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обагрять (обагрить) руки в крови - to have blood on one’s hands: “I don’t think we should stop the surgeon operation; we don’t want the patient’s blood on our hands.”

обвести вокруг пальца - to twist someone round one’s little finger: “I do not trust her for she is able to twist anybody round her little finger.”

обойтись в копеечку - to cost a pretty penny: “Your divorce will cost you a pretty penny.”

оборотная сторона медали - the other side of the coin: the opposite standpoint, showing the disadvantages as against the advantage

образ жизни - a way of life: “The western way of life in very different from ours. It is difficult for him to get accustomed to it.”

одержать верх - to carry/win the day: “The debate was over; the opposition carried the day.”

одеть кого-либо (надеть) смирительную рубашку - to put someone in a strait-jacket: “I feel as though I were in a strait-jacket. I cannot do anything without asking a permission.”

один из тысячи - one in a thousand: “She is one in a thousand, she has a spending character.”

один шанс из тысячи - one chance in a thousand: “By one chance in a thousand something hit our sun and made it to produce the planets.”

одним махом - with one stroke: “He treated rattlers like gnats, disposing of them with one stroke of whatever tool he had in hand.”

одним миром (по)мазаны - to be tarred with the same brush: “It is better not to have anything to do with this family; they have all been tarred with the same brush.”

одним словом - in a word: “Susan is bored with the school, she dislikes her classmates and she quarrels with the teachers. In a word, she hates the school.”

одного поля ягода - birds of a feather: “Oliver and Alain were birds of a feather.”

одной ногой в могиле - with one foot in the grave: “With one foot in the grave, I am afraid he is in no position to help you.”

оказать холодный прием - to give someone the cold n I greeted shoulder: “When I greeted Mary this morning, she pretended not to see me. I wonder why she is giving me the cold shoulder.”

оказаться в дураках - to get stuck: “The man got stuck when he paid six hundred dollars for that old car.”

оказаться не у дел - to be at loose ends: “He has been at loose ends ever since he quitted his job.”

око за око, зуб за зуб - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

округленные числа - round numbers: an approximate number which is measured in tens, hundreds, thousands

Орел или решка? - Heads or tails?

осиная талия - a wasp waist: an extremely small waist

оставлять желать много лучшего - to leave a lot to be desired: “Although the prices at the restaurant were very high, the cuisine left a lot to be desired.”

оставаться за бортом - to go by the board: “Everything went be the board - holidays, new clothes, entertaining - in order to get Jennifer into college.”

оставаться с носом - to be left holding the bag: “Be careful, don’t let yourself be left holding the bag.”

от одной трудности к другой - from pillar to post: to be driven all over the place; to find it impossible to settle down

от чистого сердца - from the bottom of one’s heart: “We wished the every success in their work from the bottom of our hearts.”

отбиться от рук - to be out of hand: “When his son was in high school, the boy got out of hand.”

отдать должное - to do someone/something justice: “Your portrait of Sue is reasonable likeness but, in my opinion, doesn’t do justice to her charm and vivacity.”

открывать зеленую улицу - to give the green light to: “Our director has given the green light to our proposal. We can start on the project straight away.”

открывать свое сердце - to pour out one’s heart: “When her mother came to see her, Michelle poured out her heart about her unhappy marriage.”

отправиться к праотцам - to be gathered to one’s fathers: to die

отъявленный дурак - a fool in grain: “There is no reason for talking him into account; he is a fool of grain.”