Idioms

Study the following idioms and make sentences of your own. Studiaţi următoarele expresii şi apoi formaţi propriile fraze cu ele:

Animals

make a beast/pig of oneself- eat large quantities of food, leaving little for others(a mânca enorm, a se îndopa cu)

...........................................................................

an eager beaver- someone who works hard, busily and with enthusiasm, and who is eager to start

the task in hand(cineva care lucrează foarte mult şi cu entuziasm)

............................................................................

a busy bee- a busy, active person, who moves quickly from task to task(o persoană activă şi eficientă)

............................................................................

crocodile tears- insincere tears, for effect only(lacrimi de corcodil, nesincere)

...........................................................................

dog tired- very tired(foarte obosit, mort de oboseală)

...........................................................................

top dog- the most important person(cea mai importantă persoană)

.............................................................................

have other fish to fry- have something else to do(a avea altceva de făcut)

..............................................................................

horse about- play or act in a wild or noisy manner(a face ceva într-un mod grosolan sau zgomotos)

...............................................................................

hold one’s horses- be patient; wait or slow down(a fi calm, răbdător, a avea răbdare)

................................................................................

be up with the lark- get up very early in the morning(a se trezi odată cu găinile, foarte devreme)

................................................................................

at a snail’s pace- very slowly(foarte lent, în ritmul unui melc)

..................................................................................

be a snake in the grass-be an insincere friend who is secretly harmful or dangerous(a fi un prieten nesincer şi periculos; apele line sunt adânci)

..................................................................................

talk turkey(informal)- talk seriously and frantically with someone(a vorbi cu cineva foarte serios, a spune lucrurilor pe nume)

..................................................................................

Colours

be in the black/red- have no money in one’s account, be in credit(a fi lipsit de bani, lefter)

.....................................................................................

a black look- a look of anger, dislike, resentment, etc.(o privire mânioasă, plină de resentimente)

......................................................................................

black and blue- having cuts and bruises on the body after an accident, fight etc.(plin de răni şi vânătăi)

......................................................................................

in someone’s black books- out of favour with someone(cineva discreditat, scos de la sufletul cuiva)

......................................................................................

a bolt from the blue- a sudden unpleasant surprise or shock(din senin, pe neaşteptate, surpriză neplăcută)

......................................................................................

go off into the blue- go away suddenly, vanish (a dispărea, a se evapora)

......................................................................................

be green(informal)- be trusting, naive (a fi credul, naiv)

......................................................................................

have green fingers- be good at gardening (a se pricepe la grădinărit)

.......................................................................................

turn grey- become grey-haired (a încărunţi)

.......................................................................................

a red herring- an unimportant or irrelevant matter which is introduced into a discussion to divert attention (o problemă irelevantă adusă în discuţie pentru a abate atenţia de la ceva important)

......................................................................................

a red letter day- an important or joyful occasion which one looks forward to or remembers with pleasure (zi importantă cu amintiri dragi)

......................................................................................

see red- lose one’s temper(a vedea negru în faţa ochilor, a fi foarte supărat,ă, a-şi pierde controlul)

.....................................................................................

as white as a ghost- very pale (alb ca varul, foarte palid)

.....................................................................................

a white lie- a little harmless lie (minciună necesară, care nu face rău)

.....................................................................................

Parts of the body

cost an arm and a leg (informal)- cost someone a great deal of money(a costa foarte scump, a fi scump ca ochii din cap)

......................................................................................

keep someone at an arm’s length- keep someone at a distance(a ţine pe cineva la distanţă, a ţine pe cineva în şah)

......................................................................................

get off someone’s back- leave someone in peace(a lăsa pe cineva în pace, a scăpa de)

......................................................................................

have no backbone- have a weak, driveless character(a fi lipsit de caracter, forţă morală)

......................................................................................

bone idle- extremely lazy by nature(extrem de leneş din constituţie, pierde-vară)

......................................................................................

play by the ear- act according to the situation, without a definite plan(a face după cum îl/o taie capul, după bunul plac)

.....................................................................................

fall on deaf ears- be ignored(a fi ignorat, a bate la o uşă străină, a se adresa persoanei nepotrivite)

......................................................................................

catch someone’s eye- attract someone’s attention(a atrage atenţia cuiva, a sări cuiva în ochi)

......................................................................................

see eye to eye with someone- have the same opinion with someone(a se înţelege cu cineva)

.......................................................................................

cry one’s eyes out- cry very much(a plânge foarte mult, a-şi amărî inima cu prea multe lacrimi)

.......................................................................................

face the music- meet criticism, punishment, etc.(a suporta consecinţele)

.......................................................................................

have egg on one’s face(informal)- be taken as a fool(a fi luat de prost)

..........................................................................................