1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний

держать порох сухим

to keep one’s powder dry

We must act cautiously and keep our powder dry.

держать рот на замке

to keep one’s mouth shut; to button one’s lip(s)

Will he keep his mouth shut about the mistake we made?

Button your lip about me being late for work.

держать руку на пульсе

to keep one’s finger on the pulse

My father has retired from the company now, but he still likes to keep his finger on the pulse.

держать ухо востро

to keep/have one’s ear to the ground; to keep one’s eyes open; to keep a weather eye open

If you keep your ear to the ground you’ll soon find a good job.

Keep your eyes open and see if you can learn something.

A crisis is boiling up. Keep a weather eye open.

держать хвост пистолетом

to keep one’s chin up

Keep your chin up – things will get better.

держать язык за зубами

to hold one’s tongue; to keep mum

I don’t think he can be trusted to hold his tongue.

Please keep mum about my plans to go into medicine.

держаться за юбку (кого-л.)

to be tied to someone’s apron-strings

He can’t make any decisions himself because he is tied too much to his mother’s apron-strings.

держаться на ниточке

to hang by a thread

His chances to win the election were hanging by a thread.

детские игрушки

child’s play; kids’ stuff

My brother is an experienced mountaineer, so climbing that mountain was child’s play to him.

Making chairs is kid’s stuff to my father.

дешевле пареной репы

dirt cheap

He got that computer dirt cheap.

до второго пришествия

till kingdom come

I don’t want to wait till kingdom come for you to decide what to do.

до кончиков ногтей

to one’s fingertips

He is an artist to his fingertips.

до мозга костей

to the backbone; through and through

Your brother is a gentleman to the backbone.

She is a liar through and through.

до поры до времени

for the time being

I am staying at the hotel for the time being.

доводить до белого каления (кого-л.)

to make someone see red; to make someone’s blood boil

The sight of reporters standing outside her house made Helen see red.

His words really made my blood boil.

дойти до ручки

to be at the end of one’s tether

I am at the end of my tether, and if I hear that noise again, I’ll scream.

доходить до ушей (чьих-л.)

to come to someone’s ears

It has come to our ears that you have bought a new house.

дрожать как осиновый лист

to shake like a leaf

The boy stood in the corner shaking like a leaf.

дурной глаз

the evil eye

Nothing is going right for him – he is sure somebody put the evil eye on him.

дух захватывает (у кого-л.)

to take someone’s breath away

The girl was so beautiful she took my breath away.

душа нараспашку (у кого-л.)

to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve

I think she was really disappointed about your absence, but she is not a person who wears her heart on her sleeve.

душа общества

the life and soul of the party

He is so quiet at work that you’d never think he was the life and soul of the party last night.

душа ушла в пятки (у кого-л.)

to have one’s heart in one’s boots; one’s heart sank to one’s boots

I had my heart in my boots when I went to see the director.

When I saw his face, my heart sank to my boots.

души не чаять (в ком-л.)

to think the world of someone

She thinks the world of her husband.

дым коромыслом

all hell breaks loose

All hell broke loose in the house when the children started to play cowboys and Indians.