Advanced English Idioms: Health

 

Here are the idiomatic expressions that might help you speak about feeling well or unwell and getting better after a disease. There are also informal idioms to say someone is mad and to mean 'die'.

 

 

 

  Idioms to say you are  well

AS FIT AS A FIDDLE / AS FIT AS A FLEA (BrE)
perfectly well

Ex. My grandmother is 89, but she is as fit as a fiddle.

Russian equivalent: здоров как бык. Дословный перевод:  "здоров как скрипка", "здоров как блоха".

AS RIGHT AS RAIN
perfectly well

Ex. She'll be as right as rain in a couple of days.

Russian equivalent: в полном порядке, в полном здравии. Дословный перевод: "в порядке как дождь".

IN THE PINK

'in very good health' or 'in very good condition both physically and emotionally'

Ex. Ruth looks very well - she's certainly in the pink.

Russian equivalent: здоров как бык, цветет и пахнет.

Idioms to say you are unwell

OFF-COLOUR

slightly ill

Ex. I'm feeling a bit off-colour today.

Russian equivalent: не в форме, недомогающий

UNDER THE WEATHER

ill

Ex.  I'm feeling a bit under the weather - I think I've caught a cold..

Russian equivalent: больной, неважно себя чувствующий.

 LIKE DEATH WARMED UP (UK) /  LIKE DEATH WARMED OVER (US)

extremely ill

Ex. He shouldn't be working when he's so ill - he looks like death warmed up!

Russian equivalent: краше в гроб кладут. 

GREEN AROUND THE GILLS 

(looking) ill and pale

Ex. Matt was out drinking last night and he is a bit green around the gills this morning.

 BE OFF ONE'S FOOD

not want to eat, usually because you are ill

Ex. The god is off it's food this week.

Russian equivalent: нет аппетита.

Idioms to say you are getting better

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

getting better

Ex. The doctor says she's on the road to recovery.

Russian equivalent: идти на поправку

ON THE MEND

getting better after an illnes or a difficult period

Ex. He's had flue, but he's on the mend.

Russian equivalent: идти на поправку.

  Informal idioms to say someone is mad

NOT ALL THERE
slightly stupid or strange

Ex.  In American teen slang, Vini is a ‘space’— a dreamer, someone not all there.

OFF ONE'S TROLLEY
 mad, insane

Ex. ‘She went off her trolley in Margate after drinking that stuff,’ Otley went on, ‘singing, dancing, roller-skating — turning cartwheels on top of the cliffs.

NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD
 not completely sane

Ex. 'You have just proved you're not right in the head'.

Russian equivalent:  не в своем уме.

A BASKET CASE
 (of a person or thing) regarded as useless or unable to cope

Ex. 'Ask me to read in front of people now, and I become a basket case'.

Russian equivalent:  ненормальный, псих.

 

OFF ONE'S ROCKER
mad 

Ex.When I got back home, my friends thought I was off my rocker.

AS NUTTY AS A FRUITCAKE
 completely mad

Ex. 'He was a man who was a wise as a venerable oak to some and as nutty as a fruitcake to others'.

Russian equivalent:  

ONE SANDWICH SHORT OF A PICNIC
stupid, lacking intelligence

Ex. I wouldn't trust her. She is one sandwich short of picnic

GET A SCREW LOOSE
silly, eccentric

Ex. He wears a heavy jacket in the middle of summer. He's got a screw loose.

Russian equivalents: не в себе; не в своем уме; не все дома; "с приветом", чокнутый, придурковатый, псих, ненормальный, шарики за ролики; съехавший с катушек; спятить.

  Informal idioms that mean 'die'

POP ONE'S CLOGS
die

Ex.  I think I'll leave all my money to charity when I pop my clogs.

BITE THE DUST
be killed

Ex. 'I'm not going to talk baby talk to Annie and teach her the Disney world of violence with no consequences, where the bad guy always bites the dust and the good guy lives happily ever after.'

GIVE UP THE GHOST
die

Ex.  'The tulips almost got to flowering but then seemed to give up the ghost, go pale and slowly fall over.'

FALL OFF ONE'S PERCH 
die (BrE, old-fashioned)

Ex.  By the time I fall off my perch Britain may well be a republic.

KICK THE BUCKET

die

Ex. 'But in spite of the fact, when he kicks the bucket ..., it is going to be one of the biggest funerals in the Bahamas.'

Sources:
1. F. O'Dell, M. McCarthy. English Idioms in Use.
2. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
3. http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/.
4. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/
5. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

 

Advanced English Idioms: Money

Here are the idioms connected with money. 

I've divided them into several groups to make it easier to remember them.

 1. Rich or Poor? 

 Idioms that describe how much money you' ve got.

BE ROLLING IN IT 

  have lots of money (informal).

Ex. It would be great to be rolling in it, wouldn't it?
Russian equivalent: купаться в деньгах.
There are variations here. You may say: be rolling in money / in cash / in luxury etc.

HAVE MONEY TO BURN 

 have so much money that you can buy anything you want

Ex. Every time I see her she's wearing a new pair of shoes. She must have money to burn.

Russian equivalent: денег куры не клюют.

 MAKE ENDS MEET

have just enough money to pay for the things you need

Ex. It was the time of their lives when they found it hardest to make ends meet.

Russian equivalent: сводить концы с концами.

BE STRAPPED FOR CASH 

  not have enough money.

Ex. - Could you lend me fifty pounds for a week?

      - Sorry, mate, I'm a bit strapped for cash at the moment.
Russian equivalent: быть на мели.

LIVE ON A SHOESTRING  

 live on very little money.

Ex. I'm tired of living on a shoestring.

Russian equivalent: жить впроголодь, перебиваться с хлеба на квас.

GO FROM RAGS TO RICHES

become very rich after being extremely poor

Ex. Although he came from a poor family, he managed to go from rags to riches.

Russian equivalent: из грязи в князи.

2. I'm not that Rich!

 Idioms to say you aren't rich when someone wants you to buy them smth or pay for them.

 NOT MADE OF MONEY

 Not rich (when someone wants you to spend more money than you think you can afford)

Ex. Why don't we move to a bigger house? I'm not made of money, you know!

Russian equivalent: я деньги не печатаю.

MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

money is not easy to earn (when someone else, such as your child or spouse, is spending more of your money than you think you can afford)

Ex. Look how much you've spent on clothes last month! Money doesn't grow on trees, you know!

Russian equivalent: деньги на дороге не валяются.

3. Easy Matter or Hard Work? 

Idioms that describe the way people earn money.

MONEY FOR OLD ROPE / MONEY FOR JAM

money that is easily earned (informal)

Ex. Some people think being a professional footballer is money for old rope. 

Russian equivalent: легкие деньги.

BE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK

make a lot of money easily (often because someone has been stupid)

Ex. If this business idea is successful, we'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Russian equivalent: сорвать большой куш.

SCRAPE A LIVING

get just enough food or money to stay alive

Ex.  However long and however hard they worked to scrape a living, they would always be poor.

Russian equivalent: с трудом зарабатывать на жизнь.

4. She or He? 

Idioms to say who earns money for the family needs.

THE BREADWINNER

the person who earns the mony for the family needs

Ex. Since my husband lost his job, I'm the breadwinner in my family.

Russian equivalent: кормилец.

BRING HOME THE BACON

earn the money the family lives on

Ex. I bring home the bacon in my family too.

Russian equivalent: быть кормильцем, зарабатывать на жизнь.

5. Spend or Save? 

Idioms to deal with the way people use money.

THROW MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN

waste money

Ex. I can't believe you've bought a new car! We can't afford to throw money down the drain.

Russian equivalent: бросать деньги на ветер.

NO-EXPENSE-SPARED / SPARE NO EXPENSES

a lot of money is spent to make it good

Ex. Enter our competition for a chance to win a no-expense-spared weekend in Paris.

Russian equivalent: роскошный / не жалеть расходов.

SCRIMP AND SAVE

live very economically

Ex. Ted has never had much money. He has always had to scrimp and save.

Russian equivalent: экономить каждую копейку.

PENNY-PINCH 

spend as little money as possible

Ex. I wish we had more money. I hate being so penny-pinching all the time.

Russian equivalent: крохоборничать

PAY OVER THE ODDS
pay more than something is worth

Ex. This dress is too expensive. There is just no point in paying over the odds for it.

Russian equivalent: переплачивать.

6. Honesty or Dishonesty? 

Idioms about the way people behave for money's sake.

TAKE SOMEONE TO THE CLEANER'S

get as much money from someone as you can (informal)

Ex. He got into a game of poker with two professional gamblers and, of course, they took him to the cleaner's.

Russian equivalent: ободрать как липку.

WOULD SELL THEIR OWN GRANDMOTHER

would do anything to get money (informal)

Ex. Sue is so greedy! She would sell her own grandmother.

Russian equivalent: мать родную не пожалеет.

7. Cheap or Expensive?

 Idioms to speak about how much something costs.

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL

cheap but good or enjoyable

Ex. We had a lunch in a cheap and cheerful restaurant.

Russian equivalent: дёшево и сердито.

NOT BREAK THE BANK

 not cost a lot

Ex.  And at £12.99 a bottle, this is a champagne that won't break the bank.

Russian equivalent: сильно не потратимся.

GO FOR A SONG

be sold very cheaply

Ex. I bought a new guitar at the weekend. It was going for a song at only 40 pounds.

Russian equivalent: продаваться за бесценок.

Sources:
1. F. O'Dell, M. McCarthy. English Idioms in Use. Advanced.
2. Free Dictionary by Farlex.
3. The British National Corpus.

Advanced English Idioms: IN THE RED vs IN THE BLACK vs IN THE PINK

 There are three english idioms that can be easily remembered together as they have a common pattern. They are: in the red, in the black and in the pink.

IN THE RED 

Meaning: 'owing money to a bank' or 'losing money (earning less than you spend)'.

Ex.: I've paid off most of my credit card bills, but I'm still in the red.

Russian equivalents: без денег; влезший в долги; работающий с убытками, «в минусе».

IN THE BLACK 

Meaning:  'having money in the bank account' or 'in a financially good position (earning more than you spend).

 Ex.: I wish my accounts were in the black.

Russian equivalents: имеющий положительный баланс, работающий без убытков, с положительным сальдо, «в плюсе».

IN THE PINK  

Meaning:  'in very good health' or 'in very good condition both physically and emotionally'.

Ex.: Ruth looks very well - she's certainly in the pink.

Russian equivalents: в добром здравии, здоров как бык, цветет и пахнет.

To recap, 'in the red' and 'in the black' are the opposites referring to one's financial positon, whereas 'in the pink'  characterises a person's state of health.

Advanced English Idioms: Idioms with Sailing Origin. Part II.

      
     

  In the previous post we dealt with the following English idioms that have been developed from sailing: 
ON THE ROCKS
GIVE SMB / SMTH A WIDE BERTH
CUT AND RUN
BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES
RUN A TIGHT SHIP
GO BY THE BOARD
WEATHER THE STORM

And here is the next set of idioms that come from sailing. 
 
MAKE GOOD HEADWAY - make good progress.

Russian equivalents: хорошо / успешно развиваться.

Ex.: They weathered the storm and are now making good headway.
       As the year has progressed our strengthening sales team has begun to make good headway.

IN THE OFFING - likely to happen in the near future.

 Russian equivalents: в ближайшем будущем, не за горами.

Ex.: There are some interesting plans for new projects in the offing.
        No such intervention is in the offing now.
       
BE TAKEN ABACK - be very surprised

 Russian equivalents: ошеломленный, захваченный врасплох.

Ex.: We were taken aback when Ben announced his resignation.
       Jamie's mother was taken aback by his decision to leave school.

LEAVE SMB HIGH AND DRY - put smb. in a difficult situation which they can't improve.


Russian equivalents: поставить в затруднительное положение.

Ex. All my workers quit and left me high and dry.  
      All the children ran away and left Billy high and dry to take the blame for the broken window.

TAKE THE WIND OUT OF SMB'S SAILS - make smb feel less confident by saying or doing smth unexpected

 Russian equivalents: убавить спеси, отбить желание, выбить почву из под ног, подрезать крылья.

Ex.: Sally was keen to become an actor, but her teacher's criticism of her performance took the  
       wind out of her sails.
        Learning that one has been totally wrong about something can really take the wind out of one's 
        sails.

IN THE WAKE OF SMB / SMTH - following closely behind

 Russian equivalents: в кильватере, вслед за, в результате, по пятам, по следам.

Ex.: We had no place to live in the wake of the fire.
        The consultant  strode through the hospital, several students in his wake.

ALL HANDS ON DECK -  everyone must help.
 
 Russian equivalents: аврал, свистать всех на верх.

Ex.: We'll need all hands on deck if we're going to be ready for the conference in time.
         We've got to get all this cleared up before they arrive so it's all hands on deck.

ANY PORT IN A STORM - You must accept any help you're offered when you are in a difficult situation.

  Russian equivalents: в бурю любая гавань хороша, выбирать не приходится, на безрыбье и рак рыба.

Ex.: I don't want to live with my parents, but I have no other choice. Any port in a storm, I'm afraid. 
       I hate my job, but I can't get another. Any port in a storm, you know.



Sources:
1. F. O'Dell, M. McCarthy. English Idioms in Use. Advanced.
2. Free Dictionary by Farlex.
3. The British National Corpus.

Advanced English Idioms: Idioms with Sailing Origin. Part I.

In the English language there are quite a lot of idioms that have originated from sailing. It can be accounted for by the fact that Britain is an island nation with the sea playing a major role in its history, economy and culture.

Here are some of the idioms that have been developed from sailing.

ON THE ROCKS - in serious difficulty

Russian equivalents: в бедственном положении, на краю гибели, на грани развала.

Ex.: The business we had taken over three years ago was on the rocks.
        Our relationship has been on the rocks for some time.

TO GIVE SMTH / SMB A WIDE BERTH - to avoid

Russian equivalents: избегать, держаться подальше, обходить стороной, обходить за версту, не подходить на пушечный выстрел.

Ex.: I try to give the city centre a wide berth if I possibly can, especially on Saturdays. 
       The economy was doing badly and visitors gave luxury restaurants a wide berth.

TO CUT AND RUN - to avoid a difficult situation by leaving suddenly.

Russian equivalents: отступиться, все бросить и сбежать.

Ex.: The business is doing so badly that I'm tempted to cut and run.
       The question remains open whether I'll go on enduring the sufferings of my position or cut and run, somewhere, somehow.

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES - get ready for a difficult situation by preparing in every possible ways.

 Russian equivalents: задраивать люки, готовиться к неприятностям.

Ex.: There's trouble ahead, so we'd better batten down the hatches.
        As far as road races are concerned we are having to financially batten down the hatches this year
       and all events will be self-financing.

RUN A TIGHT SHIP - control a business or organisation firmly and efficiently.
 
 Russian equivalents: установить железную дисциплину, навести строгий порядок, заставлять ходить по струнке.

Ex.: We run a tight ship, but a fair one.
       

GO BY THE BOARD - be abandoned

Russian equivalents: отступать на задний план, быть отброшенным.

Ex.: Amy's plans to buy a new car went by the board when she lost her job.
      Rules go by the board in cases of absolute necessity.

WEATHER THE STORM - survive difficult times.

Russian equivalents: пережить трудные времена, перекантоваться. 

Ex.: I know it's been hard for you, but I'm sure you'll weather the storm.
       The automation helped the company weather the storm slightly better than some of its rivals.



  Sources:
1. F. O'Dell, M. McCarthy. English Idioms in Use. Advanced.
2. Free Dictionary by Farlex.
3. The British National Corpus.