собачья жизнь
a dog’s life
It’s a dog’s life, working all day long in the open air; there is no money in it, either.
собраться с духом
to screw up one’s courage
She screwed up her courage and told her husband that she was leaving him.
собраться с мыслями
to gather one’s wits
I needed a bit of time to gather my wits.
собственной персоной
in the flesh
Is your brother here? – Yes, he’s here, in the flesh.
совать свой нос (во что-л.)
poke one’s nose into something
I don’t want your sister poking her nose into my affairs.
совсем другая история
a different story; a horse of a different colour
Her plays are quite boring, but her songs – that’s a different story.
I’m asking this not for myself but for my father. – For your father? That’s a horse of a different colour.
соль земли
the salt of the earth
I think that people who live in rural areas are the backbone of society, the salt of the earth.
сомкнуть ряды
to close ranks
The journalists closed ranks, and no information was made available.
сорить деньгами
to spend money like water
You will never be able to buy a new car – you spend money like water.
сослужить хорошую службу (кому-л.)
to stand someone in good stead; to do someone a good turn
His knowledge of French will stand him in good stead if he wants to get a job in a French company.
He did me a good turn by warning me of the coming storm.
сохранять присутствие духа
to keep a stiff upper lip
She suffered a lot, but kept a stiff upper lip throughout her ordeal.
спасать положение
to save the day
There was nowhere to hold the exhibition, but Beryl saved the day by offering the use of her office.
спасать свою шкуру
to save one’s own skin/neck
He is an evil man who has lied to save his own neck.
спать без задних ног
to sleep like a log; to be dead to the world
The bed was very comfortable and I slept like a log.
He won’t hear anything – he is lying on his bed, dead to the world.
спать сном праведника to sleep the sleep of the just
спокоен как скала
as steady as a rock
All his friends were shaking with fear, but Tom was as steady as a rock.
спускать с лестницы (кого-л.)
to throw someone out on one’s ear
If you come home drunk again, I will throw you out on your ear.
спуститься с неба на землю
to come down to earth
Your thoughts are far away. Come down to earth.
сражаться с ветряными мельницами
to tilt at windmills
Why do you always attack the government policy? You are tilting at windmills.
средь бела дня
in broad daylight
The thief broke into the shop in broad daylight.
ставить все на одну карту
to put all one’s eggs in one basket
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In case plan A fails, keep plan B updated.
ставить крест (на ком-л./чем-л.)
to give someone/something up as a bad job
After failing the driving test three times, I gave it up as a bad job.
ставить на место (кого-л.)
to put someone in one’s place; to cut someone down to size
He started to criticise her work, but she soon put him in his place.
Your secretary has been too rude lately. It’s time someone cut her down to size.
ставить с ног на голову (что-л.)
to stand/turn something on its head
She stood the whole idea on its head.
ставить себя на место (чье-л.)
to put oneself in someone’s place
I know he was acting foolishly, but put yourself in his place.
ставить точки над i
to dot the i’s and cross the t’s
After very careful negotiations we dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s.
становиться на ноги (выздороветь)
to be back on one’s feet
He looks quite well; he’ll be back on his feet again in a week.
становиться на ноги (стать самостоятельным)
to stand on one’s own two feet; to find one’s feet
As soon as he had enough money to stand on his own two feet he left home and moved to London.
When he was released from prison, Margaret helped him find his feet again.
становиться на свои места
to fall into place
She explained how the results were obtained, and then things started to fall into place.
становиться на сторону (кого-л.)
to take someone’s part/side
You know she’s the one who’s wrong. I thought I could at least rely on you to take my part.
становиться поперек горла (кому-л.)
to stick in someone’s throat
It sticks in my throat to have to take orders from your mother.
становиться поперек пути (кому-л.)
to stand in someone’s way
If you want to live away from home, I won’t stand in your way.
стараться изо всех сил
to do one’s (level) best
The girl was bad at English, but she did her level best to pass the exam.
старо как мир
(as) old as Adam; (as) old as the hills
That song is as old as Adam. Even my grandmother knows it.
Many of his stories are written in the first person singular. That is a literary convention which is as old as the hills.
стезя добродетели
the straight and narrow
I couldn’t believe that such a nice man, who had kept to the straight and narrow all his life, had done such a thing.
стереть в мелкий порошок (кого-л./что-л.)
to make mincemeat of someone/something
He was a formidable opponent – a man who made mincemeat of any ideas that contradicted his own.
стиснуть зубы
to grit one’s teeth
The fireman gritted his teeth and entered the burning building.
стоять комом в горле (у кого-л.)
to stick in someone’s throat
I longed to tell him the truth, but the words stuck in my throat.
стоять на перепутье
to be at the crossroads
We were at the crossroads; we had to decide very soon whether to stay in England or emigrate.
стоять на своем
to hold/stand one’s ground, to stick to one’s guns
The woman stood her ground and refused to withdraw her complaint.
He was determined to stick to his guns.
стоять над душой (у кого-л.)
to breathe down someone’s neck
I can’t work with you breathing down my neck all the time.
стоять одной ногой в могиле
to have one foot in the grave, to be at death’s door
Stop treating your father as though he has one foot in the grave!
I was very distressed to hear that the old woman was at death’s door.
страшный как смертный грех
(as) ugly as sin
Her new boyfriend is as ugly as sin.
стреляный воробей
an old hand
I’m an old hand and know what I’m talking about.
строить воздушные замки
to build castles in the air
I am afraid that all Neil’s ideas will come to nothing; he is always building castles in the air.
строить глазки (кому-л.)
to make eyes at someone
He didn’t like that his wife was making eyes at his friends.
Стыд и срам!
Shame on you!
Shame on you! You should never talk to your father like this.
Сущий вздор!
Stuff and nonsense!
It is a very strong team. – Stuff and nonsense! We could beat them easily.
схватить простуду
to catch a cold
I caught a cold and had to stay in bed for several days.
сходить на нет
to come to nothing
I am afraid that all his plans to buy a new flat will come to nothing when he finds out how much it will cost.
сходить с ума
to be/go out of one’s mind; to lose one’s marbles
You lent him your new laptop? You must be out of your mind.
You gave the police a false address? Have you lost your marbles?
сыграть в ящик
to kick the bucket
The old man is very ill; I think he might kick the bucket tomorrow.
сыпать соль на рану (кому-л.)
to rub salt into someone’s wounds
He humiliated me in front of my friends and then, to rub salt into my wounds, he began to laugh at my tears.
сыт по горло (чем-л.)
to be fed up to the back teeth (with something ); to have a bellyful (of something )
He was fed up to the back teeth with his wife’s complaints and decided to leave her.
She has been telling me her love stories the whole day. I’ve had a bellyful of them.
так и надо (кому-л.)
to serve someone right
He’s been sick. – It serves him right for drinking so much.
так или иначе
one way or another
One way or another I’m going to finish this job before Christmas.
так сказать so to speak
такие вот дела
that’s that
Well, that’s that. No more work till next week.
там и тут
here and there
We went here and there looking for flowers.
таскать каштаны из огня (для кого-л.)
pull the chestnuts out of the fire (for someone )
I don’t know why I should pull the chestnuts out of the fire for him. I’m not going to do it again.
творить чудеса
to work/do wonders
The new medicine works wonders for indigestion.
темная лошадка a dark horse
терять голову (растеряться)
to lose one’s head
Her brother was not a man to lose his head in an emergency.
терять голову (из-за кого-л.) (влюбиться)
to have a crush on someone
He has had a crush on her ever since they met last winter.
терять дар речи
to lose one’s tongue
Tell me who is responsible for this mess. Have you lost your tongue?
терять из виду (кого-л.)
to lose sight of someone
I lost sight of him in the crowd.
терять лицо
to lose face
He was jealous but he could not admit it without losing his face.
терять нить (чего-л.)
to lose the thread (of something )
I fell asleep half way through the film and lost the thread of the story.
тише воды ниже травы
(as) quiet as a mouse, (as) meek as a lamb
She was as quiet as a mouse, answering only when spoken to.
My sister never complains about the way she’s treated by her employer, she’s as meek as a lamb.
только пятки сверкают
to show a clean pair of heels
The girl showed a clean pair of heels after I found her stealing the sweets.
только через мой труп
over my dead body
If you want to marry that man, it’ll be over my dead body.
топтаться на месте
to mark time; to tread water
People here don’t have much money to spend, so the business is just marking time until the economy improves.
I’ve done nothing but tread water for the last two weeks.
тот свет the next world; the other side
трезвый как стеклышко
(as) sober as a judge
Are you drunk? – No, I’m as sober as a judge.
трещать по швам
to come/fall apart at the seams
It seems that the whole arrangement is just coming apart at the seams.
трогать пальцем (кого-л.)
to lay a finger on someone
If you lay a finger on her, you will regret it.
тронуться умом
to be/go out of one’s mind; to lose one’s marbles
You paid so much money for that heap of junk? Are you out of your mind?
I may seem old to you young people, but I haven’t lost my marbles yet.
турусы на колесах
a cock-and-bull story
She told me a cock-and-bull story about having to work late.
тыкать носом (кого-л.)
to rub someone’s nose in it
Please stop talking about that letter. I feel bad enough already without you rubbing my nose in it all the time.
тютелька в тютельку
to a T; to the letter
That new dress suits you to a T.
I followed the instructions to the letter, and it still doesn’t work.
тянуть кота за хвост
to beat about the bush; to hum and haw, to um and aah
Come on, don’t beat about the bush and tell me what you want.
She hummed and hawed for months before actually deciding to buy a new car.
My sister always ums and aahs before taking a decision.
у черта на куличках
in the middle of nowhere; in the back of beyond
His parents lived in a village in the middle of nowhere.
I felt as if I was in the back of beyond, yet it was only two minutes drive to the motorway.
убивать время
to kill time
