Эффективные методы работы с английскими идиомами (статья с приложением)

idiom

meaning

like billion

with enthusiasm

to be on cloud nine

to be supremely happy

to be cock-a-hoop

to be delighted

to hit the right note

to be suitable and have the right effect

to go down a treat

to be enjoyed by everyone

to go with a swing

to be successful and exciting

to hit the jackpot

to be very successful

to hit the spot

to taste good and make everyone satisfied

to get stars in one’s eyes

to be very excited about the future

to blow one’s mind

make somebody feel extremely excited

to be on a high

to be very happy

to be as happy as Larry

to be very happy indeed

to be full of joys of spring

to be very happy

to be music to someone’s ear

to make someone feel happy

to be a happy-to-go person

someone who is always happy and never worries

as fit as a fiddle

to be in excellent health

to be over the moon

to be highly delighted

to be on the top of the world

to be extremely happy

to have the last laugh

to be proved right in the end

to be bright and breezy

to be cheerful and confident

to be alive and kicking

to be in a good mood

to look on the bright side

to be positive

to be a barrel of laughs

to be a course of fun or amusement

There’s plenty more fish in the sea!

There are more opportunities ahead

It’s not the end of the world!

It is not as bad as you think

Things can only get better!

Everything will be ok in the future.

There’s light at the end of a tunnel!

Everything will be ok at the end.

Tomorrow’s another day!

Tomorrow all will be better.

Third time lucky!

Your third attempt will be successful.

Fingers crossed!

Let’s hope for the better!

It’ll be all right on the night!

Everything will be ok after one night.

No news is good news!

If we don’t get news it is not bad.

idiom

meaning

to be taken aback

to be shocked

to run amuck

to be out of control

to go berserk

to be in a state of wild fury

not to have a clue

to be perplexed

to get cold feet

to feel anxious and uncertain

to make one’s blood boil

to make somebody very angry

to rattle somebody’s cage

to make somebody angry

to burst a blood vessel

to get very angry

to get one’s goat

to irritate somebody

to see red

to get angry

to make somebody hot and bothered

to make somebody angry and worried

to knock somebody for six

to shock or upset very much

to have a sinking feeling

to feel that something bad is about to happen

to be down in the dumps

to feel miserable

to reduce somebody to tears

to make somebody to cry

to be a bundle of nerves

to be extremely nervous

to run out of passion

to begin to feel annoyed

to cry the eyes out

to cry for a very long time

to be in floods of tears

to cry a lot

to be scared stiff of smth

to be extremely frightened

to be at your wit’s end

to be very worried

to feel washed out

to feel weak and look unhealthy

to be under the weather

to feel upset

to be up the spout

to be in great difficulty

to be shell-shocked

to be extremely shocked

to be up the pole

to be in difficulty

poker-faced

expressionless

to be as sick as a parrot

to be extremely disappointed

to feel groggy

to feel shaky, unsteady

to be fed up with smth

to be tired of something

to be cheesed off

to be tired of something

to get out of bed on the wrong side

to be bad tempered, grumpy

to be over a barrel

helpless to act

idiom

meaning

to be above board

to be honest

to have an axe to grind

to have a selfish, usually secret motive of doing something

to climb on the bandwagon

to support a plan or cause for personal benefit or advantage

to beat around the bush

to avoid coming to the point

beat in a hasty retreat

to leave in a hurry

to be the bee’s knees

to be or consider oneself superior to others in some way

to have a bee in one’s bonnet

to be obsessed by something

to take the bit between one’s teeth

to be very keen to do something

to bite off more than one can chew

to try to do more than one manage or is capable of

to bite the bullet

to show courage in facing a difficult or unpleasant situation

blue-chip

reliable

to take the bull by the horns

to face up to a difficulty with boldness

to burn one’s boats/bridges behind someone

to be so commited to a course of action that it is impossible to withdraw

to take the cake

to deserve honour or merit)

to turn the other cheek

to have an attitude or forgiveness when one is wrongly or unkindly treated

to be in cloud cuckoo land

to be divorced from reality or ordinary life

to keep one’s feet on the ground

to think in a sensible and practical way

to be in the public eye

to be on television/radio a lot because you are famous

to pull yourself together

to force yourself to stop behaving in a nervous or disorganized way

to be all fingers and thumbs

to use your hands in an awkward or careless way so that you drop or break things

to keep a straight face

to look serious even when you want to smile or laugh

apple of discord

something which causes argument

to bandy words with someone

to quarrel with someone

the black sheep in the family

a person in the family who is in disgrace

to bury the hatcher

to restore a relationship after a long quarrel

cheek by jowl

in close intimacy

think the world of somebody

to have great love and respect for someone

go down well/badly

to receive a good or bad reaction from other people

talk about somebody behind their back

to say bad things about somebody without them knowing about it

pull somebody’s leg

to try to make somebody believe something that isn’t true, as a joke

win hands down

to beat other people very easily

to nave a natter

to have a long conversation about unimportant things

get/give somebody a head start

to get or give somebody an advantage which helps them to be successful

give somebody a say

to allow somebody to take part in deciding something

get in touch with somebody

to write or telephone somebody who do not contact very often

shower someone with something

to generously give someone a lot of something

know where you stand with somebody

to know how somebody feels about you

get on somebody’s nerves

to annoy someone, especially by doing something repeatedly

give somebody a dirty look

to look at someone in a way that shows you disapprove of or dislike them

you other half

your husband, wife or partner

to add insult to injury

to upset someone and then to deliver a second insult

to save one’s bacon

to rescue someone from trouble

to be blue-blooded

to be born into a royal or aristocratic family

to pass the buck

to pass responsibility on to someone else

to keep your feet on the ground

to think in a sensible and practical way

to laugh your head off

to laugh loudly and for a long time

shoulder to cry on

to give sympathy to someone when they are unhappy or upset

light-hearted

not be taken seriously

to have butterflies in your stomach

to feel very nervous before doing something

to get your head round something

to understand something complicated or difficult

to have green fingers

to be good at making plants grow

to put your foot in it

to say something without thinking carefully

to turn a blind eye to something

to deliberately ignore something that you know should not be happening

to be up to neck in something

to be very busy doing something

to set foot in

to go to or enter a place

to try your hand at something

to try a new activity in order to see whether it interests you and whether you are good at it

to get your hands on something

to obtain something that is quite difficult to find

to cause raised eyebrows

to cause surprise among people

to put your feet up

to sit down and relax

lonely heart page

a page used by people who want to make friends or find someone to love

to have a good head for

to be good at something

to put your heads together

to plan something together

to go to someone’s head

to make someone think that he is very important

to lose face

to lose the respect of others

to get teeth into

to be involved in something enthusiastically

teething troubles

problems in the early stage

to give somebody’s right arm for

to want something very much

to tread on somebody’s toes

to do something that could upset someone

to make somebody’s toes curl

to make somebody feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed

to keep one’s finger on the pulse

stay up-to-date

to play for time

to delay something because you are not ready or need more time to think about it

to be a workaholic

someone who cannot stop working

go bust

to cease business because a company has no more money

a cushy number

a very easy job

to slog one’s guts out

to work very hard or use a lot of effort

a sleeping partner

a partner in a company who doesn’t take an active part, but often provides some of the money

track record

all the achievements or failures that someone had in the past

a golden handshake

a large payment made to someone when they leave their job

a golden hello

a large payment made to someone when they accept a new job

to do a roaring trade

to sell a lot of goods very quickly

to corner the market

to become so successful at selling a product that almost no one else can sell it

to go great guns

to do something very successfully

to go belly up

to fail

to go to the wall

to be destroyed financially

to shut up shop

to close the business

the rat race

a way of life in which people compete with one another for power and money

to be put on gardening leave

to be told not to come into work during their notice period, although they will receive payment for this period

to be under the auspices of someone

to be under the patronage or guidance

backroom boys

researches, scientists, etc., whose hard work is essential but is not brought to public attention

a busman’ s holidays

a holiday when you do the same thing as at work

to have had one’s chips

to be close to failure or defeat

to have a finger in every pie

to interfere in a matter

to be taken to the cleaners

to lose all one’s money

to cost the earth

to cost a very large amount of money

the penny drops

when finally someone understands something

to be quids in

to make a profit

to roll in it

to have lots of money

to be the breadwinner

person who earns the money

to bring home the bacon

earn the money the family lives

to be strapped for cash

not to have enough money

to take somebody to the cleaner’s

to get as much money from somebody as it possible

to throw money down the drain

to waste money

to go for a song

to be sold very cheaply

rags to riches

from poverty to wealth

to scrimp and save

to live very economically

to pay over the odds

to pay more than something is worth

to make ends meet

to have just enough money

to penny-pinch

to spend as little money as possible

cheap and cheerful

cheap but good or enjoyable

to break the bank

to cost a lot

money to burn

excess money

no-expense-spared

luxury

beam ends

to have nothing left to live on

filthy lucre

dishonourable profit

to kill the goose which lays the golden eggs

to destroy a source of profit through greed

to pay on the nail

to make a prompt cash payment

to pay through the nose

to pay an exorbitant price for something

to be in the money

to have or win a lot of money

money burns a hole in your pocket

to have an urge to spend money as soon as you have it

put your money where your mouth is

to take action to support your statement or opinion

throw good money after bad

to incur further loss in a hopeless attempt to recoup a previous loss

throw money at something

try to solve a problem by recklessly spending more money on it

count the pennies

to be careful about how much you spend

earn an honest penny

to earn money honestly

at the cutting edge

at the most recent stage of development in a particular type of work or activity

hot off the press

to be just printed and contain the most recent information

a brainchild

a clever and original idea

to be on the blink

not to work correctly

It’s not rocket science.

It’s not very difficult to do or to understand.

to reinvent the wheel

to waste time trying to create something that someone else had already created

the best thing since sliced

the best innovation for some time

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

said when you see that something works well, and there is no reason to try to change it

to go haywire

to stop working normally and start working in a different and strange way

a cog in the machine

one part of a large organization

to set the wheels in motion

to do something which will cause a series of actions to start

gas guzzler

a car that uses a lot of fuel

oil the wheels

to make something easier for something to happen

under microscope

under critical examination

a rule of thumb

rough calculation based on experience rather than careful calculation

to blow a fuse

to become uncontrollably angry

Don’t push my buttons!

Don’t annoy me!

driven by a motor

to be hyperactive

fire on all cylinders

to go as well as possible

garbage in, garbage out

If something is built badly, then the results will be bad.

Get your wires crossed

to misunderstand each other

hear something on the jungle telegraph

to pick up some information or gossip from someone who shares some common interest

to write like an angel

to have a beautiful signature

to burn the midnight oil

to stay up late studying

to set one’s sights on

to decide to achieve something

up to scratch

up to a satisfactory standard or quality

to burn the candle at both ends

to go to bed late and to wake up early

in leaps and bounds

to progress rapidly

a lot of ground to make up

a lot of work to catch up

round the clock

all the time

learn off by heart

to learn something that you can remember perfectly

a memory like a sieve

a bad memory

to jog the memory

to help to remember

to go in one ear and out of the other

to forget immediately

to stick in one’s mind

to be easily remembered

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

It’s difficult to make someone change their way of doing things

You’re teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.

You are giving advice to someone about something they know more than you.

to learn one’s lesson

to learn from a negative experience not to do something again

to teach somebody a lesson

to show someone as a result of experience what not to do

to pick something up

To learn something by chance rather than by studying it

to pass with flying colours

to get very high marks in an examination or test

to draw a blank

not be able to remember something

to put one’s thinking cap on

to think very seriously or hard about something

to figure something out

to discover something or resolve a problem

to rack one’s brain

to think long and hard about something

to be lost in thought

to be completely consumed by thought, often to the point of being unaware of surroundings

teacher’s pet

a favourite pupil

a bookworm

a person who like to read

Prince Charmimg

a very handsome man

an ivory tower

a situation where you are separated from the ordinary and unpleasant things

castles in the air

plans that have little chance to happen

the sword of Damocles

impending doom, an imminent threat

star-crossed lovers

people unlucky in love

Achilles’ heel

a weak point

Pandora’s box

something unknown and dangerous

to have the Midas touch

to do everything successfully

a Trojan horse

something which destroy an event or party

to rest on our laurels

to have a rest after a success in business or studies

to leave no stone unturned

to ruin completely

to turn the other cheek

to allow to be hurt again

epic proportions

very big proportions

act of God

natural disaster

wild-goose chase

waste of time

a green-eyed monster

jealousy

pure as the driven snow

very clean and fresh

seen better these days

to be old and in a bad condition

Off with his head!

Punish him!

forever and a day

for a very long time

good riddance

good luck (if someone is leaving)

fair play

honest actions in business or sport

lie low

to hide

As good luck would have it.

It will be even if we don’t want it

You’ve got to be cruel to be kind.

You should be cruel if you want to be kind

love is blind

You may love a person even if he/she is hot good or attractive

be all and end all

the most important event or thing

break the ice

to make a situation less formal

kill with kindness

to express kindness enormously

live long day

live a long life

the game’s afoot

the game is going on

an Aladdin’s cave

a place with a lot of treasure or precious things

Man Friday

a partner, a friend who helps you

done to a turn

perfectly cooked

eat like a pig

eat very greedy and unpleasantly

eat like a horse

eat a lot

eat like a bird

eat very little

sleep on it

postpone making a decision until after a night’s sleep

go/be out like a light

fell asleep very quickly

not to lose sleep over it

not to worry about

to give it a miss

not to take part

to outstay somebody’s welcome

to stay longer than the host would like

on the hoof

while doing other things

to have a bad hair day

to have a day when you feel that you look unattractive

to take each day as it comes

deal with things as they happen

creature comforts

physical comfort

on the house

given free by the business

all the time in the world

to have a lot of time so you don’t need to hurry

with not stitch at all

to wear no clothes at all

keep yourself to yourself

to live a very quiet and private life and not involve yourself with other people

to live life to the full

to live your life in a very full and intense way

to get away from it all

to escape from your daily problems and have a peaceful and relaxing holiday

to put your feet up

to sit down and relax

to lead a double life

to pretend to be one person when you are really another person

to bark at the moon

to do useless things

to be all in

to be very tired

a walk in the park

something very simple or easy

to beat someone to the punch

to do something before or faster than someone else

to cook up a storm

to cook a great deal of meal

o have a tough row to hoe

to be faced with a task in difficult conditions

to hit the hay

to go to bed

monopoly money

money that has no value and is used only in games

poker-faced

expressionless

to play cards close to one’s chest

not to reveal one’s plans

to play one’s ace/trump card

to use one’s advance

to knock someone for six

to surprise and upset somebody

to get the red card

to receive official criticism for bad behaviour

It’s just not cricket!

It’ not right or fair behaviour

a whole new ball game

a completely different situation

to play hardball

to be so determined to get what they want that they use unfair methods

to take a rain check tonight

something you say when you have to refuse someone’s invitation

not to pull any punches

to speak in an honest and direct way without trying to be tactful

to feel punch-drunk

to be tired and confused

below the belt

an unfair attack

to throw in the sponge

to admit defeat

to win hands down

to beat other people very easily

lucky mascot

an animal, a toy that represents a team of organization

to score a hat-trick

a series of three success in football

clean sweep

a victory in all parts of a game

across the board

equal for everyone

at this stage of the game

at this time

the ball is in your court

It’s your decision or responsibility to do something now

blind-sided

not to see something coming

to blow the competition away

to win easily

call the shots

to make the decision

to chip in

to help by donating money or time

down to the wire

right at the end

front runner

one of the people who is expected to win

to get a head start

to start before all others

to get into the full swing

to be comfortable doing something after some time

to get off the hook

escape, have responsibility removed

to get a second wind

to have a burst of energy after tiring

to go overboard

do/say more than you need

a wolf in sheep clothing

a mean and hypocrite person

to cry wolf

to cry very much

a leopard can’t change its spots

a person doesn’t change

sick as a parrot

very ill

might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb

might as well do something more serious as you are going to be punished away

sort the sheep from the goats

find the people or things of high quality from a group of mixed quality

until the cows come home

for a very long time

straight from the horse’s mouth!

From the person concerned

to flog a dead horse

waste time trying to do something that won’t succeed

dog in the manger

to keep something so that other people can’t use it

a sitting duck

a simple target

to let the cat out of the bag

to say the secret

It’s raining cats and dogs.

It’s raining heavily.

an ugly duckling

a gauche, awkward child who blossoms into beauty

a white elephant

an unwanted object, especially something cumbersome

a wild goose chase

a pointless exercise

to take someone under one’s wing

to provide someone with help

to keep the wolf from the door

to ward off hunger

to foul one’s own nest

to prejudice

to feather one’s nest

to provide for one’s future financial security

to enter the lion’s den

to undergo an extreme test, to face overwhelming opposition

a kettle of fish

a mess, a problem

to cook someone’s goose

to ruin one’s plans or success

to get someone’s goat

to irritate, annoy someone

all cats are gray in the dark

appearance doesn’t matter at night

like a cat on a hot tin roof

to feel very nervous and impatient

to see which way the cat jumps

to act according to the situation

cat’s pajamas

perfectly

to be in a dog’s house

to be in a disgrace

as sly as a fox

to be canning

as fat as a pig

to be very fat

as eager as a beaver

a hard-working person

to pour oil on troubled waters

to calm down a difficult situation

note of discord

disagreement

to be in two minds

to be unable to decide

to be torn

to be undecided

a lone voice

the only person with a specific opinion

to bark on the wrong tree

to try to achieve something in a wrong way

to be at odds with

to have a different opinion from

splitting hairs

argue about whether unimportant details are exactly correct

a world of difference

a big difference

I beg to differ

I disagree

to send somebody to Coventry

to ignore someone totally

to see eye to eye

to have the same opinion

to be not on speaking terms

not to communicate after a quarrel

to have a bone to pick with someone

to complain about something done by the other person

to make something off

to argue about something

of the same mind

similarity in opinion

I am game

to express the willingness to do something

Count me out!

disagree to do something

Count me in!

agree to do something with the rest of participants

to be all for it

to give complete agreement

That’s about it!

Yes, of course.

So they say, so I have read

not to venture a personal opinion