1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний - Анна Григорьева

to tear one’s hair out

She has been tearing her hair out over the accounts.

рваться в бой

to champ at the bit

The new supercomputer is complete and scientists are champing at the bit to use it.

редкая птица

a rare bird

He was that rare bird – an artist and a scientist.

рубить сук, на котором сидишь

to cut one’s own throat

Can’t you see that you are just cutting your own throat in turning your back on him?

ругаться на чем свет стоит

to swear like a trooper

He swore like a trooper when he found out what had happened.

руки-крюки

butter-fingers

That’s the third time you’ve dropped the pan. Butter-fingers!

Руки прочь!

Hands off!

Hands off my cakes!

руки связаны (у кого-л.)

one’s hands are tied

Sorry, but I can’t do anything without your father’s permission – my hands are tied.

руки чешутся (у кого-л.)

one’s fingers itch

My fingers were itching to play the new piano.

рукой подать

close/near at hand; (within) a stone’s throw

The station is near at hand.

Our house was within a stone’s throw of the lake.

рыть себе могилу

to dig one’s own grave

She has dug her own grave. She shouldn’t have done all the housework herself.

с головы до ног

from top to toe; from head to foot/toe

A pleasant warmth overtook her from top to toe.

He was dressed in white from head to foot.

с закрытыми глазами

with one’s eyes closed

I know my way to this house so well that I could take you there with my eyes closed.

с легким сердцем

with a light heart

I came home with a light heart. I had paid off my creditors at last.

с маху

with all one’s might

He pushed with all his might but the door remained firmly closed.

с открытыми глазами

with one’s eyes open

He went into it with his eyes open, so he can’t complain now of having been cheated.

с пеленок

from the cradle

They know each other from the cradle.

с первого взгляда

at first sight

She fell in love with him at first sight.

с пылу с жару

piping hot

I like the food being served piping hot.

с точностью часового механизма

like clockwork

We got there without the least difficulty. It all went like clockwork.

с тяжелым сердцем

with a heavy heart

She left the letter unfinished and went off with a heavy heart.

сбивать спесь (с кого-л.)

to take/bring someone down a peg or two; to cut someone down to size

He is too big-headed. He ought to be taken down a peg or two.

She was beginning to forget her position. I had to cut her down to size.

сбрасывать с пьедестала (кого-л.)

to knock someone off one’s pedestal

The party leader was knocked off his pedestal by the newspaper’s reports about his private life.

сбывать с рук (кого-л./что-л.)

to get someone/something off one’s hands

The thief got the diamonds off his hands.

свободный как ветер

(as) free as the wind

He felt as free as the wind when he escaped from prison.

сводить в могилу (кого-л.)

to be the death of someone

Drink will be the death of him.

сводить концы с концами

to make both ends meet

He had to work overtime to make both ends meet.

сводить с ума (кого-л.)

to drive someone up the wall

When Alice talks about her new boyfriend, she drives me up the wall.

сводить счеты (с кем-л.)

to settle accounts with someone ; to settle a score with someone ; to get even with someone

He has insulted me in front of my friends. I intend to settle accounts with him.

I’ve lost a lot of money because of his bad advice, so I have a score to settle with him.

He has been waiting for months to get even with her, and now he saw his chance.

свой парень

one of the boys

I really like Tom. He is one of the boys.

связанный по рукам и ногам

bound/tied hand and foot

I’ll have to go without a holiday this year. I am tied hand and foot to my work.

святая святых

the holy of holies

This room is my husband’s holy of holies, which visitors are rarely permitted to enter.

сглаживать острые углы

to paper over the cracks

The politician didn’t succeed in papering over the cracks in his party’s ideas on unemployment.

сдавать в архив (кого-л.)

to put/send someone out to grass

At the age of fifty five my uncle was put out to grass and now he has nothing to do all day.

сделать отбивную котлету (из кого-л.)

to make mincemeat of someone; to beat someone black and blue

The politician has made mincemeat of all his political opponents.

The neighbour threatened to beat the boy black and blue for stealing his apples.

сделать себе имя

to make a name for oneself

His brother has made a name for himself in literature.

секрет полишинеля

an open secret

It was an open secret in the office that the director was in love with his secretary.

семимильными шагами

by leaps and bounds

Since I was taking private lessons, my knowledge of English has improved by leaps and bounds.

сердце кровью обливается (у кого-л.)

one’s heart bleeds for someone

He looked desperate, and my heart bled for him.

сесть в лужу

to fall flat on one’s face; to make a fool of oneself; to have egg on one’s face

Having no experience, Alice fell flat on her face when she tried to run a shop.

He didn’t follow my advice and made a fool of himself at the party.

The criminals have got away with no trouble at all; the police have egg on their faces today.

сжигать за собой мосты

to burn one’s bridges

I changed my mind about giving up my job, but I had burnt my bridges by resigning my position in the company.

сидеть в печенках

to be sick to death of someone/something; to be sick and tired of someone/something

I’m sick to death of his complaints.

I’m sick and tired of your dogs. They bark too much.

сидеть как на иголках

to be on pins and needles; to be on tenterhooks

She was on pins and needles all day yesterday waiting for the results of the X-rays.

I’ve been on tenterhooks the whole morning waiting for the news.

сидеть между двумя стульями

to sit on the fence

John preferred to sit on the fence during the quarrel rather than show support for one side or the other.

сидеть на бобах

not to have a bean

I’d love to go with you but I haven’t a bean until I get paid.

сидеть сложа руки

to sit on one’s hands; to twiddle one’s thumbs

They need our help. We can’t sit on our hands.

Don’t sit around twiddling your thumbs. Get busy!

сильные мира сего the powers that be

сказать пару теплых слов (кому-л.)

to give someone a piece of one’s mind

Andy has treated his wife rather roughly and I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I see him.

скользить по поверхности

to scratch the surface

Your research only scratches the surface of the problem.

скользкий как уж

(as) slippery as an eel

I wouldn’t do business with him, if I were you – he is as slippery as an eel.

сколько душе угодно

to one’s heart’s content

Come to our restaurant and eat and drink to your heart’s content!

скрежетать зубами

to gnash one’s teeth

Michael gnashed his teeth when he saw the damage to his car.

скрещивать мечи (с кем-л.)

to cross swords (with someone )

He is a hot-tempered man, few people are willing to cross swords with him.

слабый на голову

soft/weak in the head

You must be soft in the head if you think I will believe that story.

слава Богу

thank God/goodness/heaven(s)/the Lord

Thank heavens it didn’t rain.

слепая курица

(as) blind as a bat

He must be as blind as a bat not to have seen us.

словно аршин проглотить

(as) stiff as a poker; bolt upright

She sat upright, stiff as a poker, while the policeman asked her about her son.

When I heard of his arrival, I sat bolt upright with surprise.

слово в слово

word for word

I repeated this conversation word for word.

сломать себе шею

to break one’s neck

One day he’ll break his neck in that car of his.

служить и нашим и вашим

to serve two masters; to have a foot in both camps; to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

Sooner or later you’ll have to choose between the two parties – you cannot serve two masters indefinitely.

John wanted to keep friendly with both the workers and their boss, so he had to have a foot in both camps.

He works for our company during the day and for our competitors during the evening; he must realise that he can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

слышно, как муха пролетит

you could hear a pin drop

When I came into the house I was impressed by the silence. You could hear a pin drop.

слюнки потекли (у кого-л.)

one’s mouth waters

At the sight of the food my mouth watered.

сматывать удочки

to take to one’s heels; to beat/hop it

When I saw him coming I took to my heels.

Now beat it, before she calls the police.

смешивать с грязью (кого-л./что-л.)

to drag someone/something through the mud/mire; to throw mud/dirt at someone

His behaviour is causing our family name to be dragged through the mud.

I’m not going to let that man throw mud at us and then get away with this.

смеяться в кулак

to laugh up one’s sleeve

I trusted her, but now I believe that all the time she was laughing up her sleeve.

смеяться в лицо (кому-л.)

to laugh in someone’s face

I told Martin that it was his fault, but he laughed in my face.

смотреть в лицо (чему-л.)

to look something in the face

She couldn’t look the truth in the face.

смотреть в оба (за кем-л./чем-л.)

to keep an eye open for someone/something ; to keep one’s eyes peeled/skinned for someone/something ; to keep an eye on someone/something

The police were asked to keep an eye open for the little boy who had got lost in the shop.

He moved along the road very slowly, keeping his eyes peeled for wild animals.

You must keep an eye on that boy. He isn’t to be trusted on his own.

смотреть волком (на кого-л.)

to look daggers at someone

She looked daggers at her husband for being rude to her friends.

смотреть (прямо) в глаза (кому-л.)

to look someone in the face; to look someone (straight) in the eye

I was so ashamed that I couldn’t look him in the face.

Look me straight in the eye and say that you are happy there.

смотреть сверху вниз (на кого-л.)

to look down one’s nose (at someone )

She hates us. She thinks we look down our noses at her.

смотреть сквозь пальцы (на что-л.)

to turn a blind eye to something ; to close one’s eyes to something

Mary adored her son and always turned a blind eye to his misbehaviour.

She preferred to close her eyes to all his shortcomings.

смотреть сквозь розовые очки (на что-л.)

to look at something through rose-tinted spectacles

He sees everything through rose-tinted spectacles when he visits the village, but he would feel different if he had to live there.

снимать шляпу (перед кем-л.)

to take off one’s hat to someone

It was a brilliant idea. I take off my hat to you.

со всеми потрохами

lock, stock, and barrel

When they moved to London, they were obliged to sell the house and all their possessions, lock, stock and barrel.

со всех ног

at full pelt

The boy was running at full pelt down the street.

со своей стороны

for one’s part

For my part, I have no reason to doubt his words.

собака на сене

a dog in the manger

Don’t be such a dog in the manger – you didn’t want to read that book until I asked to borrow it from you.

собачья жизнь

a dog’s life