говорить на ветер

to waste one’s breath

You’re wasting your breath. He won’t agree to go with you.

голову даю на отсечение

I’ll eat my hat!

I’ll eat my hat if it wasn’t your little sister who stole my book.

голубая кровь

blue blood

They are very poor, but they have blue blood in their family.

голыми руками

with one’s bare hands

A desperate man can kill a leopard with his bare hands.

гора с плеч

a load off someone’s mind

It is a load off my mind to know that he has solved that problem.

городить чушь

to talk through one’s hat

You’re talking through your hat. You don’t know anything about it.

горькая пилюля

a bitter pill (to swallow)

His betrayal came as a bitter pill to swallow.

горячая линия

a hot line

The society has set up a hot line for people to report sightings of whales and dolphins.

грабеж средь бела дня

daylight robbery

The prices in this shop are unbelievable – it’s daylight robbery.

греть руки

to line one’s pockets; to feather one’s nest

When the company discovered that the director had been lining his pockets with bribes and commissions, he was dismissed.

The mayor used a lot of public money to feather his nest.

гроша медного не стоить

not worth a damn

Your advice isn’t worth a damn.

давать волю (кому-л.)

to give someone free rein

The boss gave me free rein with the new project.

давать волю (чему-л.)

to give something free rein; to give way to something

In writing that book he gave his imagination free rein.

He gave way to anger and yelled at the children.

давать выход (чему-л.)

to give vent to something

June gave vent to her anger and frustration in a furious letter to her husband.

давать жару (кому-л.)

to give someone hell

If he goes to a pub with his friends, his wife gives him hell.

давать на лапу (кому-л.)

to grease someone’s palm

We had to grease the palms of numerous officials before we could renew the licence.

давать от ворот поворот (кому-л.)

to give someone the boot/push/heave-ho/brush-off

My sister has given her latest boyfriend the heave-ho.

давать пищу сплетням

to set tongues wagging

The news of her marriage set tongues wagging through the whole village.

давать себе волю

to let oneself go

She really let herself go at the party and drank far too much beer.

давать тягу

to take to one’s heels; to turn tail and run; to do a bunk

The thief saw me and took to his heels.

Two boys did a bunk during the morning break.

I was so nervous that my only thought was to turn tail and run.

далеко не так

far from it

I thought your wife spoke fluent German. – Far from it – she doesn’t even know how to say ‘hello’.

далеко пойти

to go far

Her son has a talent for painting and I’m sure he will go far.

Дамоклов меч

the sword of Damocles

дать дуба

to kick the bucket; to cash in one’s chips

His children were just waiting for the old man to kick the bucket.

Tony is too young to cash in his chips.

дать урок (кому-л.)

to teach someone a lesson

I decided to teach my neighbour a lesson after I caught him peeping through my windows.

два сапога пара

birds of a feather

I’m sure that Debbie and her boyfriend are birds of a feather.

действовать на нервы (кому-л.)

to get on someone’s nerves; to get under someone’s skin; to drive someone up the wall

Please stop whistling. It’s getting on my nerves.

I can’t stand this woman – she gets under my skin.

Their children always drive me up the wall.

делать вид

to make believe; to put on an act

The children made believe they were pirates and treasure hunters.

I thought he had hurt his foot, but he was only putting on an act.

делать из мухи слона

to make a mountain out of a molehill