Word for being right all the time

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List of top 34 famous quotes and sayings about being right all the time to read and share with friends on your Facebook, Twitter, blogs.

Top 34 Quotes About Being Right All The Time

Yesterday I came across a familiar quote on Twitter:

“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

~ Thomas Edison

Then today I came across an equally interesting quote from another historical figure:

“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

~ Ben Franklin

Oh.

With the information age in full swing, I see a lot of this nowadays. Two versions of the truth emerge, each as unassuming as the other.

So are we to just pick one? I guess. Which one do you believe, that’s the real question. And once you pick a belief, are you going to call it knowledge?

Pieces of information, particularly quotations, get misrepresented rather easily. One of the most common scenarios is this: 1) somebody hears a quote that they like, then 2) they change the wording to make it more clear or snappy to themselves or others. It doesn’t take a particularly deceitful or vain person to do it. I’m sure I have. That’s why you see:

“A rose is but a rose by any other name.”

~William Shakespeare

much more often than

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

~William Shakespeare

…as it is worded straight out of Romeo and Juliet.

Likewise, you’re much more likely to know

“Religion is the opiate of the masses.”

~ Karl Marx

instead of the more cumbersome but more accurate phrase

“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”

~Karl Marx

…which of course is not how it appears verbatim in Marx’s Contribution to Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. The work was in German.

And just what is that stuffy-sounding title anyway? I thought our famous opiate-religion quote was from Marx’s better-known and more snappily-titled work, The Communist Manifesto. I was so sure. Where did I “learn” that?

Culture prefers to embrace the quotable, the snappy, the palatable. Accuracy be damned. If the quoter thinks he can do better, he probably will. After all, for what purpose do we relate these clever quotations to other people anyway? Let’s be honest — is it to provide an accurate history lesson, or to sound clever and make people smile? I know which one is more gratifying to me. It’s okay, poor Karl will never know.

Often a bastardized quote retains its original meaning, but it is still a falsehood. You might even call it slander. You’re saying somebody said something that they didn’t say. Emerson is a frequent victim of this.

I wonder who will be taking liberties with our own words (and deeds) once we’re dead and unable to do anything about it.

10,000 Failures

Now, I am pretty sure it was indeed Thomas Edison who quipped about the 10,000 failures, but the truth is I don’t really know. I think I know, but my knowledge is only hearsay.

After all, I can source them both. Edison said it. Franklin said it.

I am confident that if I were to trace the sources back further I would become more and more sure that it was Edison. He was known for his unmatched persistence, and this quote was a reference to his efforts to create a working light bulb. Yes that’s it. Or at least that seems to be the impression I have.

Trouble is, I don’t remember exactly where I got that impression. Somewhere along the line I guess I bought it, but between you and me I don’t remember where, and I definitely can’t find the receipt.

The only real source, the industrious inventor (or the maybe bespectacled kite-flyer) is dead and gone, completely irretrievable. So all we’re left with is a squabble over the evidence.

Of course I never met the man himself, I’ve just collected a lot of hearsay about him. Confidence is all I can really ever have. I can always find more backup for my belief, ideally from smarter and more scholarly people. I could probably gather so many matching opinions that there would be no doubt in my mind that it was indeed Edison who uttered that cheeky phrase many years ago. But no matter how much evidence I collect, it is nothing but the best guesses of other people — hand-picked because they agree with mine — and their product can never amount to more than a very strong belief. If I gather my hearsay from established and official-looking sources — university texts with big words, or soundbytes from people with PhDs — then I may be able to convince myself (and others) that I actually know for sure.

Yet we can so easily convince ourselves that we know something without doubt, so much so that we’d often rather argue the point with someone else than apply a “maybe” to our claim.

Warning: This Might be Complete BS

Maybe “maybe” is the way out of this conundrum. It does seem to be the responsible way. But it’s just so weak. How do you inspire people with, “It is possible that the great Ben Franklin once said ‘A penny saved is a penny earned.’ Well, it is possible that he was great.”

Obviously, to communicate anything, we have to cheat a little. To some degree, we have to call our opinions facts. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to remember that there is an asterisk next to everything we say — fine print beneath all spoken and written statements that stipulates, “Warning: This might be complete BS.”

Writer Robert Anton Wilson, self-described as “agnostic about everything” is fond of saying “The universe contains a maybe.” I think that’s a good motto. There is an interesting paradox: whenever you state a fact, qualifying it with a “maybe” instantly makes it more accurate.

The word agnostic doesn’t need to refer to belief in God. Any belief will work. It could apply to the belief that saturated fat is bad for you, or that going back to school isn’t practical at your age, or that you’re not cut out for daily meditation practice. We all build a whole mental environment for ourselves out of beliefs that feel every bit as firm as facts. Not that there’s really a difference between the two.

To take an agnostic stance isn’t deciding not to take a stance, it’s to admit to yourself that somehow, through all the unseen biases and illusions in life — not to mention the fallibility conferred simply by being human — we can’t really be in possession of the truth.

The Objectivity Myth

Science is very helpful. I am a big fan. What it’s good for is removing personal doubt from certain beliefs by convincing you that enough other people — particularly smart people in labcoats who are good at removing biases and testing assumptions — have come to the same conclusion, and therefore you can safely operate with that belief.

The scientific method works by examining a question, stating an existing belief (called a hypothesis), then testing that belief many times to see if it is still worth believing. Eventually, when something has been tested enough, we may become confident enough to add it to what we call the body of human knowledge, which we can all safely draw from in the future. Once we anoint it with the prestigious title knowledge, we tend to remove any maybes from our thoughts about it.

We use science to add to a growing, collective model of the universe that seems to exist outside of any one individual. Over the centuries, many different humans from many different backgrounds have contributed their conclusions to it. As time moves along, new discoveries refine it, and our understanding of the universe becomes more complete and less mysterious.

Science is supposed to be an objective collection of facts, free from individual biases and opinions, because it wouldn’t be science if a lot of different people didn’t come to the same conclusion. Watching the sun rise, you are probably aware that it isn’t really rising and setting per se, it just looks like it from our viewpoint on the surface of the earth. We know the earth is spinning, so the sky appears to spin around us. But we can think about it “objectively” and picture a blue marble spinning and revolving around a yellow ball, though we’d never really see that through our own eyes.

Objectivity, as rock-hard and external as it seems, is really a fallacy. It’s an abstraction that can only be applied by a fallible human being from his or her own subjective viewpoint. As nice and revealing as it would be, we just can’t step out from behind our eyeballs and take an objective look.

That’s okay though, it doesn’t change things all that much. I don’t think it will turn your world upside down. Life will still present itself in the same way it always has, and as I said, we have to cheat a little and pretend for the most part that we’re dealing in facts, otherwise we couldn’t function. We’re used to that anyway. In terms of practical day-to-day operation, the only real difference is your awareness of an ever-present, blinking asterisk, appended to every statement of fact and certainty.

When I remember to think like that, I experience a few differences in interacting with people. The main one  is that I bite my tongue whenever I’m about to say something along the lines of “Let me tell you how it is.” I remember that no matter how I word it, I’m never able to offer anything more than “Here’s how I see it.”

And it’s strangely liberating. Finally I can be correct.

***

Photo by aloshbennett

This and 16 other classic Raptitude articles can be found in This Will Never Happen Again. Now available for your e-reader, mobile device, or PC. See reviews here.

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after all — despite, nevertheless все-таки I knew it! After all, I was right! all along — all the time все время, всегда I knew about his little secret all along. all ears — eager to listen весь внимание I am all ears. all of a sudden — suddenly неожиданно All of a sudden, he refused to pay. all the same — no difference все равно, без разницы If it’s all the same to you, let’s start at two. all thumbs — clumsy неуклюжий, неумелый He can’t fix anything, he’s all thumbs. apple of discord — subject of envy or quarrel яблоко раздора This question is an apple of discord in our family. as a rule — usually как правило As a rule, we offer a 5% discount. as far as I am concerned — in my opinion что касается меня, по моему мнению As far as I am concerned, both the book and the movie are good. as for me/as to me — in my opinion по моему мнению As for me, you can rely on his support. as well — also, too тоже, также He knows math, and physics as well. at all — (not) in the smallest degree совсем (не) He doesn’t know French at all. I don’t like it at all. at random — without order наугад, без плана He chose those places at random. at this point — at this time на данном этапе At this point, we can’t turn back. be about to — ready (to do) готов сделать I was about to leave when you called. be after someone — insist, press настаивать, чтобы сделал His mother is always after him to study. be all in — be extremely tired очень устать I’m all in, I’d better go to bed now. be back on one’s feet — healthy again or better financially встать на ноги после трудного времени He’s back on his feet after a long period of debt and unemployment. beat around the bush — avoid giving a clear/definite answer ходить вокруг да около Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point! be beside oneself — be very upset, nervous, worried, etc. быть вне себя от волнения, горя и др. She was beside herself with worry / with grief. be better off — be in a better situation (financially) в лучшей ситуации (материально) He’ll be better off with a new job. be broke — have no money at all быть «на мели» (без денег) I spent all my money, I’m broke. be hard on something /someone — treat roughly не беречь что-то My son is hard on shoes, they don’t last long with him. Life was pretty hard on Tom. be high on one’s list — be one of the most important things быть в начале списка нужных вещей A new car is high on my list of priorities. A new TV is not high on my list. be in charge of — be responsible for быть ответственным за He is in charge of marketing. be in the red — be in debt быть убыточным Our sales were in the red last year. be into smth. — be interested in увлекаться чем-то He is into computers. She is into sports. bend over backwards — try hard очень стараться I bent over backwards to help her. be on one’s way Я уже еду. I’m on my way. be on the safe side — not to take any chances на всякий случай Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side. be out of — be without нет в наличии We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar. be out of shape — be physically unfit быть не в форме He needs to exercise, he is out of shape. be out of sorts — in bad humor не в духе Leave him alone, he’s out of sorts today be pressed for time / money — be short of; not have enough не хватать времени или денег I’m pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment. beside the point — off the point не по существу, не относится к делу What I said to him privately is beside the point. be to blame — be responsible for a mistake / something wrong винить за ошибку, неправильные действия Who is to blame for this awful mistake? Tom is to blame for this mix-up. be touch and go — be uncertain of the result на грани; неясно, куда повернется He was very sick, and for some time it was touch and go, but he is better now. be up against — be opposed by, have problems, be in danger иметь серьезные проблемы в чем-то, с чем-то Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover. be up and around/about — able to be out of bed after an illness встать на ноги, поправиться He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around. be up to one’s ears — very busy по уши I’m up to my ears in work. be up to something — do mischief задумать, затеять I have to check what the kids are up to. be up to someone — be one’s own decision or responsibility на ваше усмотрение, под вашу ответственность It’s up to you to decide. It’s up to you to close the office every day at 8 o’clock. be used to — be accustomed to быть привычным к I’m used to hard work. He’s used to heat. big shot — important person важная персона He is a big shot around here. bite off more than one can chew — try to do more than one can переоценить свои силы I couldn’t handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more than I could chew. bite one’s tongue — stop talking прикусить язык I almost told her, but bit my tongue. bite the dust — die, be defeated умереть, падать ниц Many of them bit the dust in that war. black sheep — a good-for-nothing member of the family паршивая овца Their second son is the black sheep of the family, he is good for nothing. blind date — a meeting of a man and woman arranged by friends свидание вслепую She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience. blow it — lose the chance потерять шанс He understood that he blew it. blow over — pass, end стихнуть, пройти Wait here till his anger blows over. bottom line — main result/factor итог, основной момент The bottom line is, I don’t have enough money. break into — enter by force ворваться (в дом) силой The police broke into the robber’s house. break one’s heart — hurt deeply разбить сердце The news of her death broke his heart. break the ice — overcome shyness in making the first step сломать неловкость при знакомстве The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed. break the news — tell new facts сообщить важную новость CNN is breaking the news right now. bring home the bacon — earn the living for the family обеспечить семью He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon. brush off — give no attention to отмахнуться от The boss brushed off my project again. brush up on — review освежить в памяти You need to brush up on the tenses. by all means -definitely, certainly обязательно, конечно Do you need my help? — By all means. by heart — by memorizing наизусть Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow. by hook or by crook — by any means possible любым путем, любым способом She will get what she wants by hook or by crook. by the way — incidentally кстати By the way, Ann is coming back today. call a spade a spade — use plain, direct words называть вещи своими именами He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade. call it a day — consider work finished for the day считать работу законченной We’ve been working for 10 straight hours. Let’s call it a day. call off — cancel отменить, отозвать The police called off the search. carry out — fulfill доводить до конца She never carries out her plans. carry weight — be important иметь вес His advice always carries weight here. cast down — depressed, sad повергнуть в уныние He was cast down by the bad news. castles in the air — daydreaming about success (строить) воздушные замки Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air. catch one’s eye — attract attention привлечь внимание This picture caught my eye. catch one’s breath — stop and rest перевести дух I can’t run, I need to catch my breath. catch someone off guard — catch someone unprepared застать врасплох He caught me off guard with his question. catch someone red-handed — find smb. in the act of doing wrong поймать за руку, когда делал плохое The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes. catch up — become not behind догнать He needs to catch up with the others. close call — a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened что-то плохое, что едва не случилось The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call. come across — meet by chance наткнуться на I came across that article yesterday. come down with — become ill заболеть чем-то I’m coming down with a cold. come to one’s senses — start acting reasonably, intelligently взяться за ум, придти в себя He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams. come true — become reality осуществиться My dream came true when I met Pat. come up with — suggest предложить Mike came up with a brilliant idea. count on — depend on рассчитывать на You can always count on me for help. cut corners — to take a short-cut; to limit one’s spending срезать углы; ограничить расходы He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week. cut down on — reduce сократить потребление You have to cut down on chocolate. cut out to be /cut out for it — have the ability to do something быть созданным для какой-то работы She isn’t cut out to be a surgeon. He’s cut out to be a leader. do one’s best — try very hard сделать все, что смог I did my best to help him in his work. do one’s bit — do what’s needed сделать положенное I’ll do my bit, you can count on me. do over — do again сделать заново This work is not good, do it over. do someone good — be good for принести пользу Fresh air and exercise will do you good. do something behind one’s back — do (harmful) things secretively делать (вредные) дела за спиной I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again. do without — live without обходиться без I’ll have to do without a car for a while. down to earth — practical приземленный He’s quiet, sensible and down to earth. draw the line — fix a limit ограничить (предел) He drew the line for her at $100 a day. dress up — put on the best clothes нарядиться What are you dressed up for? drop off — deliver somewhere подвезти до, подбросить до Can you drop me off at the bank? drop out — quit (school) быть отчисленным He dropped out of school last year. duty calls — must fulfill obligations долг обязывает He said, «Duty calls» and left for work. easier said than done легче сказать, чем сделать It’s easier said than done, but I’ll try to do it. eat one’s words — take back words брать назад слова He had to eat his words after her report. even so — nevertheless, but тем не менее I work hard. Even so, I like my job. every now and then -occasionally время от времени Every now and then I visit my old aunt. every other — every second one через один She washes her hair every other day. fall behind — lag behind отстать от The little boy fell behind the older boys. fall in love — begin to love влюбиться Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight. fall out of love — stop loving разлюбить They fell out of love and divorced soon. false alarm — untrue rumor ложная тревога I heard he quit but it was a false alarm. a far cry from something — very different, almost opposite (neg.) далеко не такой хороший, как His second book wasn’t bad, but it was a far cry from his first book. feel it in one’s bones — expect something bad to happen чувствовать, что случится плохое Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones. feel like doing something — want to do, be inclined to do smth. быть склонным к занятию чем-то I feel like going for a walk. I don’t feel like working now, I’m tired. feel up to — be able to do в состоянии сделать I don’t feel up to cleaning the house. few and far between — rare, scarce слишком редкие Her visits are few and far between. find fault with — criticize критиковать He always finds faults with everybody. find out — learn or discover узнать, обнаружить I found out that Maria left town. firsthand — directly from the source из первых рук, достоверная информация You can trust it, it’s firsthand information. first things first — important things come before others сначала главное First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away? fly off the handle — get angry разозлиться (вдруг) He flew off the handle and yelled at me. follow in someone’s footsteps — do the same thing идти по чьим-то следам, делать то же Igor followed in his father’s footsteps, he became a doctor, too. foot in the door — a special opportunity for a job получить шанс на работу Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company. foot the bill — pay the bill заплатить по счету Her father footed the bill for the party. for good — forever навсегда After her death, he left town for good. for the time being — at this time на данное время For the time being, this house is all right for us. frame of mind — mental state умонастроение I can’t do it in this frame of mind. from A to Z — completely от начала до конца He knows this town from A to Z. from now on — now and in the future впредь From now on, I forbid you to go there. get a grip on oneself — take control of one’s feelings контролировать свои чувства Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself! get along with — have good relations быть в хороших отношениях, ладить Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesn’t get along with Laura. get away with — not be caught after doing wrong уйти от наказания The police didn’t find the thief. He got away with his crime. get carried away — get too excited and enthusiastic about something слишком увлечься чем-то He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money. get cold feet — be afraid to do побояться сделать I wanted to try it but got cold feet. get even with — have one’s revenge расквитаться с кем-то I’ll get even with him for everything! get in touch with — contact связаться с кем-то Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help. get lost — lose one’s way потерять дорогу She got lost in the old part of town. Get lost! — Lay off! Исчезни! I don’t want to see you again. Get lost! get mixed up — get confused перепутать I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost. get off one’s back — leave alone отстать от кого-то Stop bothering me! Get off my back! get on one’s high horse — behave haughtily towards someone вести себя высокомерно Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse. get on (the bus, train, plane) сесть на (транспорт) I got on the bus on Oak Street. get off (the bus, train, plane) сойти с (транспорта) I got off the bus at the bank. get out of hand — get out of control выйти из-под контроля If he gets out of hand again, call me right away. get over — recover after an illness or bad experience поправиться, преодолеть что-то I can’t get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly. get rid of — dispose of, discard избавиться He got rid of his old useless car. get together — meet with собираться вместе My friends and I get together often. get to the bottom — know deeply добраться до сути He usually gets to the bottom of things. get to the point — get to the matter дойти до сути дела Get to the point! Give me a break! — spare me с меня хватит Come on, stop it! Give me a break! give someone a hand — help помочь кому-то Can you give me a hand with cooking? give someone a lift /a ride — take to some place by car подвезти кого-то Can you give me a lift to the bank? He gave her a ride in his new Porsche. give someone a piece of one’s mind — criticize frankly высказать, что на уме, критиковать She lost my umbrella again, so I gave her a piece of my mind about her carelessness. give up — stop doing something, stop trying to do something отказаться от чего-то, прекратить попытки I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car. go back on one’s word — break a promise нарушить свое слово, обещание First he said he would help me, but then he went back on his word. go for it — try to do a new thing пробовать новое дело If I were you, I would go for it. go from bad to worse — be worse становиться все хуже His business went from bad to worse. go out — go to parties, movies пойти развлекаться Do he and his wife go out often? go out of one’s way -try very hard очень стараться He goes out of his way to please her. go to one’s head — make too proud успех вскружил голову His acting success went to his head. go to pieces — get very upset, fall apart сильно расстроиться She went to pieces when she heard it. go with the flow — lead quiet life плыть по течению She always goes with the flow. grow on someone — become liked постепенно понравиться When she knew him more, he grew on her. had better — should лучше бы, а то… You look ill, you’d better see a doctor. have a ball — have a good time отлично провести время Yesterday we had a ball at the party. have a bone to pick — complain or discuss something unpleasant иметь счеты с кем-то, претензии к кому-то Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you. have a word with someone — talk to поговорить о чем-то Can I have a word with you? have words with someone — argue with someone about something крупно поговорить I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again. have it in him — have the ability иметь нужные качества Laura has it in her to be a good doctor. have no business doing something — have no right to do нечего вам здесь делать, быть и др. You have no business staying here without my permission. have one’s back to the wall — be hard-pressed, on the defensive быть прижатым к стене I had no choice, I had my back to the wall. have one’s hands full — very busy быть очень занятым He has his hands full with hard work. have one’s heart set on something — want something very much очень хотеть получить что-то, кого-то She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty. have pull — have influence on иметь влияние на Does he have pull with the director? (not) have the heart — (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant (не) хватает духа сделать неприятное I don’t have the heart to tell him that he wasn’t accepted, he’ll be so unhappy. high and low — everywhere везде (искать и т.д.) I searched high and low for my lost cat. hit the nail on the head — say exactly the right thing попасть в точку You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director. hit upon something — to discover обнаружить ценное They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan. hold it against someone — blame somebody for doing something (не) держать зла на кого-то I lost his book, but he doesn’t hold it against me. Hold it! — Stop! Wait! Остановитесь/Стойте! Hold it! I forgot my key. Hold on! — Wait! Подождите! Hold on! I’ll be back in a minute. hold one’s own — maintain oneself in a situation, behave as needed постоять за себя, утвердиться в чем-то He can hold his own in any situation. We need men who can hold their own. hold up — rob using a weapon грабить с применением оружия This bank was held up twice last year. ill at ease — uncomfortable не по себе She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress. in advance — well before заранее He told her about his plan in advance. in a nutshell — in a few words кратко, вкратце In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land. in care of someone — write to one person at the address of another адресату по адресу другого человека (у кого остановился) I’m staying at Tom’s house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois. in cold blood — mercilessly хладнокровно He killed her in cold blood. in fact — actually, in reality фактически In fact, he works as a manager here. in general — generally, generally speaking в общем, вообще In general, he likes to be alone. He described the place only in general. in one’s element — what one likes в своей стихии He’s in his element when he’s arguing. in other words — using other words другими словами In other words, you refused to do it for her. in plain English — in simple, frank terms проще говоря I didn’t really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible. the ins and outs — all info about входы и выходы He knows the ins and outs of this business. in someone’s shoes — in another person’s position на месте другого, в положении другого I’d hate to be in his shoes now. He lost his job, and his wife is in the hospital. in the long run — in the end в конечном счете In the long run, it’ll be better to buy it. in the same boat — in the same situation в таком же положении Stop arguing with me, we’re in the same boat and should help each other. in the clear — free from blame вне претензий Pay the bill and you’ll be in the clear. in time (to do something) — before something begins придти вовремя, чтобы успеть что-то сделать (до начала чего-то) I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class. it goes without saying — should be clear without words не стоит и говорить, само собой It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away. It’s on the tip of my tongue. вертится на языке His name is on the tip of my tongue. it’s time — should do it right away пора Hurry up, it’s time to go. It’s worth it. / It’s not worth it. It’s (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc. оно того стоит /оно того не стоит; (не) стоит покупать, посетить, смотреть и т.д. Watch this film, it’s worth it. Don’t buy this coat, it is not worth it. This museum is worth visiting. This film is not worth watching. it will do — it’s enough достаточно Stop reading, it will do for now. jump at the opportunity/chance — accept the opportunity eagerly ухватиться за возможность His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity. just as soon — prefer this one предпочел бы (это) I’d just as soon stay home, I’m tired. just in case — to be on the safe side на всякий случай Take an extra shirt, just in case. Just my luck! — Bad / Hard luck! Мне всегда не везет! They lost my job application. Just my luck! keep an eye on — take care of, watch, look after последить за, присмотреть за Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. I’ll keep an eye on you! keep a straight face — not to laugh стараться не смеяться I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. keep company — accompany составить компанию She keeps me company quite often. keep one’s word — fulfill a promise держать слово You promised, now keep your word. keep someone posted — inform держать в курсе событий Keep me posted about your plans. keep your fingers crossed — hope that nothing will go wrong надеяться, что все пройдет гладко I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you? kill time — fill/spend empty time убить время I went to the show to kill time. (not) know the first thing about — not to have any knowledge about ничего не знать по какой-то теме I don’t know the first thing about nuclear physics. know the ropes — be very familiar with some business знать все ходы и выходы He knows all the ropes in this company. last-minute notice — little or no time to prepare for something сообщение в последний момент His arrival was a last-minute notice, we didn’t have time to prepare for it. lay one’s cards on the table — be frank and open сказать честно, открыть карты Finally, we asked him to lay his cards on the table and tell us about his plans. lay one’s life on the line — put oneself in a dangerous situation ставить жизнь на карту He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts. lead a dog’s life — live in misery вести собачью жизнь He leads a dog’s life. lead someone on — make someone believe something that isn’t true заставить кого-то поверить неправде They suspect that you are leading them on. You led me on! leave it at that — accept reluctantly оставить как есть Leave it at that, what else can you do? leave word — leave a message оставить сообщение He left word for you to meet him at the airport at 6. let bygones be bygones — forget and forgive bad things in the past не ворошить прошлое Why don’t you let bygones be bygones and forget about what he said? let go of — release the hold отпустить, не держать Let go of my hand or I’ll call the guard. let (it) go — forget bad experience, return to normal life освободиться от тяжелого переживания He’s still in despair and can’t let (it) go. You can’t change anything, so let it go. let one’s hair down — be relaxed and informal with other people держаться неофициально She is always so formal. She never lets her hair down. let someone down — disappoint, fail someone подвести кого-то Don’t let me down this time! let someone know — inform известить Let me know when you find a job. like father, like son — be like one’s parent in something какой отец, такой и сын Paul won a prize in a chess tournament. Great! Like father, like son! little by little — step by step понемногу Little by little, he got used to Tokyo. look for — search for искать What are you looking for? look forward to — expect with pleasure ожидать с нетерпением I’m looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking forward to the party. look out — be careful, watch out остерегаться Look out! The bus is coming! look up — check with /in a dictionary or a reference book посмотреть в словаре или справочнике If you don’t know this word, look it up in the dictionary. lose one’s temper — become angry разозлиться He loses his temper very often. lose one’s way — get lost потерять дорогу I lost my way. Can you help me? lose track of — not to know where someone or something is потерять из виду I lost track of him years ago. lucky break — a lucky chance счастливый случай He got his lucky break when he got this job. make a living — earn money to provide for life зарабатывать на жизнь He works hard. His family is big, and he has to make a living somehow. make allowance for — take into consideration when judging учитывать, делать скидку на Don’t criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance for his inexperience. make a point of — be sure to do something intentionally считать обязательным для себя сделать что-то Make a point of asking about his wife. Make it a point to be here by 10. make ends meet — to have and spend only what one earns сводить концы с концами His doesn’t get much money. I wonder how he manages to make ends meet. make friends — become friends подружиться Anton makes new friends easily. make fun of — laugh at, joke about высмеивать He made fun of her German accent. make no bones about it — say/do openly, without hesitation сказать прямо, не скрывая отношения I’ll make no bones about it: I don’t like your attitude to work. make room for — allow space for освободить место для We can make room for one more dog. make sense — be logical имеет смысл What you say makes sense. make the most of smth — do the best in the given situation извлечь лучшее из Let’s make the most of our vacation. make up — become friends again помириться I’m tired of fighting. Let’s make up. make up for smth — compensate компенсировать I’ll make up for the time you spent on it. make up one’s mind — decide принять решение When will you go? Make up your mind. make yourself at home — be comfortable, feel at home будьте как дома Come in please. Make yourself at home. man of his word — one who keeps promises, is dependable хозяин своего слова, держит слово You can depend on his promise to help. He’s a man of his word. mean well — have good intentions хотеть сделать, как лучше He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled a couple of things for me. might as well — a good idea может быть неплохо I might as well telephone him now. missing person — someone who is lost and can’t be located пропавший человек (в розыске) The little boy disappeared. The police registered him as a missing person. meet someone halfway — compromise with others идти на компромисс с кем-то He’s reasonable and tries to meet his coworkers halfway, when possible. never mind — it doesn’t matter неважно, ничего Thank you. — Never mind. not to mention — in addition to не говоря уж We have three dogs, not to mention two cats. no wonder — not surprising неудивительно, что He ate three big fish. No wonder he’s sick. now and again — occasionally время от времени I meet them now and again at the bank. odds and ends — a variety of small unimportant things or leftovers мелочи, остатки, обрезки I needed to buy some odds and ends for the kitchen. off the cuff — without preparation без подготовки Off the cuff, I can give you only a rough estimate. off the point — beside the point не относится к делу What I think about him is off the point. off the record — not for the public, unofficially не для публики, неофициально Strictly off the record, I think the director is going to get married soon. once and for all — decidedly однажды и навсегда You must quit smoking once and for all. on credit — not pay cash right away в кредит He bought a car on credit. on edge — nervous, irritable нервный, раздраженный He’s been on edge ever since she left. on guard — on the alert настороже, бдительный He’s cautious and always on guard. on hand — available под рукой Do you have a calculator on hand? on one’s own — alone, by oneself самостоятельно, один, сам по себе She likes to live and work on her own. on one’s toes — alert, attentive, prepared for difficulties бдительный, собранный He was on his toes and produced a very good impression on them. on purpose — intentionally нарочно, с целью I didn’t do it on purpose, it just happened so. on second thought — after thinking again по зрелом размышлении I’d like to sit on the aisle. On second thought, I’d like a window seat. on the alert — on guard начеку, настороже He’s cautious and always on the alert. on the carpet — called in by the boss for criticism вызвать на ковер Yesterday the boss called her on the carpet for being rude to the coworkers. on the go — busy, on the move в движении, на ходу He is always on the go. on the off chance — unlikely to happen, but still маловероятно, но на всякий случай On the off chance that you don’t find him at work, here’s his home address. on the other hand — considering the other side of the question с другой стороны I’d like to have a dog. On the other hand, my wife likes cats better. on the spot — right there на месте, сразу I decided to do it on the spot. on the spur of the moment — without previous thought / plan под влиянием момента He bought this car on the spur of the moment, now he regrets it. on time — punctual в назначенное время Jim is always on time. out of one’s mind — crazy сумасшедший If you think so, you’re out of your mind. out of one’s way — away from someone’s usual route не по пути I can’t give you a lift to the bank, it’s out of my way today. out of the question — impossible не может быть и речи Paying him is out of the question! pack rat — a person who saves lots of unnecessary things тот, кто не выбрасывает старые ненужные вещи Why does she keep all those things she never uses? — She is a pack rat. pay attention — be attentive обратить внимание Pay attention to his words. pick a fight — start a quarrel начать ссору He often tries to pick a fight with me. pick up — take, get подобрать, взять I’ll pick you up at 7. play one’s cards right — choose the right steps in doing something сыграть правильно If you play your cards right, he’ll agree to your plan. potluck supper — a surprise meal, where nobody knows what dishes other guests will bring ужин вскладчину, никто не знает, что принесут другие You know what happened at our last potluck supper? Everybody brought macaroni and cheese, apples, and beer! pull oneself together — brace oneself, summon your strength cобраться с силами Stop crying and complaining! You have to pull yourself together now. pull the wool over someone’s eyes — deceive, mislead someone обмануть, ввести в заблуждение Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It won’t do you any good. put a damper on — discourage охладить пыл She always puts a damper on my plans. put in a word for someone — say positive things about someone замолвить словечко I’d be very grateful if you could put in a word for me when you speak to him. put off — postpone откладывать Don’t put it off till tomorrow. put one’s foot down — object strongly решительно воспротивиться Her father put his foot down when she said she wanted to marry Alan. put one’s foot in it — do the wrong thing, make a fool of oneself сделать/сказать глупость He put his foot in it when he told the boss his daughter wasn’t pretty. put up with — accept, tolerate мириться с, терпеть I can’t put up with your bad work! quite a bit of — much, a lot of много I had quite a bit of trouble with that car. quite a few — many, a lot of много He wrote quite a few good stories. rack one’s brain — try hard to think напрячь мозги He racked his brain to solve the puzzle. read between the lines — find or understand the implied meaning читать между строк His books are not easy to understand; you have to read between the lines. remember me to — say hello to передать привет от Please remember me to your family. right away — immediately сразу же, немедленно It’ very important to do it right away. ring a bell — remind someone of something familiar /half-forgotten напоминает что-то знакомое Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell, but I can’t place it right now. rock the boat — make the situation unstable раскачивать лодку, вести к нестабильности Peter always rocks the boat when we discuss company’s spending policy. rub shoulders with — meet with близко общаться с He doesn’t rub shoulders with the rich. rub someone the wrong way — irritate, annoy, make angry раздражать, злить кого-то His remarks rub many coworkers the wrong way. run into — meet by chance случайно встретить I ran into an old friend yesterday. save face — try to change the negative impression produced спасать репутацию He said a stupid thing and tried to save face by saying he misunderstood me. save one’s breath — stop useless talk не трать слова попусту There’s no use talking to him about his spending habits, so save your breath. scratch the surface — study something superficially изучать поверхностно He examines all the facts closely, he doesn’t just scratch the surface. see about — make arrangements for позаботиться о чем-то I have to see about our plane tickets. see eye to eye — agree сходиться в мнении We don’t see eye to eye any longer. serve someone right — get what someone deserves поделом It serves him right that he didn’t get this job, he despised all other candidates. serve one’s purpose — be useful to someone for his purpose отвечать цели I doubt that hiring this man will serve your purpose. show promise — be promising подавать надежды This young actor shows promise. show up — appear появиться I waited for hours but he didn’t show up. size up — evaluate someone оценить, составить мнение It took me 5 minutes to size up that man. sleep on it — postpone a decision till next morning отложить решение до следующего утра Don’t decide now, sleep on it. a slip of the tongue — a mistake обмолвка (ошибка) It was just a slip of the tongue! slip (from) one’s mind — forget забыть It slipped my mind what she asked me. smell a rat — suspect something подозревать недоброе I’m not sure what it is, but I smell a rat. so far — up to now до сих пор, пока So far, I have read 3 books by King. so much the better — it’s even better еще лучше If he can pay cash, so much the better. spill the beans — tell a secret проболтаться Who spilled the beans about our plan? stand a chance — have a chance нет шансов He doesn’t stand a chance of getting it. stand out — be noticeable выделяться He stands out in any group of people. stand to reason — be logical логично, что It stands to reason that he apologized. straight from the shoulder — speak frankly честно, откровенно Don’t try to spare my feelings, give it to me straight from the shoulder. take a dim view of something — disapprove of something не одобрять My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children. take a break — stop for rest сделать перерыв Let’s take a break, I’m tired. take advantage of — use for one’s own benefit, to profit from воспользоваться возможностью We took advantage of the low prices and bought a computer and a monitor. take after — be like one of the parents быть похожим на родителей (родителя) Tom takes after his father in character, and after his mother in appearance. take a stand on something — make a firm opinion/decision on smth. занять четкую позицию, мнение People need to take a stand on the issue of nuclear weapons. take care of — look after, protect, see that smth. is done properly позаботиться о ком-то, чем-то, присмотреть за Can you take care of my dog while I’m away? Tom takes good care of his car. take hold of something — take, hold взять, держать Take hold of this rope and pull. take into account — consider smth. принять во внимание You must take into account her old age. take it easy — relax, be calm не волнуйся Take it easy, everything will be OK. take (it) for granted — accept as given принимать как должное Mother’s love is always taken for granted by children. take one’s breath away захватить дух That great view took my breath away. take one’s time — do slowly делать не торопясь Don’t hurry. Take your time. take one’s word for it — believe поверить на слово Take my word for it, he won’t go there. take pains — try hard to do it well прилагать усилия He took pains to make his report perfect. take part in smth. — participate in принять участие Mary is going to take part in the show. take place — happen иметь место, случиться The accident took place on Oak Street. take someone’s mind off things — distract from fixed ideas/thoughts отвлечь от навязчивых мыслей Go to a concert or a movie to take your mind off things. take steps — take action /measures принимать меры We need to take steps against it. take the words right out of one’s mouth — say the same before somebody else says it сказать то же самое чуть раньше, чем другой говорящий I was about to say the same! You took the words right out of my mouth. take time — take a long time занять много времени It takes time to get used to a new place. take time off — be absent from work взять отгул He took time off to attend the wedding. take turns — alternate doing something one after another делать по очереди, меняться местами We went to Minsk by car. We didn’t get tired because we took turns driving talk back — answer rudely дерзить Don’t talk back to the teacher! talk it over — discuss обсудить с кем-то I’ll talk it over with my family. tell apart — see the difference различить, отличить от Can you tell the twins apart? That’s just the point. — That’s it. В этом-то и дело. That’s just the point! I hate this job! the writing on the wall — a sign of future events (usually, trouble) предзнаменование (обычно, беды) The plane crashed. Tim said he saw the writing on the wall about this flight. not think much of — think low невысокого мнения I don’t think much of her cooking. think over — consider carefully обдумать Think over your answer. Think it over carefully. till one is blue in the face — try hard стараться до посинения I repeated it till I was blue in the face! to make a long story short — in short короче говоря To make a long story short, we won. to say the least — to make the minimum comment about smth. самое малое, что можно сказать The film was boring and long, to say the least. try on — put on new clothes to test them for size or look примерить одежду (перед покупкой) Try on this leather coat, it’s very good. She tried it on, but it didn’t fit her at all. try one’s hand at something — try попробовать себя в I want to try my hand at painting. turn on / off — switch on / off включить/выключить Turn on the radio. Turn off the water. turn out to be — result/end this way оказаться He turned out to be a very good actor. turn over a new leaf — make a fresh start in life, work, etc. начать (жизнь, новое дело) заново He promises to turn over a new leaf and quit alcohol for good. turn the tide — reverse the course of events повернуть вспять ход событий The new evidence turned the tide, and the defendant was acquitted of charges. twist one’s arm — make to agree выкручивать руки They twisted his arm to sell the house. under the weather — feel ill нездоровится I’m a little under the weather today. up-and-coming — showing promise of future success многообещающий, подающий надежды He is an up-and-coming young lawyer who might help you with your case. up in arms — hostile to, in strong protest against something протестовать против, сопротивляться The employees are up in arms about the new retirement rules. up in the air — undecided еще не определено My vacation plans are still up in the air. (not) up to par — equal in standard (не) в норме His behavior isn’t up to par. used to — did often in the past, but not now в прошлом делал, сейчас нет I used to play the piano when I was in school (but I don’t play it now). walk on air — be very happy летать от счастья He got the job and is walking on air now. waste one’s breath — speak uselessly, to no purpose не трать усилия зря Don’t waste your breath trying to make him do it, he won’t change his mind. watch one’s step — be careful быть осмотрительным Watch your step! watch out — look out, be careful остерегаться Watch out for that car! Watch out! wet blanket — a kill-joy, who spoils everybody’s fun тот, кто портит всем удовольствие Remember what a wet blanket he was last time? Please don’t invite him again. What’s the matter? — What is it? В чем дело? What’s the matter? What happened? which way the wind blows — what the real situation is какова реальная ситуация He knows which way the wind blows and always acts accordingly. white lie — unimportant lie невинная ложь A white lie is told to spare your feelings. word for word — in the same words дословно, дословный Tell me word for word what he said. would rather — prefer предпочитать I’d rather stay at home today.

for the time being

At the present moment; for now. For the time being, our plans remain unchanged until something convinces us otherwise. Let’s just stay focused on this for the time being. We can address other issues later in the meeting.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

for the time being

for the present; until some other arrangement is made.

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

for the time ˈbeing

(also for the ˈmoment/ˈpresent) now, and for a short time in the future: He can stay with us for the time being until he finds a place of his own. ♢ I’m happy here for the moment, but I might want to move soon.

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

for the time being

Temporarily.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

See also:

• for now
• for the present
• leave it at that
• let’s talk
• Let’s dump
• let’s dump (someone or something)
• let’s get out of here
• let’s see
• let’s go
• Let’s rock and roll!