1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний

сводить счеты (с кем-л.)

to settle accounts with someone ; to settle a score with someone ; to get even with someone

He has insulted me in front of my friends. I intend to settle accounts with him.

I’ve lost a lot of money because of his bad advice, so I have a score to settle with him.

He has been waiting for months to get even with her, and now he saw his chance.

свой парень

one of the boys

I really like Tom. He is one of the boys.

связанный по рукам и ногам

bound/tied hand and foot

I’ll have to go without a holiday this year. I am tied hand and foot to my work.

святая святых

the holy of holies

This room is my husband’s holy of holies, which visitors are rarely permitted to enter.

сглаживать острые углы

to paper over the cracks

The politician didn’t succeed in papering over the cracks in his party’s ideas on unemployment.

сдавать в архив (кого-л.)

to put/send someone out to grass

At the age of fifty five my uncle was put out to grass and now he has nothing to do all day.

сделать отбивную котлету (из кого-л.)

to make mincemeat of someone; to beat someone black and blue

The politician has made mincemeat of all his political opponents.

The neighbour threatened to beat the boy black and blue for stealing his apples.

сделать себе имя

to make a name for oneself

His brother has made a name for himself in literature.

секрет полишинеля

an open secret

It was an open secret in the office that the director was in love with his secretary.

семимильными шагами

by leaps and bounds

Since I was taking private lessons, my knowledge of English has improved by leaps and bounds.

сердце кровью обливается (у кого-л.)

one’s heart bleeds for someone

He looked desperate, and my heart bled for him.

сесть в лужу

to fall flat on one’s face; to make a fool of oneself; to have egg on one’s face

Having no experience, Alice fell flat on her face when she tried to run a shop.

He didn’t follow my advice and made a fool of himself at the party.

The criminals have got away with no trouble at all; the police have egg on their faces today.

сжигать за собой мосты

to burn one’s bridges

I changed my mind about giving up my job, but I had burnt my bridges by resigning my position in the company.

сидеть в печенках

to be sick to death of someone/something; to be sick and tired of someone/something

I’m sick to death of his complaints.

I’m sick and tired of your dogs. They bark too much.

сидеть как на иголках

to be on pins and needles; to be on tenterhooks

She was on pins and needles all day yesterday waiting for the results of the X-rays.

I’ve been on tenterhooks the whole morning waiting for the news.

сидеть между двумя стульями

to sit on the fence

John preferred to sit on the fence during the quarrel rather than show support for one side or the other.

сидеть на бобах

not to have a bean

I’d love to go with you but I haven’t a bean until I get paid.

сидеть сложа руки

to sit on one’s hands; to twiddle one’s thumbs

They need our help. We can’t sit on our hands.

Don’t sit around twiddling your thumbs. Get busy!

сильные мира сего the powers that be

сказать пару теплых слов (кому-л.)

to give someone a piece of one’s mind

Andy has treated his wife rather roughly and I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I see him.

скользить по поверхности

to scratch the surface

Your research only scratches the surface of the problem.