average Joe/ John Q Public

Character

№ ФО	ФО	Значення	Переклад	Приклад
1.	average Joe/ John Q Public	an ordinary man	звичайна людина	When I was driving to town I lost my way and asked some average Joe to direct me.
2.	A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.	If a man does nothing but talk, he produces noting of value, just like bad weeds in a garden.	* Людина слів, але не справ неначе город весь в бур’янах.	The president of the company has often promised a salary raise, but a man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
3.	be a chip off the old block	to be very like one of your parents	* стружки від старого блоку (діти)	Jim argues just like his father – he’s a real chip off the old block.
4.	boy/girl next door	a nice, average person, not having much experience of life	хлопець/дівчина по-сусідству (проста(ий) дівчина/хлопець)	She was just the girl next door to millions of fans, and few people knew of her battle against drug addiction.
5.	Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.	it is better to be the leader of a less prestigious group than to be a subordinate in a more prestigious one	Краще бути першим серед останніх, ніж останнім серед перших.	George was a natural leader and he liked to say that it is better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.
6.	Better to be a live dog than a dead lion.	it is better to be a live coward than a dead hero	* краще бути живим боягузом, ніж мертвим героєм	Yesterday Jim saw a group of people fight, but he thinks that it is better to be a live dog than a dead lion, and so he turned the other way.
7.	Beware of a silent dog and still water.	things that seemed calm could still hurt you	*Остерігайся собаки, що мовчить і води, що тече безшумно.	Although our accountant is a very calm and down to earth person, I never forget a saying, beware of a silent dog and still water, when I am around him.
8.	bold as brass	confident to the point of impudence	безсоромний, зухвалий	She walked into his office, as bold as brass, and started questioning him.
9.	bunny boiler	a person, esp a woman, who is considered to be emotionally unstable and likely to be dangerously vengeful	“істеричка”	When Jack broke up with Jill she smashed the windows of his car with rocks. Before that no one had any idea she was such a bunny boiler.
10.	bury one's head in the sand	to ignore a problem or danger because you do not want to deal with it	ховати голову в пісок (тікати від проблем)	If you find your debts building up, don’t burry your head in the sand – talk to your bank.
11.	busybody (nosey parker)	a meddling or prying person; used about someone who wants to know something that does not concern them, especially what other people are doing	надокучлива, нав'язлива людина, що унне ніс у чужі справи	Always put personal letters away, in case some nosy parker/busybody comes snooping around your desk.
12.	chatterbox	a person who talks constantly, esp about trivial matters	базіка; пустомеля	The new town mayor is nothing but a political chatterbox.
13.	cold fish	an unemotional and unfriendly person	байдужа, холодна людина	As a boss John was great, but as a friend he was just a cold fish
14.	Cowards die many times before their deaths.	сowards are often afraid that they are going to die, so that they often feel what it is like to die, while brave people only feel the fear of death when they are really about to die.	боягузи вмирають багато разів	Every time Dona sees a spider she screams as if she is being murdered, but you know what they say, cowards die many times before their death.
15.	cry-baby	a person, esp a child, who is frequently crying or complaining	плакса; скиглій	I know you can climb that mountain so stop being such a cry-baby and do it.
16.	dogsbody	a person who is given menial tasks to do, especially a junior in an office	ішак, хлопчик на побігеньках	I got myself a job as typist and general dogsbody on a small magazine
17.	have one’s head in the clouds	(of a person) be out of touch with reality; be daydreaming	бути неуважним, літати думками поза хмарами.	As a child I always had my head in the clouds, travelling the world in my imagination.
18.	get (have) cold feet	to be afraid to do something that you have planned, to lose courage	злякатися, передумати	We got cold feet about spending so much and cancelled the holiday at the last minute.
19.	have a chip on your shoulder	to be easily offended or angry about something	* легко ображатися або злитися через щось	He had a huge chip on his shoulder because he had not been to university.
20.	have a one-track mind	to think or talk about only one subject most of the time	* думати тільки про одне	She’s got a one-track mind – all I ever hear about is her different boyfriends.
21.	an open mind (about)	to be willing to listen to other people’s opinions and change your ideas if you agree	неупереджений, широких поглядів	I’m keeping an open mind until I‘ve heard all the evidence.
22.	have a mind of one's own	be capable of independent opinion or action; someone is capable of doing what they want to do, not what they are told to	мати власну голову на плечах	I don’t need your advice, thanks, I’ve got a mind of my own.
23.	have bats in one's belfry	to be mad or eccentric; have strange ideas	Без царя в голові.	When Tom came to office in a pink suit and green tie everyone thought he had bats in his belfry.
24.	head and shoulders above (someone or something)	to be superior to someone or something	перевершувати когось, бути набагато кращим	The new principal is head and shoulders above those who have come before.
25.	If you try to please all you will please none.	if you try so hard to please everyone, you will not be pleasing yourself and you will not always please everyone	* Якщо намагатись догодити кожному, то не догодиш нікому	Bill is always ready to help, but he is not one of those people who tries to please all and pleases none.
26.	in two minds about (something)	undecided; wavering	* вагатися, не визначитися	he was in two minds about marriage
27.	keep a cool head	to stay come and reasonable	* зберігати спокій; залишатись розсудливим	Throughout the exam I tried to keep a cool head.
28.	keep up with the Joneses	try to maintain the same social and material standards as one’s friends or neighbors	щоб як у людей	They got into debt because they insisted on keeping up with the Joneses.
29.	know one’s own mind	be decisive and certain	бути впевненим і рішучим	When I was younger I didn’t really know my own mind, so I just did what other people did.
30.	lie through one’s teeth	tell an outright lie without remorse	безсоромно брехати	She claims she isn’t seeing him anymore, but I know she’s lying through her teeth.
31.	life and soul of the party	someone who is the centre of attention in social situations	душа товариства	He really enjoys being the life and the soul of the party.
32.	look out for number one	to only look after or think about oneself	* ставити себе на перше місце	My neighbor only looks after number one and he will not help other people.
33.	a loose cannon	someone who might do something unexpected	непередбачувана людина (постійне джерело проблем)	He doesn’t care whether he keeps the job or not and that makes him a loose cannon.
34.	lose one’s grip	become unable to understand or control one’s situation	втрачати самоконтроль	He’s making a lot of mistakes these days – do you think he’s losing his grip?
35.	mind over matter	the use of willpower to overcome physical problems	* силою волі	He’s convinced it’s just mind over matter, and you can stop yourself getting ill.
36.	mother’s boy	a man or boy whose mother controls or protects him too much	* мамин синочок	She thought that, growing up without a father, I was bound to be a mother’s boy.
37.	*Nervous Nellie	someone excessively worried or apprehensive	* панікер	My sister is a real nervous Nellie when it comes to flying.
38.	not be (exactly) a barrel of laughs	something or someone is not very funny or enjoyable	* хтось/щось не є дуже смішним чи приємним (іронічно)	After that horrible car crash John hasn’t been exactly a barrel of laughs.
39.	not just a pretty face	to be intelligent and capable and not just good-looking or pretty	* бути чимось більшим, ніж просто вродливою людиною (мати голову на плечах, а не тільки гарне обличчя)	The woman is not just a pretty face. She is very smart.
40.	put on a brave face	to try to appear happy or satisfied even though you are faced with serious problems	робити вигляд, що все чудово	The man put on a brave face after he was fired from his job.
41.	put one's foot down	adopt a firm policy when faced with opposition or disobedience; to refuse to allow something to happen	прийняти тверде рішення, рішуче відмовити	I asked if I could borrow the car again but Mum put her foot down this time.
42.	rest on your laurels	If someone is resting on their laurels, they appear to be satisfied with the things they have achieved and have stopped putting effort into what they are doing.	відпочивати на лаврах (користуватись своїми колишніми здобутками)	The committee's chairman accused NASA of resting on its laurels after making it to the moon.
43.	rolling stone	a person who is unwilling to settle for long in one place, a restless or wandering person	перекотиполе (про людину)	Andrew is a real rolling stone who has never settled in one place.
44.	rough diamond	a person who is generally of good character but lacks manners, education, or style	* добра, але малоосвічена (груба) людина	Simon can snap and lose his cool but everyone knows that he is a very good person, he’s just a real rough diamond.
45.	sb’s blue-eyed boy	the favourite person of someone in authority	* улюбленець	My brother was always the blue-eyed boy of the family; I never could compete.
46.	scapegoat	a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency	цап відбувайло	Unfortunately, every company has a person who is blamed for everything, just an ordinary scapegoat
47.	shilly-shally (v)	to be unable to make up one's mind	вагатися; бути нерішучим; проявляти нерішучість	The government shilly-shallied about the matter and so many people didn’t get their salary on time.
48.	snake in the grass	a treacherous or deceitful person	прихований ворог, підступна людина	Don’t listen to her flattery – she’s a snake in the grass and she means you harm.
49.	shrinking violet	a shy person, an exaggeratedly shy person	* сором’язлива людина	Dorothy is no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing her views
50.	wet blanket/killjoy	a person who spoils other people's fun	людина, що псує іншим задоволення; зануда	She would spoil the whole evening, she is such a wet blanket.
51.	wolf in sheep’s clothing (antonym – a teddy bear)	a malicious person in a harmless or benevolent disguise	вовк в овечій шкірі	You shouldn’t trust Lew, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing – he’ll borrow money and never pay you back.
52.	yes-man	a weak person who always agrees with their political leader or their superior at work	підлабузник, підлабуза, лизоблюд	If you want to gain success and be respected you shouldn’t become a yes-man.

In the reign of Queen Dick – за царя Гороха (давно)

Tomboy – дівчинка з хлоп’ячими звичками (шибайголова)

Not a spring chicken – не дуже молода людина (не першої молодості)

The grey mare – жінка, що керує чоловіком («бій баба»)

(To) lead apes in hell – померти старою дівою

A pain in the neck – надокучлива людина, що дратує

Silly Billy – «Іванко-дурник»

A fool through and through – повний дурень

Handy Andy = Jack of all trades – майстер на всі руки

A walking zero – нуль без палички

A big blue-eyed innocence – «свята простота»

Ball and chain – дружина

The man/woman of the hour – герой дня

Doubting Thomas – Фома невіруючий

Joe Blow – звичайна людина

Big cheese = big wheel = big wig – поважна особа, велика цяця

Plain Jane – сіра миша

a real Sheila – красуня

John Hancock – підпис людини

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04