. |
.
|
|
|
|
| after all — despite, nevertheless | - | I knew it! After all, I was right! |
| all along — all the time | , | I knew about his little secret all along. |
| all ears — eager to listen | I am all ears. | |
| all of a sudden — suddenly | All of a sudden, he refused to pay. | |
| all the same — no difference | , | If it’s all the same to you, let’s start at two. |
| all thumbs — clumsy | , | He can’t fix anything, he’s all thumbs. |
| apple of discord — subject of envy or quarrel | This question is an apple of discord in our family. | |
| as a rule — usually | As a rule, we offer a 5% discount. | |
| as far as I am concerned — 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 | As for me, you can rely on his support. | |
| as well — also, too | , | He knows math, and physics as well. |
| at all — (not) in the smallest degree | () | He doesn’t know French at all. I don’t like it at all. |
| at random — without order | , | He chose those places at random. |
| at this point — at this time | At this point, we can’t turn back. | |
| be about to — ready (to do) | I was about to leave when you called. | |
| be after someone — insist, press | , | His mother is always after him to study. |
| be all in — be extremely tired | I’m all in, I’d better go to bed now. | |
| be back on one’s feet — healthy again or better financially | He’s back on his feet after a long period of debt and unemployment. | |
| beat around the bush — avoid giving a clear/definite answer | Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point! | |
| be beside oneself — be very upset, nervous, worried, etc. | , . | She was beside herself with worry / with grief. |
| be better off — be in a better situation (financially) | () | He’ll be better off with a new job. |
| be broke — have no money at all | « » ( ) | I spent all my money, I’m broke. |
| be hard on something /someone — treat roughly | - | My son is hard on shoes, they don’t last long with him. Life was pretty hard on Tom. |
| be high on one’s list — be one of the most important things | 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 | He is in charge of marketing. | |
| be in the red — be in debt | Our sales were in the red last year. | |
| be into smth. — be interested in | - | He is into computers. She is into sports. |
| bend over backwards — try hard | I bent over backwards to help her. | |
| be on one’s way | . | I’m on my way. |
| be on the safe side — not to take any chances | Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side. | |
| be out of — be without | We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar. | |
| be out of shape — be physically unfit | He needs to exercise, he is out of shape. | |
| be out of sorts — in bad humor | Leave him alone, he’s out of sorts today | |
| be pressed for time / money — be short of; not have enough | I’m pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment. | |
| beside the point — off the point | , | What I said to him privately is beside the point. |
| be to blame — be responsible for a mistake / something wrong | , | 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 | ; , | 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 | -, - | Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover. |
| be up and around/about — able to be out of bed after an illness | , | He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around. |
| be up to one’s ears — very busy | I’m up to my ears in work. | |
| be up to something — do mischief | , | I have to check what the kids are up to. |
| be up to someone — be one’s own decision or responsibility | , | 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 | I’m used to hard work. He’s used to heat. | |
| big shot — important person | He is a big shot around here. | |
| bite off more than one can chew — try to do more than one can | I couldn’t handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more than I could chew. | |
| bite one’s tongue — stop talking | I almost told her, but bit my tongue. | |
| bite the dust — die, be defeated | , | Many of them bit the dust in that war. |
| black sheep — a good-for-nothing member of the family | 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 | She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience. | |
| blow it — lose the chance | He understood that he blew it. | |
| blow over — pass, end | , | Wait here till his anger blows over. |
| bottom line — main result/factor | , | The bottom line is, I don’t have enough money. |
| break into — enter by force | ( ) | The police broke into the robber’s house. |
| break one’s heart — hurt deeply | The news of her death broke his heart. | |
| break the ice — overcome shyness in making the first step | The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed. | |
| break the news — tell new facts | CNN is breaking the news right now. | |
| bring home the bacon — earn the living for the family | He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon. | |
| brush off — give no attention to | The boss brushed off my project again. | |
| brush up on — review | You need to brush up on the tenses. | |
| by all means -definitely, certainly | , | Do you need my help? — By all means. |
| by heart — by memorizing | Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow. | |
| by hook or by crook — by any means possible | , | She will get what she wants by hook or by crook. |
| by the way — incidentally | By the way, Ann is coming back today. | |
| call a spade a spade — use plain, direct words | He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade. | |
| call it a day — consider work finished for the day | We’ve been working for 10 straight hours. Let’s call it a day. | |
| call off — cancel | , | The police called off the search. |
| carry out — fulfill | She never carries out her plans. | |
| carry weight — be important | His advice always carries weight here. | |
| cast down — depressed, sad | He was cast down by the bad news. | |
| castles in the air — daydreaming about success | () | Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air. |
| catch one’s eye — attract attention | This picture caught my eye. | |
| catch one’s breath — stop and rest | I can’t run, I need to catch my breath. | |
| catch someone off guard — catch someone unprepared | He caught me off guard with his question. | |
| catch someone red-handed — find smb. in the act of doing wrong | , | The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes. |
| catch up — become not behind | He needs to catch up with the others. | |
| close call — a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened | - , | The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call. |
| come across — meet by chance | I came across that article yesterday. | |
| come down with — become ill | - | I’m coming down with a cold. |
| come to one’s senses — start acting reasonably, intelligently | , | He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams. |
| come true — become reality | My dream came true when I met Pat. | |
| come up with — suggest | Mike came up with a brilliant idea. | |
| count on — depend on | You can always count on me for help. | |
| cut corners — to take a short-cut; to limit one’s spending | ; | He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week. |
| cut down on — reduce | You have to cut down on chocolate. | |
| cut out to be /cut out for it — have the ability to do something | - | She isn’t cut out to be a surgeon. He’s cut out to be a leader. |
| do one’s best — try very hard | , | I did my best to help him in his work. |
| do one’s bit — do what’s needed | I’ll do my bit, you can count on me. | |
| do over — do again | This work is not good, do it over. | |
| do someone good — be good for | Fresh air and exercise will do you good. | |
| do something behind one’s back — do (harmful) things secretively | () | I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again. |
| do without — live without | I’ll have to do without a car for a while. | |
| down to earth — practical | He’s quiet, sensible and down to earth. | |
| draw the line — fix a limit | () | He drew the line for her at $100 a day. |
| dress up — put on the best clothes | What are you dressed up for? | |
| drop off — deliver somewhere | , | Can you drop me off at the bank? |
| drop out — quit (school) | He dropped out of school last year. | |
| duty calls — must fulfill obligations | He said, «Duty calls» and left for work. | |
| easier said than done | , | It’s easier said than done, but I’ll try to do it. |
| eat one’s words — take back words | He had to eat his words after her report. | |
| even so — nevertheless, but | I work hard. Even so, I like my job. | |
| every now and then -occasionally | Every now and then I visit my old aunt. | |
| every other — every second one | She washes her hair every other day. | |
| fall behind — lag behind | The little boy fell behind the older boys. | |
| fall in love — begin to love | Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight. | |
| fall out of love — stop loving | They fell out of love and divorced soon. | |
| false alarm — untrue rumor | I heard he quit but it was a false alarm. | |
| a far cry from something — very different, almost opposite (neg.) | , | His second book wasn’t bad, but it was a far cry from his first book. |
| feel it in one’s bones — expect something bad to 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 feel like going for a walk. I don’t feel like working now, I’m tired. |
| feel up to — be able to do | I don’t feel up to cleaning the house. | |
| few and far between — rare, scarce | Her visits are few and far between. | |
| find fault with — criticize | He always finds faults with everybody. | |
| find out — learn or discover | , | I found out that Maria left town. |
| firsthand — directly from the source | , | You can trust it, it’s firsthand information. |
| first things first — important things come before others | First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away? | |
| fly off the handle — get angry | () | He flew off the handle and yelled at me. |
| follow in someone’s footsteps — do the same thing | - , | Igor followed in his father’s footsteps, he became a doctor, too. |
| foot in the door — a special opportunity for a job | Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company. | |
| foot the bill — pay the bill | Her father footed the bill for the party. | |
| for good — forever | After her death, he left town for good. | |
| for the time being — at this time | For the time being, this house is all right for us. | |
| frame of mind — mental state | I can’t do it in this frame of mind. | |
| from A to Z — completely | He knows this town from A to Z. | |
| from now on — now and in the future | From now on, I forbid you to go there. | |
| get a grip on oneself — take control of one’s feelings | Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself! | |
| get along with — have good relations | , | Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesn’t get along with Laura. |
| get away with — not be caught after doing wrong | The police didn’t find the thief. He got away with his crime. | |
| get carried away — get too excited and enthusiastic about something | - | He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money. |
| get cold feet — be afraid to do | I wanted to try it but got cold feet. | |
| get even with — have one’s revenge | - | I’ll get even with him for everything! |
| get in touch with — contact | - | Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help. |
| get lost — lose one’s way | She got lost in the old part of town. | |
| Get lost! — Lay off! | ! | I don’t want to see you again. Get lost! |
| get mixed up — get confused | I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost. | |
| get off one’s back — leave alone | - | Stop bothering me! Get off my back! |
| get on one’s high horse — behave haughtily towards someone | Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse. | |
| get on (the bus, train, plane) | () | I got on the bus on Oak Street. |
| get off (the bus, train, plane) | () | I got off the bus at the bank. |
| get out of hand — get out of control | - | If he gets out of hand again, call me right away. |
| get over — recover after an illness or bad experience | , - | I can’t get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly. |
| get rid of — dispose of, discard | He got rid of his old useless car. | |
| get together — meet with | My friends and I get together often. | |
| get to the bottom — know deeply | He usually gets to the bottom of things. | |
| get to the point — get to the matter | Get to the point! | |
| Give me a break! — spare me | Come on, stop it! Give me a break! | |
| give someone a hand — help | - | Can you give me a hand with cooking? |
| give someone a lift /a ride — take to some place by car | - | 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 | , , | 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 | -, | I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car. |
| go back on one’s word — break a 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 | If I were you, I would go for it. | |
| go from bad to worse — be worse | His business went from bad to worse. | |
| go out — go to parties, movies | Do he and his wife go out often? | |
| go out of one’s way -try very hard | He goes out of his way to please her. | |
| go to one’s head — make too proud | His acting success went to his head. | |
| go to pieces — get very upset, fall apart | She went to pieces when she heard it. | |
| go with the flow — lead quiet life | She always goes with the flow. | |
| grow on someone — become liked | When she knew him more, he grew on her. | |
| had better — should | , ... | You look ill, you’d better see a doctor. |
| have a ball — have a good time | Yesterday we had a ball at the party. | |
| have a bone to pick — complain or discuss something unpleasant | -, - | Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you. |
| have a word with someone — talk to | - | Can I have a word with you? |
| have words with someone — argue with someone about something | I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again. | |
| have it in him — have the ability | Laura has it in her to be a good doctor. | |
| have no business doing something — have no right to do | , . | You have no business staying here without my permission. |
| have one’s back to the wall — be hard-pressed, on the defensive | I had no choice, I had my back to the wall. | |
| have one’s hands full — very busy | He has his hands full with hard work. | |
| have one’s heart set on something — want something very much | -, - | She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty. |
| have pull — have influence on | Does he have pull with the director? | |
| (not) have the heart — (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant | () | I don’t have the heart to tell him that he wasn’t accepted, he’ll be so unhappy. |
| high and low — everywhere | ( ..) | I searched high and low for my lost cat. |
| hit the nail on the head — say exactly the right thing | You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director. | |
| hit upon something — to discover | They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan. | |
| hold it against someone — blame somebody for doing something | () - | I lost his book, but he doesn’t hold it against me. |
| Hold it! — Stop! Wait! | /! | Hold it! I forgot my key. |
| Hold on! — Wait! | ! | Hold on! I’ll be back in a minute. |
| hold one’s own — maintain oneself in a situation, behave as needed | , - | He can hold his own in any situation. We need men who can hold their own. |
| hold up — rob using a weapon | This bank was held up twice last year. | |
|
|
||
| ill at ease — uncomfortable | She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress. | |
| in advance — well before | He told her about his plan in advance. | |
| in a nutshell — in a few words | , | In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land. |
| in care of someone — write to one person at the address of another | ( ) | I’m staying at Tom’s house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois. |
| in cold blood — mercilessly | He killed her in cold blood. | |
| in fact — actually, in reality | In fact, he works as a manager here. | |
| in general — generally, generally speaking | , | In general, he likes to be alone. He described the place only in general. |
| in one’s element — what one likes | He’s in his element when he’s arguing. | |
| in other words — using other words | In other words, you refused to do it for her. | |
| in plain English — in simple, frank terms | I didn’t really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible. | |
| the ins and outs — all info about | He knows the ins and outs of this business. | |
| in someone’s shoes — in another person’s 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 | In the long run, it’ll be better to buy it. | |
| in the same boat — in the same situation | Stop arguing with me, we’re in the same boat and should help each other. | |
| in the clear — free from blame | Pay the bill and you’ll be in the clear. | |
| in time (to do something) — before something begins | , - ( -) | I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class. |
| it goes without saying — should be clear without words | , | It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away. |
| It’s on the tip of my tongue. | His name is on the tip of my tongue. | |
| it’s time — should do it right away | Hurry up, it’s time to go. | |
| It’s worth it. / It’s not worth it. It’s (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc. | / ; () , , .. | Watch this film, it’s worth it. Don’t 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 | Stop reading, it will do for now. | |
| jump at the opportunity/chance — accept the opportunity eagerly | His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity. | |
| just as soon — prefer this one | () | I’d just as soon stay home, I’m tired. |
| just in case — to be on the safe side | Take an extra shirt, just in case. | |
| Just my luck! — Bad / Hard luck! | ! | They lost my job application. Just my luck! |
| keep an eye on — take care of, watch, look after | , | Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. I’ll keep an eye on you! |
| keep a straight face — not to laugh | I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. | |
| keep company — accompany | She keeps me company quite often. | |
| keep one’s word — fulfill a promise | You promised, now keep your word. | |
| keep someone posted — inform | Keep me posted about your plans. | |
| keep your fingers crossed — hope that nothing will go wrong | , | I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you? |
| kill time — fill/spend empty time | I went to the show to kill time. | |
| (not) know the first thing about — not to have any knowledge about | - | I don’t know the first thing about nuclear physics. |
| know the ropes — be very familiar with some business | He knows all the ropes in this company. | |
| last-minute notice — little or no time to prepare for something | His arrival was a last-minute notice, we didn’t have time to prepare for it. | |
| lay one’s cards on the table — be frank and open | , | 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 | He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts. | |
| lead a dog’s life — live in misery | He leads a dog’s life. | |
| lead someone on — make someone believe something that isn’t true | - | They suspect that you are leading them on. You led me on! |
| leave it at that — accept reluctantly | Leave it at that, what else can you do? | |
| leave word — 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 | Why don’t you let bygones be bygones and forget about what he said? | |
| let go of — release the hold | , | Let go of my hand or I’ll call the guard. |
| let (it) go — forget bad experience, return to normal life | 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 | She is always so formal. She never lets her hair down. | |
| let someone down — disappoint, fail someone | - | Don’t let me down this time! |
| let someone know — inform | Let me know when you find a job. | |
| like father, like son — be like one’s parent in something | , | Paul won a prize in a chess tournament. Great! Like father, like son! |
| little by little — step by step | Little by little, he got used to Tokyo. | |
| look for — search for | What are you looking for? | |
| look forward to — expect with pleasure | I’m looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking forward to the party. | |
| look out — be careful, watch out | Look out! The bus is coming! | |
| look up — check with /in a dictionary or a reference book | If you don’t know this word, look it up in the dictionary. | |
| lose one’s temper — become angry | He loses his temper very often. | |
| lose one’s way — get lost | I lost my way. Can you help me? | |
| lose track of — not to know where someone or something is | I lost track of him years ago. | |
| lucky break — a lucky chance | He got his lucky break when he got this job. | |
| make a living — earn money to provide for life | He works hard. His family is big, and he has to make a living somehow. | |
| make allowance for — take into consideration when judging | , | Don’t criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance for his inexperience. |
| make a point of — be sure to do something intentionally | - | 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 | His doesn’t get much money. I wonder how he manages to make ends meet. | |
| make friends — become friends | Anton makes new friends easily. | |
| make fun of — laugh at, joke about | He made fun of her German accent. | |
| make no bones about it — say/do openly, without hesitation | , | I’ll make no bones about it: I don’t like your attitude to work. |
| make room for — allow space for | We can make room for one more dog. | |
| make sense — be logical | What you say makes sense. | |
| make the most of smth — do the best in the given situation | Let’s make the most of our vacation. | |
| make up — become friends again | I’m tired of fighting. Let’s make up. | |
| make up for smth — compensate | I’ll make up for the time you spent on it. | |
| make up one’s mind — decide | When will you go? Make up your mind. | |
| make yourself at home — be comfortable, feel at home | Come in please. Make yourself at home. | |
| man of his word — one who keeps promises, is dependable | , | You can depend on his promise to help. He’s a man of his word. |
| mean well — have good intentions | , | He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled a couple of things for me. |
| might as well — a good idea | I might as well telephone him now. | |
| missing person — someone who is lost and can’t be located | ( ) | The little boy disappeared. The police registered him as a missing person. |
| meet someone halfway — compromise with others | - | He’s reasonable and tries to meet his coworkers halfway, when possible. |
| never mind — it doesn’t matter | , | |
" ":1 - . .
2 - ?
...
42 - 12 .
43 - 15 , .
44 - .
45 - 10 , .
46 - , .
