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

надрывать животики

to be in stitches; to split one’s sides (laughing)

It was quite funny and the audience was in stitches.

My friends nearly split their sides when I showed them my new hat.

нажимать на все педали

to pull out all the stops

We’ll have to pull out all the stops if we want to get to the station in time.

называть вещи своими именами

to call a spade a spade

Let’s call a spade a spade. The boy is a liar.

намылить голову (кому-л.)

to haul someone over the coals; to give someone the rough edge of one’s tongue

He was hauled over the coals for being absent without permission.

The boss gave me the rough edge of his tongue because I was so late for work.

напрашиваться на неприятности

to ask for it/trouble

He was really asking for it by threatening the police officer.

напугать до смерти (кого-л.)

to put the fear of God into someone ; to frighten/scare someone out of one’s wits

Driving with Ralph in his racing car puts the fear of God into me.

The dog frightened the little girl out of her wits.

наставить нос (кому-л.)

to pull a fast one on someone; to pull the wool over someone’s eyes

She certainly pulled a fast one on me.

Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. I know what’s going on.

наступать на любимую мозоль (кому-л.)

to hit/touch a (raw) nerve

The newspaper article must have touched a nerve with a lot of readers.

наступать на пятки (кому-л.)

to be hard on someone’s heels

Our competitors are hard on our heels – we must improve our design.

находить общий язык (с кем-л.)

to find common ground (with someone )

The two sides seem unable to find any common ground.

начинать с нуля

to start from scratch; to start from square one

My sister moved to another town where she had to start from scratch.

We lost all our clients and had to start again from square one.

не ахти какой

nothing to write home about

The film was nothing to write home about.

не бог весть что

no great shakes; not much cop

His girlfriend is no great shakes.

The book wasn’t much cop.

не в духе

out of sorts; out of humour

I’ve been feeling tired and a little out of sorts.

William is out of humour this morning. He has been shouting at everybody.

не в курсе дела

out of the picture

The whole plan is a secret and she wants to keep everybody out of the picture.

не в своей тарелке

ill at ease; out of one’s element

I always feel ill at ease when I meet his wife.

When it comes to poetry, I’m out of my element.

не в своем уме

out of one’s head; off one’s head/rocker/nut

He must be out of his head to go swimming on such a cold day.

Spending that much on a dress! She must be off her rocker.

не в форме

out of sorts/form; below par; under the weather

The horse is out of form; it’s not likely to win the race.

I was feeling a little below par this morning.

He was tired and a bit under the weather.

не верить своим глазам

cannot believe one’s eyes

When I saw her husband washing up the dishes, I couldn’t believe my eyes!

не верить своим ушам

cannot believe one’s ears

I was shocked to learn that he had been fired, I couldn’t believe my ears.

не видеть дальше собственного носа

cannot see beyond the end of one’s nose

It’s obvious to me, but she can’t see beyond the end of her nose.

не все дома

not all there

Sometimes I think he is not all there.

не давать ни отдыха ни срока (кому-л.)

keep someone’s nose to the grindstone; to keep someone on the trot

The new boss believes in hard work and keeps his workers’ noses to the grindstone all the time.

My wife keeps me on the trot.

Не дай Бог!

God/heaven forbid!

I hope the car won’t break down. – God forbid!

не за горами

(a)round the corner; close/near at hand

Spring is right around the corner.

The examinations are close at hand.

не иметь ни малейшего представления (о чем-л.)

not to know the first thing about something

I’m afraid I don’t know the first thing about engines.

не к месту

beside the point; out of place

Your observation is very interesting, but beside the point.

Her dress was very beautiful, but I thought it looked out of place.

не мытьем, так катанием

by hook or by crook; by fair means or foul

I’ll get your brother to come, by hook or by crook.

He is determined to win by fair means or foul.

не находить себе места

to have kittens

The boy didn’t get home last night and his mother was having kittens wondering what to do.

не падать духом

to keep one’s chin up

When her husband left her, she had to keep her chin up for the sake of the children.

не первой молодости

no spring chicken

She looks younger than she is, but she is no spring chicken.

не по дням, а по часам

by leaps and bounds

The profits are increasing by leaps and bounds.

не спускать глаз (с кого-л./чего-л.)

to keep an eye on someone/something

She asked me to keep an eye on her suitcase.

не стесняться в выражениях

not to mince one’s words

She told him emphatically not to come again, she didn’t mince her words.

не терять головы

to keep one’s head; to keep a level head

She kept her head when she found that the house was on fire.

Hugh is known for his ability to keep a level head in every situation.

не чувствовать под собой ног (от счастья и т. п.)

to walk on air; to be beside oneself

John has been walking on air since he got the job.

The children were beside themselves on the last day of school.

не шутка

no joke; no laughing matter

It was no joke when my car broke down in the middle of the busy motorway.

The loss of a passport is no laughing matter.

невооруженным глазом

with the naked eye

These stars are too far away to be seen with the naked eye.

нем как рыба (as) silent as the grave

нести вздор

to talk through one’s hat

You’re talking through your hat. I don’t believe you.

нести свой крест

to bear one’s cross

Nobody could help him. He just had to bear his cross.

нестись сломя голову

to break one’s neck

I broke my neck trying to get there in time to meet you.

ни в грош не ставить (кого-л./что-л.)

to set little store by someone/something

Jane sets little store by her husband’s opinion.

ни в жизнь

not on your life

Will you marry her? – Not on your life!

ни в одном глазу

(as) sober as a judge

All my friends were drunk, but I was sober as a judge.

ни за какие коврижки

not for love or money; not for all the tea in China

I won’t do it for love or money.

I wouldn’t go back there for all tea in China.

ни рыба ни мясо

neither fish nor fowl

It tasted of neither fish nor fowl.

ни с того ни с сего

without rhyme or reason

Three men attacked Joe without rhyme or reason.

ни свет ни заря

bright and early

She got up bright and early.

ни слуху ни духу (о ком-л./чем-л.)

neither hide nor hair of someone/something

I thought I left the documents on the table, but I couldn’t find either hide nor hair of them.

ни то ни се

betwixt and between

The dinner we had yesterday at the restaurant was betwixt and between.

ниже пояса

below the belt

I think it was a bit below the belt to embarrass her in front of other guests.

никоим образом

by no means; not by a long chalk

I was by no means certain that they would sign the contract.

I haven’t yet finished the work by a long chalk.

ничего особенного

nothing to write home about

The concert was nothing to write home about.

ничего подобного

nothing of the kind

Isn’t your son a doctor? – Nothing of the kind – he is an actor.

нож в спину

a stab in the back

I trusted him, so it was quite a stab in the back for me when he offered the job to someone else.

носить на руках (кого-л.)

to think the world of someone

He thinks the world of his wife and gives her lots of presents.

носиться в воздухе

to be in the air

There was tension in the air.

нужно как собаке пятая нога (кто-л./что-л.)

to need something/someone like one needs a hole in the head

I need this extra work like I need a hole in the head.

нюхом чуять

to feel it in one’s bones

She knew Adam would marry her daughter. She felt it in her bones.

обагрять руки кровью (чьей-л.) to have ( someone’s ) blood on one’s hands

обводить вокруг пальца (кого-л.)

to take someone for a ride

The boy is so dumb everybody takes him for a ride.

обдавать холодом (кого-л.)

to give someone the cold shoulder

I thought that Lucy and I were friends, but when I greeted her this morning she gave me the cold shoulder.

обжечь себе пальцы

to get one’s fingers burnt

I got my fingers burnt by investing money in your friend’s company.

ободрать как липку (кого-л.)

to take someone to the cleaners

I have been completely taken to the cleaners; I haven’t a penny left.

оборотная сторона медали

the other side of the coin

One must look at the other side of the coin.

обретать второе дыхание

to get one’s second wind

Jack became very tired while jogging, but after a while he got his second wind.

одним махом

in one fell swoop

The guests ate all the snacks in one fell swoop.

одним миром мазаны

to be tarred with the same brush; to be cut from the same cloth

I don’t believe all these politicians – they are all tarred with the same brush.

She and her husband are cut from the same cloth.

одним словом

in a word

In a word, he was lying.

одного поля ягода

birds of a feather; two of a kind

I think that he and his girlfriend are birds of a feather.

The sisters are two of a kind, they like the same things.

одному Богу известно

God/heaven knows

She never had any money. How she lived, God knows.

оказаться на высоте положения

to rise to the occasion

It was a difficult task, but she rose to the occasion.

осиное гнездо a hornet’s nest

оставить в покое (кого-л.)

to get off someone’s back

I’m tired of your criticism. Why don’t you get off my back and let me do my work!

оставляет желать лучшего

to leave a lot to be desired

His wife’s cooking leaves a lot to be desired.

оставлять в дураках (кого-л.)

to make a fool of someone

He made a fool of me by pretending to be a capable musician, but he couldn’t play a note.

острый язычок

a sharp tongue

She was known for her sharp tongue.

от «а» до «я»

from ‘A’ to ‘Z’

He knows his job from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.

от всего сердца

from the bottom of one’s heart; with all one’s heart and soul

The boy was very helpful and I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.

She loves her husband with all her heart and soul.

от горшка два вершка

knee-high to a grasshopper

I haven’t seen your brother since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.

от греха подальше

out of harm’s way

She parked her car off the road – out of harms way.

от силы

at the most; at the (very) outside

It will take two hours at the most to get there.

It’ll take 45 minutes, an hour at the very outside.

отбиваться от рук

to get out of hand

‘Don’t let the children get out of hand!’ Mother warned me.

отбирать хлеб (у кого-л.)

to take the bread out of someone’s mouth

If he opens his shop next door to mine, he’ll be taking the bread out of my mouth.

отводить душу

to pour out one’s heart

She came to my room and poured her heart out to me.

отдавать Богу душу to meet one’s maker