надрывать животики
to be in stitches; to split one’s sides (laughing)
It was quite funny and the audience was in stitches.
My friends nearly split their sides when I showed them my new hat.
нажимать на все педали
to pull out all the stops
We’ll have to pull out all the stops if we want to get to the station in time.
называть вещи своими именами
to call a spade a spade
Let’s call a spade a spade. The boy is a liar.
намылить голову (кому-л.)
to haul someone over the coals; to give someone the rough edge of one’s tongue
He was hauled over the coals for being absent without permission.
The boss gave me the rough edge of his tongue because I was so late for work.
напрашиваться на неприятности
to ask for it/trouble
He was really asking for it by threatening the police officer.
напугать до смерти (кого-л.)
to put the fear of God into someone ; to frighten/scare someone out of one’s wits
Driving with Ralph in his racing car puts the fear of God into me.
The dog frightened the little girl out of her wits.
наставить нос (кому-л.)
to pull a fast one on someone; to pull the wool over someone’s eyes
She certainly pulled a fast one on me.
Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. I know what’s going on.
наступать на любимую мозоль (кому-л.)
to hit/touch a (raw) nerve
The newspaper article must have touched a nerve with a lot of readers.
наступать на пятки (кому-л.)
to be hard on someone’s heels
Our competitors are hard on our heels – we must improve our design.
находить общий язык (с кем-л.)
to find common ground (with someone )
The two sides seem unable to find any common ground.
начинать с нуля
to start from scratch; to start from square one
My sister moved to another town where she had to start from scratch.
We lost all our clients and had to start again from square one.
не ахти какой
nothing to write home about
The film was nothing to write home about.
не бог весть что
no great shakes; not much cop
His girlfriend is no great shakes.
The book wasn’t much cop.
не в духе
out of sorts; out of humour
I’ve been feeling tired and a little out of sorts.
William is out of humour this morning. He has been shouting at everybody.
не в курсе дела
out of the picture
The whole plan is a secret and she wants to keep everybody out of the picture.
не в своей тарелке
ill at ease; out of one’s element
I always feel ill at ease when I meet his wife.
When it comes to poetry, I’m out of my element.
не в своем уме
out of one’s head; off one’s head/rocker/nut
He must be out of his head to go swimming on such a cold day.
Spending that much on a dress! She must be off her rocker.
не в форме
out of sorts/form; below par; under the weather
The horse is out of form; it’s not likely to win the race.
I was feeling a little below par this morning.
He was tired and a bit under the weather.
не верить своим глазам
cannot believe one’s eyes
When I saw her husband washing up the dishes, I couldn’t believe my eyes!
не верить своим ушам
cannot believe one’s ears
I was shocked to learn that he had been fired, I couldn’t believe my ears.
не видеть дальше собственного носа
cannot see beyond the end of one’s nose
It’s obvious to me, but she can’t see beyond the end of her nose.
не все дома
not all there
Sometimes I think he is not all there.
не давать ни отдыха ни срока (кому-л.)
keep someone’s nose to the grindstone; to keep someone on the trot
The new boss believes in hard work and keeps his workers’ noses to the grindstone all the time.
My wife keeps me on the trot.
Не дай Бог!
God/heaven forbid!
I hope the car won’t break down. – God forbid!
не за горами
(a)round the corner; close/near at hand
Spring is right around the corner.
The examinations are close at hand.
не иметь ни малейшего представления (о чем-л.)
not to know the first thing about something
I’m afraid I don’t know the first thing about engines.
не к месту
beside the point; out of place
Your observation is very interesting, but beside the point.
Her dress was very beautiful, but I thought it looked out of place.
не мытьем, так катанием
by hook or by crook; by fair means or foul
I’ll get your brother to come, by hook or by crook.
He is determined to win by fair means or foul.
не находить себе места
to have kittens
The boy didn’t get home last night and his mother was having kittens wondering what to do.
не падать духом
to keep one’s chin up
When her husband left her, she had to keep her chin up for the sake of the children.
не первой молодости
no spring chicken
She looks younger than she is, but she is no spring chicken.
не по дням, а по часам
by leaps and bounds
The profits are increasing by leaps and bounds.
не спускать глаз (с кого-л./чего-л.)
to keep an eye on someone/something
She asked me to keep an eye on her suitcase.
не стесняться в выражениях
not to mince one’s words
She told him emphatically not to come again, she didn’t mince her words.
не терять головы
to keep one’s head; to keep a level head
She kept her head when she found that the house was on fire.
Hugh is known for his ability to keep a level head in every situation.
не чувствовать под собой ног (от счастья и т. п.)
to walk on air; to be beside oneself
John has been walking on air since he got the job.
The children were beside themselves on the last day of school.
не шутка
no joke; no laughing matter
It was no joke when my car broke down in the middle of the busy motorway.
The loss of a passport is no laughing matter.
невооруженным глазом
with the naked eye
These stars are too far away to be seen with the naked eye.
нем как рыба (as) silent as the grave
нести вздор
to talk through one’s hat
You’re talking through your hat. I don’t believe you.
нести свой крест
to bear one’s cross
Nobody could help him. He just had to bear his cross.
нестись сломя голову
to break one’s neck
I broke my neck trying to get there in time to meet you.
ни в грош не ставить (кого-л./что-л.)
to set little store by someone/something
Jane sets little store by her husband’s opinion.
ни в жизнь
not on your life
Will you marry her? – Not on your life!
ни в одном глазу
(as) sober as a judge
All my friends were drunk, but I was sober as a judge.
ни за какие коврижки
not for love or money; not for all the tea in China
I won’t do it for love or money.
I wouldn’t go back there for all tea in China.
ни рыба ни мясо
neither fish nor fowl
It tasted of neither fish nor fowl.
ни с того ни с сего
without rhyme or reason
Three men attacked Joe without rhyme or reason.
ни свет ни заря
bright and early
She got up bright and early.
ни слуху ни духу (о ком-л./чем-л.)
neither hide nor hair of someone/something
I thought I left the documents on the table, but I couldn’t find either hide nor hair of them.
ни то ни се
betwixt and between
The dinner we had yesterday at the restaurant was betwixt and between.
ниже пояса
below the belt
I think it was a bit below the belt to embarrass her in front of other guests.
никоим образом
by no means; not by a long chalk
I was by no means certain that they would sign the contract.
I haven’t yet finished the work by a long chalk.
ничего особенного
nothing to write home about
The concert was nothing to write home about.
ничего подобного
nothing of the kind
Isn’t your son a doctor? – Nothing of the kind – he is an actor.
нож в спину
a stab in the back
I trusted him, so it was quite a stab in the back for me when he offered the job to someone else.
носить на руках (кого-л.)
to think the world of someone
He thinks the world of his wife and gives her lots of presents.
носиться в воздухе
to be in the air
There was tension in the air.
нужно как собаке пятая нога (кто-л./что-л.)
to need something/someone like one needs a hole in the head
I need this extra work like I need a hole in the head.
нюхом чуять
to feel it in one’s bones
She knew Adam would marry her daughter. She felt it in her bones.
обагрять руки кровью (чьей-л.) to have ( someone’s ) blood on one’s hands
обводить вокруг пальца (кого-л.)
to take someone for a ride
The boy is so dumb everybody takes him for a ride.
обдавать холодом (кого-л.)
to give someone the cold shoulder
I thought that Lucy and I were friends, but when I greeted her this morning she gave me the cold shoulder.
обжечь себе пальцы
to get one’s fingers burnt
I got my fingers burnt by investing money in your friend’s company.
ободрать как липку (кого-л.)
to take someone to the cleaners
I have been completely taken to the cleaners; I haven’t a penny left.
оборотная сторона медали
the other side of the coin
One must look at the other side of the coin.
обретать второе дыхание
to get one’s second wind
Jack became very tired while jogging, but after a while he got his second wind.
одним махом
in one fell swoop
The guests ate all the snacks in one fell swoop.
одним миром мазаны
to be tarred with the same brush; to be cut from the same cloth
I don’t believe all these politicians – they are all tarred with the same brush.
She and her husband are cut from the same cloth.
одним словом
in a word
In a word, he was lying.
одного поля ягода
birds of a feather; two of a kind
I think that he and his girlfriend are birds of a feather.
The sisters are two of a kind, they like the same things.
одному Богу известно
God/heaven knows
She never had any money. How she lived, God knows.
оказаться на высоте положения
to rise to the occasion
It was a difficult task, but she rose to the occasion.
осиное гнездо a hornet’s nest
оставить в покое (кого-л.)
to get off someone’s back
I’m tired of your criticism. Why don’t you get off my back and let me do my work!
оставляет желать лучшего
to leave a lot to be desired
His wife’s cooking leaves a lot to be desired.
оставлять в дураках (кого-л.)
to make a fool of someone
He made a fool of me by pretending to be a capable musician, but he couldn’t play a note.
острый язычок
a sharp tongue
She was known for her sharp tongue.
от «а» до «я»
from ‘A’ to ‘Z’
He knows his job from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.
от всего сердца
from the bottom of one’s heart; with all one’s heart and soul
The boy was very helpful and I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.
She loves her husband with all her heart and soul.
от горшка два вершка
knee-high to a grasshopper
I haven’t seen your brother since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.
от греха подальше
out of harm’s way
She parked her car off the road – out of harms way.
от силы
at the most; at the (very) outside
It will take two hours at the most to get there.
It’ll take 45 minutes, an hour at the very outside.
отбиваться от рук
to get out of hand
‘Don’t let the children get out of hand!’ Mother warned me.
отбирать хлеб (у кого-л.)
to take the bread out of someone’s mouth
If he opens his shop next door to mine, he’ll be taking the bread out of my mouth.
отводить душу
to pour out one’s heart
She came to my room and poured her heart out to me.
отдавать Богу душу to meet one’s maker
