Т. Шелкова - Can You Speak Over the Telephone. Как вести беседу по телефону

fed: gave

guff: a colloquialism for “information”, often used with the implication of irrelevance

lay it on too thick: exaggerate

go off: take a disliking to

cake walk it: the sense here is “get the job easily”. A “cake walk” is a simple undertaking.

keep my fingers crossed: the reference is to the traditional belief that crossing one’s fingers is a way of guarding against bad luck

a bit of a bind: a nuisance

the moors: вересковая пустошь, охотничье угодье (there are a great deal of open moorland in Yorkshire within easy reach of the large towns, and Sunday mornings walks there are popular)

steady on: a means of asking someone to be slower or more cautious in their behaviour or statements

pop out: go out

the Home Counties: the counties adjacent to London

turn in: go to bed

within reason: not beyond one’s possibilities

to be up to somethingusually implies something not altogether permissible, or at least surreptitious. “What have you been up to this time?” implies something likely to involve punishment. So the phrase is used jocularly, from one friend to another, implying that he or she must have been doing something out of the ordinary or at least interesting.

I’m afraidimplies no fear, only regret that she has nothing more interesting to tell.

Just the usual grindis a way of describing monotony; nothing severe or otherwise unpleasant is implied.

come up: two idioms with “come” — “come up” meaning “to arise, to occur” and “come off meaning “to take place”

play hostess: “play” is often used as here to mean “fulfil the function of.

this do at Turin: “do”, used as a noun, is one of the many colloquial words for a social occasion.

Well, look hereis more emphatic than “I say”, to begin a new statement.

Why don’t I come and look after…: this is a more forceful phrase than “Why shouldn’t I?”. It contains the hint of a firm offer which ought not to be refused.

demons: lively children are conventionally referred to as “young demons” — a phrase conveying admiration for their vitality but at the same time sympathy for the trouble which they can cause.

get onmeans “get on well together”, “like each other and are good companions”.

sort it out with James: discuss this question with James

I’ll come oversimply means “I’ll come to you”.

frig: refrigerator

Is this Mrs Jones?: Americans begin a telephone call by asking, “Is this…?” whereas the English ask, “Is that…?”

To callin British English more often means to come in person, though it can have the sense of “calling up” or “ringing up” on the telephone, which is always the American meaning.

to rent: houses in England are usually said to be “to let”. The distinction is that you let your house to someone, but you rent a house from someone.

right now: an English person would probably just say “now” or “at the moment”.

Closetis rarely used in England and would generally be taken to refer to “water-closet”.

Gosh!: an exclamation of extreme surprise

stowawayбезбилетный пассажир, заяц

JordacheДжордак

RudolphРудольф

SarahCapa

DeborahДебора

LeighЛи (мужское имя)

five-seven5 футов и 7 дюймов (о росте) = 152 см

one-twenty and one-thirty120 фунтов и 130 фунтов (о весе) = 54 кг и 58 кг

trouble shooterспециальный уполномоченный по улаживанию конфликтов

We’ll run what we have.Мы опубликуем то, что у нас есть.

C’est moi Fr. Это я.

You really must take a grip on yourself.Вы действительно должны взять себя в руки.

Service wives have it rough.Таков удел жен военных.

GretchenГретхен

I’m just dawdling idlyя просто бездельничаю

to inductпризывать на военную службу

if he’s goofed school: if he’s not doing well at school

he’d just fall over himself with eagernessон бы из кожи вон вылез

the French Sûrété Nationaleфранцузская сыскная полиция.

a bit marginal: a bit risky

things are beginning to sit up and look prettyситуация проясняется

cachet Fr. here: a box

funny colloq. подозрительный

bug sl: an infectious disease