1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний

мальчик для битья

a whipping boy

Our director always has to have a whipping boy for his mistakes.

манна небесная

manna from heaven

Helen was very bored in hospital and welcomed the books brought in by a friend as manna from heaven.

марать руки

to dirty one’s hands

Do you think I would hit someone like your brother? I wouldn’t dirty my hands on him.

мастер на все руки

a jack of all trades

Bill will take on any piece of work he is offered, from plumbing to gardening – he’s a jack of all trades.

мастер своего дела

an old hand

He is an old hand at repairing watches.

махнуть рукой (на кого-л./что-л.)

to give someone/something up as a bad job

I could not persuade him to go to university, and finally gave it up as a bad job.

I gave him up as a bad job when he failed to keep his word.

между молотом и наковальней

between a rock and a hard place; between the devil and the deep blue sea

Trying to please both his wife and his mother he finds himself between a rock and a hard place.

I couldn’t make up my mind. I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

между нами говоря

between you and me; between ourselves; between you, me and the gatepost

Between you and me, I think he made up the whole story.

Between ourselves, he is having trouble with his wife.

Between you, me and the gatepost, I don’t believe his words.

между Сциллой и Харибдой between Scylla and Charybdis

мелкая сошка

small fry

The boss is too snobbish to greet the small fry.

мерить взглядом (кого-л.)

to look someone up and down

She looked me up and down and I knew she thought I was improperly dressed for the party.

мертвого разбудит

loud enough to wake the dead

The noise was loud enough to wake the dead.

мертвый сезон

the off season

This town is very quiet in the off season.

место под солнцем

a place in the sun

John worked very hard to earn his place in the sun.

метать бисер перед свиньями

to cast pearls before swine

She tried to show the beauty of Latin poetry to her students but it was just casting pearls before swine.

минута в минуту

on the dot

She promised to come at nine o’clock on the dot.

молоко на губах не обсохло

to be still wet behind the ears

He has no experience of the job – he is still wet behind the ears.

молочные реки и кисельные берега

a land of milk and honey

Many people regard the United States as a land of milk and honey.

мороз по коже пробежал (у кого-л.)

a shiver down someone’s spine

Every time I hear that song, I feel a shiver down my spine.

мочиться против ветра

to piss against the wind

To argue with the director is like pissing against the wind.

мутить воду

to muddy the waters

I found different definitions in other dictionaries which only muddied the waters further.

мухи не обидит

wouldn’t hurt a fly

My dog barks a lot, but really he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

на верху блаженства

on top of the world

Daniel is on top of the world – he’s just got a new job.

на вес золота

worth one’s weight in gold

She is a good secretary. She is worth her weight in gold.

на всякий случай

to be on the safe side

We should come to the station at least an hour before the train leaves, just to be on the safe side.

на глазах (у кого-л.)

before someone’s (very) eyes

The boy stole the sweets before my very eyes.

на голову выше (кого-л.)

head and shoulders above someone

Mary thinks her husband stands head and shoulders above any other man.

на голом месте

from scratch

His house was destroyed by fire and he had to start building again from scratch.

на каждом шагу

at every turn

He encountered unexpected difficulties at every turn.