Р

работать как вол - to work like a horse: “It is time you had a vacation; you’ve been working like a horse for this company all the year.”

работать круглые сутки - to work round the clock: “For that salary everybody would work all round the clock.”

рабочая лошадка - a willing horse: one who is eager to work and to do other people’s work as well

Ради Бога! - For God’s sake!: “Don’t you think you ought to quit working so hard? Give the baby a rest, for God’s sake.”

раз и навсегда - first, last and all the times / once and for all: “Once and for all, do what I tell you! I won’t say it again.”

разговор по душам - a heart-to-heart talk: “I had a heart-to-heart talk with Mary about her plans to marry John.”

разрядить атмосферу - to clear the air: “I am so happy, he told us this story, it really cleared the air.”

разыгрывать как по нотам - to carry out like clockwork: “We brought him to the theater just by the time the show started the plan was carry out like clockwork.”

рай в шалаше - love in a cottage: “Their love in a cottage won’t last long.”

рай на земле - heaven on earth: “After three difficult year of work, it seemed like heaven on earth to be on holidays.”

ранняя пташка - an early bird: “My brother was always an early bird.”

рано или поздно - sooner or later: “He is big and mean, but sooner or late he’ll meet somebody bigger and meaner.”

раскачивать лодку - to rock the boat: “For goodness sake, don’t criticize the management in front of our customers; you won’t help us by rocking the boat.”

раскинуть мозгами - to rack/cudgel one’s brains: “You should rack your brains to solve this problem.” / “Brain sat, trying to cudgel his tired brain into deciding what to do.”

раскрыть карты - to show one’s hand/ to show one’s cards: “Don’t be silly, never show your hand before the game is over.”

расскажи это своей бабушке - tell that to the marines

рвать (на) себе волосы - to tear one’s hair (out): “She has been tearing her hair over the accounts.”

редкая птица - a rare bird/a rare animal: “What a rare bird visited us yesterday.”

рог изобилия - the horn of plenty: the symbol of abundance

родиться в рубашке (в сорочке) - to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth: “It was strange to him that someone who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth could have grown up to become such a decent human being.”

родной язык - mother tongue: “Though his mother tongue was Spanish, he spoke English without any accent.”

рубить сук, на котором сидишь - to eat the seedcorn / to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

рука в руку - hand in hand: “They have been working hand in hand for three years.”

рука руку моет - you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your; you praise me, I’ll praise you; you help me, I’ll help you.

Руки прочь! - hands off’ do not interfere

руки связаны - to be tied/ bound hand and foot: “I’d like to have holidays with you but I’m tied hand and foot to my business.”

руки чешутся - to have itching fingers: “My fingers were itching to smack Jack’s face.”