1500 русских и 1500 английских идиом, фразеологизмов и устойчивых словосочетаний - [17]

The police stopped him, because he was driving under the influence.

He looks as if he has had one too many.

She’s had a few; you should take her home and put her to bed.

под ногами (у кого-л.)

under someone’s feet

They don’t seem to mind having three children under their feet all the time.

под носом (у кого-л.)

under someone’s nose

This all went on under her nose, without her noticing anything.

под рукой (у кого-л.)

close/near at hand; on hand; at one’s elbow

Have you got a pen near at hand?

We had plenty of food on hand.

John has always a pot of coffee at his elbow.

подводить под монастырь (кого-л.)

to get someone into hot water

Your carelessness got us into hot water.

подготавливать почву (для чего-л.)

to pave the way for something; to set the stage for something

The government needs to pave the way for the introduction of the new monetary system.

His work set the stage for the development of computer technologies.

поджав хвост

with one’s tail between one’s legs

He went off with his tail between his legs when everybody found out what he had done.

поджилки трясутся (у кого-л.)

to shake in one’s shoes

He shook in his shoes when he heard that noise.

подкладывать свинью (кому-л.)

to do the dirty on someone

I know who did the dirty on me. He won’t get away with it.

подливать масла в огонь

to add fuel to the fire

Jane just added fuel to the fire by laughing at his threats.

поднимать на смех (кого-л./что-л.)

to make fun of someone/something

Please stop making fun of his appearance. It hurts his feelings.

поднимать перчатку to pick up the gauntlet

поднимать руку (на кого-л.)

to raise one’s hand against someone

Don’t you ever raise your hand against your brother again!

подопытный кролик

a guinea pig

Try your experiments on someone else. I don’t want to be a guinea pig.

подрезать крылья (кому-л.)

to clip someone’s wings

His wife has decided against having children. She thinks they would clip her wings.

подсластить пилюлю to sugar the pill

позолотить ручку (кому-л.)

to cross someone’s palm with silver

Cross my palm with silver and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.

поймать с поличным (кого-л.)

to catch someone red-handed; to catch someone in the act

The police caught the thief red-handed when he was breaking into the shop.

I know who broke the window. I caught him in the act.

показать, где раки зимуют (кому-л.)

to give someone what for; to give someone something to remember one by

The teacher gave her what for because she was so late.

If they don’t stop that noise I’ll give them something to remember me by!

показывать когти

to show one’s teeth

She has always been such a nice woman, but when I accidentally scratched her car she really showed her teeth.

показывать нос (кому-л.)

to cock a snook at someone; to thumb one’s nose at someone

As soon as the teacher turned his back, the boy cocked a snook at him.

She married a very rich man and thumbed her nose at those who previously looked down at her.

показывать пальцем (на кого-л.)

to point the finger (at someone )

I don’t want to point the finger at anyone, but somebody has to answer for the expenses.

показывать пятки

to show a clean pair of heels; to take to one’s heels

The thief quickly showed a clean pair of heels when the police found him breaking into a shop.

The boy saw me and took to his heels.

показывать свое настоящее лицо

to show one’s true colours

It is hard to tell what he is thinking. He never shows his true colours.

покупать кота в мешке

to buy a pig in a poke

Are you sure you are not buying a pig in a poke?

положить на обе лопатки (кого-л.)

to beat someone hollow

He is bad at tennis and you can beat him hollow on the court.

получать по мозгам

to get it in the neck

The boy got it in the neck for being late.

поменяться ролями (с кем-л.)

to turn the tables on someone

In the first game they beat us, but in the next game our team turned the tables and won 5–1.

попадать в переплет

to get into deep water

Kate had a premonition that she was getting into deep water.

попадать в точку

to hit the nail on the head; to hit the bull’s-eye; to hit the mark

You are one hundred percent correct, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Your idea really hit the bull’s-eye.

It was a random guess, but it had hit the mark.

попадать впросак

to put one’s foot in it; to drop a clanger

She is always putting her feet in it, talking without thinking.

I think I dropped a clanger when I called her by her ex-husband name.

попадать не в бровь, а в глаз

to hit the nail on the head; to hit the bull’s-eye; to hit the mark

The moment he said it he knew he had hit the nail on the head.

Paul could usually hit the bull’s eye.

You certainly hit the mark when you said that the girl was very lazy.

попадать пальцем в небо

to be wide of the mark

His calculation was wide of the mark. He undervalued our car by nearly half.

попадаться на глаза (кому-л.)

to catch someone’s eye

When I got home, the first thing that caught my eye was the open book lying on the table.

попадаться на удочку

to rise to the bait

Whenever she wants to annoy her husband, she always says that she prefers the town to the country. He rises to the bait every time.