1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний

Григорьева Анна Ивановна

стезя добродетели

the straight and narrow

I couldn’t believe that such a nice man, who had kept to the straight and narrow all his life, had done such a thing.

стереть в мелкий порошок (кого-л./что-л.)

to make mincemeat of someone/something

He was a formidable opponent – a man who made mincemeat of any ideas that contradicted his own.

стиснуть зубы

to grit one’s teeth

The fireman gritted his teeth and entered the burning building.

стоять

комом в горле (у кого-л.)

to stick in someone’s throat

I longed to tell him the truth, but the words stuck in my throat.

стоять на перепутье

to be at the crossroads

We were at the crossroads; we had to decide very soon whether to stay in England or emigrate.

стоять на своем

to hold/stand one’s ground, to stick to one’s guns

The woman stood her ground and refused to withdraw her complaint.

He was determined to stick to his guns.

стоять над душой (у кого-л.)

to breathe down someone’s neck

I can’t work with you breathing down my neck all the time.

стоять одной ногой в могиле

to have one foot in the grave, to be at death’s door

Stop treating your father as though he has one foot in the grave!

I was very distressed to hear that the old woman was at death’s door.

страшный как смертный грех

(as) ugly as sin

Her new boyfriend is as ugly as sin.

стреляный воробей

an old hand

I’m an old hand and know what I’m talking about.

строить воздушные замки

to build castles in the air

I am afraid that all Neil’s ideas will come to nothing; he is always building castles in the air.

строить глазки (кому-л.)

to make eyes at someone

He didn’t like that his wife was making eyes at his friends.

Стыд и срам!

Shame on you!

Shame on you! You should never talk to your father like this.

Сущий вздор!

Stuff and nonsense!

It is a very strong team. – Stuff and nonsense! We could beat them easily.

схватить простуду

to catch a cold

I caught a cold and had to stay in bed for several days.

сходить на нет

to come to nothing

I am afraid that all his plans to buy a new flat will come to nothing when he finds out how much it will cost.

сходить с ума

to be/go out of one’s mind; to lose one’s marbles

You lent him your new laptop? You must be out of your mind.

You gave the police a false address? Have you lost your marbles?

сыграть в ящик

to kick the bucket

The old man is very ill; I think he might kick the bucket tomorrow.

сыпать соль

на рану (кому-л.)

to rub salt into someone’s wounds

He humiliated me in front of my friends and then, to rub salt into my wounds, he began to laugh at my tears.

сыт по горло (чем-л.)

to be fed up to the back teeth (with something ); to have a bellyful (of something )

He was fed up to the back teeth with his wife’s complaints and decided to leave her.

She has been telling me her love stories the whole day. I’ve had a bellyful of them.

так и надо (кому-л.)

to serve someone right

He’s been sick. – It serves him right for drinking so much.

так или иначе

one way or another

One way or another I’m going to finish this job before Christmas.

так сказать so to speak

такие вот дела

that’s that

Well, that’s that. No more work till next week.

там и тут

here and there

We went here and there looking for flowers.

таскать каштаны из огня (для кого-л.)

pull the chestnuts out of the fire (for someone )

I don’t know why I should pull the chestnuts out of the fire for him. I’m not going to do it again.

творить чудеса

to work/do wonders

The new medicine works wonders for indigestion.

темная лошадка a dark horse

терять голову (растеряться)

to lose one’s head

Her brother was not a man to lose his head in an emergency.

терять голову (из-за кого-л.) (влюбиться)

to have a crush on someone

He has had a crush on her ever since they met last winter.

терять дар речи

to lose one’s tongue

Tell me who is responsible for this mess. Have you lost your tongue?

терять из виду (кого-л.)

to lose sight of someone

I lost sight of him in the crowd.

терять лицо

to lose face

He was jealous but he could not admit it without losing his face.

терять нить (чего-л.)

to lose the thread (of something )

I fell asleep half way through the film and lost the thread of the story.

тише воды ниже травы

(as) quiet as a mouse, (as) meek as a lamb

She was as quiet as a mouse, answering only when spoken to.

My sister never complains about the way she’s treated by her employer, she’s as meek as a lamb.

только пятки сверкают

to show a clean pair of heels

The girl showed a clean pair of heels after I found her stealing the sweets.