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С

с блеском - with flying colours: “Harry was expected to fail his examination, but he passed it with flying colours.”

 

с глаз долой - из сердца вон - out of sight, out of mind: “Out of sight, out of mind is the way of the world, but for me that’s no excuse.”

 

с головы до пят - from head to toe: “Susan was cherishing be her partners, adored by Sly, protected by all of them. Money and security wrapped her from, head to toe.”

 

с грехом пополам - by the skin of one’s teeth: “That was a near thing! I only escaped being conscripted into the army by the skin of my teeth.”

 

с дальним прицелом - a long shot: “It may be a ling shot but I think Hurry will marry again soon.”

с иголочки - stick and span: “Everything is spick and span for our visitors.”

 

с легким сердцем - with a light heart: “She has come home with a light heart. She has passed all her exams at last.”

 

с лихвой - with a vengeance: “John was sure that all his expenses would be reimbursed with a vengeance.”

 

с маху - with all one’s might: “John hit the thief with all his might.”

 

с минуты на минуту - any minute: “Mother can show up any minute here.”

 

с молотка (продать, пустить, пойти) - to come under the hammer: to be sold by an auctioneer, to be put up for auction

 

с налета/налету - at full speed

 

с неба свалиться - to drop into someone’s lap: “All the best things in life must ne worked for - love, friendship, success… they won’t drop into your lap.”

 

с первого взгляда - at first sight: “He fell in love with her at first sight.”

 

с плеча - straight from the shoulder: “George told her the plain truth straight from the shoulder.”

 

с распростертыми объятиями - to receive/welcome with open arms: “I am sure they will welcome you with open arms.”

 

с языка сорвать - to take the words out of someone’s mouth: “I wanted to say the same, but you’ve taken the words out of my mouth.”

 

сам живи и другим не мешай - live and let live: “What does it matter to you who your brother spends his free time with? I believe in live and let live.”

 

само собой разумеется - it stands to reason: “It stands to reason that if the company is losing money, prices should be reduced to attract more customers.”

 

сбивать спесь - to take down a peg: “The office boy has been taking too much on himself lately. He was beginning to forget his position. I had to take him down a peg this morning.”

 

сбиваться с толку - to get mixed up: “We got mixed up and missed the station.”

 

сбыть с рук - to get something off one’s hands

 

свести счеты - to square accounts: “Her mother had promised to square things with David when Spencer had agreed to go to dance with Brad.”

 

сводить с ума - to drive someone up the wall: “When my mother hears this music, it drives her up the wall.”

 

святая святых - the holy of holies: “This theme is the holy of holies for her; do not even try to touch it.”

 

сгорать от ревности - to be eaten up with jealousy: “While looking at his friend’s wife, Dick was eaten up with jealousy.”

 

сделать ляпсус - to drop a brick: “I have dropped a brick by telling him that I did not remember what was his story about.”

 

сделать себе имя - to make a name for oneself: “As I recall, you made a name for yourself by shooting Mexican bandits. I think you’d welcome the chance to polish your reputation a little.”

 

сидеть гвоздем в голове - to have something on the brain: “My husband has his car on the brain. He talks about it all day long.”

 

Северная Венеция - the Venice of the North: there are cities in the North of Europe which boast that they are comparable with Venice: Bruges, Amsterdam and Stockholm

 

семейное дерево - a family tree

семь бед - один ответ - as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb

 

семь смертных грехов - the seven deadly sins: in the Christian religion these are: pride, envy, anger, lust, sloth, avarice and gluttony

 

сердце кровью обливается - one’s heart bleeds for someone: “My heart bleeds for you when I think that you won’t have any holidays this summer.”

 

серебряный юбилей - A Silver Jubilee: celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary is a Silver Jubilee.”

 

сесть в калошу - to make a fool of oneself: “Once more he made a fool of himself and told her something he ought not to have told, for she couldn’t keep secrets and ought not to be trusted.”

 

сесть на мель - to run aground

 

сесть на своего конька - to ride a hobby horse (to death): “You cannot stop him from telling you about his old collection; he will ride his hobby horse to death.”

 

сеять семена сомнения - to sow the seeds of doubt: “He set no work sowing the seeds of doubt in their minds by hints and innuendoes.:

 

сжальтесь, помилосердствуйте - have a heart: “I have translated ten pages for you today, and now you want me to do another ten. Have a heart!”

 

сжечь (свои) корабли - to burn one’s boats: “He has resigned his position in the company. There was no returning. The boats were burned.”

 

сидеть между двух стульев - to fall between two stools: “Harris fell between two stools of philosophy and mathematics. Having divided his time equally between both subject, he left University without a degree in either.”

 

сидеть на бочке с порохом - to sit on a barrel of gunpowder

 

сидеть на мели - to be in law waters: “Rolf is in low waters at the moment. He needs to be supported.”

 

Сизифов труд - a Sisyphean labour (task, toil): an endless and fruitless task.”

 

 силен задним умом - second-guessing/wise after the events: “They were now second guessing criticizing the original decision.” / “You are being wise after the events. It is too late to change anything now.”

 

синий чулок - a blue-stocking: “I do not want to spend time with that blue-stocking. She is interested only in books.”

 

сквозь землю провалиться - to sink through the floor: “When she asked me in front of all the guests why I had been expelled from school, I was so embarrassed I could have sunk through the floor.”

 

скользкий как уж - as slippery as an eel: “It was impossible to get anything in written out of him; he is as slippery as an eel.”

 

сколько душе угодно - to one’s heart’s content: “You have a cassette-player in your room, you can listen to the music to your heart’s content.”

 

скрестить шагом - to cross swords with: “My brother is a hot-tempered man; I wouldn’t cross swords with him, if I were you.”

 

скривить губу - to curl the lip: “She curled her lip when they started to quarrel.”

 

слаб на голову - soft in the head: “Tom must be soft in the head to have believed that story.”

 

слабая отговорка - a lame excuse: an excuse that is weak and unconvincing

 

сластена - a sweet tooth: “Clara had a ferocious sweet tooth, used them in the cake she was alqays making.”

 

сливки общества - the cream of society: the aristocracy, the most highly favoured class

 

слова в горле застряли - to have the words stick in one’s throat: “I knew I had to tell something to console him at parting, but I couldn’t. I had all the words stuck in my throat.”

 

словесный понос - verbal diarrhea: “Wilsdon spoke to a conference for three hours, scarcely pausing to draw breath; a bad case of verbal diarrhea.”

 

слово в слово - word for word: “Give me a word for word translation, please.”

 

слово чести - word of honour: “I pledge my word of honour that I am telling the truth.”

 

сломя шею - to break one’s neck¨ “You might have told me you were not coming. I nearly broke my neck getting to the station in time to meet your train.”

 

слон в посудной лавке - (like) a bull in a china shop: “He upset everybody at my birthday party, he was like a bull in a china shop.”

 

сложить и Богу, и мамоне - to serve God an Mammon: to try to be righteous and to warship wealth

 

слухами земля полнится - to listen with half an ear: “Susan listened to her mother with half an ear, her mind was overwhelmed with other problems.”

 

слышать, как муха пролетит - to hear the grass grow / you could have heard a pin drop

 

слюнки потекли - to make one’s mouth water: “The conversation about food made my mouth water. I was so hungry.”

 

смелость города берет - cheek brings success

 

смеяться в лицо - to laugh in someone’s face: “I told him that he was to blame for the accident, but he laughed in my face and told me I must be joking.”

 

смеяться в рукав - to laugh up one’s sleeve: “I noticed him laughing up his sleeve after you lost the game.”

 

смотать удочки - to take to one’s heels (to run away): “As soon as they noticed the owner of the boat they took to their heels.”

 

смотреть правде в глаза - to face up to: “You must face up to the fact that we are jobless.”

 

смотреть сверху вниз - to look down one’s nose: “At last David was able to understand the Americans who looked down their noses at him, though what English he did speak, he spoke with an old Scotsman’s accent.”

 

смотреть сквозь пальцы - to turn a blind eye to: “The old man loved his grandson very much and very often turned a blind eye to his misbehaviour.”

 

смотреть сквозь розовые очки - to look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles: “Sally always enjoys her visit, she sees everything through rose-coloured spectacles, but she would feel differently if she had to love there.”

 

снимать сливки - to cream off/to skim the cream: “Oxford and Cambridge are still creaming off the most brilliant scholars, despite all the social changes that have taken place since the end of the war.”

 

со всеми потрохами - lock, stock and barrel: “After having been divorced Mr. Nicholas had to sell the house and continents, lock, stock and barrel.”

 

со щитом или на щите - with the shield or on it

собака на сене - a dog in the manger: a person who refused to let another enjoy what he himself has no use for

 

собачья жизнь - a dog’s life: “They led a dog’s life after having been sent from their country.”

 

соблюдать букву закона - to keep within the letter of the law: “We shall try our best to keep within the letter of the law.”

 

собрать богатый урожай - to reap a rich harvest: “the American team reaped a rich harvest last Olympic Games.”

 

совать нос в чужие дела - to poke one’s nose into someone else’s business: “He had been poking his nose into my business again.”

 

совсем другое дело - that’s another cup of tea (that’s another matter)

 

совсем другой коленкор - a horse of another colour: “If you want money for your brother; that’s a horse of another colour.”

 

сойти с ума - to go off one’s head/to be off one’s head/to take leave of one’s senses: “He must have been off his head to try to climb the mountain without a guide.”/”You must have taken the leave of your senses. Your flight is at 10.30 and you are still at home.”

 

солдаты удачи - solders of fortune: men who offer their service to any state

 

Соломоново решение - Solomon’s judgment: a wise decision to a complicated problem

 

соль земли - the salt of the earth: (God’s elect, God’s own people) “You are the salt of the earth.” (Matthew V.13)

 

сомкнуть ряды - to close ranks: “He’d supported her to the hill, but he was appalled at the way the party had closed ranks against her.”

 

сорвать с языка - to take the words out of someone’s mouth: “I was just going to mention this. You’ve taken the words out of my mouth.”

 

сорваться/срываться с языка - to escape one’s lips: “I didn’t mean to offend you, and I am very sorry for the cruel words that have escaped my lips.”

 

сохранять присутствие духа - to keep a stiff upper lip: “Lewis suffered dreadfully but he kept a stiff upper lip throughout his ordeal.”

 

спартанское воспитание - Spartan upbringing: a very severe upbringing

 

спасать свою шкуру - to save one’s skin: “She saved his skin by telling the police he had spent the evening with her.”

 

спать мертвецким сном - to sleep dead to the world: “Dan must be very tired, he is lying on his bed dead to the world.”

 

спускать на тормозах - to soft pedal: “They decided it would be best to soft pedal the whole affair.”

 

спустить шкуру - to skin alive: “If Paul finds out that you’ve been using his movie camera, he’ll skin you alive.”

 

спуститься на землю - to come down to earth: “How old are you? Come down to earth.”

 

спутать карты - to upset the apple cart: “That has upset the apple cart and we cannot go on like that any longer.”

 

сражаться с ветряными мельницами - to tilt at windmills: to fight imaginary enemies, to make useless efforts

 

срывать свои чувства - to vent one’s feelings on: “Just because you lost the game, you needn’t vent your feelings on me.”

 

ставить все на карту - to have (put) all eggs in one basket: “You can fail if you put all eggs in one basket.”

 

ставить на пьедестал - to put on a pedestal: “It’s a pity that Helen puts all her friends on a pedestal. Sooner or later she is disillusioned, and all her friendships end in disappointment and bitterness.’

 

ставить себя под удар - to stick one’s neck out: “How dare you to stick your neck out of the situation like that.”

 

ставить точки над I - to dot I’s and cross t’: “It’s time to dot I’s and cross t’s.”

 

стальные нервы - nerves of steel: very strong nerves

 

старая любовь - an old flame: “I am sure you were speaking to your old flame, you were so excited.”

 

Старый Свет - the old world: Europe, Asia and Africa, at distinct from North and South America

 

стать разбойником с большой дороги - to take to the road: “I would rather take to the road than work in an office from nine to six each day. I want to be free.”

 

стереть улыбку с лица - to wipe the smile off someone’s face: “This accident would the smile off my friend’s face.”

 

столпы общества - (a) pillar(s) of society: “Magnus was among pillars of society in the thirtieth.”

 

стоять на своем - to stand firm / stand one’s ground: “The reporter stood firm and refused to withdraw his accusation.” / “He was a skinny kid, and he obviously knew that he was about to take a beating, but he stood his ground.”

 

стоять на своих ногах - to stand on one’s own (two) feet: “My son must get a job and learn to stand on his own feet.”

 

стоять над душой - to breathe down someone’s neck: “Ricky had keep a very low profile recently, probably because the police were breathing so close down the neck.”

 

стреляная птица - an old bird: “You won’t get an old bird like him to believe that tale.”

 

строить глазки - to make eyes at: “Don’t try to make eyes at Fred, he is engaged.”

 

строить из себя мученика - to make a martyr of oneself: “Why don’t you take holidays like we all do? are you making a martyr of yourself?”

 

строить рожицы - to make faces: “two teenage girls in the back of the car in front were giggling at him, making faces.”

 

сущность/суть дела - the heart of the matter: the essential problem

 

сходить с рук - to get away with: “Though it was evident that he had taken bribes, he got away with it.”

 

считать само собой разумеющимся - to take for granted: “The story had been strong enough to get the Irish cabinet off the hook.”

 

сыпать соль на рану - to rub salt in a wound: “You will only be rubbing salt in a wound by reminding him of his divorce.”

 

сырая идея - a half-baked idea: “They risked spilling kids’ blood for some half-baked Republican ideal.”

 

сыт по горло - to have a basinful/to have a bellyful/to be fed up to the teeth/back teeth: “Joe has spent the whole day telling me his endless stories about fishing. I’ve had a basinful of them.”