• Главная
• Идиомы

Идиомы о животных

• no flies on (someone)
  быть очень быстрым или очень занятым (весь в движении)

  There are no flies on Theodor. He is always on the move.
• no spring chicken
  (человек) не первой молодости

  "If I were you, I wouldn't work so much. Don't forget you are no spring chicken."
• not enough room to swing a cat
  недостаточно места

  Let's not have a party at Mary's place; there is not enough room to swing a cat in her apartment.
• not hurt a flea
  безобидный (человек), "муху не обидит"

  Bill was accused of murder, but I knew he would not hurt a flea.
• on horseback
  верхом на лошади

  I saw Pam ride on horseback yesterday.
• one's bark is worse than one's bite
  чьи-либо слова страшнее, чем его дела

  Ma Brooks is always scolding her children, but they know her bark is worse than her bite, and they are not afraid of her.
• one's goose is cooked
  погубить себя, пострадать от собственных козней, вырыть себе яму

  My brother's goose is cooked. Soon my father will discover that Paul has damaged his car.
• one's tail between one's legs
  быть пристыженным или побеждённым

  Steve had boasted he would win the tournament, but he went home with his tail between his legs.
• open up a can of worms
  создать ненужные осложнения или проблемы

  Wanda didn't want to create unnecessary complications; she decided not to open up a can of worms.
• pale/blue/green around the gills
  выглядеть больным

  "You are looking a little pale around the gills, so you'd better go home right now."
• paper tiger
  неопасный противник, "бумажный тигр"

  I think Jim Gardens is a paper tiger and has really no power in the company.
• pecking order
  неофициальная иерархия, сложившийся порядок подчинения

  Poor Jim! He is at the bottom of pecking order and is dominated by everybody.
• piggy bank
  копилка (в виде свиньи)

  The mother gave Rita a piggy bank to put small coins into.
• piggyback
  переносить кого-либо на плечах или на спине

  "Dad, I want you to give me a piggyback ride."
• play cat and mouse with (someone)
  дразнить, дурачить; "играть в кошки-мышки"

  "Please, stop playing cat and mouse with me; I want to know your intentions immediately."
• play chicken
  играть в опасные игры (посмотреть, кто первым испугается)

  A few boys were playing chicken on the playground.
• play possum
  притвориться больным или мёртвым; прикинуться не понимающим

  "Don't you try to play possum; you know what I am talking about."
• put (someone or something) out to pasture
  удалить кого-либо на покой, перестать использовать что-либо

  They finally decided to put Old Kenworth out to pasture and asked him to give up his responsibilities.
• put (something) in mothballs
  положить что-либо на хранение, ставить на консервацию

  My father put our old car in mothballs and decided to buy a new one.
• put on the dog
  экстравагантно одеваться, свободно вести себя или хорошо развлекаться

  Let's go to a luxurious restaurant and put on the dog.
• put the cart before the horse
  начать не с того конца, поступать шиворот-навыворот, "поставить телегу впереди лошади"

  They put the cart before the horse and took the effect for the cause.
• put the cat among the pigeons
  причинять неприятности, "пустить козла в огород"

  "Don't send your secretary to talk to the angry students; it's like putting the cat among the pigeons."
• rain cats and dogs
  льёт как из ведра

  The sky is overcast, and I bet it's raining cats and dogs in the mountains.
• rare bird
  необычный, неординарный (человек)

  I think Bob is a rare bird; his ideas are always unusual.
• rat on (someone)
  выдать кого-либо, рассказав о неприглядном поведении; донести

  I asked my sister not to tell Mother about the spoilt carpet, but she ratted on me.
• rat out on (someone)
  бросить кого-либо в беде, предать

  My best friend ratted out on me at a critical time, and I am not going to forgive him his betrayal.
• rat race
  жизнь, как бесконечная гонка и отчаянная борьба за успех; "крысиные бега"

  Working and living in a big city is too much of a rat race that's why Sandra is not satisfied with her life in New-York.
• ride herd on (someone)
  строго следить за кем-либо (как пастух следит за стадом)

  The head nurse was riding herd on the other nurses in the hospital.
• road hog
  водитель, мешающий проезду другого транспорта

  Leo is a regular road-hog; he always uses more than his share of the road.
• rub (someone/someone's fur) the wrong way
  раздражать кого-либо, "гладить против шерсти"

  Olaf's insolence and rude behavior constantly rubs me the wrong way.
• ruffle (someone's) feathers
  расстраивать или раздражать кого-либо

  "I do not want to ruffle your feathers, but there are policemen who have come to see you."
• ruffle its feathers
  взъерошить перья

  A cat was looking at the bird which was sitting on a branch and ruffling its feathers.
• rule the roost
  распоряжаться, задавать тон, хозяйничать

  There's no doubt who rules the roost in this house.
• run around like a chicken with its head cut off
  бегать как сумасшедший, метаться

  Joe spent the day running around like a chicken with its head cut off when he discovered that he had lost important documents.
• sacred cow
  кто-либо \ что-либо никогда не подвергающееся критике, "священная корова"

  The ideas of my boss are a sacred cow that should never be criticized or laughed at.