Word for something you don like

Imagine someone does something you do not like. Saying “I don’t like it” or “I don’t like this” can sound a little bit childish. So today we will learn a couple of ways to say “I don’t like it” more maturely.

1. I dislike it

The most similar way of saying “I don’t like it”. It can also seem very direct and could cause offense to some people.

For example:

I dislike the way he talks to me

Greta dislikes the taste of pistachio ice cream

2. I’m not into it

This sentence is more casual. Saying you are not into something means you do not find it interesting or attractive.

For example:

I’m not into skinny jeans this season

James asked Irina to go with him to the football game but she’s not into football, she likes rugby

3. I’m not fond of it

“To be fond of” means having a liking for or love of something or someone. So, not to be fond of something means you don’t like it very much. It is also quite informal.

For example:

Since Ben had the accident, he’s not very fond of going skiing

I’m not fond of combining purple with orange

4. I’m not crazy about it

This sentence is similar to the one above, “to not be fond of something”.

For example:

I don’t think Tanya is crazy about working extra hours

Pauline, I’m not crazy about this cake, it tastes strange

5. I don’t appreciate that

This way of expressing dislike is great for professional and serious conversations, as well as for making polite requests. “To appreciate” means to be grateful for something, so what we are saying is “I am not grateful for this situation”. See? A lot more polite.

For example:

I don’t appreciate being shouted at in public

Helen did not appreciate her gift, she thought it was inappropriate

6. It doesn’t tickle my fancy

This is an idiom and it means to amuse, entertain, or appeal to someone; to stimulate someone’s imagination in a good way. So when we say something did not tickle our fancy, it means we did not find it appealing, funny or interesting.

For example:

That comedian’s sense of humour doesn’t tickle their fancy

I love that Halloween party concept but the idea of having blood everywhere doesn’t tickle my fancy, it’s a bit gross

7. I’m disinterested in that

We use this sentence if something simply does not interest us.

For example:

My friends are all disinterested in politics

Her boss is disinterested in all her ideas

8. That’s not for me

A neutral way of explaining that something does not appeal to you, that you are not interested.

For example:

Everyone loves the series Lost but it’s not for me

The new fashion trend of high-wasted skirts is not for me

9. I’m not a big fan of it

“To be a fan of something” is an expression lots of people use and most people understand. But to say “I’m not a big fan” is not as common. Of course, it means we do not like something very much.

For example:

I’m not a big fan of the new James Bond

Don’t ask her to go to the Japanese restaurant! She’s not a fan of sushi

10. I’ll pass

This is a quick way of saying we are not interested in a suggestion.

For example:

Do you want to come to the pub?” “Nah, thanks, I’ll pass

Who wants to participate in this project?” “I have too much work right now, I’ll pass, thanks

As you will all see from today’s post, English has a variety of ways of saying that you don’t like something. This is what English is like in general. If you would like to continue learning English, you should sign up to the free ABA English course where you will get free access to 144 video classes ranging in level from beginner to advanced among access to other learning resources too.

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Video Transcript
Section 1
Well hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish and today I’m going to share some different, some more appropriate ways of saying that you don’t like something. Now of course, it’s okay to say “I don’t like it” It’s simple, it’s direct and it communicates your message clearly but there are lots of different situations where that might sound a little rude or a little too direct.

You might also be interested in learning more natural everyday expressions that native English speakers use when they don’t like something. If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place because I’m sharing twenty alternatives to I don’t like it so that you can communicate clearly and effectively and naturally in English so let’s get into the lesson!

“I don’t like it” is obviously a negative thing but today we’re going to talk about a whole bunch of different ways that you can express that same negative idea in English and I’ve got some really casual, informal expressions and some idioms to share with you, ones that I use all the time instead of saying “I don’t like it” along with some more formal, maybe more polite ways of saying that you dislike something.

Most of the time when we say “I don’t like it” we don’t mean to offend anyone, we need to say it politely, right?

But then there’s times when you’re chatting with your friends, you know people that you’re close to or really comfortable with and you might want to be a little more direct or honest about your feelings. I know you know what I mean.

So I’m going to include this little dial on screen with each expression we go through to help you understand how intense the meaning is. You know sometimes we just want to hint that we don’t like something but other times we want to be super clear, we want to emphasise how much we really, really, really don’t like the idea.

So this little dial is going to show you how intense the meaning is in each of these expressions so that you can choose one that’s most appropriate for the situation.

So let’s look at “I don’t like” something. It could be food, it could be music, any activity but not people.

I’m really deliberately highlighting this because not all of the expressions that I’m gonna go through now can be used in every context okay? The ones that I’m sharing first are usually used when we’re talking about things, not people.

So think of this simple question “Do you like Thai food?”

1. It’s not my favourite.

Now this is a bit of a cheeky response. I’m not saying I don’t like it but I’m implying that I don’t like it by avoiding the question and this is something that I do all the time when I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. I might say:

• It’s not my favourite, there are other things that I like more.

2. It’s not my thing

I could also say “It’s not my thing”

And that might seem like a really odd response here, usually when we say that’s not my thing, we’re talking about something, a notebook or a pen. We’re saying I don’t own it, it’s not mine.

However when it’s used as a fixed expression in this context it’s an informal but still quite a polite way of saying that you don’t like something.

• Do you want to join our cycling club?
  Cycling’s not really my thing.

3. I’m not into (something)

We can also just say “I’m not into it”

• I’m not into something.
• I’m not into Thai food or I’m not into contact sports.
• I’m not into Christmas.

So what about those times when you want to respond a little more respectfully?

I’ve got a few different options to share here and it really helps if you think about a situation where you might need to show respect with your answer.

So imagine this situation. You’re invited to a friend’s house and they introduce you to a friend of theirs, a Thai friend and you’re chatting away having a good time and then they ask you: “Do you like Thai food?” and you think not really.

(By the way, this is just an example. I love Thai food. It’s just an example)

So in this situation, you can take my trick from before and respond by talking about what you do like instead so you kind of dodge the question a little so you could answer by saying:

4. I prefer…

• I prefer Italian food.
• To be honest, I’d rather eat Japanese food when I go out.

Even more formal or more polite again is to simply respond by saying:

5. It’s not to my taste

You know especially when you’re talking about food or you’re talking about style then you can say “It’s not to my taste.”

• Do you want to come to the Tame Impala concert with me?

So you could say: “Nah I don’t like them“

But you could also choose your words a little more carefully and you could say:

6. I’m not a fan of (something)

• I’m not really a fan of them.
• I’m not a fan of something.
• I’m not a fan of Tame Impala.

This expression works really well for bands and for music and movies, things like that but it can also be used in lots of different contexts just to mean I don’t like it.

• I’m not a big fan of strawberries.
• I’m not a fan of queuing at restaurants.

So what if someone’s suggesting an idea? They obviously really like this idea but you don’t. There’s some great idioms that you can use in this situation. You can say that:

7. I’m not crazy about (something)

• I’m not crazy about it.
• I’m not crazy about this idea.

Most of the time when we’re using this expression, we’re using it to say that we don’t like an idea or maybe a suggestion that someone’s had.

• I’m not crazy about the idea of driving through the night for fifteen hours.

• Do you want to wake up at 5am on Sunday and go for a ten kilometre run?

8. Uhh… I’d rather not

• I’d rather not, I don’t like that idea.

I’d rather sleep in on my Sunday morning, right? It’s the only day of the week where I get to do it.

So I’m using I’d rather, again just as a more polite and more indirect way of saying no I would not like to do that.

9. (something) is not my cup of tea

When we’re talking about an activity that we don’t like then we can also use this great idiom to say that it’s not our cup of tea, you know.

• Getting up early and going for a run on a Sunday morning is not my cup of tea.

All right here’s your first piece of homework.

Has anyone ever made a suggestion to you that you just didn’t like the sound of?

• Let’s spend our holidays doing a short course in accounting.
  I don’t like accounting.

• I got your mum a worm farm!
  She doesn’t like worms.

See if you can respond to one or both of these ideas using one of the expressions that you’ve just learned.

So we’re still thinking about those times when someone makes a suggestion that you don’t really like.

10. (something) doesn’t tickle my fancy

You could say “that doesn’t tickle my fancy” Now usually this expression is used when someone suggests an activity or maybe an idea for an activity.

• Why don’t we go skiing on the weekend?
  Nah, that doesn’t tickle my fancy.

If you don’t like the idea of something or the concept of something like marriage or waking up early then, you can simply just say:

11. It’s not for me

So it’s quite casual, really relaxed informal way of saying that it’s not something that I like. It’s not something that I enjoy.

• I’ve come to realise that marriage is not for me. I don’t really like the idea of marriage.
• Early mornings are not for me.

Actually, if I was to be honest, I’d say that sleep-ins are not for me. I like being awake early. What about you? Do you like being awake early or do you like to sleep in?

See if you can make a sentence using one of these expressions and add it down in the comments below.

So now we’re ready to talk about I don’t like a person. When you’re talking about a person you don’t like, we’ve got to be a little bit careful, don’t we? Again we can use I’d rather.

12. I’d rather not…
I’d rather you didn’t (+ verb)

But we’ve got to make sure that we’re talking about the action, not the person. I’d rather not do something with them because I don’t like them, okay:

• I’d rather not see them.
• I’d rather not meet them.
• I’d rather not go to their house or hang out with them.
• Is it okay if I invite Jess to your birthday?
  I’d rather you didn’t. We don’t get along. We don’t really like hanging out with each other.

• I’d rather you didn’t. We’ve never really clicked.

So when you click with someone, your personalities match and you get along really, really well but here we’re using it in a negative way, aren’t we?

13. We never really clicked

We’re saying we never really clicked. We never really enjoyed hanging out with each other so I don’t want her to come. I don’t really like her.

Now if you’re looking for a much stronger meaning then you can say:

14. I can’t stand her/him

• I’d rather you didn’t invite her, I can’t stand her.

A little more formal but still just as strong as I can’t stand her is:

15. I find her intolerable

• I’d rather you didn’t invite her. I find her intolerable.

All right now is the part that I know you’ve been hanging out for. We’re going to talk about some options that have a much stronger meaning okay so when you really, really want to make it clear that you don’t like something.

You’re not worried about being polite, you want your message to be crystal clear, you don’t like it. I’m serious, you don’t like it. I want everyone to know that.

16. I find (something) intolerable
17. I can’t stand (something)

So we just talked about using I find someone intolerable or I can’t stand someone. We can use both of these expressions to talk about people or things and probably specifically activities.

• I can’t stand watching cricket.
• I find horse racing intolerable.

18. loathe
19. detest
20. despise

And there are some really, really strong synonyms of dislike so if you want to get serious say that you loathe something or someone or you detest them or you despise them.

• I loathe the idea of getting stuck on a cruise ship for three whole weeks.
• I detest the way he takes credit for Sam’s work.
• I despise people who leave their cigarette butts in the sand at the beach, it’s disgusting.

21. Disapprove of (someone’s behaviour)

You can also say in a really strong way that you disapprove of someone’s behaviour if you don’t like what they’re doing.

• I know John’s going through a rough time at home but I really disapprove of him turning up late every day.

22. To have no desire (to do something)
No desire whatsoever

If you want to make it really clear that you don’t want to do something, then you can say “I have no desire to do it”

• I have no desire to spend three weeks on a sailing boat in the middle of the ocean.

And if you want to make it even stronger again you can add: no desire whatsoever.

• I have no desire to spend my holiday completing an accounting course. No desire whatsoever.

What do you have no desire to do? No desire whatsoever. Make sure you share it with me down in the comments. I’m super curious now.

So that’s it, my friends, they are my suggestions on alternatives that you can use for I don’t like it. I wonder if you can think of any others? There are so many different and quite frankly better ways of saying that you don’t like something in English so I hope that you were able to build on your vocabulary and learn something new with me today.

Keep practising your natural English expression with me right here in this imitation lesson and make sure you subscribe to mmmEnglish as well. You can do that right down here. I make new lessons every week. You’ve got to subscribe if you want to keep up to date.

Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next lesson!

Word for… Something you hate that you like

Hi, I’m Brad. I’ve spent the last seven years teaching English and creating websites for English learners and teachers. I recently moved from Costa Rica to Orlando, Florida, where I teach intensive English classes at a state college. If you’d like to contact me, I can be reached via email at [email protected]

Предложения с «don`t like something»

If you don’t like something , you complain, you talk back.	Если вам что — то не нравится, вы жалуетесь, вы возражаете.
Because I invent, transform, create, and destroy for a living, and when I don’t like something about the world, I change it.	Я изобретаю, трансформирую, создаю и уничтожаю, и если мне в мире что — то не нравится, я это меняю.
If you don’t like something , you simply make up a new law that makes it illegal.	Что — то не устраивает — создаете закон и оно становится незаконным.
does not allow you to take our child from us if you don’t like something Blair chooses to do.	не дает тебе права отнять у нас ребенка в случае, если Блэр захочет сделать что — то, что не понравится тебе.
We don’t want to miss something .	Мы не хотим ничего упускать.
And when we forget that and when we don’t have something to kind of keep that in check, it’s very easy to just throw out data because it can’t be expressed as a numerical value.	И когда мы забываемся, и когда нам не с чем свериться, очень легко просто выбросить данные из — за того, что не получается выразить их в цифровой форме.
He mumbled something about dead people don’t tip so well and walked away into the dark.	Он пробурчал что — то вроде мертвецы не дают хороших чаевых и скрылся в темноте.
So when you’re sitting and thinking about how do we move forward on this major issue — it could be at home, it could be at work, it could be again on the global stage — don’t cut yourself off from thinking about something beyond technology as a fix because we’re more concerned about technological evolution right now than we are about moral evolution.	Когда вы сидите и думаете, как же нам перейти к этому важному вопросу — это может быть дома, на работе, на мировой арене — думайте не только о технологиях для решения этой проблемы, потому что сейчас технологическая эволюция нас беспокоит больше, чем моральная.
So the test failures, the exceptions, the outliers teach us what we don’t know and lead us to something new.	Поэтому неудачные проверки, исключения, аномалии учат нас тому, чего мы не знаем, и приводят нас к чему — то новому.
But when things don’t work well, sometimes we want something different.	Но когда дела обстоят не очень, нам порой хочется чего — то другого.
So when you’re talking about a heart pacemaker as a prosthetic, you’re talking about something that isn’t just, I’m missing my leg, it’s, if I don’t have this, I can die.	Так что, когда речь идёт о таком протезе, как кардиостимулятор, вы говорите уже не что — то вроде мне не хватает ноги, а без этого я умру.
He’s very germ-sensitive, so disgust does matter a lot — more for him, that’s something unique to him — but as we demonize each other more, and again, through the Manichaean worldview, the idea that the world is a battle between good and evil as this has been ramping up, we’re more likely not just to say they’re wrong or I don’t like them, but we say they’re evil, they’re satanic, they’re disgusting, they’re revolting.	Он боится микробов, поэтому отвращение ему знакомо, оно ему присуще, Но мы стали демонизировать друг друга, смотреть на мир через доктрину манихейства, где мир — это борьба добра и зла, и это набирает обороты, мы уже не просто говорим, что они неправы, нам они не нравятся, а говорим, что они злые, дьявольские, они отвратительны, тошнотворны.
You’ll learn techniques if you start by acknowledging, if you start by saying, You know, we don’t agree on a lot, but one thing I really respect about you, Uncle Bob, or , about you conservatives, is , And you can find something .	Если начать с осознания, то можно научиться техникам, если начать так: Мы во многом разные, но я тебя уважаю тебя, дядя Боб или , вас, консерваторов, — и вы находите за что.
They have something but we don’t know what it is.	В них есть что — то неведомое нам.
I had about two months off between the end of college and the beginning of grad school1-1, and since I skipped the final exam for my last Russian class, I don’t have a grade for it, so, I thought I’d, try to do something else just to prove to future bosses that I know Russian.	После окончания колледжа и начала занятий в магистратуре у меня был перерыв примерно два месяца, а так как я не сдавал выпускной экзамен по русскому языку, то по этому предмету я не аттестован, так что я решил попробовать что — то иное, чтобы в будущем предъявить начальству сертификат, подтверждающий мое знание русского языка.
When it’s young, we don’t have to return for work, and beyond that would be something given by your company, but there is also government plans and place to you could apply for certain, day care benefits, things like this.	Когда ребенок маленький, можно не возвращаться на работу, и, кроме этого, ваша компания кое — что даст, но существуют также государственные программы и учреждения, куда вы можете обратиться за, пособиями по уходу, что — то в этом роде.
He was a chauffeur, his father worked as, I think, a footman in some country house and his grandfather was, I think, something , I don’t know what he did, but something like that.	Он был шофером, его отец работал, кажется, лакеем в загородном доме, а его дед был, думаю, что — то, я не знаю, чем он занимался, но чем — то подобным.
Not necessarily, but now I think about it I think maybe women go, I know it’s stereotypical to say, but maybe women go shopping more together as a sort of social activity, whereas men tend to, you know, I don’t know, stay in their rooms or work or something .	Не обязательно, но сейчас я подумаю об этом, я думаю, женщины ходят… я знаю, что это стереотип так говорить, но, может быть, женщины ходят по магазинам вместе, это своего рода социальная активность, в то время как мужчины имеют склонность, как правило, знаете, я не знаю, оставаться дома или на работа, или что — то подобное.
It’s just something about the fact that you have to dress the film in a way that you don’t have to dress a contemporary film.	Просто дело в том, что вам нужно одевать в фильме не так, как в фильме о современном времени.
But if somebody comes and they’ve had cancer or they’re in the process of being treated for an illness, that’s something we might discuss, but it’s certainly something I wouldn’t predict, because I don’t necessarily believe in making predictions.	Но если кто — то приходит и у них рак или они в процессе лечения болезни, это то, что мы могли бы обсудить, но это, безусловно, то что я бы не стал предсказывать, потому что я не верю в неизбежность предсказаний.
You don’t find something you love that much	Ты не находишь что — то, что любишь настолько сильно
You know may be something will be not OK, because I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I know that I’ll do everything to realize my plane and my dreams.	Вы знаете, может быть что — то будет не в порядке, потому что я не знаю, что будет завтра, но я знаю, что я сделаю все, чтобы реализовать свои намерения и мои мечты.
Love is something that makes us tender, and affectionate, and caring… It’s when another person’s needs become more important than yours and you don’t see it as a burden.	Любовь это то, что делает нас нежными и ласковыми, и заботливыми , Это когда потребности другого человека становятся все более важными, чем ваши, и вы не считаете их обузой.
They have forgotten, that they are in the same boat, so they should not blame the youth, be nervous or demand from their children something , they don`t want to do.	Они забыли, что они заодно, поэтому они не должны ругаться, нервничать и требовать от своих детей того, чего те делать не хотят.
You can change the text as many times as you want and you don’t need to rewrite everything if you changed something .	Можно изменять текст столько раз, сколько понадобится, и не нужно будет переписывать весь текст заново, если вы что — то в нем изменили.
They always want your life in agony over something you don’t understand.	Они всегда требуют твою жизнь для своих целей, которые недоступны твоему пониманию.
I don’t think the human mind can really contain something of that magnitude.	Я не думаю, что человеческий разум способен по — настоящему воспринять нечто столь величественное.
Now we don’t claim to be expert in cosmic phenomena but we do know something about communication theory.	Мы не считаем себя экспертами в области космических явлений, но в теории коммуникаций несколько разбираемся.
I don’t want to claim credit for something I didn’t create.	Я не хочу приписывать себе заслугу в создании того, что было создано не мной.
I don’t usually do this, but I could prescribe something .	Я обычно не делаю этого, но я мог бы назначить что — нибудь.
I don’t see why you should use that tone of voice, Olwen — as if Betty was cleverly dodging something .	Вы говорите таким тоном, Олуэн, точно Бетти от чего — то увиливает.
I don’t have the money or equipment to handle something that big on such short notice.	У меня нет ни денег, ни оборудования обрабатывать такие большие заказы в короткий срок.
Don’t let all that pent-up sexual frustration force you to say something you’re gonna regret.	Не позволяй всей своей сексуальной неудовлетворенности заставить тебя сказать что — то о чем ты пожалеешь.
Don’t we sin whenever we desire something that isn’t ours?	Разве мы не грешим тогда, когда желаем чего — то, что не принадлежит нам?
Don’t you think my esteemed colleagues could have come up with something just a little more believable?	Не считаете, что мои почтенные коллеги могли придумать что — то более правдоподобное?
At least I don’t have to live with something unattractive.	По крайней мере мне не надо жить с чем — то некрасивым.
Don’t you even check the trajectory for ricochets or something first?	Ты разве не проверяешь траекторию на рикошет или типа того?
Those big shots don’t dare step in on something like the draft.	Эти большие воротилы не могут связываться с чем — то подобным призыву.
I have a feeling I’ve just dodged something and I don’t know what.	Такое чувство, будто я чего — то избежала, только не знаю чего.
Something tells me we don’t need to worry about this guy.	Что — то мне говорит, что нам не нужно волноваться насчет этого парня.
I don’t fancy playing tag in the fog with something that can do that.	Я бы не стал играть в пятнашки с существом, способным на такое.
You don’t pay your electric bill or something ?	Вы не оплатили счет за электричество или что — то в этом роде?
Don’t worry, we’ll find something for you To dip in chocolate.	Не волнуйся, мы найдём для тебя чёрную песню.
I’m lying to everybody about something I don’t even want to be doing.	Я вру всем о том, чего я даже и делать не хочу.
But if I don’t, I could be letting something very precious slip through my fingers.	Но если я не скажу, я могу упустить нечто более ценное.
If you abandon something , never regret it If you don’t treasure someone, it’s better to part ways.	Но если вы это не цените, то и не жалейте об этом.
We don’t so much as cast a glance in his direction until we’ve got something bulletproof.	Мы даже посмотреть в его сторону не можем, пока не получим что — то неопровержимое.
Sorry, that’s something I’m working on so that I don’t have to display facial expressions.	Простите, я работаю над этой штукой, чтобы мне не приходилось больше выражать что — то лицом.
I don’t usually wear uniform but something can be arranged for you.	Я не всегда ношу форму, но кое — что могу организовать для тебя.
Our minds concoct all sorts of fantasies when we don’t want to believe something .	В наших умах могут родиться любые фантазии, когда мы не хотим чему — то верить.
You don’t think she’s going to be expecting something big, do you?	Она же не будет ожидать чего — то большего?
I don’t want you missing out on something special.	Я не хочу чтобы ты упустил реально что — то стоящее.
I don’t think this is something to joke about.	Не думаю, что это повод для шутки.
No. I don’t want you to invent something .	Нет, я не хочу, чтобы ты придумывал.
Please. We’re on to something here — and I don’t want to lose track.	Мы кое — что нащупали здесь, и мне не хотелось бы потерять нить.
Don’t tell me you found something new to be suspicious about.	Не говори мне, что ты нашла новую причину для своих подозрений.
I want to show you something , don’t be afraid.	Я держу вас,… не бойтесь.
I don’t know — maybe put something in it you don’t want in it.	Не знаю, может, засунут туда что — то, чего ты не захочешь там видеть.
To find it, they’re doing something of quite awe-inspiring danger, and I don’t just mean riding on the outside of a helicopter.	Чтобы найти её, они делают кое — что действительно исключительно опасное, и я не просто имею ввиду прогулку на корпусе вертолета.
If it’s something everybody does I don’t need to see a doctor.	Если это делают все, тогда врач мне не нужен.

Идиомы с трактовкой и синонимами Перевод Пример 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.