Носителя языка можно легко отличить не только по акценту и умению строить предложения, но и по тому набору разговорных выражений, который он использует. Знание этих фраз, конечно, не превратит вас в англичанина, зато поможет правильно понять его и достойно поддержать любую беседу.
Представляем самые важные английские идиомы с переводами и примерами их употребления.
Идиомы с трактовкой и синонимами
Перевод
Пример
after all — despite, nevertheless
все-таки
I knew it! After all, I was right!
all along — all the time
все время, всегда
I knew about his little secret all along.
all ears — eager to listen
весь внимание
I am all ears.
all of a sudden — suddenly
неожиданно
All of a sudden, he refused to pay.
all the same — no difference
все равно, без разницы
If it’s all the same to you, let’s start at two.
all thumbs — clumsy
неуклюжий, неумелый
He can’t fix anything, he’s all thumbs.
apple of discord — subject of envy or quarrel
яблоко раздора
This question is an apple of discord in our family.
as a rule — usually
как правило
As a rule, we offer a 5% discount.
as far as I am concerned — in my opinion
что касается меня, по моему мнению
As far as I am concerned, both the book and the movie are good.
as for me/as to me — in my opinion
по моему мнению
As for me, you can rely on his support.
as well — also, too
тоже, также
He knows math, and physics as well.
at all — (not) in the smallest degree
совсем (не)
He doesn’t know French at all. I don’t like it at all.
at random — without order
наугад, без плана
He chose those places at random.
at this point — at this time
на данном этапе
At this point, we can’t turn back.
be about to — ready (to do)
готов сделать
I was about to leave when you called.
be after someone — insist, press
настаивать, чтобы сделал
His mother is always after him to study.
be all in — be extremely tired
очень устать
I’m all in, I’d better go to bed now.
be back on one’s feet — healthy again or better financially
встать на ноги после трудного времени
He’s back on his feet after a long period of debt and unemployment.
beat around the bush — avoid giving a clear/definite answer
ходить вокруг да около
Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point!
be beside oneself — be very upset, nervous, worried, etc.
быть вне себя от волнения, горя и др.
She was beside herself with worry / with grief.
be better off — be in a better situation (financially)
в лучшей ситуации (материально)
He’ll be better off with a new job.
be broke — have no money at all
быть «на мели» (без денег)
I spent all my money, I’m broke.
be hard on something /someone — treat roughly
не беречь что-то
My son is hard on shoes, they don’t last long with him. Life was pretty hard on Tom.
be high on one’s list — be one of the most important things
быть в начале списка нужных вещей
A new car is high on my list of priorities. A new TV is not high on my list.
be in charge of — be responsible for
быть ответственным за
He is in charge of marketing.
be in the red — be in debt
быть убыточным
Our sales were in the red last year.
be into smth. — be interested in
увлекаться чем-то
He is into computers. She is into sports.
bend over backwards — try hard
очень стараться
I bent over backwards to help her.
be on one’s way
Я уже еду.
I’m on my way.
be on the safe side — not to take any chances
на всякий случай
Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side.
be out of — be without
нет в наличии
We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar.
be out of shape — be physically unfit
быть не в форме
He needs to exercise, he is out of shape.
be out of sorts — in bad humor
не в духе
Leave him alone, he’s out of sorts today
be pressed for time / money — be short of; not have enough
не хватать времени или денег
I’m pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment.
beside the point — off the point
не по существу, не относится к делу
What I said to him privately is beside the point.
be to blame — be responsible for a mistake / something wrong
винить за ошибку, неправильные действия
Who is to blame for this awful mistake? Tom is to blame for this mix-up.
be touch and go — be uncertain of the result
на грани; неясно, куда повернется
He was very sick, and for some time it was touch and go, but he is better now.
be up against — be opposed by, have problems, be in danger
иметь серьезные проблемы в чем-то, с чем-то
Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover.
be up and around/about — able to be out of bed after an illness
встать на ноги, поправиться
He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around.
be up to one’s ears — very busy
по уши
I’m up to my ears in work.
be up to something — do mischief
задумать, затеять
I have to check what the kids are up to.
be up to someone — be one’s own decision or responsibility
на ваше усмотрение, под вашу ответственность
It’s up to you to decide. It’s up to you to close the office every day at 8 o’clock.
be used to — be accustomed to
быть привычным к
I’m used to hard work. He’s used to heat.
big shot — important person
важная персона
He is a big shot around here.
bite off more than one can chew — try to do more than one can
переоценить свои силы
I couldn’t handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more than I could chew.
bite one’s tongue — stop talking
прикусить язык
I almost told her, but bit my tongue.
bite the dust — die, be defeated
умереть, падать ниц
Many of them bit the dust in that war.
black sheep — a good-for-nothing member of the family
паршивая овца
Their second son is the black sheep of the family, he is good for nothing.
blind date — a meeting of a man and woman arranged by friends
свидание вслепую
She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience.
blow it — lose the chance
потерять шанс
He understood that he blew it.
blow over — pass, end
стихнуть, пройти
Wait here till his anger blows over.
bottom line — main result/factor
итог, основной момент
The bottom line is, I don’t have enough money.
break into — enter by force
ворваться (в дом) силой
The police broke into the robber’s house.
break one’s heart — hurt deeply
разбить сердце
The news of her death broke his heart.
break the ice — overcome shyness in making the first step
сломать неловкость при знакомстве
The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed.
break the news — tell new facts
сообщить важную новость
CNN is breaking the news right now.
bring home the bacon — earn the living for the family
обеспечить семью
He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon.
brush off — give no attention to
отмахнуться от
The boss brushed off my project again.
brush up on — review
освежить в памяти
You need to brush up on the tenses.
by all means -definitely, certainly
обязательно, конечно
Do you need my help? — By all means.
by heart — by memorizing
наизусть
Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow.
by hook or by crook — by any means possible
любым путем, любым способом
She will get what she wants by hook or by crook.
by the way — incidentally
кстати
By the way, Ann is coming back today.
call a spade a spade — use plain, direct words
называть вещи своими именами
He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade.
call it a day — consider work finished for the day
считать работу законченной
We’ve been working for 10 straight hours. Let’s call it a day.
call off — cancel
отменить, отозвать
The police called off the search.
carry out — fulfill
доводить до конца
She never carries out her plans.
carry weight — be important
иметь вес
His advice always carries weight here.
cast down — depressed, sad
повергнуть в уныние
He was cast down by the bad news.
castles in the air — daydreaming about success
(строить) воздушные замки
Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air.
catch one’s eye — attract attention
привлечь внимание
This picture caught my eye.
catch one’s breath — stop and rest
перевести дух
I can’t run, I need to catch my breath.
catch someone off guard — catch someone unprepared
застать врасплох
He caught me off guard with his question.
catch someone red-handed — find smb. in the act of doing wrong
поймать за руку, когда делал плохое
The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes.
catch up — become not behind
догнать
He needs to catch up with the others.
close call — a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened
что-то плохое, что едва не случилось
The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call.
come across — meet by chance
наткнуться на
I came across that article yesterday.
come down with — become ill
заболеть чем-то
I’m coming down with a cold.
come to one’s senses — start acting reasonably, intelligently
взяться за ум, придти в себя
He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams.
come true — become reality
осуществиться
My dream came true when I met Pat.
come up with — suggest
предложить
Mike came up with a brilliant idea.
count on — depend on
рассчитывать на
You can always count on me for help.
cut corners — to take a short-cut; to limit one’s spending
срезать углы; ограничить расходы
He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week.
cut down on — reduce
сократить потребление
You have to cut down on chocolate.
cut out to be /cut out for it — have the ability to do something
быть созданным для какой-то работы
She isn’t cut out to be a surgeon. He’s cut out to be a leader.
do one’s best — try very hard
сделать все, что смог
I did my best to help him in his work.
do one’s bit — do what’s needed
сделать положенное
I’ll do my bit, you can count on me.
do over — do again
сделать заново
This work is not good, do it over.
do someone good — be good for
принести пользу
Fresh air and exercise will do you good.
do something behind one’s back — do (harmful) things secretively
делать (вредные) дела за спиной
I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again.
do without — live without
обходиться без
I’ll have to do without a car for a while.
down to earth — practical
приземленный
He’s quiet, sensible and down to earth.
draw the line — fix a limit
ограничить (предел)
He drew the line for her at $100 a day.
dress up — put on the best clothes
нарядиться
What are you dressed up for?
drop off — deliver somewhere
подвезти до, подбросить до
Can you drop me off at the bank?
drop out — quit (school)
быть отчисленным
He dropped out of school last year.
duty calls — must fulfill obligations
долг обязывает
He said, «Duty calls» and left for work.
easier said than done
легче сказать, чем сделать
It’s easier said than done, but I’ll try to do it.
eat one’s words — take back words
брать назад слова
He had to eat his words after her report.
even so — nevertheless, but
тем не менее
I work hard. Even so, I like my job.
every now and then -occasionally
время от времени
Every now and then I visit my old aunt.
every other — every second one
через один
She washes her hair every other day.
fall behind — lag behind
отстать от
The little boy fell behind the older boys.
fall in love — begin to love
влюбиться
Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight.
fall out of love — stop loving
разлюбить
They fell out of love and divorced soon.
false alarm — untrue rumor
ложная тревога
I heard he quit but it was a false alarm.
a far cry from something — very different, almost opposite (neg.)
далеко не такой хороший, как
His second book wasn’t bad, but it was a far cry from his first book.
feel it in one’s bones — expect something bad to happen
чувствовать, что случится плохое
Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones.
feel like doing something — want to do, be inclined to do smth.
быть склонным к занятию чем-то
I feel like going for a walk. I don’t feel like working now, I’m tired.
feel up to — be able to do
в состоянии сделать
I don’t feel up to cleaning the house.
few and far between — rare, scarce
слишком редкие
Her visits are few and far between.
find fault with — criticize
критиковать
He always finds faults with everybody.
find out — learn or discover
узнать, обнаружить
I found out that Maria left town.
firsthand — directly from the source
из первых рук, достоверная информация
You can trust it, it’s firsthand information.
first things first — important things come before others
сначала главное
First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away?
fly off the handle — get angry
разозлиться (вдруг)
He flew off the handle and yelled at me.
follow in someone’s footsteps — do the same thing
идти по чьим-то следам, делать то же
Igor followed in his father’s footsteps, he became a doctor, too.
foot in the door — a special opportunity for a job
получить шанс на работу
Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company.
foot the bill — pay the bill
заплатить по счету
Her father footed the bill for the party.
for good — forever
навсегда
After her death, he left town for good.
for the time being — at this time
на данное время
For the time being, this house is all right for us.
frame of mind — mental state
умонастроение
I can’t do it in this frame of mind.
from A to Z — completely
от начала до конца
He knows this town from A to Z.
from now on — now and in the future
впредь
From now on, I forbid you to go there.
get a grip on oneself — take control of one’s feelings
контролировать свои чувства
Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself!
get along with — have good relations
быть в хороших отношениях, ладить
Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesn’t get along with Laura.
get away with — not be caught after doing wrong
уйти от наказания
The police didn’t find the thief. He got away with his crime.
get carried away — get too excited and enthusiastic about something
слишком увлечься чем-то
He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money.
get cold feet — be afraid to do
побояться сделать
I wanted to try it but got cold feet.
get even with — have one’s revenge
расквитаться с кем-то
I’ll get even with him for everything!
get in touch with — contact
связаться с кем-то
Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help.
get lost — lose one’s way
потерять дорогу
She got lost in the old part of town.
Get lost! — Lay off!
Исчезни!
I don’t want to see you again. Get lost!
get mixed up — get confused
перепутать
I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost.
get off one’s back — leave alone
отстать от кого-то
Stop bothering me! Get off my back!
get on one’s high horse — behave haughtily towards someone
вести себя высокомерно
Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse.
get on (the bus, train, plane)
сесть на (транспорт)
I got on the bus on Oak Street.
get off (the bus, train, plane)
сойти с (транспорта)
I got off the bus at the bank.
get out of hand — get out of control
выйти из-под контроля
If he gets out of hand again, call me right away.
get over — recover after an illness or bad experience
поправиться, преодолеть что-то
I can’t get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly.
get rid of — dispose of, discard
избавиться
He got rid of his old useless car.
get together — meet with
собираться вместе
My friends and I get together often.
get to the bottom — know deeply
добраться до сути
He usually gets to the bottom of things.
get to the point — get to the matter
дойти до сути дела
Get to the point!
Give me a break! — spare me
с меня хватит
Come on, stop it! Give me a break!
give someone a hand — help
помочь кому-то
Can you give me a hand with cooking?
give someone a lift /a ride — take to some place by car
подвезти кого-то
Can you give me a lift to the bank? He gave her a ride in his new Porsche.
give someone a piece of one’s mind — criticize frankly
высказать, что на уме, критиковать
She lost my umbrella again, so I gave her a piece of my mind about her carelessness.
give up — stop doing something, stop trying to do something
отказаться от чего-то, прекратить попытки
I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car.
go back on one’s word — break a promise
нарушить свое слово, обещание
First he said he would help me, but then he went back on his word.
go for it — try to do a new thing
пробовать новое дело
If I were you, I would go for it.
go from bad to worse — be worse
становиться все хуже
His business went from bad to worse.
go out — go to parties, movies
пойти развлекаться
Do he and his wife go out often?
go out of one’s way -try very hard
очень стараться
He goes out of his way to please her.
go to one’s head — make too proud
успех вскружил голову
His acting success went to his head.
go to pieces — get very upset, fall apart
сильно расстроиться
She went to pieces when she heard it.
go with the flow — lead quiet life
плыть по течению
She always goes with the flow.
grow on someone — become liked
постепенно понравиться
When she knew him more, he grew on her.
had better — should
лучше бы, а то...
You look ill, you’d better see a doctor.
have a ball — have a good time
отлично провести время
Yesterday we had a ball at the party.
have a bone to pick — complain or discuss something unpleasant
иметь счеты с кем-то, претензии к кому-то
Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you.
have a word with someone — talk to
поговорить о чем-то
Can I have a word with you?
have words with someone — argue with someone about something
крупно поговорить
I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again.
have it in him — have the ability
иметь нужные качества
Laura has it in her to be a good doctor.
have no business doing something — have no right to do
нечего вам здесь делать, быть и др.
You have no business staying here without my permission.
have one’s back to the wall — be hard-pressed, on the defensive
быть прижатым к стене
I had no choice, I had my back to the wall.
have one’s hands full — very busy
быть очень занятым
He has his hands full with hard work.
have one’s heart set on something — want something very much
очень хотеть получить что-то, кого-то
She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty.
have pull — have influence on
иметь влияние на
Does he have pull with the director?
(not) have the heart — (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant
(не) хватает духа сделать неприятное
I don’t have the heart to tell him that he wasn’t accepted, he’ll be so unhappy.
high and low — everywhere
везде (искать и т.д.)
I searched high and low for my lost cat.
hit the nail on the head — say exactly the right thing
попасть в точку
You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director.
hit upon something — to discover
обнаружить ценное
They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan.
hold it against someone — blame somebody for doing something
(не) держать зла на кого-то
I lost his book, but he doesn’t hold it against me.
Hold it! — Stop! Wait!
Остановитесь/Стойте!
Hold it! I forgot my key.
Hold on! — Wait!
Подождите!
Hold on! I’ll be back in a minute.
hold one’s own — maintain oneself in a situation, behave as needed
постоять за себя, утвердиться в чем-то
He can hold his own in any situation. We need men who can hold their own.
hold up — rob using a weapon
грабить с применением оружия
This bank was held up twice last year.
ill at ease — uncomfortable
не по себе
She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress.
in advance — well before
заранее
He told her about his plan in advance.
in a nutshell — in a few words
кратко, вкратце
In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land.
in care of someone — write to one person at the address of another
адресату по адресу другого человека (у кого остановился)
I’m staying at Tom’s house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois.
in cold blood — mercilessly
хладнокровно
He killed her in cold blood.
in fact — actually, in reality
фактически
In fact, he works as a manager here.
in general — generally, generally speaking
в общем, вообще
In general, he likes to be alone. He described the place only in general.
in one’s element — what one likes
в своей стихии
He’s in his element when he’s arguing.
in other words — using other words
другими словами
In other words, you refused to do it for her.
in plain English — in simple, frank terms
проще говоря
I didn’t really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible.
the ins and outs — all info about
входы и выходы
He knows the ins and outs of this business.
in someone’s shoes — in another person’s position
на месте другого, в положении другого
I’d hate to be in his shoes now. He lost his job, and his wife is in the hospital.
in the long run — in the end
в конечном счете
In the long run, it’ll be better to buy it.
in the same boat — in the same situation
в таком же положении
Stop arguing with me, we’re in the same boat and should help each other.
in the clear — free from blame
вне претензий
Pay the bill and you’ll be in the clear.
in time (to do something) — before something begins
придти вовремя, чтобы успеть что-то сделать (до начала чего-то)
I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class.
it goes without saying — should be clear without words
не стоит и говорить, само собой
It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away.
It’s on the tip of my tongue.
вертится на языке
His name is on the tip of my tongue.
it’s time — should do it right away
пора
Hurry up, it’s time to go.
It’s worth it. / It’s not worth it. It’s (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc.
оно того стоит /оно того не стоит; (не) стоит покупать, посетить, смотреть и т.д.
Watch this film, it’s worth it. Don’t buy this coat, it is not worth it. This museum is worth visiting. This film is not worth watching.
it will do — it’s enough
достаточно
Stop reading, it will do for now.
jump at the opportunity/chance — accept the opportunity eagerly
ухватиться за возможность
His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity.
just as soon — prefer this one
предпочел бы (это)
I’d just as soon stay home, I’m tired.
just in case — to be on the safe side
на всякий случай
Take an extra shirt, just in case.
Just my luck! — Bad / Hard luck!
Мне всегда не везет!
They lost my job application. Just my luck!
keep an eye on — take care of, watch, look after
последить за, присмотреть за
Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. I’ll keep an eye on you!
keep a straight face — not to laugh
стараться не смеяться
I tried to keep a straight face, but failed.
keep company — accompany
составить компанию
She keeps me company quite often.
keep one’s word — fulfill a promise
держать слово
You promised, now keep your word.
keep someone posted — inform
держать в курсе событий
Keep me posted about your plans.
keep your fingers crossed — hope that nothing will go wrong
надеяться, что все пройдет гладко
I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?
kill time — fill/spend empty time
убить время
I went to the show to kill time.
(not) know the first thing about — not to have any knowledge about
ничего не знать по какой-то теме
I don’t know the first thing about nuclear physics.
know the ropes — be very familiar with some business
знать все ходы и выходы
He knows all the ropes in this company.
last-minute notice — little or no time to prepare for something
сообщение в последний момент
His arrival was a last-minute notice, we didn’t have time to prepare for it.
lay one’s cards on the table — be frank and open
сказать честно, открыть карты
Finally, we asked him to lay his cards on the table and tell us about his plans.
lay one’s life on the line — put oneself in a dangerous situation
ставить жизнь на карту
He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts.
lead a dog’s life — live in misery
вести собачью жизнь
He leads a dog’s life.
lead someone on — make someone believe something that isn’t true
заставить кого-то поверить неправде
They suspect that you are leading them on. You led me on!
leave it at that — accept reluctantly
оставить как есть
Leave it at that, what else can you do?
leave word — leave a message
оставить сообщение
He left word for you to meet him at the airport at 6.
let bygones be bygones — forget and forgive bad things in the past
не ворошить прошлое
Why don’t you let bygones be bygones and forget about what he said?
let go of — release the hold
отпустить, не держать
Let go of my hand or I’ll call the guard.
let (it) go — forget bad experience, return to normal life
освободиться от тяжелого переживания
He’s still in despair and can’t let (it) go. You can’t change anything, so let it go.
let one’s hair down — be relaxed and informal with other people
держаться неофициально
She is always so formal. She never lets her hair down.
let someone down — disappoint, fail someone
подвести кого-то
Don’t let me down this time!
let someone know — inform
известить
Let me know when you find a job.
like father, like son — be like one’s parent in something
какой отец, такой и сын
Paul won a prize in a chess tournament. Great! Like father, like son!
little by little — step by step
понемногу
Little by little, he got used to Tokyo.
look for — search for
искать
What are you looking for?
look forward to — expect with pleasure
ожидать с нетерпением
I’m looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking forward to the party.
look out — be careful, watch out
остерегаться
Look out! The bus is coming!
look up — check with /in a dictionary or a reference book
посмотреть в словаре или справочнике
If you don’t know this word, look it up in the dictionary.
lose one’s temper — become angry
разозлиться
He loses his temper very often.
lose one’s way — get lost
потерять дорогу
I lost my way. Can you help me?
lose track of — not to know where someone or something is
потерять из виду
I lost track of him years ago.
lucky break — a lucky chance
счастливый случай
He got his lucky break when he got this job.
make a living — earn money to provide for life
зарабатывать на жизнь
He works hard. His family is big, and he has to make a living somehow.
make allowance for — take into consideration when judging
учитывать, делать скидку на
Don’t criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance for his inexperience.
make a point of — be sure to do something intentionally
считать обязательным для себя сделать что-то
Make a point of asking about his wife. Make it a point to be here by 10.
make ends meet — to have and spend only what one earns
сводить концы с концами
His doesn’t get much money. I wonder how he manages to make ends meet.
make friends — become friends
подружиться
Anton makes new friends easily.
make fun of — laugh at, joke about
высмеивать
He made fun of her German accent.
make no bones about it — say/do openly, without hesitation
сказать прямо, не скрывая отношения
I’ll make no bones about it: I don’t like your attitude to work.
make room for — allow space for
освободить место для
We can make room for one more dog.
make sense — be logical
имеет смысл
What you say makes sense.
make the most of smth — do the best in the given situation
извлечь лучшее из
Let’s make the most of our vacation.
make up — become friends again
помириться
I’m tired of fighting. Let’s make up.
make up for smth — compensate
компенсировать
I’ll make up for the time you spent on it.
make up one’s mind — decide
принять решение
When will you go? Make up your mind.
make yourself at home — be comfortable, feel at home
будьте как дома
Come in please. Make yourself at home.
man of his word — one who keeps promises, is dependable
хозяин своего слова, держит слово
You can depend on his promise to help. He’s a man of his word.
mean well — have good intentions
хотеть сделать, как лучше
He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled a couple of things for me.
might as well — a good idea
может быть неплохо
I might as well telephone him now.
missing person — someone who is lost and can’t be located
пропавший человек (в розыске)
The little boy disappeared. The police registered him as a missing person.
meet someone halfway — compromise with others
идти на компромисс с кем-то
He’s reasonable and tries to meet his coworkers halfway, when possible.
never mind — it doesn’t matter
неважно, ничего
Thank you. — Never mind.
not to mention — in addition to
не говоря уж
We have three dogs, not to mention two cats.
no wonder — not surprising
неудивительно, что
He ate three big fish. No wonder he’s sick.
now and again — occasionally
время от времени
I meet them now and again at the bank.
odds and ends — a variety of small unimportant things or leftovers
мелочи, остатки, обрезки
I needed to buy some odds and ends for the kitchen.
off the cuff — without preparation
без подготовки
Off the cuff, I can give you only a rough estimate.
off the point — beside the point
не относится к делу
What I think about him is off the point.
off the record — not for the public, unofficially
не для публики, неофициально
Strictly off the record, I think the director is going to get married soon.
once and for all — decidedly
однажды и навсегда
You must quit smoking once and for all.
on credit — not pay cash right away
в кредит
He bought a car on credit.
on edge — nervous, irritable
нервный, раздраженный
He’s been on edge ever since she left.
on guard — on the alert
настороже, бдительный
He’s cautious and always on guard.
on hand — available
под рукой
Do you have a calculator on hand?
on one’s own — alone, by oneself
самостоятельно, один, сам по себе
She likes to live and work on her own.
on one’s toes — alert, attentive, prepared for difficulties
бдительный, собранный
He was on his toes and produced a very good impression on them.
on purpose — intentionally
нарочно, с целью
I didn’t do it on purpose, it just happened so.
on second thought — after thinking again
по зрелом размышлении
I’d like to sit on the aisle. On second thought, I’d like a window seat.
on the alert — on guard
начеку, настороже
He’s cautious and always on the alert.
on the carpet — called in by the boss for criticism
вызвать на ковер
Yesterday the boss called her on the carpet for being rude to the coworkers.
on the go — busy, on the move
в движении, на ходу
He is always on the go.
on the off chance — unlikely to happen, but still
маловероятно, но на всякий случай
On the off chance that you don’t find him at work, here’s his home address.
on the other hand — considering the other side of the question
с другой стороны
I’d like to have a dog. On the other hand, my wife likes cats better.
on the spot — right there
на месте, сразу
I decided to do it on the spot.
on the spur of the moment — without previous thought / plan
под влиянием момента
He bought this car on the spur of the moment, now he regrets it.
on time — punctual
в назначенное время
Jim is always on time.
out of one’s mind — crazy
сумасшедший
If you think so, you’re out of your mind.
out of one’s way — away from someone’s usual route
не по пути
I can’t give you a lift to the bank, it’s out of my way today.
out of the question — impossible
не может быть и речи
Paying him is out of the question!
pack rat — a person who saves lots of unnecessary things
тот, кто не выбрасывает старые ненужные вещи
Why does she keep all those things she never uses? — She is a pack rat.
pay attention — be attentive
обратить внимание
Pay attention to his words.
pick a fight — start a quarrel
начать ссору
He often tries to pick a fight with me.
pick up — take, get
подобрать, взять
I’ll pick you up at 7.
play one’s cards right — choose the right steps in doing something
сыграть правильно
If you play your cards right, he’ll agree to your plan.
potluck supper — a surprise meal, where nobody knows what dishes other guests will bring
ужин вскладчину, никто не знает, что принесут другие
You know what happened at our last potluck supper? Everybody brought macaroni and cheese, apples, and beer!
pull oneself together — brace oneself, summon your strength
cобраться с силами
Stop crying and complaining! You have to pull yourself together now.
pull the wool over someone’s eyes — deceive, mislead someone
обмануть, ввести в заблуждение
Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It won’t do you any good.
put a damper on — discourage
охладить пыл
She always puts a damper on my plans.
put in a word for someone — say positive things about someone
замолвить словечко
I’d be very grateful if you could put in a word for me when you speak to him.
put off — postpone
откладывать
Don’t put it off till tomorrow.
put one’s foot down — object strongly
решительно воспротивиться
Her father put his foot down when she said she wanted to marry Alan.
put one’s foot in it — do the wrong thing, make a fool of oneself
сделать/сказать глупость
He put his foot in it when he told the boss his daughter wasn’t pretty.
put up with — accept, tolerate
мириться с, терпеть
I can’t put up with your bad work!
quite a bit of — much, a lot of
много
I had quite a bit of trouble with that car.
quite a few — many, a lot of
много
He wrote quite a few good stories.
rack one’s brain — try hard to think
напрячь мозги
He racked his brain to solve the puzzle.
read between the lines — find or understand the implied meaning
читать между строк
His books are not easy to understand; you have to read between the lines.
remember me to — say hello to
передать привет от
Please remember me to your family.
right away — immediately
сразу же, немедленно
It’ very important to do it right away.
ring a bell — remind someone of something familiar /half-forgotten
напоминает что-то знакомое
Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell, but I can’t place it right now.
rock the boat — make the situation unstable
раскачивать лодку, вести к нестабильности
Peter always rocks the boat when we discuss company’s spending policy.
rub shoulders with — meet with
близко общаться с
He doesn’t rub shoulders with the rich.
rub someone the wrong way — irritate, annoy, make angry
раздражать, злить кого-то
His remarks rub many coworkers the wrong way.
run into — meet by chance
случайно встретить
I ran into an old friend yesterday.
save face — try to change the negative impression produced
спасать репутацию
He said a stupid thing and tried to save face by saying he misunderstood me.
save one’s breath — stop useless talk
не трать слова попусту
There’s no use talking to him about his spending habits, so save your breath.
scratch the surface — study something superficially
изучать поверхностно
He examines all the facts closely, he doesn’t just scratch the surface.
see about — make arrangements for
позаботиться о чем-то
I have to see about our plane tickets.
see eye to eye — agree
сходиться в мнении
We don’t see eye to eye any longer.
serve someone right — get what someone deserves
поделом
It serves him right that he didn’t get this job, he despised all other candidates.
serve one’s purpose — be useful to someone for his purpose
отвечать цели
I doubt that hiring this man will serve your purpose.
show promise — be promising
подавать надежды
This young actor shows promise.
show up — appear
появиться
I waited for hours but he didn’t show up.
size up — evaluate someone
оценить, составить мнение
It took me 5 minutes to size up that man.
sleep on it — postpone a decision till next morning
отложить решение до следующего утра
Don’t decide now, sleep on it.
a slip of the tongue — a mistake
обмолвка (ошибка)
It was just a slip of the tongue!
slip (from) one’s mind — forget
забыть
It slipped my mind what she asked me.
smell a rat — suspect something
подозревать недоброе
I’m not sure what it is, but I smell a rat.
so far — up to now
до сих пор, пока
So far, I have read 3 books by King.
so much the better — it’s even better
еще лучше
If he can pay cash, so much the better.
spill the beans — tell a secret
проболтаться
Who spilled the beans about our plan?
stand a chance — have a chance
нет шансов
He doesn’t stand a chance of getting it.
stand out — be noticeable
выделяться
He stands out in any group of people.
stand to reason — be logical
логично, что
It stands to reason that he apologized.
straight from the shoulder — speak frankly
честно, откровенно
Don’t try to spare my feelings, give it to me straight from the shoulder.
take a dim view of something — disapprove of something
не одобрять
My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children.
take a break — stop for rest
сделать перерыв
Let’s take a break, I’m tired.
take advantage of — use for one’s own benefit, to profit from
воспользоваться возможностью
We took advantage of the low prices and bought a computer and a monitor.
take after — be like one of the parents
быть похожим на родителей (родителя)
Tom takes after his father in character, and after his mother in appearance.
take a stand on something — make a firm opinion/decision on smth.
занять четкую позицию, мнение
People need to take a stand on the issue of nuclear weapons.
take care of — look after, protect, see that smth. is done properly
позаботиться о ком-то, чем-то, присмотреть за
Can you take care of my dog while I’m away? Tom takes good care of his car.
take hold of something — take, hold
взять, держать
Take hold of this rope and pull.
take into account — consider smth.
принять во внимание
You must take into account her old age.
take it easy — relax, be calm
не волнуйся
Take it easy, everything will be OK.
take (it) for granted — accept as given
принимать как должное
Mother’s love is always taken for granted by children.
take one’s breath away
захватить дух
That great view took my breath away.
take one’s time — do slowly
делать не торопясь
Don’t hurry. Take your time.
take one’s word for it — believe
поверить на слово
Take my word for it, he won’t go there.
take pains — try hard to do it well
прилагать усилия
He took pains to make his report perfect.
take part in smth. — participate in
принять участие
Mary is going to take part in the show.
take place — happen
иметь место, случиться
The accident took place on Oak Street.
take someone’s mind off things — distract from fixed ideas/thoughts
отвлечь от навязчивых мыслей
Go to a concert or a movie to take your mind off things.
take steps — take action /measures
принимать меры
We need to take steps against it.
take the words right out of one’s mouth — say the same before somebody else says it
сказать то же самое чуть раньше, чем другой говорящий
I was about to say the same! You took the words right out of my mouth.
take time — take a long time
занять много времени
It takes time to get used to a new place.
take time off — be absent from work
взять отгул
He took time off to attend the wedding.
take turns — alternate doing something one after another
делать по очереди, меняться местами
We went to Minsk by car. We didn’t get tired because we took turns driving
talk back — answer rudely
дерзить
Don’t talk back to the teacher!
talk it over — discuss
обсудить с кем-то
I’ll talk it over with my family.
tell apart — see the difference
различить, отличить от
Can you tell the twins apart?
That’s just the point. — That’s it.
В этом-то и дело.
That’s just the point! I hate this job!
the writing on the wall — a sign of future events (usually, trouble)
предзнаменование (обычно, беды)
The plane crashed. Tim said he saw the writing on the wall about this flight.
not think much of — think low
невысокого мнения
I don’t think much of her cooking.
think over — consider carefully
обдумать
Think over your answer. Think it over carefully.
till one is blue in the face — try hard
стараться до посинения
I repeated it till I was blue in the face!
to make a long story short — in short
короче говоря
To make a long story short, we won.
to say the least — to make the minimum comment about smth.
самое малое, что можно сказать
The film was boring and long, to say the least.
try on — put on new clothes to test them for size or look
примерить одежду (перед покупкой)
Try on this leather coat, it’s very good. She tried it on, but it didn’t fit her at all.
try one’s hand at something — try
попробовать себя в
I want to try my hand at painting.
turn on / off — switch on / off
включить/выключить
Turn on the radio. Turn off the water.
turn out to be — result/end this way
оказаться
He turned out to be a very good actor.
turn over a new leaf — make a fresh start in life, work, etc.
начать (жизнь, новое дело) заново
He promises to turn over a new leaf and quit alcohol for good.
turn the tide — reverse the course of events
повернуть вспять ход событий
The new evidence turned the tide, and the defendant was acquitted of charges.
twist one’s arm — make to agree
выкручивать руки
They twisted his arm to sell the house.
under the weather — feel ill
нездоровится
I’m a little under the weather today.
up-and-coming — showing promise of future success
многообещающий, подающий надежды
He is an up-and-coming young lawyer who might help you with your case.
up in arms — hostile to, in strong protest against something
протестовать против, сопротивляться
The employees are up in arms about the new retirement rules.
up in the air — undecided
еще не определено
My vacation plans are still up in the air.
(not) up to par — equal in standard
(не) в норме
His behavior isn’t up to par.
used to — did often in the past, but not now
в прошлом делал, сейчас нет
I used to play the piano when I was in school (but I don’t play it now).
walk on air — be very happy
летать от счастья
He got the job and is walking on air now.
waste one’s breath — speak uselessly, to no purpose
не трать усилия зря
Don’t waste your breath trying to make him do it, he won’t change his mind.
watch one’s step — be careful
быть осмотрительным
Watch your step!
watch out — look out, be careful
остерегаться
Watch out for that car! Watch out!
wet blanket — a kill-joy, who spoils everybody’s fun
тот, кто портит всем удовольствие
Remember what a wet blanket he was last time? Please don’t invite him again.
What’s the matter? — What is it?
В чем дело?
What’s the matter? What happened?
which way the wind blows — what the real situation is
какова реальная ситуация
He knows which way the wind blows and always acts accordingly.
white lie — unimportant lie
невинная ложь
A white lie is told to spare your feelings.
word for word — in the same words
дословно, дословный
Tell me word for word what he said.
would rather — prefer
предпочитать
I’d rather stay at home today.
Источник: Study-English.info
www.adme.ru
