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not worth a damn

His opinion isn’t worth a damn.

выводить из равновесия (кого-л.)

to throw someone off balance

The conflicting information threw me off balance.

выводить из себя (кого-л.)

to get someone’s goat; to make someone’s hackles rise

The way she keeps denying the obvious really gets my goat.

His rude remarks made my hackles rise.

выдерживать характер

to stand/hold one’s ground; to stand firm/fast; to stick to one’s guns

The boss stood his ground and refused to accept my resignation.

He wanted me to bend to his wishes, but I stood fast and held back the tears.

John has been asked to withdraw his complaint, but he is sticking to his guns.

выжимать все соки (из кого-л.)

to bleed someone dry

The police fines have bled us dry.

вызывать на ковер (кого-л.)

to have someone on the carpet

The boss will have him on the carpet for causing trouble.

вылетать в трубу

to go bust; to go to the wall

This company he works for has gone bust.

Many small firms went to the wall in the past year.

вылетать из головы (у кого-л.)

to slip someone’s mind

I meant to invite him to lunch, but it slipped my mind.

выносить сор из избы

to wash one’s dirty linen in public

It is unfortunate that his wife has chosen to wash their dirty linen in public.

выпадать на долю (кому-л.)

to fall to someone’s lot

It fell to his lot to tell Paul the bad news about his brother.

выплакать все глаза

to cry one’s eyes out

She cried her eyes out when he married another girl.

выплывать на свет божий

to come to light

All his secrets have come to light.

выпускать из рук (что-л.)

to let something slip through one’s fingers

You will always regret that you have let such an opportunity slip through your fingers.

выпускать пар

to let off steam

Tom’s shouting didn’t mean he was angry with you; he was just letting off steam.

выходить в люди

to make one’s way in the world

He has made his own way in the world – his parents have not helped him at all.

выходить из своей скорлупы

to come out of one’s shell

Nancy was very shy when she first went to school, but since she has made some friends, she has come out of her shell.

выходить из себя

to lose one’s temper/rag; to fly off the handle; to go off the deep end

She lost her temper and shouted at her husband.

My father flew off the handle when he saw my report card.

I knew my father would be angry with me, but I had no idea he’d go off the deep end like this.

выходить сухим из воды

to get off scot free; to land/fall on one’s feet

Mark cheated on the examination and got caught, but he got scot free.

No matter what trouble he gets himself into, he always seems to land on his feet.

гадкий утенок an ugly duckling

гладить по головке (кого-л.)

to pat someone on the back

You shouldn’t criticise him all the time. Why don’t you pat him on the back occasionally?

гладить против шерсти (кого-л.)

to ruffle someone’s feathers; to rub someone up the wrong way

She always tried not to ruffle his feathers.

He rubbed me up the wrong way and this led to an argument.

глаза полезли на лоб (у кого-л.)

one’s eyes nearly popped out of one’s head

When I heard how much money she was spending on clothes, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

глаза разгорелись (на что-л.)

to set one’s heart on something

I’ve set my heart on having that new dress.

глазом не моргнуть

not to bat an eyelid; not to turn a hair

Tom didn’t bat an eyelid when he was told that his daughter was getting married.

He didn’t turn a hair when a large dog ran straight towards him.

глас вопиющего в пустыне a voice crying in the wilderness

глупый как пробка

to be dead from the neck up

Her husband was dead from the neck up.

глухой как пень

(as) deaf as a post

He won’t hear us – he’s as deaf as a post.

гнать волну

to make waves

Why do you always have to make waves?

гнать в три шеи (кого-л.)

to throw someone out on one’s ear

If you continue to be so late, the director will throw you out on your ear.

гнуть свою линию

to stand/hold one’s ground; to stand firm/fast; to stick to one’s guns

The referee stood his ground and refused to be intimidated.

The customer stood fast and got a refund on the faulty good he brought back.

She was sticking to her guns and nobody could persuade her to do something against her wishes.

гнуть спину

to break one’s back; to work one’s fingers to the bone

I’m not going to break my back working all day for such low wages.

His parents worked their fingers to the bone so he could have everything he needed.

говорить без обиняков

not to mince matters; to talk turkey

Not to mince matters, he is absolutely useless.

I wanted to discuss his behaviour and I was prepared to talk turkey.

говорить на ветер

to waste one’s breath

You’re wasting your breath. He won’t agree to go with you.

голову даю на отсечение

I’ll eat my hat!

I’ll eat my hat if it wasn’t your little sister who stole my book.

голубая кровь

blue blood

They are very poor, but they have blue blood in their family.

голыми руками

with one’s bare hands

A desperate man can kill a leopard with his bare hands.

гора с плеч

a load off someone’s mind

It is a load off my mind to know that he has solved that problem.

городить чушь

to talk through one’s hat

You’re talking through your hat. You don’t know anything about it.

горькая пилюля

a bitter pill (to swallow)

His betrayal came as a bitter pill to swallow.

горячая линия

a hot line

The society has set up a hot line for people to report sightings of whales and dolphins.

грабеж средь бела дня

daylight robbery

The prices in this shop are unbelievable – it’s daylight robbery.

греть руки

to line one’s pockets; to feather one’s nest

When the company discovered that the director had been lining his pockets with bribes and commissions, he was dismissed.

The mayor used a lot of public money to feather his nest.

гроша медного не стоить

not worth a damn

Your advice isn’t worth a damn.

давать волю (кому-л.)

to give someone free rein

The boss gave me free rein with the new project.

давать волю (чему-л.)

to give something free rein; to give way to something

In writing that book he gave his imagination free rein.

He gave way to anger and yelled at the children.

давать выход (чему-л.)

to give vent to something

June gave vent to her anger and frustration in a furious letter to her husband.

давать жару (кому-л.)

to give someone hell

If he goes to a pub with his friends, his wife gives him hell.

давать на лапу (кому-л.)

to grease someone’s palm

We had to grease the palms of numerous officials before we could renew the licence.

давать от ворот поворот (кому-л.)

to give someone the boot/push/heave-ho/brush-off

My sister has given her latest boyfriend the heave-ho.

давать пищу сплетням

to set tongues wagging

The news of her marriage set tongues wagging through the whole village.

давать себе волю

to let oneself go

She really let herself go at the party and drank far too much beer.

давать тягу

to take to one’s heels; to turn tail and run; to do a bunk

The thief saw me and took to his heels.

Two boys did a bunk during the morning break.

I was so nervous that my only thought was to turn tail and run.

далеко не так

far from it

I thought your wife spoke fluent German. – Far from it – she doesn’t even know how to say ‘hello’.

далеко пойти

to go far

Her son has a talent for painting and I’m sure he will go far.

Дамоклов меч the sword of Damocles

дать дуба

to kick the bucket; to cash in one’s chips

His children were just waiting for the old man to kick the bucket.

Tony is too young to cash in his chips.

дать урок (кому-л.)

to teach someone a lesson

I decided to teach my neighbour a lesson after I caught him peeping through my windows.

два сапога пара

birds of a feather

I’m sure that Debbie and her boyfriend are birds of a feather.

действовать на нервы (кому-л.)

to get on someone’s nerves; to get under someone’s skin; to drive someone up the wall

Please stop whistling. It’s getting on my nerves.

I can’t stand this woman – she gets under my skin.

Their children always drive me up the wall.

делать вид

to make believe; to put on an act

The children made believe they were pirates and treasure hunters.

I thought he had hurt his foot, but he was only putting on an act.

делать из мухи слона

to make a mountain out of a molehill

Aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? I’m sure he’ll give you the money back.

делать посмешище (из кого-л./чего-л.)

make someone/something a laughing stock

It is a silly idea. It will make our university a laughing stock.

делать хорошую мину при плохой игре

to put on a brave face

My brother was disappointed by his failure in the examinations, but he put on a brave face and pretended nothing had happened.

делать честь (кому-л.) to do someone credit

His honesty does him credit.

делать шиворот-навыворот

to put the cart before the horse

Isn’t it rather putting the cart before the horse to buy the furniture when you haven’t yet moved to your new house?

держать (свое) слово

to keep one’s word

You must keep your word if you promised to help him.

держать в ежовых рукавицах (кого-л.)

to keep a tight rein on someone ; to rule someone with a rod of iron

The teacher kept a tight rein on his students.

His wife rules him with a rod of iron.

держать в неведении (кого-л.)

to keep someone in the dark

Peter kept his wife in the dark about his plans to buy a new car.

держать в руках (кого-л./что-л.)

to have someone/something in the palm of one’s hand

The politician has the local press in the palm of his hand.

держать в узде (кого-л./что-л.)

to keep a tight rein on someone/something

She had to keep a tight rein on her feelings.

держать на почтительном расстоянии (кого-л.)

to keep someone at arm’s length

Jack wanted to know my sister better, but she kept him at arm’s length.

держать на коротком поводке (кого-л.)

to have someone on a string

He has his poor wife on a string – she always does what he says.

держать под каблуком (кого-л.)

to have someone in the palm of one’s hand

My sister has her husband in the palm of her hand.

держать порох сухим

to keep one’s powder dry

We must act cautiously and keep our powder dry.

держать рот на замке

to keep one’s mouth shut; to button one’s lip(s)

Will he keep his mouth shut about the mistake we made?

Button your lip about me being late for work.

держать руку на пульсе

to keep one’s finger on the pulse

My father has retired from the company now, but he still likes to keep his finger on the pulse.

держать ухо востро

to keep/have one’s ear to the ground; to keep one’s eyes open; to keep a weather eye open

If you keep your ear to the ground you’ll soon find a good job.

Keep your eyes open and see if you can learn something.

A crisis is boiling up. Keep a weather eye open.

держать хвост пистолетом

to keep one’s chin up