Англійські ідіоми з перекладом та синонімами

Ідіоми з поясненням

Переклад

Приклад

After all - despite, nevertheless

все-таки

I knew it! After all, I was right!

all along - all the time

увесь час,завжди

I knew about his little secret all along.

all ears - eager to listen

уважно слухаю    

I am all ears.

all of a sudden - suddenly

раптово

All of a sudden, he refused to pay.

all the same - no difference

все рівно

If it's all the same to you, let's start at two.

all thumbs - clumsy

незграбний             

He can't fix anything, he's all thumbs.

apple of discord - subject of envy or quarrel

яблуко розбрату

This question is an apple of discord in our family.

as a rule - usually

як правило

As a rule, we offer a 5% discount.

as far as I am concerned - in my opinion

щодо мене

As far as I am concerned, both the book and the movie are good.

as for me/as to me - in my opinion

як на мене

As for me, you can rely on his support.

apple of someone's eye

 щось цінне, дороге

Maxim was the apple of his mother's eye.

All fingers and thumbs.

незграбний (в українській мові - руки як гаки).

незграбний (в українській мові - руки як гаки).

a trandom – without order

навмання, без плана

He chose those places at random.

at this point - at this time

на даному етапі

At this point, we can't turn back.

be about to - ready (to do)

готовий зробити

I was about to leave when you called.

be after someone - insist, press

наполягати, щоб зробив

His mother is always after him to study.

be all in - be extremely tired

дуже стомитися

I'm all in, I'd better go to bed now.

be back on one's feet - healthy again or better financially

встати на ноги після скрутного часу

He's back on his feet after a long period of

debt and unemployment.

beat around the bush - avoid giving a clear/definite answer

ходити навкруги

Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point!

be beside oneself - be very upset, nervous, worried, etc.

бути у нестямі від хвилювання, горя та ін.

She was beside herself with worry / with grief.

be better off - be in a better situation (financially)

в кращій ситуації (матеріально)

He'll be better off with a new job.

be broke - have no money at all

бути "на мілині" (без грошей)

I spent all my money, I'm broke.

be hard on something /someone - treat roughly

не берегти щось

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

бути спочатку списка потрібних речей

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

бути відповідальним за

He is in charge of marketing.

be in the red - be in debt

бути збитковим

Our sales were in the red last year.

be into smth. - be interested in

захоплюватися чимось

He is into computers. She is into sports.

bend over backwards - try hard

дуже старатися

I bent over backwards to help her.

be on one'sway

я вже їду.         

I'm on my way.

be on the safe side - not to take any chances

на всякий випадок

Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side.

be out of - be without

немає в наявності

We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar.

be out of shape - be physically unfit

бути не в формі     

He needs to exercise, he is out of shape.

be out of sorts - in bad

humor

не у дусі                  

Leave him alone, he's out of sorts today

be pressed for time / money - be short of; not have enough

не вистачати часу або

грошей

I'm pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment.

А bed of roses.

 щасливе безтурботне життя

My childhood had been a real bed of roses before I became a teenager and started to live my own life.

be to blame - be responsible for a mistake /

звинувачувати за помилку,

Who is to blame for this awful mistake?

something wrong

Tom is to blame for this mix-up.

 образити, принизити

He was her bitter enemy and never missed a chance to badmouth her.

To     badmouth                        / badmouth.

be up against - be opposed by, have problems, be in danger

мати серйозні проблеми в чомусь або з чимось

Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover.

be up and

around/about - able to be out of bed after an illness

встати на ноги, одужати

He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around.

be up to one's ears - very busy

по вуха             

I'm up to my ears in work.

be up to something - do mischief

задумати, затіяти

I have to check what the kids are up to.

be up to someone - be one's own decision or responsibility

на ваш розсуд, під вашу відповідальність

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

звикати до чогось

I'm used to hard work. He's used to heat.

bigshot – important person

важлива персона

He is a big shot around here.

bite off more than one can chew - try to do more than one can

переоцінити свої сили

I couldn't handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more

than I could chew.

bite one's tongue - stop talking

прикусити язика    

I almost told her, but bit my tongue.

bite the dust - die, be defeated

померти, падати ниць

Many of them bit the dust in that war.

black sheep - a good-fornothing member of the family

паршива вівця

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

побачення наосліп

She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience.

To be in the black

 бути в плюсі, не мати боргів

From the very beginning our company was in the black.

 black look

похмурий, загрозливий погляд

She has black look.

bottom line - main result/factor

підсумок, основний момент

The bottom line is, I don't have enough money.

break into - enter by force

увірватися (в будинок) силою         

The police broke into the robber's house.

break one's heart - hurt deeply

розбити серце

The news of her death broke his heart.

break the ice - overcome shyness in making the

first step

зламати незручність при знайомстві

The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed.

break the news - tell new facts

повідомити важливу новину

CNN is breaking the news right now.

bring home the bacon - earn the living for the family

забезпечити сім’ю

He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon.

browned off.

відчувати нудьгу, смуток

Tom is browned off with his job.

brush upon - review

освіжити в пам’яті

You need to brush up on the tenses.

by all means -definitely, certainly

обов’язково, звичайно

Do you need my help? - By all means.

by heart - bymemorizing

напам‘ять            

Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow.

by hook or by crook - by any means possible

будь-яким шляхом, будьяким способом

She will get what she wants by hook or by crook.

by the way - incidentally

доречі

By the way, Ann is coming back today.

call a spade a spade - use plain, direct words

називати речі своїми іменами

He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade.

call it a day - consider work finished for the day

вважати роботу закінченою

We've been working for 10 straight hours.

Let's call it a day.

call off - cancel

скасувати, відкликати

The police called off the search.

carry out - fulfill

доводити до кінця

She never carries out her plans.

carry weight – be important

мати вагу        

His advice always carries weight here.

cast down - depressed, sad

засмутити        

He was cast down by the bad news.

castles in the air - daydreaming about success

(будувати) повітряні замки

Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air.

catch one's eye - attract attention

привернути увагу

This picture caught my eye.

catch one's breath - stop and rest

перевести дух

I can't run, I need to catch my breath.

catch someone off guard - catch someone unprepared

застати зненацька

He caught me off guard with his question.

catch someone redhanded - find smb. in the act of doing wrong

зловити за руку, коли робив погане

The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes.

cut class

ухилятися від занять

. I'm going to cut my

English class because I have not done my homework.

close call - a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened

щось погане, що ледь не трапилося

The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call.

to count noses.

 підрахувати кількість учнів

It was hard for a

teacher to count all the noses because all kids were bustling and were not on their seats.

come down with - become ill

захворіти чимось

I'm coming down with a cold.

come to one's senses - start acting reasonably, intelligently

взятися за розум, прийти в себе

He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams.

a сock-and-bull story

неправдоподібна історія

It is a cock-and-bull story, I do not believe a single word.

come up with - suggest

запропонувати

Mike came up with a brilliant idea.

count on - dependon

розраховувати на

You can always count on me for help.

cut corners - to take a

short-cut; to limit one's

spending

зрізати кути, обмежити витрати

He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week.

to cross one's fingers.

переживати за когось (в українській мові «Тримати кулачки»).

luck tomorrow! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

cut out to be /cut out for

it - have the ability to do something

бути створеним для якоїсь роботи

She isn't cut out to be a surgeon. He's cut out to be a leader.

do one's best - try very hard

зробити все, що зміг

I did my best to help him in his work.

do one's bit - do what's

зробити належне

I'll do my bit, you can

needed

count on me.

a dead duck

 марна справа.

Do not even waste your time; it's a dead duck.

do someone good - be good for

приносити користь

Fresh air and exercise will do you good.

do something behind one's back - do (harmful) things secretively

робити(шкідливі) справи за спиною

I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again.

do without – live without

обходитися без

I'll have to do without a car for a while.

down to earth - practical

приземлений

He's quiet, sensible and down to earth.

draw the line - fix a limit

обмежити (межа)

He drew the line for her at $100 a day.

dress up - put on the best clothes

вбратися

What are you dressed up for?

drop off - deliversomewhere

підвезти до, підкинути до

Can you drop me off at the bank?

drop out - quit (school)

бути відрахованим

He dropped out of school last year.

duty calls - must fulfill obligations

борг зобов'язує      

He said, "Duty calls" and left for work.

easier said than done

легше сказати, ніжзробити

It's easier said than done, but I'll try to do it.

eat one's words - take back words

брати слова назад

He had to eat his words after her report.

evenso - nevertheless, but

тим паче

I work hard. Even so, I like my job.

an еager beaver.

«ботанік»

 I used to be a real eager beaver when I was at school, but now I'm not so interested in my

studies.

it's raining cats and dogs.

лити як з відра.

I will stay at home!

The weather is terrible! Just look, it's raining cats and dogs.

fall behind - lagbehind

відстати від

The little boy fell behind the older boys.

fall in love - begin to love

закохатися

Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight.

fall out of love - stop loving

розлюбити              

They fell out of love and divorced soon.

false alarm – untrue rumor

помилкова тривога

I heard he quit but it was a false alarm.

a far cry from something - very

different, almost opposite

(neg.)

далеко не такий хороший, як

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

відчувати, що трапиться погане

Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones.

feel like doing something - want to do, be inclined to do smth.

бути схильним до заняття чимось

I feel like going for a walk. I don’t feel like working now, I’m tired.

feel up to - be able to do

в змозі зробити

I don't feel up to cleaning the house.

few and far between - rare, scarce

занадто  рідкісні

Her visits are few and far between.

find fault with - criticize

критикувати    

He always finds faults with everybody.

find out - learn or discover

дізнатися, виявити

I found out that Maria left town.

firsthand - directly from the source

з перших рук, достовірна

You can trust it, it's firsthand information.

інформація

first things first - important things come before others

спочатку головне

First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away?

fly off the handle - get angry

розлютитися (раптом)

He flew off the handle and yelled at me.

follow in someone's footsteps - do the same thing

йти по чиїхось слідах, робити те ж

Igor followed in his father's footsteps, he became a doctor, too.

foot in the door - a special opportunity for a job

отримати шанс на роботу

Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company.

foot the bill - pay the bill

заплатити за рахунком

Her father footed the bill for the party.

for good - forever

назавжди

After her death, he left town for good.

for the time being - at this time

на даний час

For the time being, this house is all right for us.

as fresh as a daisy.

свіжий, той, який відпочив

 I feel as fresh as a daisy after the short afternoon nap.

from A to Z - completely

від початку до кінця

He knows this town from A to Z.

from now on - now and in the future

надалі

From now on, I forbid you to go there.

get a grip on oneself - take control of one's feelings

контролювати свої почуття

Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself!

get along with - have good relations

бути в хороших відносинах, ладити

Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesn't get along with Laura.

to gild the lily.

 прикрашати те, що не вимагає прикраси

Using make-up is like gilding the lily for her. She is very beautiful by nature.

get carried away - get too excited and

enthusiastic about something

занадто захопитися чимось

He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money.

get cold feet - be afraid to do

побоятися зробити

I wanted to try it but got cold feet.

get even with - have one's revenge

розквитатися з кимось

I'll get even with him for everything!

get in touch with - contact

зв'язатися з ким-то

Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help.

get lost - lose one's way

загубитися

She got lost in the old part of town.

get lost –lay off

pникни!

I don't want to see you again. Get lost!

get mixed up - get confused

переплутати

I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost.

get off one's back - leave alone

відстати від когось

Stop bothering me! Get off my back!

get on one's high horse - behave haughtily towards someone

поводитися зарозуміло

Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse.

get on (the bus, train, plane)

сісти на (транспорт)

I got on the bus on Oak Street.

get off (the bus, train, plane)

зійти з (транспорту)

I got off the bus at the bank.

get out of hand - get out of control

вийти з-під контролю

If he gets out of hand again, call me right away.

get over - recover after an illness or bad experience

одужати, подолати щось

I can't get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly.

get rid of - dispose of, discard

позбутися

He got rid of his old useless car.

get together – meet with

збиратися разом

My friends and I get together often.

get to the bottom - know deeply

дістатися до суті

He usually gets to the bottom of things.

get to the point - get to the matter

дійти до сутісправи

Get to the point!

give   /         get     the           cold shoulder.

байдуже ставитися

 I really needed his advice, but he has given me the cold shoulder

give someone a hand - help

допомогти комусь

Can you give me a hand with cooking?

give someone a lift /a ride - take to some place by car

gідвезти когось

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

висловити, що на умі, критикувати

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

відмовися від чогось,

припинити спроби

I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car.

go back on one’s word - break a promise

порушити своє слово, обіцянку

First he said he would help me, but then he went back on his word.

go for it - try to do a new thing

пробувати нову справу

If I were you, I would go for it.

go from bad to worse - be worse

ставати все гірше

His business went from bad to worse.

the green-eyed monster

заздрість

 My neighbor is the green-eyed monster

a grey area

що-небудь, чому не так легко дати визначення

The law concerning email is still a grey area in some countries.

go to one's head - make too proud

успіх запаморочив голову

His acting success went to his head.

go to pieces - get very upset, fall apart

сильно засмутитися

She went to pieces when she heard it.

go with the flow - lead quiet life

плисти за течією

She always goes with the flow.

grow on someone - become liked

поступовосподобатися

When she knew him more, he grew on her.

to fox

 обманювати, обводити навколо пальця, збивати з пантелику.

 If we go round the back, that'll fox them.

to feel blue, to look blue

бути сумним

He is as blue as the devil.

have a bone to pick - complain or discuss something unpleasant

мати рахунки з ким-то, претензії до когось

Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you.

to have green fingers.

золоті руки

He has green fingers.

have words with someone - argue with someone about something

грубо поговорити

I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again.

have it in him - have the ability

мати потрібні якості

Laura has it in her to be a good doctor.

have no business doing something - have no right to do

нічого вам тут робити, бути і ін.

You have no business staying here without my permission.

have one's back to the wall - be hard-pressed, on the defensive

бути притиснутим до стіни

I had no choice, I had my back to the wall.

have one's hands full - very busy

бути дуже зайнятим

He has his hands full with hard work.

have one's heart set on something - want something very much

дуже хотіти отримати щось

She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty.

have pull - have influence on

мати вплив на

Does he have pull with the director?

(not) have the heart - (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant

(не) вистачає духу зробити неприємне

I don't have the heart to tell him that he wasn't accepted, he'll be so unhappy.

high and low - everywhere

крізь шукати і т. д.

I searched high and low for my lost cat.

hit the nail on the head - say exactly the right thing

потрапити в точку

You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director.

hit upon something - to discover

 виявити цінне

They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan.

hold it against someone - blame somebody for doing something

(не) тримати зла на когось

I lost his book, but he doesn't hold it against me.

Hold it! - Stop! Wait!

Зупиніться/Стійте!

Hold it! I forgot my key.

Hold on! - Wait!

Почекайте!

Hold on! I'll be back in a minute.

hold one's own -

постояти за себе,

He can hold his own

maintain oneself in a

situation, behave as

needed

утвердитися в чомусь

in any situation. We need men who can hold their own.

грабувати із застосуванням зброї

This bank was held up twice last year.

hold up - rob using a weapon

ill at ease - uncomfortable

не по собі

She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress.

in advance - wellbefore

заздалегідь

He told her about his plan in advance.

in a nutshell - in a few words

стисло, коротко

In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land.

in care of someone - write to one person at the address of another

адресату за

адресоюіншоїлюдини (у кого зупинився)

I'm staying at Tom's house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois.

in cold blood - mercilessly

холоднокровно

He killed her in cold blood.

in fact - actually, in reality

фактично

In fact, he works as a manager here.

in general - generally, generally speaking

загалом, взагалі

In general, he likes to

be alone. He described the place only in general.

in one's element - what one likes

у своїй стихії

He's in his element when he's arguing.

in other words - using other words

іншими словами

In other words, you refused to do it for her.

in plain English - in simple, frank terms

простіше кажучи

I didn't really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible.

the ins and outs - all info about

входи і виходи

He knows the ins and outs of this business.

in someone's shoes - in another person's position

на місці іншого, в положенні іншого

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

в кінцевом рахунку

In the long run, it'll be better to buy it.

in the same boat - in the same situation

в такому ж положенні

Stop arguing with me, we're in the same boat and should help each other.

in the clear - free from blame

поза претензій

Pay the bill and you'll be in the clear.

in time (to do something) - before something begins

прийти вчасно, щоб встигнути щось зробити (до початку чогось)

I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class.

it goes without saying - should be clear without

words

не варто і говорити, само собою

It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away.

It's on the tip of my tongue.

крутиться на язиці

His name is on the tip of my tongue.

it's time - should do it right away

пора

Hurry up, it's time to go.

It's worth it. / It's not worth it. It’s (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc.

воно того варте /воно того не варте; (не) вартокупувати, відвідати, дивитися і т. д.

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

достатньо

Stop reading, it will do for now.

jump at the opportunity/chance - accept the opportunity eagerly

вхопитися за можливість

His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity.

just as soon - prefer this

волів би (це)

I'd just as soon stay

one

home, I'm tired.

just in case - to be on the

на всяк випадок

Take an extra shirt, just in case.

safe side

Just my luck! - Bad / Hard luck!

мені завжди не щастить!

They lost my job application. Just my luck!

keep an eye on - take care of, watch, look after

постежити за, доглянути за

Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. I’ll keep an eye on you!

keep a straight face - not to laugh

намагатися не сміятися

I tried to keep a straight face, but failed.

keepcompany - accompany

скластикомпанію

She keeps me company quite often.

keep one's word - fulfill a promise

тримати слово

You promised, now keep your word.

keep someone posted - inform

тримати в курсіподій

Keep me posted about your plans.

To put out the red carpet.

вітати

They put him out the red carpet

kill time - fill/spend empty time

вбити час

I went to the show to kill time.

(not) know the first thing about - not to have any knowledge about

нічого не знати по якійсь темі

I don't know the first thing about nuclear physics.

know the ropes - be very familiar with some business

знати всі ходи і виходи

He knows all the ropes in this company.

last-minute notice - little

or no time to prepare for something

повідомлення в останній момент

His arrival was a lastminute notice, we didn't have time to prepare for it.

lay one's cards on the table - be frank and open

сказати чесно, відкрити карти

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

ставитижиття на мапу

He laid his life on the

line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts.

lead a dog's life - live in misery

вести собаче життя

He leads a dog's life.

lead someone on - make someone believe something that isn't true

змусити когось повірити неправді

They suspect that you are leading them on.

You led me on!

leave it at that - accept reluctantly

залишити як є

Leave it at that, what else can you do?

leave word - leave a message

залишити повідомлення

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

не ворушити минуле

Why don't you let bygones be bygones and forget about what he said?

let go of - release the hold

відпустити, не тримати

Let go of my hand or I'll call the guard.

let (it) go - forget bad experience, return to normal life

звільнитися від важкого переживання

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

триматися неофіційно

She is always so formal. She never lets her hair down.

let someone down - disappoint, fail someone

підвести кого-то

Don't let me down this time!

let your hair down.

 розслабитися, поводитися невимушено

 I had extremely hard day at work and need to let my hair down now.

To live from hand to mouth

жити впроголодь

They lived from hand to mouth, never knowing when the next meal was coming.

little by little - step by step

потроху

Little by little, he got used to Tokyo.

look for - searchfor

шукати

What are you looking for?

look forward to - expect with pleasure

чекати з нетерпінням

I'm looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking forward to the party.

look out - be careful, watch out

остерігатися

Look out! The bus is coming!

look up - check with /in a

dictionary or a reference book

подивитися в словнику чи

довіднику

If you don’t know this word, look it up in the dictionary.

lose one's temper - become angry

розсердитися

He loses his temper very often.

lose one's way - get lost

заблукати

I lost my way. Can you help me?

lose track of - not to know where someone or something is

втратити з виду

I lost track of him years ago.

lucky break - a lucky chance

щасливий випадок

He got his lucky break when he got this job.

make a living - earn money to provide for life

заробляти на життя

He works hard. His family is big, and he has to make a living

somehow.

make allowance for - take into consideration when judging

враховувати, робити знижку на

Don't criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance for his inexperience.

make a point of - be sure to do something intentionally

вважати обов'язковим для себе зробити щось

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

зводити кінці з кінцями

His doesn’t get much money. I wonder how he manages to make ends meet.

мake friends – become friends

подружитися

Anton makes new friends easily.

make fun of - laugh at, joke about

висміювати

He made fun of her German accent.

make no bones about it - say/do openly, without hesitation

сказати прямо, не приховуючи відношення

I'll make no bones about it: I don't like your attitude to work.

make room for - allow space for

звільнитимісце для

We can make room for one more dog.

make sense - belogical

має сенс

What you say makes sense.

make the most of smth - do the best in the given situation

витягти найкраще з

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

компенсувати

I'll make up for the time you spent on it.

make up one's mind - decide

прийнятирішення

When will you go?

Make up your mind.

make yourself at home - be comfortable, feel at

home

будьте як удома

Come in please. Make yourself at home.

man of his word - one who keeps promises, is dependable

господарсвого слова, тримає слово

You can depend on his promise to help. He's a man of his word.

mean well - have good intentions

хотіти зробити, як краще

He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled a couple of things for me.

might as well - a good idea

може бути непогано

I might as well telephone him now.

missing person - someone who is lost and can't be located

зниклий чоловік (у розшуку)

The little boy disappeared. The police registered him as a missing person.

monkey's business

дурна витівка, дивацтво.

Stop doing monkey business and start your homework!

never mind - it doesn't matter

неважливо, нічого

Thankyou.

Nevermind.

not to mention - in addition to

не кажучи вже

We have three dogs, not to mention two cats.

no wonder – not surprising

не дивно, що

He ate three big fish. No wonder he's sick.

now and again - occasionally

час від часу

I meet them now and again at the bank.

odds and ends - a variety of small unimportant things or leftovers

дрібниці, залишки, обрізки

I needed to buy some odds and ends for the kitchen.

off the cuff - without preparation

без підготовки

Off the cuff, I can give you only a rough estimate.

off the point - beside the

не відноситься до справи

What I think about

point

him is off the point.

не для публіки, неофіційно

Strictly off the record, I think the director is going to get married soon.

off the record - not for the public, unofficially

once and for all - decidedly

одного разу і назавжди

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

нервовий, роздратований

He's been on edge ever since she left.

on guard - on the alert

насторожі, пильний

He's cautious and always on guard.

on hand - available

під рукою

Do you have a calculator on hand?

on one's own - alone, by oneself

самостійно, один, сам по собі

She likes to live and work on her own.

on one's toes - alert, attentive, prepared for difficulties

пильний, зібраний

He was on his toes and produced a very good impression on them.

on purpose - intentionally

навмисне, з метою

I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened so.

on second thought - after thinking again

по зрілому  міркуванні

I'd like to sit on the aisle. On second thought, I'd like a window seat.

on the alert - on guard

напоготові, насторожі

He's cautious and always on the alert.

on the carpet - called in by the boss for criticism

викликати на килим

Yesterday the boss called her on the carpet for being rude to the coworkers.

on the go - busy, on the

He is always on the

move

в русі, на ходу

go.

on the off chance - unlikely to happen, but still

малоймовірно, але на всяк випадок

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

з іншого боку

I'd like to have a dog. On the other hand, my wife likes cats better.

on the spot - right there

на місці, відразу

I decided to do it on the spot.

on the spur of the moment - without previous thought / plan

під впливом моменту

He bought this car on the spur of the moment, now he regrets it.

on time - punctual

у призначений час

Jim is always on time.

out of one's mind - crazy

божевільний

If you think so, you're out of your mind.

out of the blue

несподівано, як грім серед ясного неба.

out of the blue he asked me about my family.

out of the question - impossible

не може бути й мови

Paying him is out of the question!

pack rat - a person who saves lots of unnecessary things

той, хто не викидає старі

непотрібні речі

Why does she keep all those things she never uses? - She is a pack rat.

pass with flying colors

з легкістю пройти випробування

I passed all the exams with flying colors and got a golden medal on leaving school.

pick a fight - start a

почати сварку

He often tries to pick

quarrel

a fight with me.

підібрати, взяти

I'll pick you up at 7.

pick up - take, get

play one's cards right - choose the right steps in doing something

зіграти 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

вечеря вскладчину, ніхто не знає, що принесуть інші

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

зібратися з силами

Stop crying and complaining! You have to pull yourself together now.

pull the wool over someone's eyes - deceive, mislead someone

обдурити і ввести в оману

Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It won't do you any good.

put a damper on - discourage

охолодити запал

She always puts a damper on my plans.

put in a word for someone - say positive things about someone

замовити слівце

I'd be very grateful if you could put in a word for me when you speak to him.

put off - postpone

відкладати

Don't put it off till tomorrow.

to be born in purple.

мати знатне походження

He was born in purple.

put one's foot in it - do the wrong thing, make a

fool of oneself

зробити/сказати дурість

He put his foot in it when he told the boss his daughter wasn't pretty.

put up with - accept, tolerate

миритися, терпіти

I can't put up with your bad work!

quite a bit of - much, a

I had quite a bit of

lot of

багато

trouble with that car.

багато

He wrote quite a few good stories.

quite a few - many, a lot of

rabbit's foot.

талісман на удачу.

 Do you possess something that is a rabbit's foot for you?

read between the lines - find or understand the implied meaning

читати між рядків

His books are not easy to understand; you have to read between the lines.

remember me to - say hello to

передати привіт від

Please remember me to your family.

right away - immediately

відразу ж, негайно

It' very important to do it right away.

ring a bell - remind someone of something familiar /half-forgotten

нагадує щось знайоме

Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell, but I can't place it right now.

rock the boat - make the situation unstable

розгойдувати човен, вести до

нестабільності

Peter always rocks the boat when we discuss company's spending policy.

rub shoulders with - meet with

близько спілкуватися з

He doesn't rub shoulders with the rich.

rub someone the wrong way - irritate, annoy,

make angry

дратувати, злитикогось

His remarks rub many coworkers the wrong way.

run into - meet by chance

випадково зустріти

I ran into an old friend yesterday.

save face - try to change the negative impression produced

рятувати репутацію

He said a stupid thing and tried to save face

by saying he misunderstood me.

save one's breath - stop useless talk

не витрачай даремно слова

There's no use talking to him about his spending habits, so save your breath.

scratch the surface - study something superficially

вивчати поверхово

He examines all the facts closely, he doesn't just scratch the surface.

see about - make arrangements for

подбати про щось

I have to see about our plane tickets.

see eye to eye - agree

сходяться в думці

We don't see eye to eye any longer.

serve someone right - get what someone deserves

по заслузі

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

відповідати цілі

I doubt that hiring this man will serve your purpose.

showp romise – be promising

подавати надії

This young actor shows promise.

a shrinking violet.

бентежитися, соромитися

I become a real shrinking violet every time I see him.

sizeup – evaluate someone

оцінити, скласти думку

It took me 5 minutes to size up that man.

sleep on it - postpone a decision till next morning

відкласти рішення до наступного ранку

Don't decide now, sleep on it.

a slip of the tongue - a mistake

обмовка (помилка)

It was just a slip of the tongue!

slip (from) one's mind - forget

забути

It slipped my mind what she asked me.

smell a rat - suspect something

нідозрювати недобре

I'm not sure what it is, but I smell a rat.

so far - up to now

досі, поки

So far, I have read 3 books by King.

so much the better - it's even better

ще краще

If he can pay cash, so much the better.

spill the beans - tell a secret

проговоритися

Who spilled the beans about our plan?

stand a chance - have a chance

немає шансів

He doesn't stand a chance of getting it.

standout – be noticeable

виділятися

He stands out in any group of people.

stand to reason - be logical

логічно, що

It stands to reason that he apologized.

straight from the shoulder - speak frankly

чесно, відверто

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 схвалювати

My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children.

take a break - stop for rest

зробити перерву

Let’s take a break, I’m tired.

take advantage of - use for one's own benefit, to profit from

скористатися можливістю

We took advantage of the low prices and bought a computer and a monitor.

take after - be like one of the parents

бути схожим на батьків (батька)

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.

зайняти чітку позицію, думку

People need to take a stand on the issue of nuclear weapons.

take care of - look after,

protect, see that smth. is done properly

подбати про когось, щось, доглянути 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

взяти, тримати

Take hold of this rope and pull.

take into account - consider smth.

взяти до уваги

You must take into account her old age.

take it easy - relax, be calm

не хвилюйся

Take it easy,

everything will be

OK.

take (it) for granted - accept as given

приймати як належне

Mother's love is always taken for granted by children.

take one's breath away

захопити дух

That great view took my breath away.

take one's time - do slowly

робити не поспішаючи

Don't hurry. Take your time.

take one’s word for it - believe

повірити на слово

Take my word for it, he won’t go there.

take pains - try hard to do it well

докладати зусилля

He took pains to make his report perfect.

take part in smth. - participate in

взяти участь

Mary is going to take part in the show.

takep lace - happen

матимісце, трапитися

The accident took place on Oak Street.

take someone's mind off things - distract from fixed ideas/thoughts

відвернути від нав'язливих думок

Go to a concert or a movie to take your mind off things.

take steps - take action /measures

вживати заходів

We need to take steps against it.

take the words right out of one's mouth - say the

same before somebody else says it

сказати те ж саме трохи раніше, ніж інший

I was about to say the same! You took the words right out of my mouth.

take time - take a long time

зайняти багато часу

It takes time to get used to a new place.

take time off - be absent from work

взятии відгул

He took time off to attend the wedding.

teacher's pet.

той, хто гарно вчиться

There were some teacher's pets in my class, who always got better marks than I did.

talk back - answerrudely

грубити

Don't talk back to the teacher!

talk  it  over - discuss

обговорити з кимось

I'll talk it over with my family.

tell apart - see the difference

розрізнити, відрізнитивід

Can you tell the twins apart?

That's just the point. - That's it.

У цьому-то й річ.

That's just the point! I hate this job!

the writing on the wall - a sign of future events

(usually, trouble)

ознака (зазвичай, біда)

The plane crashed. Tim said he saw the writing on the wall about this flight.

not think much of - think low

невисокої думки

I don't think much of her cooking.

think over – consider carefully

обміркувати

Think over your answer. Think it over carefully.

till one is blue in the face - try hard

намагатися до посиніння

I repeated it till I was blue in the face!

to make a long story short - in short

коротше кажучи

To make a long story short, we won.

to say the least - to make the minimum comment about smth.

найменше, що можна сказати

The film was boring and long, to say the least.

try on - put on new clothes to test them for size or look

приміряти одяг (перед покупкою)

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

спробувати себе в

I want to try my hand at painting.

turn on / off - switch on / off

увімкнути/вимкнути

Turn on the radio.

Turn off the water.

turn out to be - result/end this way

виявлятися

He turned out to be a very good actor.

turn over a new leaf - make a fresh start in life, work, etc.

почати (життя, нову справу) заново

He promises to turn over a new leaf and quit alcohol for good.

turn the tide - reverse the course of events

повернути назад хід подій

The new evidence turned the tide, and the defendant was acquitted of charges.

twist one's arm - make to agree

викручувати руки

They twisted his arm to sell the house.

under the weather - feel ill

нездужати

I'm a little under the weather today.

up-and-coming - showing promise of future success

багатообіцяючий, подаючийнадії

He is an up-andcoming young lawyer who might help you with your case.

up in arms - hostile to, in

strong protest against something

протестувати проти, чинити опір

The employees are up in arms about the new retirement rules.

up in the air - undecided

ще не визначено

My vacation plans are still up in the air.

(not) up to par - equal in standard

(не) в нормі

His behavior isn't up to par.

used to - did often in the past, but not now

у минулому робив, зараз ні

I used to play the piano when I was in school (but I don't play it now).

walk on air - be very happy

літати від щастя

He got the job and is walking on air now.

waste one's breath - speak uselessly, to no purpose

не витрачай зусилля даремно

Don't waste your breath trying to make him do it, he won't change his mind.

watch one's step - be careful

бути обачним

Watch your step!

white coffee, white tea

чай, кава з молоком

I prefer to drink white coffee in the morning.

wear one's heart on one's sleeve.

не вміти стримувати емоції; душа нарозхрист

She never hides her emotions, one look at her and you know how she feels. She really wears her heart on her sleeve.

a white lie.

брехня для порятунку

 I know it was white lie.

which way the wind blows - what the real situation is

яка реальна ситуація

He knows which way the wind blows and always acts accordingly.

to show a white feather.

показати страх, злякатися

Young soldier showed a white feather

word for word - in the same words

дослівно, дослівний

Tell me word for word what he said.

would rather - prefer

віддавати перевагу

I'd rather stay at home today.