Idioms and colourful words (A)...

A back-handed compliment

Сомнительный

комплимент

He said he liked me a lot better than the last time he met me, which I thought was rather a back-handed compliment.

A backwater

«болото»

Our town is a cultural backwater.

A bad patch

Полоса невезения

He went through a very bad patch last year: he lost his job and his wife left him for another man.

A bag of bones

Кожа да кости

She was a bag of bones.

A baker’s dozen

Чёртова дюжина

Make it a baker’s dozen.

A ball and chain

Путы, оковы

Our national debt is an economic ball and chain dragging us down, keeping longer-term interest rates high.

A ball of fire

Сгусток энергии

Ann is a real ball of fire - she works late every night.

A baptism of / by fire

Боевое крещение

I was given a million-dollar project to manage in my first month. It was a real baptism of fire.

A bash

Тусовка

They like to attend the New Year’s Eve bash in Time Square.

A bear garden

Базар (шумное сборище)

This office is a bear garden when the boss is away.

A bed of roses

Райская жизнь, не жизнь, а малина

Being the mayor of a small town is a bed of roses compared with being mayor of New York.

A bee in one’s bonnet

Пунктик, причуда

She has a bee in her bonnet about going to America.

A big cheese / a big fish

Большая шишка, важная птица

Today we’re being visited by a big fish from head office.

A bird brain

Куриные мозги

She is a bird brain.

A bird’s eye view

Вид с высоты птичьего полёта

We had a bird’s eye view of the old town from the top of the city walls.

A blabbermouth

Трепло, болтун

Tom’s a blabbermouth, so don’t tell him anything about your life.

A blind alley

Тупиковый вариант

Tom thinks the job of motor mechanic is a blind alley, as in ten years’ time all cars may be electronic.

A blind date

Свидание вслепую

A blind date can be a huge success, or a big disappointment.