350 English phrases that are useful when you live communication

native speakers "gives" not only the vocabulary and even the ease of pronunciation. You can skillfully master and one and the other, but in a personal conversation you will still immediately recognize the foreigner. Why? Because we speak, not in words and phrases stable, repeatedly using familiar phrases. This construction gives the phrase a foreigner who speaks as if he is reading a newspaper. We support the same language ready verbal turnover jump by themselves.

< Website publishes the most important English idioms with translations and examples of their use.

Idioms with the interpretation and synonyms Translation Example after all - despite, nevertheless still I knew it! After all, I was right! all along - all the time all the time, always I knew about his little secret all along. all ears - eager to listen all the attention I am all ears. all of a sudden - suddenly suddenly All of a sudden, he refused to pay. all the same - no difference anyway, no matter If it's all the same to you, let's start at two. all thumbs - clumsy clumsy, inept He can not fix anything, he's all thumbs. apple of discord - subject of envy or quarrel apple of discord This question is an apple of discord in our family. as a rule - usually as a rule As a rule, we offer a 5% discount. as far as I am concerned - in my opinion for me, in my opinion As far as I am concerned, both the book and the movie are good. as for me / as to me - in my opinion in my opinion As for me, you can rely on his support. as well - also, too, too, as He knows math, and physics as well. at all - (not) in the smallest degree at all (no) He does not know French at all. I do not like it at all. at random - without order at random, without a plan He chose those places at random. at this point - at this time, at this stage At this point, we can not turn back. be about to - ready (to do) is ready to do I was about to leave when you called. be after someone - insist, press insist that made His mother is always after him to study. be all in - be extremely tired very tired I'm all in, I'd better go to bed now. be back on one's feet - healthy again or better financially get on their feet after a difficult time He's back on his feet after a long period of debt and unemployment. beat around the bush - avoid giving a clear / definite answer beat around the bush Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point! be beside oneself - be very upset, nervous, worried, etc. be beside himself with excitement, grief, etc. She was beside herself with worry / with grief. be better off - be in a better situation (financially) in the best situation (financially) He'll be better off with a new job. be broke - have no money at all to be "grounded" (without money) I spent all my money, I'm broke. be hard on something / someone - treat roughly not protect something My son is hard on shoes, they do not last long with him. Life was pretty hard on Tom. be high on one's list - be one of the most important things to be in the top of the list of things needed 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 to be responsible for He is in charge of marketing. be in the red - be in debt to be unprofitable Our sales were in the red last year. be into smth -. Be interested in to get involved in something He is into computers. She is into sports. bend over backwards - try hard try hard I bent over backwards to help her. be on one's way I'm on my way. I'm on my way. be on the safe side - not to take any chances, just in case Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side. be out of - be without not available We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar. be out of shape - be physically unfit to be out of shape He needs to exercise, he is out of shape. be out of sorts - in bad humor in a bad mood Leave him alone, he's out of sorts today be pressed for time / money - be short of; not have enough time, not enough money, or I'm pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment. beside the point - off the point is not essentially irrelevant What I said to him privately is beside the point. be to blame - be responsible for a mistake / something wrong to blame for the mistake, the wrong actions 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 on the brink; it is unclear where to turn 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 to have serious problems in something, something Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover. be up and around / about - able to be out of bed after an illness to his feet, straightened He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around. be up to one's ears - very busy on the ears I'm up to my ears in work. be up to something - do mischief to conceive, venture I have to check what the kids are up to. be up to someone - be one's own decision or responsibility of your choice, at your own risk 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 be accustomed to I'm used to hard work. He's used to heat. big shot - important person biggie He is a big shot around here. bite off more than one can chew - try to do more than one can overestimate the forces I could not handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more than I could chew. bite one's tongue - stop talking to bite his tongue I almost told her, but bit my tongue. bite the dust - die, be defeated die prostrate Many of them bit the dust in that war. black sheep - a good-for-nothing member of the family black sheep 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 blind date She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience. blow it - lose the chance of losing the chance He understood that he blew it. blow over - pass, end subside, undergo Wait here till his anger blows over. bottom line - main result / factor up, Highlights The bottom line is, I do not have enough money. break into - enter by force to break (into the house) force The police broke into the robber's house. break one's heart - hurt deeply break your heart The news of her death broke his heart. break the ice - overcome shyness in making the first step to break the awkwardness when meeting The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed. break the news - tell new facts to report important news CNN is breaking the news right now. bring home the bacon - earn the living for the family provide for his family He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon. brush off - give no attention to brush off The boss brushed off my project again. brush up on - review to refresh your memory You need to brush up on the tenses. by all means -definitely, certainly be sure, of course Do you need my help? - By all means. by heart - by memorizing by heart Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow. by hook or by crook - by any means possible in any way, in any manner She will get what she wants by hook or by crook. by the way - incidentally the way By the way, Ann is coming back today. call a spade a spade - use plain, direct words to call a spade a spade He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade. call it a day - consider work finished for the day to consider a job finished We've been working for 10 straight hours. Let's call it a day. call off - cancel cancel, revoke The police called off the search. carry out - fulfill bring to an end She never carries out her plans. carry weight - be important to have the weight of His advice always carries weight here. cast down - depressed, sad to plunge into despair He was cast down by the bad news. castles in the air - daydreaming about success (build) castles in the air Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air. catch one's eye - attract attention to attract attention This picture caught my eye. catch one's breath - stop and rest to take a breath I can not run, I need to catch my breath. catch someone off guard - catch someone unprepared to surprise He caught me off guard with his question. catch someone red-handed - find smb. in the act of doing wrong to catch the hand when he made a bad The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes. catch up - become not behind to overtake He needs to catch up with the others. close call - a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened something bad, that almost did not happen The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call. come across - meet by chance stumble upon I came across that article yesterday. come down with - become ill sick with something I'm coming down with a cold. come to one's senses - start acting reasonably, intelligently clean up their act, come to his senses He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams. come true - become reality come true My dream came true when I met Pat. come up with - suggest to offer Mike came up with a brilliant idea. count on - depend on count on You can always count on me for help. cut corners - to take a short-cut; to limit one's spending cut corners; limit spending He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week. cut down on - reduce reduce consumption You have to cut down on chocolate. cut out to be / cut out for it - have the ability to do something to be created for some of the work She is not cut out to be a surgeon. He's cut out to be a leader. do one's best - try very hard to do everything I could I did my best to help him in his work. do one's bit - do what's needed to make a put I'll do my bit, you can count on me. do over - do again redo This work is not good, do it over. do someone good - be good for benefit Fresh air and exercise will do you good. do something behind one's back - do (harmful) things secretively to do (bad) things behind I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again. do without - live without go without I'll have to do without a car for a while. down to earth - practical down to earth He's quiet, sensible and down to earth. draw the line - fix a limit to restrict (limit) He drew the line for her at $ 100 a day. dress up - put on the best clothes to dress up What are you dressed up for? drop off - deliver somewhere to ride, throw up Can you drop me off at the bank? drop out - quit (school) to be expelled He dropped out of school last year. duty calls - must fulfill obligations duty obliges He said, «Duty calls» and left for work. easier said than done is easier said than done It's easier said than done, but I'll try to do it. eat one's words - take back words to take back the words He had to eat his words after her report. even so - nevertheless, but nevertheless, I work hard. Even so, I like my job. every now and then -occasionally from time to time Every now and then I visit my old aunt. every other - every second one by one She washes her hair every other day. fall behind - lag behind lag behind The little boy fell behind the older boys. fall in love - begin to love love Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight. fall out of love - stop loving out of love They fell out of love and divorced soon. false alarm - untrue rumor false alarm I heard he quit but it was a false alarm. a far cry from something - very different, almost opposite (. Neg) is not as good as His second book was not bad, but it was a far cry from his first book. feel it in one's bones - expect something bad to happen to feel that the worst will happen Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones. feel like doing something - want to do, be inclined to do smth. I am inclined to engage in something I feel like going for a walk. I do not feel like working now, I'm tired. feel up to - be able to do be able to do I do not feel up to cleaning the house. few and far between - rare, scarce too rare Her visits are few and far between. find fault with - criticize criticize He always finds faults with everybody. find out - learn or discover learn, discover I found out that Maria left town. firsthand - directly from the source of first-hand, accurate information You can trust it, it's firsthand information. first things first - important things come before others first thing First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away? fly off the handle - get angry angry (suddenly) He flew off the handle and yelled at me. follow in someone's footsteps - do the same thing to go on someone's footsteps, doing the same Igor followed in his father's footsteps, he became a doctor, too. foot in the door - a special opportunity for a job to get a chance to work Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company. foot the bill - pay the bill to foot the bill Her father footed the bill for the party. for good - forever Forever After her death, he left town for good. for the time being - at this time at this time For the time being, this house is all right for us. frame of mind - mental state state of mind I can not do it in this frame of mind. from A to Z - completely from beginning to end He knows this town from A to Z. from now on - now and in the future to continue From now on, I forbid you to go there. get a grip on oneself - take control of one's feelings control their feelings Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself! get along with - have good relations have good relations, to get on Ann gets along with most coworkers, but does not get along with Laura. get away with - not be caught after doing wrong escape punishment The police did not find the thief. He got away with his crime. get carried away - get too excited and enthusiastic about something too carried away by something He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money. get cold feet - be afraid to do be afraid to do I wanted to try it but got cold feet. get even with - have one's revenge to get even with someone I'll get even with him for everything! get in touch with - contact contact someone Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help. get lost - lose one's way to lose the way She got lost in the old part of town. ! Get lost - Lay off! Disappear! I do not want to see you again. Get lost! get mixed up - get confused confused I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost. get off one's back - leave alone keep up with someone Stop bothering me! Get off my back! get on one's high horse - behave haughtily towards someone behaving arrogantly Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse. get on (the bus, train, plane) to sit on (transport) I got on the bus on Oak Street. get off (the bus, train, plane) get (transport) I got off the bus at the bank. get out of hand - get out of control to get out of control If he gets out of hand again, call me right away. get over - recover after an illness or bad experience better, overcome something I can not get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly. get rid of - dispose of, discard dispose He got rid of his old useless car. get together - meet with gather together My friends and I get together often. get to the bottom - know deeply get to the bottom He usually gets to the bottom of things. get to the point - get to the matter come to the point Get to the point! Give me a break -! Spare me I've had enough Come on, stop it! Give me a break! give someone a hand - help to help someone Can you give me a hand with cooking? give someone a lift / a ride - take to some place by car to drive someone 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 express that in mind, criticize 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 to give up something, stop trying I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car. go back on one's word - break a promise to break his word, promise First he said he would help me, but then he went back on his word. go for it - try to do a new thing to try a new business If I were you, I would go for it. go from bad to worse - be worse become worse His business went from bad to worse. go out - go to parties, movies to be entertained Do he and his wife go out often? go out of one's way -try very hard to try hard He goes out of his way to please her. go to one's head - make too proud success turned the head of His acting success went to his head. go to pieces - get very upset, fall apart much frustrated She went to pieces when she heard it. go with the flow - lead quiet life adrift She always goes with the flow. grow on someone - become liked gradually like When she knew him more, he grew on her. had better - should be better, and then ... You look ill, you'd better see a doctor. have a ball - have a good time to have a great time Yesterday we had a ball at the party. have a bone to pick - complain or discuss something unpleasant to have a bone to pick with someone claims to someone Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you. have a word with someone - talk to talk about something Can I have a word with you? have words with someone - argue with someone about something big to talk I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again. have it in him - have the ability to have the desired quality Laura has it in her to be a good doctor. have no business doing something - have no right to do nothing you are here to do, to be, etc. You have no business staying here without my permission.. have one's back to the wall - be hard-pressed, on the defensive to be pressed against the wall, I had no choice, I had my back to the wall. have one's hands full - very busy to be very busy He has his hands full with hard work. have one's heart set on something - want something very much very much want to get something, someone She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty. have pull - have influence on have an impact on Does he have pull with the director? (not) have the heart - (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant (not) enough spirit to make trouble I do not have the heart to tell him that he was not accepted, he'll be so unhappy. high and low - everywhere everywhere (look, etc.) I searched high and low for my lost cat. hit the nail on the head - say exactly the right thing to get to the point You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director. hit upon something - to discover a valuable find They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan. hold it against someone - blame somebody for doing something (not) to keep evil on someone I lost his book, but he does not hold it against me. ! Hold it - Stop! Wait! Stop / Stop! Hold it! I forgot my key. ! Hold on - Wait! Wait! Hold on! I'll be back in a minute. hold one's own - maintain oneself in a situation, behave as needed to stand up for themselves, to establish themselves in something He can hold his own in any situation. We need men who can hold their own. hold up - rob using a weapon to rob with a weapon This bank was held up twice last year.
ill at ease - uncomfortable uneasy She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress. in advance - well before pre-He told her about his plan in advance. in a nutshell - in a few words briefly, in brief In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land. in care of someone - write to one person at the address of another destination at another person (who stayed) I'm staying at Tom's house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois. in cold blood - mercilessly coolly He killed her in cold blood. in fact - actually, in reality actually In fact, he works as a manager here. in general - generally, generally speaking, in general, in general In general, he likes to be alone. He described the place only in general. in one's element - what one likes in his element He's in his element when he's arguing. in other words - using other words in other words In other words, you refused to do it for her. in plain English - in simple, frank terms in simple terms I did not really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible. the ins and outs - all info about the ins and outs He knows the ins and outs of this business. in someone's shoes - in another person's position on the place of another in another position 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 ultimately In the long run, it'll be better to buy it. in the same boat - in the same situation in the same position Stop arguing with me, we're in the same boat and should help each other. in the clear - free from blame is claims Pay the bill and you'll be in the clear. in time (to do something) - before something begins to come in time to do something (before the start of something) I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class. it goes without saying - should be clear without words not worth mentioning, of course It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away. It's on the tip of my tongue. B> turns the language of His name is on the tip of my tongue. it's time - should do it right away time to Hurry up, it's time to go. It's worth it. / It's not worth it. B> It's (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc. it's worth it / it's not worth it; (Not) worth buying, visit, watch, etc. Watch this film, it's worth it. Do not 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 enough Stop reading, it will do for now. jump at the opportunity / chance - accept the opportunity eagerly seize the opportunity His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity. just as soon - prefer this one would rather (that) I'd just as soon stay home, I'm tired. just in case - to be on the safe side, just in case Take an extra shirt, just in case. ! Just my luck - Bad / Hard luck! I always have bad luck! They lost my job application. Just my luck! keep an eye on - take care of, watch, look after an eye on, keep an eye on Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. I'll keep an eye on you! keep a straight face - not to laugh try not to laugh I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. keep company - accompany to make the company She keeps me company quite often. keep one's word - fulfill a promise to keep his word You promised, now keep your word. keep someone posted - inform to keep up to date Keep me posted about your plans. keep your fingers crossed - hope that nothing will go wrong to hope that all goes well I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you? kill time - fill / spend empty time to kill time I went to the show to kill time. (not) know the first thing about - not to have any knowledge about anything do not know for whatever topic I do not know the first thing about nuclear physics. know the ropes - be very familiar with some business to know all the ins and outs He knows all the ropes in this company. last-minute notice - little or no time to prepare for something a message at the last moment His arrival was a last-minute notice, we did not have time to prepare for it. lay one's cards on the table - be frank and open honestly say, open the card 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 to put lives at stake He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts. lead a dog's life - live in misery lead dog's life He leads a dog's life. lead someone on - make someone believe something that is not true to get someone to believe in evil They suspect that you are leading them on. You led me on! leave it at that - accept reluctantly left as it is Leave it at that, what else can you do? leave word - leave a message to leave a message 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 did not 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.

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