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

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 сегоthe 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

It’s a dog’s life, working all day long in the open air; there is no money in it, either.

собраться с духом

to screw up one’s courage

She screwed up her courage and told her husband that she was leaving him.

собраться с мыслями

to gather one’s wits

I needed a bit of time to gather my wits.

собственной персоной

in the flesh

Is your brother here? – Yes, he’s here, in the flesh.

совать свой нос(во что-л.)

poke one’s nose into something

I don’t want your sister poking her nose into my affairs.

совсем другая история

a different story; a horse of a different colour

Her plays are quite boring, but her songs – that’s a different story.

I’m asking this not for myself but for my father. – For your father? That’s a horse of a different colour.

соль земли

the salt of the earth

I think that people who live in rural areas are the backbone of society, the salt of the earth.

сомкнуть ряды

to close ranks

The journalists closed ranks, and no information was made available.

сорить деньгами

to spend money like water

You will never be able to buy a new car – you spend money like water.

сослужить хорошую службу(кому-л.)

to stand someone in good stead; to do someone a good turn

His knowledge of French will stand him in good stead if he wants to get a job in a French company.

He did me a good turn by warning me of the coming storm.

сохранять присутствие духа

to keep a stiff upper lip

She suffered a lot, but kept a stiff upper lip throughout her ordeal.

спасать положение

to save the day

There was nowhere to hold the exhibition, but Beryl saved the day by offering the use of her office.

спасать свою шкуру

to save one’s own skin/neck

He is an evil man who has lied to save his own neck.

спать без задних ног

to sleep like a log; to be dead to the world

The bed was very comfortable and I slept like a log.

He won’t hear anything – he is lying on his bed, dead to the world.

спать сном праведникаto sleep the sleep of the just

спокоен как скала

as steady as a rock

All his friends were shaking with fear, but Tom was as steady as a rock.

спускать с лестницы(кого-л.)

to throw someone out on one’s ear

If you come home drunk again, I will throw you out on your ear.

спуститься с неба на землю

to come down to earth

Your thoughts are far away. Come down to earth.

сражаться с ветряными мельницами

to tilt at windmills

Why do you always attack the government policy? You are tilting at windmills.

средь бела дня

in broad daylight

The thief broke into the shop in broad daylight.

ставить все на одну карту

to put all one’s eggs in one basket

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In case plan A fails, keep plan B updated.

ставить крест(на ком-л./чем-л.)

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