и глазом не успел моргнуть
before you can say Jack Robinson
I’ll catch a train and be there before you can say Jack Robinson.
и дело с концом
that’s that
You are not going to the party alone, and that’s that.
И не говорите!
you are telling me
It’s hot today, isn’t it? – You’re telling me.
(и) туда и сюда
back and forth; up and down; to and fro; backwards and forwards
The wind moved the leaves gently back and forth.
We’ve been driving up and down the street looking for you.
She walked to and fro in the room waiting for the news.
The pendulum was moving slowly backwards and forwards.
играть в кошки-мышки (с кем-л.)
to play cat and mouse with someone
If you continue to play cat and mouse with your boyfriend, he’ll break up with you.
играть вторую скрипку
to play second fiddle
He was tired of playing second fiddle to his older brother.
играть на руку (кому-л.)
to play into someone’s hands
I had an uncomfortable feeling that by leading my men into the valley I had played into the enemy’s hands.
играть с огнем
to play with fire
She knew she was playing with fire by having an affair with her boss.
Иди к черту! Go to hell!
идти в ногу (с чем-л./кем-л.)
to keep pace with something/someone
It is difficult to keep pace with current fashions.
идти в ногу со временем
to move with the times
If we don’t move with the times, our customers will go elsewhere.
идти в огонь и воду
to go through fire and water
He would go through fire and water to help us.
идти на боковую
to hit the hay/sack
I think I’ll hit the hay now.
идти на поправку
to be on the mend
She has been very ill, but she’s on the mend now.
идти навстречу (кому-л.)
to meet someone halfway
The problem would be solved if you could meet us halfway.
идти напролом
to stop at nothing
My sister will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
идти насмарку
to come to nothing; to go down the drain; to go by the board
His plans to buy a new house came to nothing when he found out how much it would cost.
All my hard work went down the drain when the boss changed his priorities.
We didn’t have enough money so the holiday plans went by the board.
идти по линии наименьшего сопротивления
to take the line of least resistance
My brother always takes the line of least resistance with his wife and he does whatever she prefers.
идти по ложному следу
to bark up the wrong tree
You are barking up the wrong tree if you think it was Hugh who stole your watch.
идти по проторенной дорожке
to keep to the beaten track
The director decided to keep to the beaten track and not try any new ideas.
идти по стопам (кого-л.)
to follow in someone’s footsteps
He is following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher.
идти под гору
to go downhill
The business is going downhill. We lose money every month.
идти с молотка
to come under the hammer
His coin collection will come under the hammer next week.
идти своей дорогой
to go one’s own way
He didn’t want to listen to his parents and was determined to go his own way.
из вторых рук
at second hand
I heard the news at second hand.
из кожи лезть вон
to go out of one’s way; to bend/lean over backwards;
to move heaven and earth
He went out of his way to help his friends.
I bent over backwards to please the old man, but he wasn’t at all grateful.
She moved heaven and earth to get the job.
из любви к искусству
for love
She volunteers at the hospital for love.
из огня да в полымя
out of the frying pan into the fire
He left his job because he wanted more freedom, but in his new one he has to work overtime – out of the frying pan into the fire!
из первых рук
at first hand
I got the news at first hand.
из первых уст
straight from the horse’s mouth
I got that story straight from the horse’s mouth.
из ряда вон выходящий
out of this world
The cake she cooked was out of this world.
изливать душу
to pour out one’s heart
She came to my room and poured out her heart to me about her unhappy marriage.
изо всей силы
with all one’s might; for all one is worth
He pushed with all his might but the gate remained firmly closed.
He swam towards the shore for all he was worth.
изо дня в день
day after day; day by day; day in, day out
He wears the same clothes day after day.
In November it gets colder day by day.
Day in, day out she had to look after the old man.
из-под (самого) носа
from under someone’s nose
The money was stolen from under his nose.
из-под полы
under the counter
The shop was not licensed to sell alcohol though its owner was selling whisky under the counter.
иметь голову на плечах
to have a good head on one’s shoulder
He can be trusted with anything – he’s got a good head on his shoulder.
иметь зуб (на кого-л.)
to have it in for someone ; to have a bone to pick with someone
I don’t know why Carol has it in for me – I’ve always been nice to her.
I have a bone to pick with my neighbour.
искать иголку в стоге сена
to look for a needle in a haystack
His office was in a mess. Trying to find that document was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
искры из глаз посыпались (у кого-л.)
to see stars
I hit my head against the door and saw stars.
искушать судьбу
to tempt providence
To climb that cliff would be to tempt providence.
испокон веков
from time immemorial
The family has lived in this house from time immemorial.
испустить дух
to breathe one’s last; to give up the ghost
Mr. Johnson breathed his last yesterday.
The old man sighed and gave up the ghost.
My car has given up the ghost.
К черту! Damn it!
каждый встречный
any Tom, Dick, and Harry
You can’t go out with any Tom, Dick, and Harry you happen to meet!
как бельмо на глазу (у кого-л.)
to be a thorn in someone’s flesh/side
His sister had been a thorn in his flesh for many years, always criticising his manners and way of life.
как в воду кануть
to vanish/disappear into thin air
One day, without any warning, he disappeared into thin air.
как в воду опущенный
down in the dumps/mouth
Nancy has been down in the dumps ever since her dog died.
как в темном лесу
in the dark; (all) at sea
He might know what he was talking about, but the rest of us were completely in the dark.
When it comes to theoretical physics, I am all at sea.
как вкопанный
rooted to the spot
He shouted to her to run, but she stood rooted to the spot.
как говорится
as they say; as the saying goes
The examination was, as they say, as easy as pie.
Married life is, as the saying goes, not all beer and skittles.
как гром среди ясного неба
like a bolt from the blue
The news of his resignation came as a bolt from the blue.
как две капли воды
like two peas in a pod
The sisters are like two peas in a pod.
как красная тряпка для быка
like a red rag to a bull
Don’t talk to him about his son because it’s like a red rag to a bull.
как на (горячих) угольях
like a cat on hot bricks; on pins and needles; on tenterhooks
She was like a cat on hot bricks before her examination.
She was on pins and needles waiting for any news.
I’ve been on tenterhooks the whole morning waiting for my examination results.
как ошпаренный
like a bat out of hell; like a shot
She ran out of the room like a bat out of hell.
The boy saw me and ran like a shot.
как пить дать
(as) sure as eggs is eggs; (as) sure as hell
As sure as eggs is eggs, he’ll be back again next week asking for another loan of money.
It’s going to rain tonight, sure as hell.
как по мановению волшебной палочки
with a wave of one’s magic wand
She thought that he could put things right with a wave of his magic wand.
как рыба в воде
in one’s element
She is in her element when she is organising a party.
как с гуся вода
like water off a duck’s back
There is no point scolding that boy for his dishonesty – it’s like water off a duck’s back.
как сельди в бочке
packed like sardines
The bus was so full we were packed like sardines. I could hardly move my arms.
как сквозь землю провалиться
to vanish/disappear into thin air
The bank robbers seem to have disappeared into thin air.
как слон в посудной лавке
like a bull in a china shop
He accidentally knocked over the lamp – he really is like a bull in a china shop.
как снег на голову
out of the blue
His parents arrived out of the blue yesterday. We didn’t know they were in the area.
как сыр в масле кататься
to live in clover
She married a wealthy man and lived in clover for the rest of her life.
как угорелая кошка
like a scalded cat
She ran like a scalded cat when she saw a ghost.
Какая муха тебя укусила? What’s eating you?
каменное сердце
a heart of stone
You won’t get any sympathy from George – he has a heart of stone.
камень на шее (для кого-л.)
a millstone round someone’s neck
She regarded her brother-in-law as nothing but a millstone round her neck.
камень преткновения
a stumbling block
The scheme would be excellent, but money is the main stumbling block in any project of this size.
камень с души свалился (у кого-л.)
a load off someone’s mind
It’s a load off my mind to know that they’ve arrived safely.
камня на камне не оставить (от чего-л.)
to tear something to bits/pieces
The new director tore my work to bits.
капля в море
a drop in the ocean
Ted has offered us some money but it will be a drop in the ocean compared to what we need.
карточный домик
a house of cards
When her husband left her for another woman her whole life fell down around her like a house of cards.
кислая мина
a long face
The children pulled a long face when she told them that she couldn’t take them to the cinema.
китайская грамота (для кого-л.)
double Dutch (to someone ); all Greek (to someone )
I couldn’t understand a single word – it was all double Dutch to me.
He tried to explain how a computer worked, but it was all Greek to me.
книга за семью печатями
a closed book
Trigonometry is a closed book to me.
когда рак на горе свиснет
when hell freezes over; when pigs fly
I’ll believe his story when hell freezes over.
Will we ever receive a reward for all this hard work? – Certainly, when pigs fly.
кожа да кости
skin and bones; a bag of bones
He was all skin and bones after his illness.
When I saw her last, she was just a bag of bones.
комок в горле стоит (у кого-л.)
to have a lump in one’s throat
When I hear the national anthem, I have a lump in my throat.
комок нервов
a bag of nerves
Since the burglary Grace has been a bag of nerves.
короче говоря
to cut a long story short
Well, to cut a long story short, they found the island and the treasure.
корчить рожу
to make/pull a face
She pulled a face when it cost more than she expected.
коту под хвост
down the drain
We’ll have to start again – several months’ work down the drain.
краем глаза
out of the corner of one’s eye
I only saw the accident out of the corner of my eye.
край света
the back of beyond
After living in the capital, this town seems like the back of beyond.
красивый как картинка
(as) pretty as a picture
My little daughter is as pretty as a picture.
красный как рак
as red as a beetroot
When somebody talks about women, he goes as red as a beetroot.
краше в гроб кладут
to look like death warmed up
The poor girl looked like death warmed up.
крепкий орешек
a hard nut (to crack)
You will find him a hard nut to crack.
He tinkered with the broken car engine for hours; it was a very hard nut to crack.
кричать благим матом
to scream blue murder
