old wifes’ tales (fables) / Lit. the tale of the White Bull-calf / Cf. a shaggy dog story сказка про белого бычка / бабушкины сказки / бабьи сказки
Lit. someone eats a lion’s heart съесть сердце льва (о рискованном предприятии)
to separate one from someone / to cause an aversion of someone by the help of poison draught (poisonous concoction) разлучать близких / вызвать отвращ
Lit. to creep around like a beetle in a dung heap / to be dawdling over smth. копаться, как жук в дерьме (делать что-либо слишком медленно, возиться,
Lit. He that’s afraid of wolves should keep out of the woods. / Cf. He that fears every bush must never go a-birding / He that is afraid of wounds mus
Wolf in the sheep’s skin is wolf. Волк и в овечьей шкуре не укроется. / Знать волка и в овечьей шкуре
= Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl. / Cf. You cannot lie down with dogs without rising with fleas
someone lives a long life мафусаиловы годы (лета) прожить / аредовы веки жить (очень долго жить, o долголетии кого-либо)
peace and harmony (repose) / peace and quiet / peace and tranquility and the divine blessing / all peace and the Lord’s good grace тишь да гладь да бо
to be the food for worms (to be dead) быть пищей для червей (быть мёртвым)
Lit. The wolf pitied the mare, left only her tail and mane. / Cf. As much love as there is between the old cow and the haystack
bax Qulaqlara qurquşun!
1. one is awfully hungry / one feels empty (hollow inside) / Cf. a vacuum in the lower regions / one’s stomach is howling / one’s belly cries cupboard
there is plenty (loads, a profusion) of smth. / enough and to spare / Cf. they are a dime a dozen / you may find them under every bush хоть пруд пруди
to put on the feed-bag заправиться (подкрепиться, плотно поесть)
to enter the path of smth. встать на путь
and that’s all! / and that’s that! / and that’s all there’s to it! / you can take it or leave it! / do or die! и никаких гвоздей! (и больше ничего, то
to be nearly out / to be on its way out / to be on the wane / to be drawing to its close / to be running out / to be coming to an end / to be nearing
to put someone upon bread and water сажать на хлеб и на воду (наказывать кого-либо голодом, ограничением в пище)
Cf. An empty hand is no lure for a hawk. Сухая ложка дерёт, а помажешь - хорошо будет.
all skin and bone / a bag of bones / a stack of bones одна кожа да кости / одни кости
someone is the mere shadow of his (her) former self / someone is worn to a shadow одна тень осталась
I wonder how he keeps body and soul together / he is so thin and feeble / it’s a wonder he is alive at all в чём только душа держится
nothing but skin and bones как доска (худой)
a rack of bones живые мощи
to feed someone with hopes / to whet someone’s appetite / to break promises (по)мазать по губам
to keep promising кормить обещаниями
dry as dust написанный сухим языком (скучный, неинтересный)
to live on snacks (to live on dry rations) * питаться всухомятку
not to get what one expected (hoped) to get / to get nothing for one’s pains / Cf. to be left high and dry / to be left out in the cold остаться на бо
not to give someone what he expected (hoped) to get / to dupe someone / to leave someone in squalor / Cf
Bearing someone’s trouble on one’s back. / Taking the rap for somebody else. / Shouldering other people’s sins
to stand as though struck dumb (thunder-struck) / to stock-still / to be dead / to be rooted to the ground (spot) / to be petrified / to be transfixed
to stand as though struck dumb / to stand as though thunder-struck / to stand as though stock-still / to stand as though dead / to stand as though roo
to play the coward / Cf. to be in a pretty funk / to show the white feather / to get (have) cold feet / to turn white-livered / to cry craven труса п
A bird may be known by its song. Птице даны крылья, а человеку - разум. / Красна птица пером, а человек - умом
* as merry as a cricket весёлый, как сверчок
light as a feather лёгкий, как пёрышко (очень лёгкий)
to hang (pin) smth. on someone / to pit the blame on someone / to point the finger at someone / to treat someone like a whipping-boy вешать (навешать)
to tick smth. off стaвить галочки на чём-либо
to stick one to another прилепиться друг к другу
A bird may be known by its song. Видна птица по полёту.
someone seems to have fallen through the earth / one has vanished into thin air / it is as though the earth had swallowed one up как (будто, точно, сл
pigeon’s milk птичье молоко
= birdbrain = куриные мозги (ограниченные, небольшие умственные способности)
bax vedrə bağlamaq
to lose the opportunity не воспользоваться предоставленной возможностью
bax quşu gözündən vurmaq
to hit the mark / to hit bull’s eye / Cf. the blow went home / to hit the nail on the head / to strike between wind and water / to put one’s finger on
to miss one’s aim / to miss the mark бить мимо цели (не достигать желаемого результата)