them. Syn.: NOW AND THEN, AT TIMES, ONCE IN A … Читать далее

Идиома: a stone’s throw Перевод: недалеко, рядом, близко Пример: The cottage is a stone’s throw from the beach. Дом находится совсем недалеко от пляжа.

[off one’s back] {adj. phr.} 1. {informal} Stopped from botheringone; removed as an annoyance or pest. «Having a kid brother alwaysfollowing me is a nuisance,» Mary told her mother. «Can’t you get himoff my back?» The singer was so popular with teenagers that hetook a secret vacation, to keep them off his back. Contrast: ON … Читать далее

[screw-up] {n.} A mistake; an error; a confusing mess. «What ascrew-up!» the manager cried, when he realized that the bills weresent to the wrong customers.

[pay one’s respect to] {v. phr.} To discharge one’s socialobligations by visiting someone or by calling them on the phone. The newly arrived people paid their respects to their variousneighbors during their first couple of weeks in town.

Идиома: come true Перевод: осуществиться, произойти на самом деле Пример: The young girl is working hard to make her dreams come true. Молодая девушка очень старается реализовать свои мечты.