English idioms 3

Azərbaycan Respublikası Təhsil Nazirliyi

Azərbaycan Dillər Universiteti
__________________________________________________
SAHILƏ MUSTAFAYEVA

EVERYDAY ENGLISH IDIOMS WITH

AZERBAIJANI EQUIVALENTS IN USE

İNGİLİS DİLİNDƏ İŞLƏK İDİOMLAR

VƏ ONLARIN AZƏRBAYCAN DİLİNDƏ
QARŞILIĞI
25 UNITS OF VOCABULARY REFERENCE AND
PRACTICE

SELF – STUDY AND CLASSROOM USE

(WITH ANSWERS)

Азярбайъан Республикасы Тящсил назиринин

04.02.2008. тарихли 154 сайлы ямри иля
тясдиг едилмишдир

Бакы – «Леттерпресс» – 2008

English idioms 4

Redaktorlar:
İngilis dili üzrə Filologiya elmləri doktoru, professor
D.N.Yunusov
Azərbaycan dili üzrə Filologiya elmləri doktoru, professor
İ.Z.Qasımov

Rəyçilər: Nəsimi adına Dilçilik İnstitutunun

direktor müavini, filologiya elmləri
doktoru, professor M.Mahmudov

İngilis dilinin leksikologiyası kafedrası-

nın dosenti, filologiya elmləri namizədi
Ə.H.Hacıyeva

Korrektorlar: İradə Vahabova

Şəlalə Əliyeva

Mustafayeva Sahilə Bağır qızı

Everyday English Idioms with Azerbaijani equivalents in use

(dərs vəsaiti). Bakı, «Леттерпресс», 2008. – 344 səh.

Kitabda ingilis dilində gündəlik işlədilən idiomlar

və onların Azərbaycan dilində qarşılığı verilmişdir. Bu
idiomların mənasını daha yaxşı mənimsəmək üçün
müxtəlif ingilis dilli mənbələrdən misallar verilmişdir.
Vəsait ali məktəb tələbələri, orta məktəb şagirdləri,
ingilis dilini tədris edən müəllimlər və bu dili sərbəst
öyrənənlər üçün nəzərdə tutulmuşdur.

Грифли няшр, 2008.

English idioms 5

© Mustafayeva, 2008.
English idioms 6

Money spent on the brain

is never spent in vain

ÖN SÖZ

İngilis dilini öyrənənlər dilin qrammatikasını, fonetikasını

öyrənməklə yanaşı, həm də zəngın söz ehtiyatına malik olmağa
çalışırlar. Dil öyrənənlər adətən bədii nitqdə (literary speech)
maneə ilə rastlaşmadan uğur qazanırlar. Amma məlum olduğu
kimi, dilin lüğət tərkibini təşkil edən sözlərin həqiqi mənaları
ilə yanaşı, məcazi mənaları da çoxluq təşkil edir. Hətta
vurğulamaq istərdik ki, hal-hazırda dilin lüğət tərkibində bir
sıra sözlər öz həqiqi mənalarını itirib, məcazi mənada daha çox
istifadə olunur. Elə bu səbəbdən də bəzən dili öyrənənlər rast
gəldikləri sözün və ya birləşmənin idiomatik ifadə olduğunu
bilmədiklərindən çaşıb qalır, idiomlu ifadə ilə desək, başlarını
itirirlər.
Leksikologiya bizə idiomlar barədə geniş məlumat versə
də, Azərbaycan dilində idiomları qruplaşdıran, ingilis dilindəki
idiomların Azərbaycan dilində qarşılığını əks etdirən dərs
vəsaitləri azlıq təşkil edır. Ali məktəb tələbələri gündəlik
danışıqda idiomların istifadəsi zamanı müəyyən çətinliklərlə
qarşılaşır, bəzən isə ümumiyyətlə, onlardan istifadə edə
English idioms 7

bilmirlər. Orta məktəb şagirdləri də bu problemlə üzləşirlər.

Bildiyimiz kimi, orta təhsil məktəblərinə aid dərsliklərdə
qismən idiomatik ifadələrə rast gəlirik. Amma onların
dilimizdə qarşılığını tapmaq şagirdlər üçün, hətta bəzən,
müəllimlər üçün də çətinlik törədir. Bu problemləri nəzərə
alaraq ingilis dilində çox işlək idiomatik birləşmələrin
Azərbaycan dilində qarşılığını verən belə bir vəsaitin
yaranmasına ehtiyac vardır. Məlum olduğu kimi, ingilis dili
idiomatik birləşmələrlə zəngin bir dildir. Amma bir qrup
idiomlar var ki, onlar kifayət qədər köhnəlmiş və dilin lüğət
tərkibindən çıxmışdır. Bu səbəbdən də bu gün onlara ancaq
klassik ingilis ədəbiyyatında rast gəlmək mümkündür. Təqdim
olunan bu dərs vəsaitində verilmiş idiomlar və idiomatik
birləşmələr müasir ingilis dilində ünsiyyət prosesində daha çox
istifadə olunan birləşmələrdir. Biz bu idiomlara adi məişət
dilində, qəzetlərdə, müasir və həmçinin klassik ingilis
ədəbiyyatında, həm də həyatda rast gələ bilirik. Vəsaitə daxil
edilmiş misallar gündəlik həyatda daha çox istifadə olunan
danışıq üslubunda verilmişdir. Eyni zamanda, vəsaitdə həm
klassik, həm də müasir ingilis ədəbiyyatından seçilmiş misallar
da üstünlük təşkil edir.
Dərs vəsaiti 25 bölmədən ibarətdir. Hər bölmədə müəyyən
sayda idiom toplanmış və hər idioma aid misallar verilmişdir.
English idioms 8

Bundan əlavə, vəsaitdə hər bölməyə aid leksik çalışmalar tərtib

edilmişdir. Ümidvarıq ki, çalışmalar vəsaitdən istifadə edən hər
bir oxucunun idiomları nə dərəcədə başa düşdüyünü, onlardan
necə istifadə etdiyini yoxlamağa kömək edəcəkdir. Sözsüz,
dərs vəsaiti ingilis dilini öyrənənlərin öyrəndikləri dilə
marağını artırmaqda, nitqin rəvan və səlis olmasına, habelə
təbii səslənməsinə yardımçı olacaqdır.
Vəsaitin hazırlanmasında öz dəyərli məsləhətləri və
tövsiyələri ilə bizə kömək etmiş fil.e.d., prof . Oruc Musayevə,
ingilis dili üzrə redaktor fil.e.d., prof. Dünyamin Yunusova,
Azərbaycan dili üzrə redaktor fil.e.d., prof. İkram Qasımova,
rəyçilər fil.e.d., prof. Məsud Mahmudova, fil.e.n., dos. Kifayət
Gözəlovaya, fil.e.n. Əminə Hacıyevaya, İngilis dilinin
üslubiyyəti kafedrasının baş müəllimi İradə Vahabovaya və
İngilis dilinin qrammatikası kafedrasının bütün əməkdaşlarına,
xüsusilə həmin kafedranın müəllimi Şəlalə Əliyevaya
minnətdarlığımızı bildiririk.
Vəsait barədə tənqidi qeydlərini, arzu və təkliflərini
bildirəcək şəxslərə də qabaqcadan öz təşəkkürümüzü bildiririk.

Müəllif
English idioms 9

İDİOM NƏDİR?
İDİOMLARI ÖYRƏNMƏK NƏ ÜÇÜN LAZIMDIR?

Hər bir dil üçün əsas material sözdür və dil öyrənmək

istəyən hər kəs gündəlik olaraq yeni söz və söz birləşmələri
öyrənir. Həmin söz birləşmələrinin tərkibində idiomlar xüsusi
yer tutur. İngilis dili idiom və idiomatik birləşmələrlə zəngin
bir dildir. İdiomlara bütün üslublarda rast gəlmək mümkündür:
yazıda, danışıqda, bədii ədəbiyyatda və s. Hətta qəzetlər belə
idiomatik ifadələrlə zəngindir.
İdiomların öyrənilməsi nə üçün zəruridir? İlk əvvəl «idiom
nədir?» sualına cavab tapmaq lazımdır. İdiomları təşkil edən
sözlər bir yerdə öz əvvəlki mənalarını itirir və birləşmə
tərkibində yeni məna çalarlığı yaradır. Məsələn:
I could eat a horse. Dəhşətli dərəcədə acam. məc*.
Acından ölürəm. (Acından bir qoyun da yeyə bilərəm).
Money doesn’t grow on trees. Pulun qədrini bilmək
lazımdır. məc. Pul yerdən yığılmır. (Pul özünə hörmət istər).
We are all at sixes and sevens. Biz tamamilə çaş-baş
qalmışıq.
I got there in the nick of time. Mən ora ən son anda
çatdım.
məc.* - məcazi məna
English idioms 10

İdiomları təşkil edən sözlərin çoxu məcazi məna daşıyır.

Müasir ingilis dilində sözlərin həqiqi mənalarına nisbətən,
məcazi mənalarından daha çox istifadə olunur. Məsələn: “to
catch” feli həqiqi mənadan daha çox, məcazi mənada işlədilir.
Misallara nəzər salaq:

Həqiqi məna Məcazi məna

I have been fishing, 1. Yesterday I caught the bus.
but caught absolutely 2. Try to catch his eye.
nothing! 3. You’ll catch your death of cold.
4. Wait while I catch my breathe.

Dilin lüğət tərkibində elə sözlər də var ki, onlar artıq öz

bədii mənada işlədilmə halını itiriblər və ancaq məcazi mənada
işlənirlər. Məsələn, “to plough” (əkmək, biçmək) feli. Bu fel
müasir ingilis dilində həqiqi mənada demək olar ki, istifadə
olunmur. Biz ona ancaq idiomatik birləşmələrin tərkibində
məcazi mənada rast gələ bilərik. Məsələn:
1. He had to plough through hundreds of pages of
American history to get ready for his test. O, Amerika
tarixindən testi vermək üçün yorulmadan çalışırdı/O, Amerika
tarixindən testi vermək üçün kağızların arasında itib-batmışdı.
2. You can plough money into a business. Sən bu işə
English idioms 11

sərmayə yatıra bilərsən/Sən bu işə pul buraxa bilərsən.

3. Profits can be ploughed back. Qoyulan sərmayə qazanc
gətirə bilər.
Və yaxud, “to rack” felini götürək. “Rack” çoxmənalı
qədim ingilis sözüdür; “to torture”; “to exhaust”, yəni
(əzab/əziyyət/işgəncə vermə) mənalarında istifadə olunur.
Müasir ingilis dilində isə “rack” bu mənalarda öz istifadəsini
itirib. Biz ona ancaq idiomatik birləşmələrin tərkibində rast
gələ bilərik. Məsələn: “to rack your brain”. Bu idiomatik
birləşmənin dilimizdə qarşılığı “bir şeyi xatırlamağa güclü səy
göstərmək, yaddaşını eşələmək” kimi tərcümə olunur. Bu
siyahını artırmaq mümkündür. Misalların təhlilindən belə
nəticəyə gəlirik ki, biz sözlərin həqiqi istifadəsi ilə yanaşı,
məcazi istifadəsini də bilməliyik. Əks təqdirdə, cümlə
tərkibində rast gəldiyimiz sözün məcazi istifadəsini bilmiriksə,
onun tərcüməsində çətinlik çəkəcəyik və tərcümə düzgün
olmayacaq. Buna görə də idiomları və onları təşkil edən
sözlərin həm həqiqi, həm də məcazi mənalarını öyrənmək zə-
ruridir.
İdiomatik vahidlərin həm quruluşca, həm də məna və
ekpressivlik çalarlıqlarına görə rəngarəngliyi onların üslubi
istifadə imkanlarının zənginliyini təmin edən əsas cəhətdir.
İdiomlardan ədəbi dilin, demək olar ki, bütün üslublarında
English idioms 12

istifadə olunur. Lakin bu vahidlərin ən geniş istifadə meydanı,

əlbəttə ki, bədii üslub və ictimai-siyasi üslubdur. Məhəbbət,
nifrət, istehza, kinayə, gülüş, qəm-qüssə, eyham və s. məna
çalarlıqlarının daha bariz olduğu idiomatik vahidlərə həm bədii
üslubda, həm də ictimai-siyasi üslubda təsadüf edilir. Bədii
üslubda təsirliliyi artırmaq, canlı və obrazlı səhnələr yaratmaq
üçün epitet, metonimiya və digər çalarlıqlara malik olan
idiomlardan istifadə edilir.
Ümumiyyətlə idiomlar danışıq-məişət leksikasının böyük
hissəsini təşkil edir və danışıq prosesində fikrin obrazlı, təsirli,
bir sıra hallarda isə ironik-ekspressiv istifadəsinə xidmət edir.
İdiomları öyrənmək ilk baxışdan asan görünsə də, əslində
bu yolda bir sıra çətinliklərlə qarşılaşmalı oluruq. İdiomlar
özlərinə məxsus quruluşa malik olan söz birləşmələridir.
İdiomları təşkil edən sözlər bizə bəzən qəribə, qeyri-məntiqi və
qrammatik cəhətdən düzgün görünməsələr belə, biz onlarda də-
yişiklik apara bilmirik. Onlar dilin lüğət tərkibinə daxil
olduqları kimi öyrənilməlidir. Beləliklə, idiomlar aşağıdakı
quruluşa malik olan sözlərdir:
 İdiomlar dilin lüğət tərkibinə daxil olduqları kimi istifadə
olunmalıdır; biz onları dəyişə bilmərik.
 İdiomları təşkil edən sözlər həm həqiqi, həm də məcazi
mənaya malikdir.
English idioms 13

 İdiomların özlərinə məxsus dəyişməz qrammatik

quruluşları olur (Biz onların quruluşunda ancaq zamanı
və ya əvəzlikləri dəyişə bilərik).
Beləliklə, ingilis dili idiom və idiomatik birləşmələrlə
zəngindir və onları öyrənmək dil öyrənən hər bir şəxs üçün
zəruridir. Bu yolda bizə istək, diqqət, zəhmət və təcrübə
köməklik göstərəcək. Sonda bir ingilis misalını yada salmaq
istəyirik: “Practice makes perfect and all things are difficult
before they’re easy”.
English idioms 14

SECTION ONE
ANIMAL IDIOMS
Zoonimik idiomlar

♣ IT IS A ZOO OUT THERE

swing a (informal) used to say çox darısqal otaq; ayaq

cat that a room is very small qoymağa yer yoxdur; boş
and that there’s not yerin olmaması; haranın-
enough space sa basırıq olması
- What sort of flat are you looking for?
- I need somewhere with a bit more space. There’s not enough
room to swing a cat in my living room.
smell a (informal) to be suspicious; bir kəsdən/nədənsə
rat feel that something is wrong şübhələnmək; gözü
su içməmək
◘ Nick told me he was working late tonight. But there were no
lights on when I passed. I smelt a rat, and called the police.
◘ Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears.
I’m beginning to smell a rat.
monkey (informal) to play in a way that is meymun kimi
(horse) noisy and not very careful so that atılıb düşmək;
English idioms 15

around you could hurt sb or damage sth; vurnuxmaq;

to join in rough teasing; play ora-bura qaç-
around maq
- Would you please stop monkeying around? You’ll break
something.
- Oh, come on! We’re just having fun.
go to the (informal) to be dağılmaq, korlanmaq; var-
dogs ruined or yoxdan çıxmaq, dilənçi ha-
destroyed; become lına/it kökünə düşmək;
rundown müflis olmaq; alt-üst olmaq
◘ - This shopping centre used to be quite good but look at it
now.
- I know, it’s really gone to the dogs in the last few years.
◘ Poor devil, he’s gone to the dog’s altogether [32, p.189].
have ants (informal) to be very excited kürkünə birə düş-
in your or impatient about sth and mək; yerində sakit
pants unable to stay still; nervous otura bilməmək;
overactivity; restlessness nadinc olmaq
He just won’t sit still in class. I think he’s got ants in his
pants.
keep the (informal) to have acından ölməmək, bir
wolf from enough money to avoid təhər keçinmək, özünü
English idioms 16

the door going hungry, poverty bir təhər dolandırmaq

- You get a company pension, don’t you?
- Yes, it’s not very much but it helps to keep the wolf from the
door.
be (feel) a person who is out of özünü sudan çıxarılmış ba-
like a his proper place in lıq kimi hiss etmək; özünü
fish out life, someone who naqolay/biçimsiz hiss et-
of water doesn’t fit in mək; yerində olmamaq
I went to a disco for the first time in ten years last night. I
looked and felt like a fish out of water.
a pig (informal) a very çirkli/səliqəsiz yer; tör-tökün-
sty dirty or untidy place tü /pinti yer; donuz damı
◘ I wish you’d tidy your flat up! It’s like a pig sty!
◘ “Christ, the place is like a pig sty” [31, p.40].
to be unable to understand or solve çaş-baş qalmaq;
foxed sth; (of the paper of the old kitabın və s. vərəq-
books or prints) covered with lərinin saralması
brown spots
I just didn’t understand. I didn’t know what to do. I was totally
foxed!
donkeywork (informal) the hard işin ən çətin və zəhlə-
boring part of a job or tökən hissəsi; çirkli iş
English idioms 17

task
I don’t see why I should do all the donkey work!
get sth (straight) (informal) (of information) məlumatı
from the horse’s given by sb who is directly mötəbər
mouth involved and therefore likely mənbədən
to be accurate əldə etmək
- Are you sure we’re getting a pay rise next month? Who told
you?
- I got it straight from the horse’s mouth. The manager
himself told me.
chicken (informal) a very çox az pul; məc. cücə yemi,
feed small sum of money uşaq payı; cüzi məbləğ
You can get between twenty and thirty thousand pounds a year
as an office manager now. That’s chicken feed compared to
what you can get in the States.
bookworm a person who likes kitab oxumağı xoşlayan
reading very much adam, kitab həvəskarı
My sister is a real bookworm. She’s always reading a book.
a wolf in a person who pretends saxtakarlıq edən adam;
sheep’s to be good but really is qoyun cildinə girmiş ca-
clothing bad navar; mələk cildinə gir-
miş şeytan
English idioms 18

I trusted the lawyer until I realized that he was a wolf in

sheep’s clothing.
a dog’s a life of misery, çətinliklə/problemlərlə dolu hə-
life poverty, and yat, yoxsulluq içində yaşamaq; it
unhappiness kimi yaşamaq, it həyatı sürmək
◘ Nowadays some people live a dog’s live.
◘ “… that he should lead a dog’s life in order to provide them
with board and lodging ... ” [33, p.25].
a wild-goose a search for sth that is hədər yerə vaxt sərf
chase impossible for you to edib sonda uğursuz-
find or that doesn’t luqla üzləşmək; dər-
exist, that makes you yada balıq sevdası;
waste a lot of time xam xəyal
◘ I went all over the place trying to get what I wanted, but I
had no success at all. It was a wild-goose chase.
◘ I’ve sent them on a wild goose chase [30, p.49].
a frog in to lose your voice or be boğazı/nitqi tutulmaq;
your unable to speak clearly for qısa muddət danışa
throat a short time bilməmək
Let me drink a glass of water. I have got a frog in my throat.
a fly on a person who nəzərə çarpmadan ətrafdakıla-
the wall watches others rı müşahidə edən/izləyən adam;
English idioms 19

without being məc. pəncərədə quş; gözəgörün-

noticed məz
◘ I’d love to be a fly on the wall during their conversation.
◘ I wish I were a fly on the wall and heard what they’re
talking about - Kaş pəncərədə quş olub, onların nə barədə
danışdıqlarını eşidəydim.
dog-eared (informal) worn, used a lot; çox istifadədən
especially about pages in sonra kitabın və-
books that have been turned rəqlərinin çirk-
in to mark where the reader lənməsi, əzilməsi;
has stopped əzik-üzük
After a book has been used a lot, it tends to get a bit dog-
eared.
dog doesn’t eat dog (saying) it-itin ayağını basmaz
◘ John had been constantly reprimanded for being negligent on
the job. Finally, in desperation his supervisor exclaimed,
“Shape up or ship out!” And when one of his friends began to
defend him the supervisor cried nervously: “Dog doesn’t eat
dog!”
every dog everyone will have his hər şeyin öz vaxtı/za-
has his/its chance or turn; everyone manı var; həyatda
day is lucky or popular at hər kəsin bəxtinin
English idioms 20

(saying) some time in their life gətirəcəyi, xoşbəxt

olacağı gün var
- I feel sorry for Mike. He was feeling quite depressed when I
ran into him.
- Did he tell you what was bothering him?
- Among other things, he informed me that he was fired from
his job without any reason.
- He had better be strong. Every dog has his day.
when pigs (ironic) never; under no qum göyərəndə;
fly circumstances; used to show dəvənin quyruğu
that you don’t believe sth will yerə dəyəndə
ever happen
I’ll accept his invitation when pigs fly. Be sure.
go to the dogs (informal) to get sökülmək; dağılmaq;
(go to hell in a into a bad state; sınıq-sökük; it kökünə
handbasket) become run-down düşmək
- I think, their house needs repairing. It goes to dogs.
- So do I. I guess with a little carpentry work and some paint it
could look pretty decent.
fishy going on to become suspicious; şübhələnmək; gö-
strange zü su içməmək
Why are they having all those secret meetings behind closed
English idioms 21

doors? There’s something fishy going on.

take the bull (informal) take işə ciddi girişmək, cəsarətini
by the horns decisive action toplamaq, qəti addım atmaq;
in a difficult həlledici həlqədən yapışmaq
situation
Take the bull by the horns and say to him what you think
about of him.
a horse of a (informal) quite a bu başqa məsələ; ta-
different colour different matter mamilə ayrı məsələ
He likes to play jokes on his friends, but he makes sure that
nobody is hurt of his pranks. A prank that hurts someone is a
horse of a different color!
be (strictly) (informal) gərəksiz/lazımsız; heç bir
for the birds uninteresting and dəyəri olmayan; gülünc,
meaningless axmaq
They went to the cinema, but they were bored and restless. As
far as they were concerned, it was for the birds! They left
during an intermission.
cat got your tongue you aren’t able or utandığından da-
(usually used about willing to talk nışa bilməmək;
children or as a because of dilini pişik yeyib
question to children) shyness
English idioms 22

- Come on, tell us what you think about the article?

- Well, uh …
- Was it exciting?
- I, uh …
- What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?

♣ CAT IDIOMS

Everyone knows that cats are domestic animals. Most

families have cats at home. It is not surprising that English
has lots of idiomatic expressions based on cats.

catty (informal) (of a woman) başqa insanlar haqqın-

(cattier; saying unkind things da xoş olmayan sözlər
cattiest) about other people; danışmaq; sözbaz, söz-
bitchy, spiteful gəzdirən; kinli, qəzəbli
When you speak to Mary be careful what you say to her. Last
time I heard how you spoke to her. Some people might think
that was a very catty remark!
It is a very catty thing to Bu cür danışmaq amansızlıq-
say! dır!
English idioms 23

make the cause a aləmi bir-birinə qatmaq;

“fur fly” disturbance qarışıqlıq/iğtişaş salmaq
You should have seen what happened yesterday. There was a
terrible fight between Anar and the boss. The fur was really
flying!
get your (disapproving) if a woman kişini caynağına ke-
claws into gets her claws into a man, çirmək; qadının ki-
somebody she tries hard to make him şiyə zorla ərə get-
marry her or to have a məyə çalışması; bir
relationship with her; to kəsi kəskin tənqid
criticize so severely etmək
I’ve never seen her behave like this with him. At last she has
got her claws into him!
when the cat when one’s supervisor at work is özbaşınalıq
is away, the gone, things loosen up and the /sərbəstlik
mice will employees feel freer; when the etmək; at
play (saying) parents are gone, children take ölüb, itlərin
liberties that they would not if the bayramıdır
parents were at home
Yesterday my parents weren’t at home. I invited my friends
and we had a wonderful party. We did what we wanted: sang,
danced, ate, etc. When the cat is away, the mice will play.
English idioms 24

stop pussyfooting to stop being too mus-mus deyin-

and say what you hesitant and careful in cə, birdəfəlik
mean expressing opinion «Mustafa» de
- Mary, I, I’m, hm …
- Jeff, stop pussyfooting and say what you mean.
there is more there’re different hər işin bir çarəsi/əlacı
than one way ways of doing var; ölumdən başqa hər
to skin a cat something şeyə əlac var
- I don’t’ know how to solve this problem. I can’t think about it
any more. What can I do?
- Don’t worry. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
put/set the to say or do sth başını bəlaya salmaq; özünü
cat among that is likely to işə salmaq; cəncələ düşmək;
the pigeons course trouble quzunu qurda tapşırmaq
Is it real that you let the cat out of the bag? I don’t believe my
ears. How can I speak to the boss now? That’s put the cat
among the pigeons.
let the to tell about something sirri açmaq; ağzının
cat out of that is supposed to be a qaytanı olmamaq; pişiyi
the bag secret torbadan buraxmaq
◘ I heard Marry is pregnant. But no one knows it yet. She
asked me not to tell anyone. She wants to inform all herself.
English idioms 25

Please, don’t let the cat out of the bag.

◘ My elder sister was planning to give me a present for my
birthday. But I knew about it, because my little sister let the
cat out of the bag.
curiosity getting too nosey həddindən artıq maraq in-
killed the may lead a person sanın başını bəlaya salar;
cat into trouble başın girməyən yerə, bədə-
nini soxma
- Sh, Sh. I don’t hear. They’re quarrelling again. Let me hear
what they are arguing about.
- Don’t do it. Mind your own business. Don’t forget:
“Curiosity killed the cat”.
not to have a not to succeed at what boş yerə özünü yor-
cat in hell’s they are trying to do maq; heç bir şansı
chance olmamaq
Don’t wait for him any longer. He won’t receive you today.
You haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance.
be the cat’s (informal) to be the özü haqqında yüksək fi-
whiskers the best person, etc kirdə olmaq, özündən
bee’s knees razı olmaq
My sister thinks she’s the cat’s whiskers the bee’s knees.
be raining (informal) to be güclü yağış yağır; məc; bir
English idioms 26

cats and raining heavily yağış yağır ucundan tut göyə

dogs çıx, leysan
When I left home it was raining cats and dogs.

Note: Some people consider black cats lucky, while others

consider them unlucky. They used to be associated with the
Devil.

♣ BIRD IDIOMS

run around like to be very busy and o tərəf, bu tərəfə

a headless active trying to do sth, qaçmaq; yumur-
chicken but not very organized, tası tərs gəlmiş to-
with the result that you yuq kimi vurnux-
do not succeed maq
I’m supposed to be going on holiday tomorrow. I’ve been
running round like a headless chicken all day trying to get
ready.
watch sb/sth watch very closely bir kəsə/şeyə diqqət
like a hawk yetirmək, göz qoymaq
I made a personal call from the office and my boss found out
English idioms 27

about it. She’s watching me like a hawk now to make sure I

don’t do it again.
not say to be very shy or utancaq olmaq; heç kimin xət-
“boo” to gentle; to be too rinə dəyməmək; qarışqani be-
a goose shy to say lə incitməmək; heç kimin to-
anything yuğuna kiş deməmək
Really? I can’t believe Carol would say anything to upset you.
She would not say boo to a goose.
eat like a to eat very little; az yemək; iştahasız olmaq
sparrow have little appetite
I’m not surprised Andrea’s so thin. She eats like a sparrow.
be as dead completely dead; no sıradan çıxmaq/xarab ol-
as a dodo longer interesting or maq, hərəkətsiz olmaq
valid
Do you know anything about computers? I’ve just switched
mine on and nothing happened. It’s as dead as a dodo.
as the crow by the most direct way; birbaşa, düz xətlə,
flies (in a along a straight line düz xətt üzrə, düzünə
crow line) between two places
It’s only forty miles from here to Bristol as the crow flies, but
it takes an hour by car because the roads are so bad.
be as sick as to be very məyus/ümidsiz olmaq; ovqatı
English idioms 28

a parrot disappointed təlx, dərdli, qüssəli

I’ve got tickets for the match on Saturday. Mark has to work
and there’s no work he’s going to manage to get off. He is as
sick as a parrot.
take somebody to take care of and bir kəsə himayədar-
under your help sb who has less lıq etmək; kimisə qa-
wing experience of sth than nadı altına almaq
you
My new boss has taken a special interest in my career. He’s
taken me under his wing.
fly the (of sb’s child) to leave home and evi tərk etmək;
nest live somewhere else yuvadan uçmaq
All my children have grown up and flown the nest.
be an (humorous) a person who yuxudan tez duran, la-
early gets up, arrives, etc. very zım olan yerə vaxtında
bird early; an early riser gələn adam
My mother really is an early bird. She gets up at six every
morning.
swan (informal, disapproving) özünü göstərmək; özünü
around to go around enjoying yekəxana aparmaq; qı-
yourself in a way that nından çıxıb, qınını bə-
annoys other people or yənməmək
English idioms 29

makes them jealous

I don’t like people who return to their home town and swan
around in expensive clothes and big cars.
kill two to succeed in doing two bir güllə ilə iki dov-
birds with things by only one action; şan vurmaq; bir əldə
one stone get two results from one iki qarpız tutmaq
effort
Let’s check the timetable and pick up the tickets at the same
time. We might as well kill two birds with one stone.
a little bird (informal) used to say that sb bir şeyi gizli
told told you sth but you don’t want mənbədən öy-
(whispered) to say who it was; to have rənmək/əldə
learned something from a etmək; məc.
mysterious, unknown, or secret qulağı çalmaq
source
A little bird told me you had got engaged. Is it true? –
Eşitmişəm (qulağım çalıb ki) nişanlanmısan. Doğrudur?
be no spring (humorous) to be uşaqlıq yaşını aşmış ol-
chicken no longer younger maq; təcrübəli/dünyagör-
müş olmaq
I know Sheila looks young, but I can tell you she’s no spring
chicken. I should know! I was in her class at school.
English idioms 30

be a spring (slang) a very young gənc; təcrübəsiz cavan,

chicken person sadəlövh/ürəyiaçıq
Don't be angry with her. She is a spring chicken and doesn't
know how to behave professionally.
in (at) (literary) in one attack or bir göz qırpımında;
one fell accident; in one bad blow; at bir anlıq; bir zərbə
swoop one time; at the same time ilə; eyni vaxtda
One stupid comment to the media and your reputation can be
destroyed in one fell swoop.

♣ HORSE IDIOMS

on the to do sth quickly and without giving it başdansovdu;

hoof your full attention because you are məsuliyyətsiz-
doing sth else at the same time cəsinə
What I don’t like about this government is the way it makes up
policy on the hoof. There isn’t enough planning.
get the bit (informal) to become very özünü nəyə isə
between enthusiastic about sth that you məcbur etmək;
your teeth have started to do that you’re dözmək; dişini-
unlikely to stop until you’ve dişinə sıxmaq
English idioms 31

finished
I started a new job last month. It was all a bit strange at first but
I’ve got the bit between my teeth.
saddle sb/ to give sb/yourself bir kəsə xoşagəlməz tap-
yourself with an unpleasant şırıq vermək; məc. kimisə
sth (often responsibility, task, yükləmək; bir şeyi etmə-
passive) debt, etc yə məcbur olmaq; boynu-
na qoymaq
◘ I hate going to the airport to meet international clients but I
always get saddled with it because I’m the one who can speak
three foreign languages.
◘ … and Anabelle was constantly out, and always leaving
Audrey saddled with her children [21, p.302].
put the things in wrong işi tərsinə/baş-ayaq görmək;
cart before order; something kimisə tərs/səhv başa düş-
the horse backwards or mək; arxi hoppanmamiş
mixed up hop demək
Listen, Jane, do you really think buying a wedding dress is a
good idea? I mean, why not wait till he asks you? Aren’t you
put the cart before the horse?
bite your to force yourself to hisslərini cilovlamaq; di-
lips remain silent and not şini-dişinə sıxmaq; məc.
English idioms 32

to reveal your feelings dodaqlarını dişləmək

◘ When he saw her in the room he became very angry, but tried
to bite his lips.
◘ I had to bite my lips to prevent myself from laughing [32,
p.147].
be (get) on to behave in a way özünü hər şeyi bilən kimi
your high that shows you think ğöstərmək; lovğalanmaq;
horse you are better than iddia satmaq, təşəxxüslən-
other people mək; meydan sulamaq; at
oynatmaq
Just because you’ve been to university and I haven’t, you think
you can get on your high horse every time we discuss
something. Well, you’re wrong!
a dark unknown; a political candidate hər hansı bir işdə
horse little known to the general az tanınan; məşhur
voting public; a candidate who olmayan; seçkidə az
was not expected to run tanınmış namizəd
Nobody really knows a lot about this team. They are the dark
horse in this World Cup.
wild horses used to say that nothing heç kimin dediyi ilə
wouldn’t would prevent sb from oturub-durmamaq;
drag /make/ doing sth or make them təsir altına düşmə-
English idioms 33

stop, etc. sb do sth they don’t want to mək; öz bildiyi kimi

(do sth) do hərəkət etmək
◘ I don’t know why you go to discos. You can’t have a
conversation and they’re full of smoke and sweaty bodies. Wild
horses couldn’t drag me into one of those places.
◘ Stu, if he really wanted to, wild horse couldn’t have
stopped him [20, p.220].
horse to join in rough teasing; vurnuxmaq; ortalıqda
around play around gəzmək, var-gəl etmək
◘ Stop horsing around. You’re going to break something.
◘ There was a photograph of all of them three Chrismases
before, laughing, their arms around each other, horsing around
while an exasperated photographer had begged them to be
serious for a moment so he could take their picture [20, p.12].
hand the to retire voluntarily könüllü istefa vermək;
reins over sükanı əldən vermək
- So, you’ve decided to take early retirement, Jim?
- Yes, I’ve been manager here for twenty years now, it’s time to
hand the reins over to someone younger.
be/get/ride (informal) to behave in özündən razı olmaq;
your high a way that shows you məc; göylə getmək, gö-
horse think you are better than zü ayağının altını gör-
English idioms 34

other people məmək

I don’t like his manners. He is riding his high horse when he
speaks about his father’s position in society.

♣ FISHING IDIOMS

English in particular is a language which is rich in idioms

associated with fishing.

there’s there are many other çox; itə daş atırsan

plenty people or things that are oğlana (qıza) dəyir;
more fish as good as the one sb has bir kəsin/şeyin çox
in the sea failed to get olması
- He just phoned me and told me he didn’t want to see me
again?
- Oh, don’t worry! There’s plenty more fish in the sea.
fish for to try to make someone tərifi xoşlamaq; tərif
compliments pay a compliment üçün ürəyi getmək
- What do you think of my hair?
- Oh, you are fishing for complements, aren’t you?
let sb to free sb or yourself from bir kəsin/özünün canını
English idioms 35

off the a difficult situation or a qurtarmaq; təhlükədən

hook punishment /cəzadan xilas olmaq,
kiməsə kömək etmək
◘ - This is the first time John’s made a mistake. It was a one-
off.
- Trust him. He’ll be more careful in future. I think we should
let him off the hook.
◘ It was enough for her, if not for him, and she wasn’t going to
let him off the hook that easy [19, p.358].
rise to to react when sb is deliberately bir kəsin fitfa-
the bait trying to make you angry or get sına getmək
you interested in sth
Look, the unions want a strike. If we rise to the bait, we’ll be
playing right into their hands.
cast to consider a lot of axtardığını əldə etmək üçün
your different people, fərqli insanlarla görüşmək,
net activities, possibilities, müxtəlif variantları nəzər-
wider etc. when you are dən keçirmək və s.; tilovu
looking for sth uzağa atmaq
This job is too important to advertise in the local papers. If we
want to attract a top sales manager, we need to cast our net
wider and advertise nationally.
English idioms 36

SECTION TWO
BODY IDIOMS
Bədən üzvləri ilə bağlı olan idiomlar

♣ THE BODY HAS MANY USES

be on your final stages of physical son gunlərini yaşamaq,

last legs weakness before dying; axır günləri olmaq; ya-
the final stage of a rarsız olmaq; səyahətin
journey son mərhələsi
I love my old car, but I’m having more and more problems with
it. I think it’s on its last legs.
come to if you bring a situation to a vəziyyətin/müna-
a head head or if a situation comes to sibətin son həddə
a head, you are forced to deal çatması; ağ etmək;
with it quickly because it kəlləçarxa çıxmaq
suddenly becomes very bad
My boy friend and I have always argued quite a lot, but the
situation came to a head last week. He accused me of lying.
face the to accept that a difficult reallıqla barışmaq; hə-
fact situation exists, although qiqətlə üzləşmək, həqi-
you would prefer not to qəti qəbul etmək
English idioms 37

I’m sorry, but we have to face the fact that we’re not getting
on.
talk when one is absent; without bir kəsin arxasınca
behind one’s knowledge or consent; danışmaq; qeybət
sb’s back in a dishonest way; secretly; etmək
sneakily
I can’t trust you any more. You’ve been talking about me
behind my back.
have an an experienced and highly bir işdə böyük təcrü-
old hand skilled expert at some bəsi olan adam; məc.
particular job qoca qurd
He is an excellent chairman. He’s an old hand at controlling
difficult people.
have/put a to pretend that you feel dözümlü/mətanətli/ira-
brave face confident and happy dəli olmaq; çətinliyə si-
when you don’t nə gərmək
◘ I know Jane is in a lot of pain, but she puts a brave face on
it.
◘ Though he put a brave face on it, Julia felt that he was
deeply mortified [31, p.45].
have a to have a special talent hər hansı bir işdə baca-
good head in a certain area rıqlı/qabiliyyətli olmaq
English idioms 38

◘ Ask Marianne to help you. She’s got a good head.

◘ She has a good sound head and her advice is always worth
taking [33, p.99].
dip your (informal) to start hər hansı bir işi ehtiyatla
toe in/ into doing sth very görmək; ehtiyatı əldən
the water carefully to see if it verməyərək işə başlamaq;
will be successful ilk addımlarını atmaq
or not
It’s the first time I’ve driven a car. I’m dipping my toe in the
water. And I’m anxious.
get on sb’s (informal) to bir kəsin əsəbləri ilə oynamaq;
nerves annoy sb kimisə hirsləndirmək
Stop it! You are getting on my nerves.
to be (slang) too interested in things hər işlə maraqlan-
nosey that don’t concern you, especially maq; burnunu hər
other people’s affairs yerə soxmaq
- Who was that man I saw you with last night?
- Don’t be so nosey! It’s none of your business.
to shoulder to accept the məsuliyyəti üzərinə/boynuna gö-
responsibility türmək, məc. çiynində ağır yük
for sth daşımaq
- She’s not her usual self at the moment. Is there something
English idioms 39

wrong?
- I think it’s pressure of work. She has to shoulder a lot of
responsibility.
get sth off to talk about sth that has dərdini bölüşmək,
your chest been worrying you for a ürəyini boşaltmaq;
long time so that you feel yüngülləşmək
anxious
Talk about it! It might help to get it off your chest.
put your to speak carelessly and ehtiyatsızlıq etmək;
foot in sth rudely; hurt one’s feelings səhv etmək; məc.
without intending to yaraya duz səpmək;
yaranı qanatmaq
- Did you know that Alan and Moira have stopped seeing each
other?
- Yes, I do now, but I put my foot in it yesterday when I asked
when they were getting married.
shoot your (informal) to give ağız dolusu danışmaq;
mouth off opinions without özünü öymək, təriflə-
(about sth) knowing all the facts; mək; özünü hər şeyi
talk as if you know bilən kimi göstərmək
everything
Jim doesn’t play tennis very much, but he’s always shooting
English idioms 40

off his mouth about how good he is.

jump down (informal) to suddenly qəfildən kiməsə hirs-
sb’s throat become very angry at lənmək, danlamaq,
someone; scold severely acıqlanmaq; bir kəsi
or angrily dəng etmək
◘ - Don’t be late. You are to be here at 2:30.
- I know dad. You don’t have to jump down my throat! I
don’t intend to be late.
◘ My mother jumped down my brother’s throat when she
found out that he got a bad mark.
pull sb’s fool bir kəslə məzələnmək; kimisə axmaq/
legs someone gülünc vəziyyətə salmaq, ələ salmaq
◘ - I was invited to take part in this performance.
- Oh, really? Come on, you’re pulling my leg!
◘ - No, honestly. Do you really think that I’m trying to fool you
with a ridiculous story?
- Well, you’ve told me foolish stories before.
- Of course he was skillfully pulling their legs: the dirty dog
[33, p.213].
shake a leg (old-fashioned, informal) to cəld olmaq; tələs-
hurry mək
Hey, you always take such a long time to finish your make-up.
English idioms 41

Come on, shake a leg!

be all (fingers awkward, especially biçimsiz, yöndəmsiz,
and) thumbs with your hands; naqolay olmaq; əlləri
clumsy əsmək
◘ - Hey, Bea. Can you help me out? I don’t seem to be able to
button up the back of my dress.
- Sure. Let us see if I can do it for you.
- I guess I’m all thumbs because I’m so nervous. I’m already
late for my date. Well, I suppose that being so nervous would
make you clumsy and awkward.
◘ She was unreal, like a picture, and yet had an elegance which
made Kitty feel all thumbs [33, p.166].
get off (informal) to stop bir kəsi tənqid etməkdən/
sb’s back criticizing or nagging dəng etməkdən/zəhləsini
someone tökməkdən əl çəkmək
◘ - Come on, let’s go out and do something.
-Sorry, I’m right in the middle of studying for a physics exam.
-You’ve been studying for a long time. Take a break: Come
on! Let’s go! Forget studying for a while!
-Look! Get off my back! I can’t go anywhere!
◘ Get off my back! Açıl başımdan! Əl çək!
be all (informal) to be waiting diqqətlə qulaq asmaq; çox
English idioms 42

ears with interest to hear what maraqlandığı bir məsələni

sb has to say; very eager eşitməyə tələsmək; qulağı
to hear; very attentive bir kəsdə olmaq
Go on! Tell me the gossip. What has happened between them.
I’m all ears!
hear sth by word by being told directly öz qulağı ilə eşit-
of mouth mək
I heard about their wedding by word of mouth. Everyone said
it was good.
poke/stick (informal) to try to başqasının işinə qarış-
your nose become involved in sth maq, müdaxilə etmək;
into sth that doesn’t concern you burnunu hər yerə sox-
maq
Stop poking/sticking your nose into other people’s business!
turn your (informal) to refuse köməkdən imtina etmək;
nose up at sth, especially özünü yekəxana aparmaq;
sth because you don’t hər şeyi özünə yaraşdırma-
think that it is good maq; məc. burnunu dik
enough for you tutmaq
You shouldn’t turn your nose up at 300 pounds a week. It’s
better than nothing.
in the teeth despite baxmayaraq, əksinə, ziddinə
English idioms 43

He achieved it in the teeth of serious opposition.

by the skin of to escape a qəzadan güclə can qurtarmaq;
your teeth disaster möcüzə nəticəsində sağ qalmaq
He escaped disaster by the skin of his teeth.
lying through to tell a bilərəkdən yalan danışmaq;
your teeth deliberate lie gözünün içinə kimi yalan da-
nışmaq
I think he is lying through his teeth. I’ve never said any such
thing!

♣ EYE IDIOMS

with your having enough hər hansı bir işdə böyük

eyes closed/ experience to be able təcrübəsi olmaq; bir işi
shut to do sth easily gözü yumulu edə bilmək
I’ve driven from London to Edinburgh so many times now I
could do it with my eyes closed.
eyes in the ability to know what ehtiyatlı olmaq; hər şey-
back of happens when your dən xəbərdar olmaq; məc.
your head back is turned boynunun ardında da ğö-
zü olmaq
English idioms 44

You need eyes in the back of your head.

in the widely known to many diqqət mərkəzində olan,
public people through tez-tez ictimai tədbirlər-
eye newspapers and də/ekranda görünən, çox
television tanınan
You wouldn’t want to be famous. You live your life in the
public eye.
be up to your to have a lot of çox çalışmaq, məşğul ol-
eyes in sth sth to deal with maq; işi başından aşmaq
Sorry, but I’m afraid I have to cancel lunch. I’m up to eyes in
work at the moment. How about next week?
see eye to to agree fully; zövqləri üst-üstə düşmək, ra-
eye on sth hold exactly the zılaşmaq; hər şeyə eyni gözlə
same opinion baxmaq; ümumi dil tapmaq
I get on very well with my husband. We see eye to eye on most
things.
out of the (informal) without looking bir kəsə nəzərə çarp-
corner of at a person or thing directly madan baxmaq, gizli
your eye or openly; secretly; without baxmaq; ğözucu bax-
being noticed maq/ görmək
◘ I was lying in my bed when I noticed something moving out
of the corner of my eye. I jumped up and turned the light on
English idioms 45

and saw a snake on my blanket.

◘ I look out of the corner of my eye and there he is [16,
p.145].
pull the (informal) to fool bir kəsi aldatmaq; məc.
wool over someone into thinking bir kəsin gözünə kül üfür-
sb’s eyes well of you; deceive mək; kiminsə başına co-
rab hörmək
Don’t try to pretend you’ve been working late in the office. I
rang and they told me you’d left early. You can’t pull the wool
over my eyes.
not bat an eyelid don’t show heç bir reaksiya verməmək;
(used in negative surprise; gözünü qırpmamaq; hisslə-
sentences) fearless rini biruzə verməmək
- They offered you double your salary? What did you do? Fall
off your chair?
- No, I did not bat an eyelid, I looked straight at them and said
it wasn’t enough.
turn a to pretend not ğöz yummaq; fıkır verməmək;
blind eye to see; not pay bir şeyin üstündən keçmək; özü-
attention nü görməməzliyə vurmaq
- He was rather rude to you yesterday, wasn’t he? Have you
spoken to him?
English idioms 46

- No, I decided to turn a blind eye to it. He’s under a lot of

pressure at work.
keep an eye to watch carefully; fikir vermək; nəzarət et-
on not stop paying mək; gözü bir kəsin/şeyin
somebody/ attention to üstündə olmaq; muğayat
something olmaq
- Are you coming with us?
- No, I’ll stay here and keep an eye on our things.
(not be able to) to find sb/sth so çox diqqət yetirmək;
take your eyes interesting, attractive, gözünü bir kəsdən/
off sb/sth etc. that you watch şeydən çəkə bilmə-
them all the time mək; heyran olmaq
- I think Steve rather likes Andrea, don’t you? He spent the
whole evening talking to her and ignoring everyone else.
- You can say that again! He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
run your eye to look at or examine bir şeyə nəzər salmaq,
over sth sth quickly gözdən keçirmək
Leave your report here, I’ll run my eye over it.
raise your (disapproval) to show bir şeyə təəccüblənmək;
eyebrows that you disapprove of insanları şoka salmaq,
(at sth) or are surprised by sth; şübhələndirmək; məət-
(often to shock people; cause təl qoymaq/qalmaq;
English idioms 47

passive) surprise or disapproval məc. qaşlarını qaldır-

maq
◘ I think you should have kept quiet about the baby! It raised a
few eyebrows.
◘ Eyebrows were raised when she informed that she was
going to have a baby.

♣ FACE IDIOMS

do sth till (informal) to try to do sth ciddi-cəhdlə bir şeyə

you are as hard and as long as you nail olmağa çalışmaq;
blue in possibly can but without məc. nəfəsin kəsilənə
the face success; very angry or kimi; gözün kəllənə çı-
upset; excited and very xana kimi
emotional
You can keep asking till you’re blue in the face. I’m not going
to change my mind.
take sth to believe that sth is what it bir şeyi ğöründüyü
at face appears to be, without kimi/olduğu kimi qə-
value questioning; the seeming bul etmək, bir şeyin
worth or truth of sth görünən/zahiri tərəfi
English idioms 48

You can never take what she says at face value.

to sb’s face to say directly sözün düzünü üzə demək;
birbaşa demək
Everybody knows he is a wrong person, but nobody says it to
his face.
fall flat on to fail completely, bir şeyin uğursuz alınması;
your face usually causing biabır olmaq, gülünc vəziy-
embarrassment yətə düşmək
◘ He once fell flat on his face as he was trying to give a major
speech.
◘ His final lecture fell flat on its face.
be written (of a feeling) to be very üzündən görün-
all over obvious to other people from mək, üzünə yazıl-
your face the expression on sb’s face maq
◘ It must have been you. It’s written all over your face.
◘ The magnitude of her loss was written all over her face, …
[21, p.343].
disappear/vanish to disappear yoxa çıxmaq, qeyb olmaq;
off the face of the completely yerin altına girmək
earth
Have you seen my keys? I put them down five minutes ago and
now they’ve disappeared off the face of the earth.
English idioms 49

face the (informal) to go through trouble or danlanmaq;

music danger, especially because of sth you tənqidə tuş
did; accept your punishment gəlmək
◘ - He didn’t back up his computer last night and it crashed
again.
- He’s with the boss at the moment, no doubt facing the music.
◘ “I was thinking that it’s time for you to go back to
Washington and face the music” [19, p.412].
get a long to look sad; kədərli görünmək, qaş-qabağını
face disappointed tökmək; məc. burnunu sallamaq
look
Why have you got such a long face? Has something happened
I don’t know about?
put a face yaxından tanış olmaq; adını eşidib, üzünü
to a name də görmək; bir kəslə əyani tanış olmaq
It’s nice to meet you at last, Mr. Lee. It’s good to be able to put
a face to a name. - Nəhayət ki, sizinlə tanış olduq, Cənab Li.
Adınızı eşitmişdik, üzünüzü də görə bildik (Yüz eşitməkdənsə
bir görmək yaxşıdır).
English idioms 50

♣ FINGERS AND THUMBS IDIOMS

fingers to believe in uğura inanmaq (barmaqları çar-

crossed luck paz bir-birinin üstünə qoymaq və
işin uğurlu alınacağına inanmaq)
- I’ve got my final exam tomorrow.
- Good luck I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
twist (wrap; (informal) to persuade bir kəsi təsir altına
wind) sb round sb to do anything that almaq; barmağına
your little you want dolamaq, fırlatmaq
finger
- Danny and Sane have a strange relationship, she gets her own
way all the time.
- Oh, yes. She can twist him round her little finger.
have to have the information, lazım olan məluma-
something knowledge, etc. that is tın, biliyin əl altında
at your needed in a particular olması; axtardığını
finger-tips situation and be able to find asanlıqla tapmaq və
it easily and use it quickly istifadə etmək
- I see so, you can put all the data onto the computer network.
- That’s right. Then any information you need is at your
finger-tips immediately.
English idioms 51

green a talent for gardening; bağbanlıq qabiliyyəti,

fingers ability to make things grow güllərdən baş çıxarma
- I don’t know what I am doing wrong. My plants are dying.
- Speak to Nina. She’s the one with green fingers.
be under (of a person) obedient qorxaq/arvadağız olmaq;
sb’s to you; controlled by bir kəsin təsiri altında ol-
thumb you; under your power maq; bir kəsə itaət etmək;
qapazaltı olmaq
- I’m going to ask Tony if he wants to come away with us on
the golf weekend.
- He won’t come. His wife won’t let him. He’s totally under
her thumb.
finger on to always be aware of the most məlumatlı olmaq;
the pulse recent developments in a hər şeydən xəbəri
particular situation olmaq
- Does anybody know who the new Personnel manager is going
to be?
- I have no idea. Ask Chris. He’s got his finger on the pulse.
count the used to say that the bir kəsin/şeyin ümumi sa-
fingers of total number of sb yının az olması; barmaq
one hand /sth is very small hesabı saymaq, çox az
◘ - My boy friend took me out to a lovely restaurant last night.
English idioms 52

- Lucky you. I can count the fingers of one hand the number
of times my husband’s taken me out for a meal recently.
◘ I love it here. It’s so peaceful. You can count the number of
cars you see here in a week on the fingers of one hand.

♣ FOOT IDIOMS

think on to think quickly; answer or cəld cavab vermək,

your feet act without waiting; know hazırcavab olmaq;
what to do or say right away gözüyumulu cavab
vermək
People ask you the most unexpected questions in this job. You
really have to think on your feet.
fall/land to get yourself out of trouble vəziyyətdən çıxmaq;
on your without damage or injury and bəxti gətirmək; su-
feet sometimes with a gain; be dan quru çıxmaq
successful no matter what
happens
◘ - Has your sister found a job yet?
- Didn’t I tell you? She’s got a wonderful job in the city
company car, incentives, bonuses, etc. She’s really landed on
English idioms 53

her feet.
◘ No matter what trouble he gets into, he always seems to land
on his feet.
find your to become able to act müstəqil və özünə
feet independently and with inamlı addım atmaq;
confidence şəraitə uyğunlaşmaq
I’ve got a new job. I think it’ll take me a couple of weeks to
find my feet.
drag to be deliberately bir işi/qərarı bilərəkdən
your feet slow in doing sth or uzatmaq; ləng tərpənmək;
(or heels) in making a decision məc. ayaqlarını dartmaq/
sürümək
◘ I’m having my flat decorated at the moment. They’re
supposed to finish it today but they’ve been dragging their
feet so it’ll probably be Friday now.
◘ He had been thinking about doing a book about it, but he’d
been dragging his feet about doing the research [20, p.250].
stand on your to depend on müstəqil həyata atıl-
own feet yourself; do things maq, sərbəst yaşamaq,
(stand on your yourself; earn your müstəqil olmaq; məc.
own two feet) own living; be ayaqları üstə möhkəm
independent dayanmaq
English idioms 54

You can’t live with your parents forever, Victor. You’re

twenty-six. It’s time you were standing on your own two feet.
put your to take a decided qəti addım atmaq; ölçü
foot down stand; be stubborn in götürmək; fikrində/möv-
decision qeyində möhkəm olmaq
◘ I don’t mind my son going to discos and clubs but I had to
put my foot down when he started coming home as late as two
or three in the morning.
◘ Micheal was always there to put his foot down [31, p.147].
get/start off (informal) to start a bir kəslə pis yola
on the wrong relationship badly; make getmək, yola getmə-
foot (with sb) a bad start; begin with a mək; pis başlamaq
mistake
I get on very well with my flat mate now but we got off on the
wrong foot because she used to play her music so loud. It was
fine after we’d talked about it.
be dead very tired but still standing əldən düşmək, yorğun
on your or walking; too tired to do olmaq; məc. ayaq üstə
feet more; exhausted ölmək/güclə dayanmaq
I worked for thirteen hours yesterday. I was dead on my feet
when I got home.
be rushed/ to be extremely busy; çox məşğul olmaq; işi
English idioms 55

run off to have too many başından aşmaq; başını

your feet things to do qaşımağa vaxtı olmamaq
- Have you had a busy day? You look exhausted.
- Yes, it was the first day of the sale. We were rushed off our
feet.
set foot in/ on to step, walk, go; to getmək/ baş çək-
sth (used with enter or visit a place mək; ayaq basmaq
negative)
- So, you had a good time in the village, then?
- Yes, but I hope I never set foot in that place again. There is
lots of rain there.
keep your feet an understanding nə etdiyini bilmək; ağlı
on the ground of what can be başında olmaq; ağlını itir-
(used with a done; sensible məmək; yolunu azma-
possessive) ideas maq; məc. ayaq üstə möh-
kəm durmaq
- It’s my first job, and they are giving me a company car! And
the salary is twice what I expected. What do you think of that,
then?
- Just keep your feet on the ground, son! That’s all I can say!
English idioms 56

♣ HAND IDIOMS

live from to live on little money and qənaət edə bilməmək;

hand to spend it as fast as it comes büdcədən yemək; güc-
mouth in; live without saving for lə dolanmaq
the future
◘ People who live from hand to mouth never save for
tomorrow.
◘ These days are the hardest days of my life. We are just living
from hand to mouth. We aren’t able to save anything, but we
manage.
have your to be very busy with işi başından aşmaq; başını
hands full lots to do qaşımağa vaxtı olmamaq
◘ If you have got your hands full, you are very busy with lots
to do.
◘ - I wonder if you can help me about the house. I don’t feel
well nowadays.
- Normally I would, but I have got my hands full these days.
My mother is in bed and I have to look after her.
get out of out of control nəyisə əldən vermək, vəziyyətə
hand nəzarət edə bilməmək
◘ If things get out of hand, they get out of control.
English idioms 57

◘ - Come on, there is a fight between Farid and Anar.

- Don’t worry. I’ll call the police if things get out of hand.
have a it means that hər işdə əli olmaq; işlərin öhdə-
big you’ve had a lot of sindən gəlmək; rəhbərlik etmək;
hand influence over sth böyük əməyi/zəhməti olmaq
- Thank you for organizing such an excellent meeting.
- Thanks you, but don’t forget Maria. She had a big hand in all
the planning as well.
turn your hand it means you are able əlini hər işə atmaq;
to something to everything hər işi bacarmaq
He can turn his hand to almost anything; sport, painting,
music. He’s good at everything.
fall into sb’s right to be gained by sb yaxşı əllərə düşmək
hands
It is a good thing my papers have fallen into the right hands.
fall into wrong (formal) to become pis əllərə düşmək
hands controlled by sb
This report is strictly confidential. If it fell into the wrong
hands we would all be in serious trouble.
(not) the right sağ əl, sol əlin nə iş gördüyünü bilmir;
hand knows sağın soldan xəbəri yoxdur
The problem with this company is communication. Half the
English idioms 58

time the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.
take your to deal with a particular işləri öz əlinə/öh-
own hands situation because you are not dəsinə/himayəsi-
happy with the way the others nə götürmək
are dealing with
I don’t care if you know who did this to your car, you shouldn’t
deal with it yourself. Call the police. You can’t take the law
into your own hands.
change to change or transfer əldən-ələ keçmək, başqasının
hands ownership əlinə keçmək; satılmaq
- Let’s go to the Greek restaurant we went to last year. It was
nice.
- It’s a Chinese restaurant now. It changed hands last
September.
out of if you reject, etc. sth out of oxumadan/müzakirə et-
hand hand, you do so immediately mədən bir şeyə etiraz
without thinking about it etmək; bir şeyin üzünə
fully or listening to other baxmadan qaytarmaq,
people’s arguments əldən qaytarmaq
My boss rejected my report out of hand.
have time on your to have time to spare boş vaxtı olmaq
hands
English idioms 59

- We’re repairing the house at the moment, it’s taking ages.

- Don’t worry. I can give you a hand. I’ve got a bit of time on
my hands.
get your to read everything and əlinə keçəni oxumaq
hands on anything
- I wonder how you have got the information. You can answer
nearly everything what you are asked about.
- I read very widely. In fact, I read everything I can get my
hands on.
give sb a hand to give a hand; make bir kəsə kömək
(or lend a hand) yourself useful; help etmək/əl tutmaq
Your luggage looks heavy. Let me give you a hand.

♣ HEAD IDIOMS

have your far from real life; to have real həyatdan uzaq;
head in the ideas, plans, etc. that are göylərdə uçmaq; xə-
clouds not realistic yala qapılmaq
He is typical teenager. No sense of responsibility. He thinks
he’ll walk into a job. I know he has got his head in the clouds
most of the time.
English idioms 60

make head or tail of to see the why of; başa düşmək/

(used in negative, finding a meaning baş açmaq; bir
conditional, and in; understand şeyin səbəbini
interrogative sentences) anlamaq
- I’ve read the instruction booklet, but I couldn’t understand it.
- I’ve looked at it too, and can’t make head or tail of it, either.
do something (informal) to be able to do bir işi çox asanlıq-
standing on sth very easily and la etmək; gözü yu-
your head without having to think too mulu edə bilmək
much
- Is it difficult to make a home page or a website?
- Not really. I’ve done so many now I could do it standing on
my head.
be head and to be much digərlərindən fərqlənmək,
shoulders better than other fərqli olmaq, başqa insan-
above sb/sth people or things lardan/şeylərdən çox üstün
olmaq; başbilən olmaq
He is still top of the family. He is head and shoulders above
the rest, as always.
put/lay your to risk losing your hərəkətləri/danışığı ilə
head/neck job, damaging your özünü (işini) təhlükə al-
on the block reputation, etc. by tında qoymaq; başını
English idioms 61

doing or saying sth cəncələ/bəlaya salmaq

- Sorry about the mistakes, but none of them was very serious.
- That’s easy for you to say, but it’s my head that’s on the
block, not yours!
go right not understandable; beyond başa düşülməyən,
over your your ability to understand; başına batmayan,
head too hard or strange for you to ağlı bir şey kəsmə-
understand mək
I listened to this problem of yours but it went right over my
head. Nonsense!
keep your to remain solvent; çulunu sudan çıxarmaq; güc
head above manage to stay -bəla ilə dolanmaq, birtəhər
water out of debt dolanmaq; borca düşməmək
The first two years of running this business were very hard. We
just about managed to keep our heads above water.
need (to have) (informal) dəli olmaq; məc. ağlına dua yaz-
your head to be crazy dırmaq; ağlı çaşmaq; başını hə-
examined kimə yoxlatmaq/göstərmək
If you think I’m going to lend you money again, you need your
head examined.
bury/hide to refuse to admit təkidlə real faktları nəzərə al-
your head that a problem madan boyun qaçırmaq; məc.
English idioms 62

in the exists or refuse to başını kola soxmaq; başının

sand deal with it altına yastıq qoymaq
This is a problem we have to face. We can’t bury our heads in
the sand and hope it will go away.
put to cooperate with bir yerə yığılıb məsləhət-
heads someone else in order ləşmək, bir yerdə müzaki-
together to find the solution to a rə etmək; məc. külüngü
given problem bir yerə vurmaq
I’m sure we can find a solution to this problem if we all put our
heads together.

♣ HEART IDIOMS

The heart has always been seen as one of the most

important organs in the body, perhaps the most important.

close/dear/ having a lot of bir kəsin qəlbinə yaxın olmaq,

near to importance and bir kəslə/şeylə maraqlanmaq,
your heart interest for sb marağına uyğun olmaq; nəyə
görəsə narahat olmaq
You know, this problem has always been close to my heart.
English idioms 63

have a a kind, generous, or saf qəlbli olmaq, xeyirxah ol-

heart of forgiving nature maq, qızıl kimi qəlbi olmaq
gold
◘ - My mother is a great help to us. And she does so much for
her neighbours as well.
- Yes, people are always saying she’s got a heart of gold.
◘ They shared most of the same views, she had a heart of
gold, ... [18, p.51].
have a heart a nature without zalım, qəddar, daşürəkli
of stone pity olmaq
◘ He has a heart of stone. He often hits his wife. ◘ My mother
has a mind like a whip, and a heart of stone [41, p.136].
heart used to say that you are bir şeyə aludə olmaq/ürə-
is (not) (not) very interested in yini qoymaq; bir şeyə istə-
in sth or enthusiastic about sth yi/həvəsi olmaq (olma-
maq); maraqlanmaq
- I’ve decided to give up my piano lessons. I just don’t seem to
be getting anywhere.
- Well, there’s no point continuing if your heart is not in it.
in your heart deep down where it really qəlbinin də-
of hearts matters; in one’s innermost rinliyində
feelings
English idioms 64

◘ - The job in America came to nothing. Are you disappointed?

- Not really. In my heart of hearts, I didn’t really want to
leave Britain.
◘ And she prayed daily that He would let her keep her father,
but in her heart of hearts, she knew that wasn’t going to
happen [19, p.95].
have a if you have a change of heart, niyyətini/məq-
change your attitude towards sth changes sədini/məramını
of heart usually making you feel more dəyişmək
friendly, helpful, etc
- Why are Tom and Julia going back to Australia? I thought
they were going to stay for another six months.
- That’s the plan but they’ve had a change of heart. They’re
homesick.
a man/woman a man/woman who eyni şeyləri xoşlayan,
after your likes the same things eyni fikirdə olan, ar-
own heart or has the same zuları üst-üstə düşən
opinions as you insanlar
◘ - I like most sports really - - Mən idmanı sevirəm,
especially rugby. xüsusilə reqbini.
- Oh, a man after my own - Əsl mənim adamımsan.
heart. I really love rugby! Mən də reqbini sevirəm.
English idioms 65

◘ He had an idea that everybody in the room was a man after

his own heart, that everything was glorious, everything was
perfect [22, p.27].
have heart- speaking freely and dərdləşmək; səmimi
to-heart seriously about söhbət etmək; ürəyini
about sth something private bir-birinə açmaq
- Where’s Lisa? She’s not at her desk.
- She’s in David’s office. They’re having a heart-to-heart
about her future.
break sb’s to make sb feel bir kəsi məyus etmək, kədər-
heart very unhappy or ləndirmək; bir kəsin qəlbini
hopeless sındırmaq/parçalamaq
◘ My car has finally come to the end of its life. I’ve had it for
20 years. It’ll break my heart to say good- bye to it.
◘ “Have you broken my heart and ruined my whole life just
to keep me in your rotten theatre?” [31, p. 43].
not have to be unable to do sth because you ürəyi gəlmə-
the heart know that it will make sb feel sad mək; cürət et-
(to do sth) or upset; not be insensitive or məmək
cruel
◘ Simon asked if he could play the piano at the wedding. I
know he’s not very good but I didn’t have the heart to say no.
English idioms 66

◘ Crystal was tired, but she didn’t have the heart to refuse her
[19, p.169].
heart sink to lose hope, courage, ümidini, cəsarətini itir-
or eagerness; be very mək; kədərlənmək; məc.
disappointed ürəyi düşmək
◘ My heart sank when I saw how much washing up there was
in the kitchen.
◘ Her heart sank because she knew she had lost something …
[31, p.50].
English idioms 67

SECTION THREE
CLOTHES IDIOMS
Geyimlə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

♣ CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN AND THE WOMAN

fit like a to fit yaraşmaq; əyninə oturmaq; üstünə

glove perfectly biçilmək, ölçüsünə uyğun olmaq
This coat fits you like a glove.
get/have/ to keep a plan or an idea gizli bir fikri və yaxud
keep sth secret; kept secrectly planı olmaq; ehtiyatda
up your ready for the right time (boxçada) bir şey saxla-
sleeve or for a time when maq; ehtiyatlı olmaq;
needed hər şeyi öz vaxtında is-
tifadə etmək
◘ It’s my sister’s birthday tomorrow, but I haven’t bought or
planned anything yet, mother calms me because she always has
got something up her sleeve.
◘ I think you are keeping something up your sleeve. What’s
it? Come on. Tell me, I’m all ears.
be in sb’s in or into bir kəslə eyni vəziyyətdə olmaq; özü-
shoes one’s place nü kiminsə yerinə qoymaq, başqası-
English idioms 68

(boots) or position nın vəziyyətini başa düşmək

◘ The director asked Kate to break the news to the people who
are losing their jobs. Poor Kate. I wouldn’t like to be in her
shoes.
◘ You know, it’s a very good plan to put yourself in
somebody else’s shoes and ask yourself how you would act in
his place [33, p.56].
on a (informal) using çox az pul istifadə etmək/
shoestring very little money; xərcləmək, az məbləğ pul ilə
with little money to işə başlamaq; bir işi özünü
spend; on a very sıxaraq (pul barədə) görmək
low budget
- We just can’t compete with bigger companies.
- I know. We have to do everything on a shoestring.
get your to become angry, bərk əsəbiləşmək, acıqlan-
knickers confused or upset maq, özündən çıxmaq; məc.
in a twist tumanını başına çevirmək
- The dinner is not ready. I still haven’t washed my hair. The
place is mess, What am I going to do?
- Just calm down! Don’t get your knickers in a twist.
tighten to live on less money than qənaət etmək (pula,
your belt usual; use less food and yeməyə); məc. özünü
English idioms 69

other things sıxmaq

◘ People are having to tighten their belt just to survive till
better times return.
◘ When my husband lost his job we had to tighten our belts.
fill sb’s to take the place of another bir kəsin vəzifəsini
shoes and do as well; to substitute (vakansiyasını) tut-
satisfactorily for maq; bir kəsin yerini
tutmaq
She is going to a new job in New York. We are going to miss
her. It won’t be easy to find someone to fill her shoes.
pull your to try to do better, qolunu çırmayıb işə giriş-
socks up either in terms of one’s mək/başlamaq; işi daha
behaviour or at a task yaxşı görmək üçün ciddi-
one is performing cəhdlə çalışmaq
You are going to fail this course unless you pull your socks up.
wear the (often disapproving) evin kişisi olmaq (qa-
trousers (especially of a woman) to dın haq.); kişini (ərini)
(pants) have a man’s authority; be qapazaltı etmək; evdə
the boss of a family or hökmranlıq etmək
household
She’s the one who wears the trousers in their house.
talk to say something without cəfəngiyyat danış-
English idioms 70

through knowing or understanding maq; ağlına gələni

your hat the facts; talk foolishly or danışmaq, sayıqla-
ignorantly maq
Don’t listen to what he’s saying. He’s talking through his hat.
a wet (informal, disapproving) darıxdırıcı adam; öz hə-
blanket a person or thing that rəkətləri ilə başqaları-
keeps others from nın sevincini/kefini və s.
enjoying life; dull or pozan adam; başqasının
boring person kefinə soğan doğrayan
◘ James was not invited to go on the outing with the rest of the
group because he’s such a wet blanket. On many previous
occasions he has kept others from enjoying themselves by his
pessimism and lack of enthusiasm. It’s understandable that no
one wants him around.
◘ He danced rottenly, he was a wet blanket at a party [33,
p.50].
keep under keep sth a secret bir şeyi sirr/gizli saxlamaq;
your hat tell nobody heç kimə heç nə deməmək
Although the contestants were more anxious to know who won
the prizes in the piano competition, the judges kept the results
under their hats. They kept the results a secret so that the
formal announcements could be made in public at the awards
English idioms 71

ceremony.
dressed wear your finest ziyafət paltarını geyinmək, ən
to kill clothing yaxşı/ağlı başdan alan paltarını
geyinmək
The reception for the new Swedish ambassador at the
Lennison’s was quite lavish. Naturally, everybody was dressed
to kill. Everyone was dressed in their finest, most elegant
clothes.
blow/knock (informal) to surprise or bir kəsi təəccüblən-
sb’s socks impress sb very much; dirmək, şoka sal-
off enthuse and excite maq, çaşdırmaq
- Hi, John. What’s new?
- Oh, nothing too much with me, but you ought to see
Alfriedo’s new car. It’ll knock your socks off!
- So, he finally got that Italian sports car he’s been dreaming.
lose your lose a great deal of var-yoxdan çıxmaq; çox pul
shirt money itirmək
- I happened to bump into Doug at lunch yesterday afternoon.
- What’s new with Doug these days?
- He wasn’t doing so well. For one thing, he told me he lost his
shirt at the races.
- He has always liked to bet on the horses. I’m not surprised
English idioms 72

that he lost great deal of money.

in (informal) laughing so qəşş etmək; gülməkdən
stitches hard that the sides ache; ürəyi getmək; qarnını
laughing very hard tutana qədər gülmək
Danny was hilarious at the party the other night. He had us all
in stitches! I didn’t realize that he was such a comedian.
dressed to dressed elegantly dəbdəbəli geyinmək; sə-
the teeth liqəli, eleqant geyinmək
- Did you see Hilda at the party last night?
- Yes, I did. She was really dressed to the teeth!
- Well, she had on her finest, most elegant clothing because she
was out to make a good impression on Bill.
English idioms 73

SECTION FOUR
COLOUR IDIOMS
Rəng adları ilə işlənən idiomlar

♣ BLACK/WHITE

a white an innocent social excuse; not serious yüngül yalan;

lie and sometimes saves embarrasement qərəzsiz yalan
- I think you didn’t like Anar’s new picture. Am I right?
- Yes, you’re right, I didn’t want to upset him so I told him a
white lie.
be/look as (at the skin) pale because solğun/xəstə görün-
white as a of emotion or illness mək; rəngi solğun;
sheet kağiz kimi ağ olmaq
- I don’t feel very well. I’d better go to bed.
- Yes, go and lie. You look as white as a sheet.
a white unwanted property, such as real artıq yük; lazım-
elephant estate, that is hard to sell sız (əşya, mülk)
◘ I should never have bought this piano. My children never
play on it. It just takes up space. It’s a bit of a while elephant.
Let’s sell it.
◘ … his truly English pragmatism, couldn’t help feeling that
English idioms 74

Micheal would be well rid of a white elephant [27, p.66].

a black look an angry one hirsli/qəzəbli/kinli baxış
My father didn’t say a word to me as I came home late
yesterday. He only gave me a black look. It was enough for
me.
a black spot a dangerous road or təhlükəli yol/yer; ölüm
corner nöqtəsi
Be careful driving along here. It’s a real black spot. Three
people were killed in an accident only last week.
a black picture a depressing one qəmgin/kədərli mənzərə
◘ Things are bad, I’m afraid. We might have leave 50 workers
this year and some of the others next year. Sorry to paint such a
black picture, but that’s the reality.
◘ He painted such a black picture and he was so sorry for
himself that his father had to laugh with gentle humor [19,
p.324].
a black unofficial and qeyri-qanuni yolla qazanılan
economy illegal var-dövlət; qara iqtisadiyyat
Every country has a black economy, but I think it is bigger in
our country than others.
the blackest a day of great bir kəsin həyatının ən pis
day of one’s unhappiness; a günü; ən qara/kədərli gün
English idioms 75

life disaster
When I heard his death I became frightened. It was the
blackest day of my life.
in black in print or in writing; yazılı formada, çap
and white words on paper, not spoken olunmuş formada;
kağız üzərində
- Good news, Andy. I’ve just heard we’re finally getting that
pay rise we were promised-starting from next month.
- I’ll believe it when I see it in black and white.
black or white without milk; südsüz və ya südlə olan
(of tea or coffee) with milk added çay/kofe
- Can I have a coffee, please?
- Certainly. Black or white?
- Black, please.

♣ RED/BLUE

once in a very rarely; very ayda/ildə bir dəfə, az-az,

blue moon seldom; almost never nadir hallarda
I’ve a lot of work to do. I don’t have any time for
entertainment. I even meet my close friends once in a blue
English idioms 76

moon.
give a sign of special bir kəsi yaxşı qarşılamaq,
someone a welcome or üzünə xoş baxmaq; ayağının
red carpet attention for an altına xalça döşəmək; ayağı-
treatment important visitor nın altında qurban kəsmək
When we receive foreign presidents at the airport we give them
the red carpet treatment.
paint the to go out to drink yaxşı vaxt keçirmək; bir şeyi
town red and have a good geniş şəkildə qeyd etmək; sə-
time; celebrate hərə kimi gəzib-dolaşmaq; içki
wildly; carouse məclisi düzəltmək, eyş-işrətlə
məşğul olmaq
After my birthday party, I and my friends didn’t stay at home.
We painted the town red.
do sth till you (informal) to try to do sth as nəfəsin kəsilə-
are blue in hard and as long as you nə kimi/gözün
the face possibly can but without kəllənə çıxana
success; very angry or upset; qədər çalışmaq
excited and very emotional
Look, you’ve asked me fifty times already and you can keep
asking until you’re blue in the face, but the answer is still
“No”.
English idioms 77

blue to be caught cinayət üstündə yaxalanmaq; oğur-

handed while stealing luq malı kiminsə əlində tutmaq
- I’m sure that Robert stole my money.
- How can you be sure of that? Did you see it?
- One of my friends saw it. He was caught blue-handed.
blue-eyed (informal, often disapproving) bir kəsin sevimlisi
boy a person treated with special olan adam; bir
favour by sb kəsin əziz-xələfi
- My brother is the director’s favourite worker. He never hurts
him. Generally, all are nice to him at work.
- Oh, yes. I know him. He can do no wrong. He is the blue-
eyed man.
blue movies an obscene or pornographic pornoqrafiya
film/movie, etc filmi
- Will you watch this new late-night cinema?
- No, thanks. I heard that they show blue movies. I’m not
interested in them.
a red rag to a an extraordinarily bir kəsi özündən çıxar-
bull (like powerful irritant that maq/cırnatmaq; dəliyə
waving a red provokes violent döndərmək; məc. cin
flag in front reaction atına mindirmək
of a bull)
English idioms 78

I become quite aggressive when my parents speak about their

jobs at the dinner table. It’s like a red rag to a bull.
a bolt something sudden and qəflətən, gözlənilmə-
from/out unexpected; an event that dən baş verən hadisə;
of the you did not see coming; a şok hadisə; yaxşı və
blue/sky great and unpleasant ya xoş olmayan sür-
surprise; shock priz/xəbər
◘ - Didn’t you know about your promotion?
- Of course, not. Totally unexpected. It was like a bolt out of
the blue.
◘ “I always get the feeling you’re waiting for bolts of
lightning to come down from the sky before you decide it’s
right” [19, p.177].
be in the (informal) in an əli aşağı olmaq (pul barədə);
red unprofitable way; so zərərdə olmaq, çox pul itir-
as to lose money mək
- What’s the matter with you? You look worried? Is everything
OK?
- Not really. I’m in the red again. I’m having real money
problems.
a red-letter a holiday; memorable unudulmaz/yadda qalan
day day (usually printed in gün; bayram günləri
English idioms 79

red on calendars) (təqvimdə qırmızı ilə

göstərilmiş günlər)
- Did you pass your final exam?
- Oh, I passed it two days ago. It was really difficult. The day I
passed was a red-letter day for me. I remember it like it was
yesterday.
see red (informal) to become acıqlanmaq, hövsələdən çıx-
very angry maq; məc. cin atına minmək;
ağlını itirmək, dəliyə dönmək
◘ My friend accused me of lying. Can you believe it? I just saw
red and started shouting at her.
◘ Whenever anyone teased my sister about her weight, she saw
red.
English idioms 80

SECTION FIVE
PEOPLE’S FEELINGS IN PARTICULAR SITUATIONS
Müxtəlif vəziyyətlərdə insan hisslərini əks etdirən idiomlar

♣ WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

a lemon (informal) a thing that is useless bir şeyin qüsurlu

because it doesn’t work as it /xarab olması
should; something defective
◘ - Have you seen Joanne’s new car yet?
- Yeah. It looks good, but she’s had nothing but problems with
it.
- That’s too bad. It sounds like she got a real lemon.
- She sure did! No sooner did she drive it home from the
dealer’s than it proved defective and started breaking down.
◘ “Mother, our fridge is a lemon,” my sister bitterly
complained.
out of the woods out of danger təhlükəsiz, təhlükədən uzaq
Although Eric was well on his way to recovering from his bout
with pneumonia, he was still not out of the woods.
get up on the to be bad-tempered for xüsusi səbəb olmadan
wrong side of the whole day for no bütün günü kefsiz ol-
English idioms 81

the bed particular reason; to maq, yuxudan oya-

wake with a bad temper nandan kefsiz/qaşqa-
baqlı olmaq
- What’s the matter with Bernard today? He started shouting
from the moment he stepped into the office.
- I don’t know. He usually doesn’t act that way at all. I guess he
got up on the wrong side of the bed.
out on a limb (informal) in a təhlükəli/riskli vəziyyətə
risky position düşmək; işə düşmək
The members of the committee realized that their position
against expanding the student aid program was an unpopular
one, and that they were going out on a limb by voting against
the program.
what’s eating (informal) used bir kəsin narahatçılığının,
her, etc.? to ask what sb is əsəbiliyinin səbəbini so-
annoyed or ruşmaq; onun qəlbini di-
worred about dən nədir?
◘ - Hey, Alice. What’s been eating you lately? Don’t you
realize how rude and irritable you’ve become?
- I know. I’m really sorry for the way I’ve been acting.
- Well, why don’t you tell me what has been bothering and
upsetting you and maybe we can work your problem out
English idioms 82

together.
◘ “What’s eating you?” [19, p.215].
get the ax (informal) be torbası qoltuğuna verilmək;
dismissed, fired işdə/imtahanda və s. fırıldaq-
from a job çılıq etdiyinə görə qovulmaq
◘ - I feel sorry for Richard. He was feeling quite depressed when
I ran into him.
- Did he tell you what was bothering him?
- Among other things he informed me that he got the ax at
work.
- That’s strange. He’s always been a conscientious worker.
◘ One of the students got caught cheating on his final exam and
he got the ax by our dean Naila. ◘ Joe got the ax from Bessy.
They won’t see each other again.
be in a (informal) in debt; in borclu olmaq; borca düşmək;
hole a difficult situation çətin vəziyyətdə olmaq
◘ Unfortunately, Peter had to sell his neighborhood hard-ware
store. Because of competition from the bigger stores in the
shopping center, he was going in the hole every month.
◘ It seemed only natural to help you when you were in a hole
[31, p.145].
bite the (informal) endure in a çətin/ağrılı vəziyyətə döz-
English idioms 83

bullet difficult situation mək

- We really had a frightening experience when we went hunting
last month.
- What happened?
- We got lost in the wilderness and had to bite the bullet until
help arrived.
blow it fail at sth kəsilmək (imtahandan), şansını əldən
vermək
◘ - How did you do on the history exam?
- I think I blew it! There was a section on the Civil War, and
that’s the chapter in the book that I studied the least.
◘ That English test was so easy. I can’t understand how I could
have blown it.
be at the end to feel that you cannot mübarizə aparmağa
of your rope deal with a difficult gücü qalmamaq, bez-
(end of your situation any more mək/yorulmaq/əldən
tether) because you are too düşmək, bir kəsin
tired, worried, etc; at səbrinin tükənməsi;
the limit of one’s ability səbr kasasının daş-
to rope ması
◘ The Jone’s housekeeper was completely useless! Poor Mrs.
Jones felt that she was at the end of her rope when she walked
English idioms 84

into the house and saw the children crying and unfed, dirty
dishes in the sink, and clothes strewn all over the place.
◘ My brother was out of work and broke, and he was at the end
of his rope.
be on your sick and failing; miskin/xəstə/ümidsiz vəziyyət-
last legs the final stage of də olmaq; son günlərini yaşa-
a journey maq; səyahətin son mərhələsi
◘ - Poor Mike. He was one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever
known, but when I saw him the other day he looked like he was
on his last legs.
- Yeah. He hardly plays any more.
- What made him give up his music?
- Apparently he lost confidence in himself at some point in his
career, and he’s been sick and failing ever since.
◘ The last leg of our journey was from London to Madrid.
hot under (informal) hirsindən boğulmaq; son dərəcə
the collar extremely əsəbi olmaq; məc. hirsindən çırt-
angree ma vursan qanı damar
- Did you see how Bill came in to work this morning?
- Did I ever! Boy, was he hot under the collar!
- What brought that on?
- He said that he was extremely angry because he got stuck in
English idioms 85

slow-moving traffic and arrived late for an important business

meeting.
be on the (informal) in danger of bir şeyi itirmək təhlükə-
line being lost sində olmaq
Lately Tom’s been more conscientious about the accuracy and
quality of his work with the company. He was warned that his
job was on the line because of his lack of concern for his duties.

♣ WHEN THINGS GO WELL

for a song (informal) for very little ucuz; çox az pula; su

money; very cheaply qiymətinə
- Sara, I picked up the perfect chair for the living room the
other day.
-That’s wonderful. I know you’ve been looking for some time.
Where did you finally come across what you wanted?
- I was really quite lucky. I got it for a song at a little furniture
store. I was able to buy it for very little money because the
owners of the store were right in the middle of their spring
liquidation sale.
have the be successful çox xoşbəxt olmaq; özünü
English idioms 86

world by the and happy dünyanın yiyəsi hiss etmək

tail
Mark finished school at the top of his class and he was offered
an excellent position with an accounting firm. Now he feels
that he has the world by the tail. Everything has been working
out for him lately, and it’s no wonder that he’s feeling so
successful and happy.
feel like a feel özünü təzə anadan olmuş uşaq
million wonderful kimi hiss etmək; özünü əla hiss
dollars etmək
- I bumped into Nick at the barbershop yesterday. He looked
great, but I noticed that he had a slight limp when he walked.
- I guess you didn’t know that he had an operation on his knee.
- No, I didn’t. How’s he feeling?
- He says he’s feeling like a million dollars now. Apparently,
the pain in his knee is all gone.
kick up (informal) to be rahat nəfəs almaq; vaxtını
your heels relaxed and şən keçirmək; sevincdən gö-
enjoy yourself; yə uçmaq; bir şeyi qeyd
celebrate etmək
The prerequisites for admission to the Theater Arts School are
quite demanding, and those students who were finally accepted
English idioms 87

had reason to kick up their heels. It was natural that those who
made it through the exams and interviews would want to
celebrate the occasion by going out and having a good time.

♣ PEOPLE DO THE STRANGEST THINGS

bite the (informal) to fail, uğursuzluqla üzləşmək, məğ-

dust or to be defeated lub edilmək, dağıdılmaq; dö-
or destroyed yüşdə öldürülmək
◘ Andy did exceptionally well in all of the track events, but he
bit the dust in the high jump competition. Much to the
disappointment of his fans, he went down in defeat, losing to a
competitor from the visiting team.
◘ Captain Jones discharged his gun and another guerrilla bit
the dust.
bend over try very hard dəridən-qabıqdan çıxmaq; çox
backwards çalışmaq, əlləşmək; bir kəsə
kömək etməyə çalışmaq
When Joan first started teaching she was afraid that she would
have a lot of trouble getting used to the kids and to the faculty.
Her tears turned out to be unfounded, since everybody bent
English idioms 88

over backwards to help her. Everyone tried very hard to help

her feel comfortable and adjust to the school.
cough sth (informal) give sth könülsüz vermək (pulu),
up unwillingly (especially boğazından kəsmək (pu-
money) lu)
- Say, Greg. Did you finally get that computer that you wanted
so much?
- Not yet. I needed to raise a couple of hundred dollars more.
- Is it going to take you a while to raise the money?
- It would have taken me forever, but dad said he’d cough up
the money I need since I’m going to be using the computer for
my school work.
jump the gun to be hasty hövsələsizlik etmək, tələsmək
Denise was planning on telling her grandparents that the doctor
said she was going to have twins, but when her dad found out
he jumped the gun and told them before Denise could say a
word. He was so excited that he became hasty and revealed the
news before Denise had a chance to tell them.
scratch return a favour; to do bir kəsə etdiyi yaxşı-
sb’s back sth kind and helpful for lığın əvəzini görmək;
someone or to flatter yaxşılığın əvəzini qay-
him in the hope that he tarmaq; əl-əli yuyar,
English idioms 89

will do sth for you əl də üzü

- Hey, Bea. I need some help stacking these boxes. Would you
please give me a hand?
- Ok, and I need some help tidying up the house. How about
your helping me out after that?
- Ok. If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
hit the become very çox əsəbiləşmək; hirsindən divara
ceiling angry dırmaşmaq; məc. başını divara
vurmaq
Don’s father hit the ceiling when he was informed that his son
had been detained by the police for disorderly conduct.
turn disgust bir kəsdə ikrah/nifrət oyatmaq;
someone off someone kimisə özündən iyrəndirmək
- How was your date with Marty last night?
- Well, it started Ok, but he really turned me off when we went
for a snack after the movies.
- Did he say or do something to annoy you?
- Frankly, he disgusted me when he tried to talk with his
mouthful.
go fly a (informal) go “uç”; get saqqızını çeynə; çıx
(your) kite away get; açıl başımdan
For the past three hours Jerry had been trying to convince
English idioms 90

Linda to go to the art exhibition with him. She had been

refusing all along and finally in desperation she told him, “Go
fly a kite!” Jerry didn’t like to be told to go away in such a
forceful manner. Nevertheless, he finally stopped trying to get
Linda to attend the exhibition.
kick the (informal) (humorous) ölmək; o dünyaya getmək
bucket to die
It’s been said that the old man knew a buried treasure, but he
kicked the bucket before telling anyone where it was.
raise a protest bir şeyə kəskin etiraz etmək; tufan
stink strongly qoparmaq; aləmi bir-birinə qatmaq
Listen! Don’t try to use any of your sister’s clothes without
asking her first. She’s reliable to raise a stink if she finds
something missing.

♣ SUPRISES

out of the blue without any warning; by qəfildən, qəflətən,

surprise; unexpectedly gözlənilmədən
My father has just arrived from London, completely out of the
blue. It was a lovely surprise.
English idioms 91

the shock of to be surprised; to matı-qutu qurumaq; təəc-

your life fill with surprised cubdən ağzı açıq qalmaq;
disgust, horror şoka düşmək
- Didn’t she phone to say she was coming?
- No, there was a knock at the door and there she was with her
suitcase. I got the shock of my life.
you’ve got (informal) used to tell sb nəticə çıxarmağa tə-
another that they are wrong about ləsmək; bütün plan-
think sth and must change their ları alt-üst etmək,
coming plans and opinions aləmi qarışdırmaq
- He says he’s taking next Monday off. He wants to go skiing on
Scotland.
- Well he hasn’t asked me about it. If he thinks he can take a day
off without checking first, he’s got another think coming.
pull the rug (informal) to withdraw gözləmədiyi halda zər-
from under support unexpectedly bə almaq; məc. bir kə-
sb’s feet from; to spoil the plans sin ayağının altından
of yerin qaçması
My boss started to criticize my work, which really pulled the
rug from under my feet.
take to appear in front of someone qəfildən/gözlənil-
somebody suddenly or to suddenly mədən peyda ol-
English idioms 92

by surprise discover him before he maq; gözlənilməz

discovers you; appear before hadisə ilə üzləş-
(someone) unexpectedly mək/çaş-baş qal-
maq
- Congratulations on your promotion, Pat! Were you expecting
it?
- Not at all. It took me completely by surprise.
come back (informal) to return, or to make bir kəsi xəyal-
to earth sb return, to a normal way of dan ayıltmaq;
with a thinking or behaving after a time göylərdən yerə
bump when they’ve been very excited, endirmək
not very practical, etc
My brother had a great time on holiday last month. He came
back to earth with a bump though. When he got home, he
found his flat had been broken into.
a blessing some unexpected good that hər pis işin içində/
in disguise came about as the result of sonunda bir xeyir
something bad or undesirable var, hər şeydə bir
xeyir var
- I heard you lost your job last month. That was a shock, wasn’t
it?
- Actually, it was a blessing in disguise. I have found
English idioms 93

something much better.

harder than one to get more in a gözlədiyindən da-
bargains for pejorative sense than ha ağır/ciddi və-
what one expected to get ziyyətlə üzləşmək
- How was your exam? Was everything OK?
- No, it was much harder than I had bargained for.
not believe your eyes to not believe gözlərinə inanma-
(used with a negative or what one sees; maq; gördüyünə
in an interrogative or trust one’s inana bilməmək
conditional sentences) eyesight
- What did you think of the dress Sandora was wearing last
night?
- Like everyone else, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Everyone
thought she was so quiet and conservative.

♣ YOU DON’T SAY

money (informal) money can hər şeyi pul həll edir; pul
talks influence people açmayan qapı yoxdur
English idioms 94

- We’ve been waiting for three months to get delivery on our

car, and people who in their order after us have already gotten
theirs.
- Well, money talks. Why don’t you try giving the dealer a
little something extra to move things along?
- I know full well that money has the power to influence
people, but I refuse to pay extra for a service that is owed to me
as a client.
let do not agitate a hər şeyi olduğu kimi saxlamaq;
sleeping potential source yatan iti oyatmazlar; ağrımayan
dogs lie of trouble başına dəsmal bağlama
You’d better not say anything to the owner of the building about
painting your apartment. If I were you I’d let sleeping dogs lie.
if the shoe fits, admit the truth həqiqəti etiraf etmək;
wear it hər şeyi boynuna almaq
- Joe feels rather badly because he’s always being criticized for
his sloppy personal appearances.
- With reason. “If the shoe fits, wear it”, I always say. Still, I
can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. I know that what people say
about him is true, and that he should admit it.
different everyone has hərənin öz maraq dai-
strokes for different interests rəsi və zövqü var; hər
English idioms 95

different folks and tastes aşığın öz havası var

- It’s hard to understand my sisters. My elder sister goes in for
sailing, but my little sister can’t stand to be on water. She
enjoys jazz.
- You know what they say: “Different strokes for different
folks”.
eyes are bigger than take more food çox yemək; acgözlük
sb’s stomach than one can eat etmək; qarın doyur,
göz doymur
- Chris, why don’t you finish eating that third helping of
dessert?
- I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach when I said I
wanted more.
put your follow through with a vədini həyata keçir-
money where stated intention mək; sözdən əmələ
your mouth is keçmək
- You’ve been promising to take us to Disneyland 7 for the past
two years. Since the kids are free, how about putting your
money where your mouth is?
- You don’t have to remind me. I have every intention of doing
exactly what I promised.
people who live one should özün günahkar olduğun hal-
English idioms 96

in glass houses not criticize da, başqasına ağıl öyrətmə;

shouldn’t throw when one is öz gözündə tükü görmür,
stones equally at başqasının gözündə tir ax-
fault tarır
My friend criticized me for driving too fast, but I tried to tell her
that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,
but it didn’t do much good.
all’s well a successful outcome is hər şey yaxşılığa doğru-
that ends worth the effort dur; hər işin sonunda
well xeyir var
- After all, I’m happy to hear that things finally turned out
satisfactorily for you.
- Don’t you know, they say: “All’s well that ends well”
- I’m happy, too. It was really worth the effort.
pay through pay too high a soyulmaq (pul barədə); çox
the nose price pul ödəmək/xərcləmək
At last I found the coat I had been seeking for a long time. But,
at once, I understood that I would have to pay through the nose
in order to have it. Then I decided that I wouldn’t mind paying
such a high price for something so rare.
play it (informal) to decide how hadisələrin nə cür inkişaf
by ear to deal with a situation as edəcəyi işin gedişindən
English idioms 97

it develops rather than by asılıdır; işin/hadisələrin

having a plan to follow gedişinə baxarıq
◘ - Let’s go to the movies, agreed?
- Sure. And what’ll we do after that?
- Oh, I don’t know. Let’s play it by ear. I think it’s always
more fun not knowing what to expect and deciding what to do as
we go along.
◘ Pearl played it by ear, as Crystal let herself drift into the
music [19, p.166].
(not) have a to have no özünü müdafiə etmək iqtidarın-
leg to stand good defense da olmamaq; haqqını tələb edə
on for one’s bilməmək; hərəkətlərinə bəraət
opinions or qazandıra bilməmək; məc. ayaq
actions üstə möhkəm dayana bilməmək
I think that my wages is low for having worked overtime.
However, I won’t have a leg to stand on, unless I can prove that
I put in all those extra hours. I don’t stand a chance of getting
my money without a strong foundation of facts to support my
position.
sell underestimate bir kəsin qabiliyyətini lazımi qə-
someone someone dər qiymətləndirməmək; kiminsə
short haqqında pis fikrə düşmək
English idioms 98

- Just because he doesn’t say much is no reason to sell him

short.
- Actually, he’s a profounder thinker and a most talented writer.
put sth away for safekeeping or later əl saxlamaq; fasilə et-
on ice use; set aside for future use mək; işi müvəqqəti
saxlamaq
- We’ve been working on this project since morning. Don’t you
think we should take a break for some dinner?
- I’m kind of hungry too. Let’s put the project on ice awhile
and grab a bite to eat.

♣ THAT’S NOT NICE

sell someone betray someone kimisə (bir) qara qəpiyə

down the river satmaq; xəyanət etmək
- I heard that poor Jud landed up in jail.
- Yeah. His so-called girl-friend sold him down the river and
claimed the reward on him.
- I can’t understand that. I thought she was devoted to him.
leave someone abandon bir kəsi tərk etmək; yarı yolda
high and dry someone qoymaq; köməksiz qoymaq
English idioms 99

◘- Say, Sill. I thought that John was going to help you do the
dishes tonight.
- So did I. But he left me high and dry.
◘ I’m afraid, so I guess that leaves me high and dry here [20
p.265].
a snow job insincere talk boş/qeyri-səmimi söhbət/danı-
şıq
The salesman tried to convince a group of investors that the
properties he was selling would soon be worth much more
money that he was asking. However, no one bought anything
from him because they felt he was giving them a snow job.
spill the beans (informal) reveal sirri açmaq; məc. sözü
a secret ağzından qaçırmaq
- Did you know that Harry was going to take Kathy on a
Caribbean cruise?
- Yes, I did. He was planning on surprising her with the tickets
for their anniversary, but someone spilled the beans.
- What a shame! That was supposed to have been a surprise.
feed someone deceive bir kəsi aldatmaq; məc. boş vəd-
a line someone lər vermək; başının altına yastıq
qoymaq; başını bişirmək
Mr. Jones had been telling Louise how efficient she was and
English idioms 100

how much he admired her work at the office. He had promised

her a promotion in the near future, but she soon discovered that
he was feeding her a line when he passed her by and gave the
promotion to someone less capable.

♣ DO YOUR BEST

toot your (informal) to praise your own özündən razı ol-

own horn abilities and achievements; to maq, lovğalan-
boast maq
Michael’s last novel was a bestseller. He has no need to toot his
own horn about his literary accomplishments.
stick to your (informal) maintain öz sözünü yeritmək;
guns one’s position dediyindən dönməmək
In spite of the fact that it was inadvisable to have a
controversial figure address the club, the chairman stuck to his
guns and insisted that it would make good sense to hear the
other side of the question before taking a vote on the issue.
get the ball initiate bir işə başlamaq/girişmək; sözdən
rolling action əmələ keçmək; vədini həyata keçir-
mək
English idioms 101

- Look! You’ve been talking about repairing the roof for weeks
now. Don’t you think it’s about time to get the ball rolling?
- I know, but I’ve been busy with other things. I promise I’ll get
to it this weekend.
mind your (informal) take care danışığına fikir vermək;
P’s and Q’s in speeh and action məc. sözü ağzında bişirib
çıxarmaq
- Listen, Larry. If you want an invitation to Clarissa’s party
you’d better mind your P’s and Q’s.
- But I haven’t been doing anything to offend her.
- I’ll tell you one thing. You’re going to have to be careful of
what you say and how you act around Susan.
give it your try very hard əlindən gələni etmək; çox
best shot çalışmaq
- Can you do anything about repairing this TV set?
- I’m not much of an electrician, but I’ll give it my best shot.
- Many thanks. I’d be most appreciative.
make (both) to earn just enough ancaq zəruri olan şeyləri
ends meet money to be able to almaq imkanı olmaq;
buy the things you güclə/çətinliklə dolanmaq
need
- It’s almost impossible trying to keep up with the high cost of
English idioms 102

living.
- It’s true. Things are so expensive nowadays that it’s very
difficult to make ends meet. You know, even with Lucie’s
salary, our combined income is hardly enough to pay all the
bills.
get the jump get the advantage bir kəsdən zirək tərpən-
on someone over someone mək; qabağa düşmək
- Did you have a nice time at the school dance last night?
- To tell you the truth, I would have enjoyed myself more if I
had been able to go with Teresa instead of Elena.
- Why did not you ask Teresa in the first place?
- I was about to, but Benito got the jump on me.
pull strings to exert influence bir kəsə təsir göstərmək;
dil tapmaq
Steven had been unsuccessful in getting tickets for the opening
game of the season. However, he pulled some strings with the
manager of the team and got excellent seats.
spread become involved in çox işdən yapışmaq, hər işə
yourself too many activities əl atmaq/baş qoşmaq; yüz
too thin yerə qaçmaq
Although Teresa has always been an excellent student, her
marks have been going down lately because she is spreading
English idioms 103

herself too thin.

go to bat (informal) help out and bir kəsi müdafiə etmək;
for support someone məc. kiminsə qanının ara-
someone sına girmək
- Is it true that Don got into some trouble at work last week?
- Yes, he did. He was reproached for not turning in his sales
reports, but his secretary went to bat for him.
- What was she able to do?
- She helped him out a great deal by admitting that she had
misplaced the reports that he gave her to be typed.
duck soup (informal) easy, çox asan; su içmək kimi asan
effortless
- Can you help me hook up my new stereo equipment? I’m
having quite a bit of trouble with all these connections.
- Sure. That’s duck soup for me.

♣ ADVICE (POSITIVE)

sit tight to make no move or səbirli/dözümlü olmaq;

change; stay where you heç yerə tərpənməmək;
are yerində bərk oturmaq
English idioms 104

◘ - I’m fed up with my job. I know they won’t rise my salary.

- Don’t ask me who told me, but I heard they’re thinking of
promoting you. So, I’d sit tight if I were you.
◘ My advice to you is to sit tight [33, p.20].
go for to put a lot of effort bir şeyi əldə etmək üçün
something into sth, so that you əlindən gələni etmək, bir
get or achieve sth to işin dalınca düşmək;bir şey
choose sth üçün mübarizə aparmaq
◘ - I don’t have the qualifications. I’m probably too young. But I
know I can do the job better than anyone. Do you think I should
apply or am I wasting my time?
- If you don’t take risks, life passes you by. Go for it.
bide your to wait an opportunity; wait səbr etmək; müna-
time patiently until your chance sib vaxt/imkan göz-
comes ləmək
Don’t bide your time. Try to get any position at your job.
keep your to stay calm when təmkinli olmaq; sakitliyini
wits/head/ there is trouble or saxlamaq; özünü/başını itir-
about you danger məmək, ağlı başında olmaq
◘ - I’ve never driven in Britain before. Is it hard driving on the
left?
- Not really, but you need to keep your wits about you.
English idioms 105

◘ When he heard the fire alarm he kept his head and looked for
the nearest exit.
take the take decisive action in a cəsarətli/qətiyyətli ol-
bull by difficult situation take maq; işə ciddi giriş-
the horns decisive action in a mək; məc. həlledici həl-
difficult situation qədən yapışmaq
◘ -I’d like to ask Helen to dine with me, but I hesitate. I’m not
sure she’ll say yes.
- There’s only one way for you, Mike. You have got to take
the bull by the horns and ask her.
◘ Charlotte had finally taken the bull by the horns herself [21,
p.258].
take one day to not think about what hər günün qədrini
at a time will happen in the future bil; bu günlə yaşa
Don’t waste your time being busy with lots of nonsense. Take
one day at a time.

♣ ADVICE (NEGATIVE)

don’t lose don’t worry about it; narahat olmağa dəyməz;

any sleep you needn’t worry yuxunu qaçırmağa dəy-
over it about it məz; başını yorma
English idioms 106

- I hurt him. He won’t phone me any more.

- I’m sure he’ll phone you one of these days. Don’t lose any
sleep over it.
don’t be stop being stupid or embarrasing, axmaq olma;
silly especially in a way is more typical ağlına gələni
of a child than an adult danışma
- I’m sure I failed. I was so nervous. And I know I made lots of
mistakes.
- Now, don’t be silly! You’ve probably passed with flying
colours!

Note: If you pass an exam with “flying colours”, it means

you’ve passed it very well. In this idiom “colours” are, literally
“flags”.

don’t let sth/sb heç kimə/nəyə imkan vermə ki, səni əzsin,
get you down məhv etsin, gücdən/qüvvədən salsın
◘ - I just don’t know what I can do to get rid of the flu. I’ve had
it on and off for three weeks.
- It’ll go away. Don’t worry. Just don’t let it get you down.
◘ You aren't going to let his affection get you down, are you?
[16, p.66].
English idioms 107

(not) throw (informal) to lose sth that you tələsmək; bir

the baby out want at the same time as you are şeyi əldən bu-
with the trying to get rid of sth that you raxmaq; yüz
bathwater do not want ölç, bir biç
◘ Be careful, when you change things, not to lose some of the
good old ideas. I advise: “Don’t throw the baby out with
bathwater”.
◘ God knows that there are weaknesses in the program, but if we
act too hastily we may throw the baby out with the bathwater.
(don’t) take to believe sth is true hər deyilənə inanma;
anything for without first making eşit, amma inanma
granted sure that it is
◘ - I think all food and drink is included when you go on a
cruise.
- Don’t take anything for granted. You don’t want to end up
with a huge drinks bill on the last days of your holiday! ◘ He
was at ease, confident, but never so careless as to take anything
for granted [14, p.278].
English idioms 108

♣ BEING POSITIVE

Third time used when you’ve failed to do sth twice Atalar

lucky! and hope that you will succeed the third üçdən
time deyib!
- My sister failed her entrance exam this year again. That’s twice
now.
- Never mind. Third time lucky!
You never used to emphasize a negative Allahın işini
know! statement instead of “not” bilmək olmaz!
◘ - I think we don’t get a pay rise again this year.
- You never know! I hope.
◘ - Why would something happen to you?
- You never know [21, p.428].
It’ll be all used to say that a performance, an Darıxma,
right on event, etc. will be successful even if hər şey yax-
the night! the preparations for it have not gone şı olacaq!
well
- I’m so nervous about speaking in public at the meeting
tomorrow.
- Don’t worry. It’ll be all right on the night!
look on the to be careful or positive həyata ümidlə baxmaq;
bright side about a bad situation optimist olmaq; ruhdan
English idioms 109

düşməmək
- I’ve lost everything during the earthquake.
- Look on the bright side! Things can only get better!
It’s not the end (informal) not the worst thing Dünyanın
of the world! that could happen to sb axırı deyil!
- When my brother’s wife left him I asked him not to worry.
There’s plenty more fish in the sea.
- You are absolutely right. It’s not the end of the world!
light at the end the first sign of hope ümid yeri; işıq ucu
of the tunnel after a long period of (hər hansı bir işin
difficulties sonunda)
◘ I’ve got some difficulties at work. I’m so distressed. But I am
pleased to say that at last there is light at the end of the tunnel.
◘ … and in spite of her talk with Tanya in Todd’s room that
afternoon, for the moment, there was certainly no light at the
end of the tunnel [20, p.77].
sb’s bark is (informal) used to say özünü hökmlü göstərən;
worse than that sb is not really as hədə-qorxu gələn; yalan-
their bite angry or aggressive dan qışqıran; göründüyü
as they sound kimi olmamaq
◘ - I heard your boss’s voice. I think he’s got a hot temper.
- Oh, he’s OK. His bark is worse than his bite.
English idioms 110

◘ Our teacher speaks harshly to our students, especially when

they fail to complete their homework assignment. But, we all
know that his bark is worse than his bite. He threatens to keep
them after school and to inform their parents, but he’s not really
as bad-tempered as he appears.
you win used to express sympathy canın sağ olsun; başına
some, you for sb who has been sadağa; qazanan da
lose some disappointed about sth sənsən, xərcləyən də sən
- I bought this blouse for 30 manats last month and now it’s in
the sale for only 20 manats.
- Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

♣ AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

no way never, under no heç vəchlə; bu barədə söhbət

circumstances belə gedə bilməz
- Can I borrow your trousers for the night?
- No way! Never again! Not after the state you returned it last
time!
it is out of not worth considering; bu barədə söhbət
the question unthinkable; impossible belə gedə bilməz
- I was wondering if I could have tomorrow off to go to my
English idioms 111

mother’s birthday?
- I’m afraid. It’s out of the question! You’ve already been to
two mother’s birthdays last month. I wasn’t born yesterday, you
know!
over my under no circumstances; heç vəchlə, heç vaxt;
dead body by no means məc. meyidimin üstün-
dən
- I think we should make Lala marry with Anar.
- Over my dead body! They have different characters. I’m sure
they won’t get on well together.
on the contrary exactly the opposite; rather; əksinə; əvəzinə
instead
- I thought you believed in capital punishment.
- On the contrary! I’ve always been dead against it!
you must used to show that you are very zarafat edirsən;
be joking surprised at what sb has just nə danışırsan?
said ola bilməz
- What about an ice-cream?
- You must be joking! It’s minus ten outside.
you’re used to show that a thing is so day demə; düz
telling me clear that it need not be said, or deyirsən
just to show strong agreement
English idioms 112

- This weather is incredible, isn’t it? It’s like the tropics!

- You’re telling me! We’ll have to start thinking about air
conditioning if it goes any longer.
take the words to say what another is bir kəsin ürəyindən
out of sb’s just going to say; to xəbər vermək; arzu-
mouth put another’s thought ları üst-üstə düşmək
into words
- What about going to Turkey this year again? This will have
been 5 years in a row!
- You know, you took the words right out of my mouth! I
think it’s time we took the kids abroad, don’t we?
fair enough plausible, acceptable kifayət qədər ədalətli
- Can I take the book for two weeks?
- No, sorry. That’s the third time you’ve asked it. It’s not
allowed here and it’s not fair to the others.
- OK, fair enough! I see your point.
Now this is the right attitude, now Axır ki, mən deyənə
you’re you’re on the right track, gəldin! İndi düz yol-
talking! this is the way to ... make dasan! (düzgün möv-
sense qe/qərar)
◘ - I know I said that our maximum discount was 30%.
- Well, I’ve spoken to my head office and we think we can go
English idioms 113

to 40%.
- Now you’re talking! Well, we can do business after all!
◘ OK, I’ll try to overcome my fears and learn how to be a good
pilot”, my brother said to our father, who replied, “Now, you’re
talking!”

♣ ANNOYANCE AND FRUSTRATION

get on sb’s (informal) to bir kəsin əsəbləri ilə oynamaq;

nerves make you bir kəsi əsəbiləşdirmək/acıqlan-
nerves dırmaq
Do you stop biding your nails? It’s getting on my nerves.
the last/final a small trouble which səbr kasasının aşıb-
straw (the follows other troubles daşması; bir kəsin
straw that and makes one lose səbrinin tükənməsi;
breaks the patience and be unable əsəblərin son həddə
camel’s back) to bear them çatması
◘ I’ve told my flat mate to find somewhere else. She never
tidied the place or cooked. The last straw was when she
brought a stray dog home.
◘ She was in a black rage. This was the last straw [31, p.107].
tear your hair to stay upset kədərlənmək, fəryad et-
English idioms 114

out (pull your because of a mək; qəm dəryasında

hair out over) frustrating event qərq olmaq; məc. saçını
or situation yolmaq; başını itirmək
◘ - I heard they refused to give you a visa.
- Yes, it’s so frustrating. I’m tearing my hair out trying to
find out what the problem is.
◘ My sister was pulling her hair out over her husband’s
drinking.
drive sb to make sb very angry, bir kəsi dəli etmək;
round crazy, etc. or to make them əsəbiləşdirmək/özün-
the bend do sth extreme dən çıxarmaq
- I see you got another letter from that book club.
- Yes, it’s the third letter this month asking me to pay for books
I never ordered. It’s driving me round the bend.
run out of become annoyed hövsələdən/özündən çıxmaq;
patience about sth səbrini itirmək; səbr kasası
aşıb-daşmaq
- You still haven’t got your new furniture yet?
- No, they phoned to say it still hasn’t been delivered. I think I’ll
cancel the order and look somewhere else. I’m running out of
patience.
talk to a to talk to sb uselessly boş yerə danışıb özünü
English idioms 115

brick wall yormaq

When my brother doesn’t want to do anything, you can’t argue
with him. It’s like talking to a brick wall.
drive sb to so that you become upset, bir kəsi narahat et-
distractions excited, or angry and not mək/dəli etmək; bir
be able to think clearly kəsin baş-beynini
aparmaq
Our neighbours play really loud music even after midnight.
They are driving us to distractions. We’ve spoken to them
several times, but it’s like banging your head against a brick
wall.
drive to irritate, frustrate, or bir kəsi əsəbiləşdirmək
one up tickle someone’s fancy so /acıqlandırmaq/cinlən-
the wall badly that they think dirmək; məc. hirsindən
they’re going insane divara dırmaşmaq
I wish we could do sth about the rats coming from the restaurant
next door. They’re driving us up the wall.

♣ PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIPS

a shoulder a sympathetic person bir kəsə təsəlli verən/

to cry on who is willing to listen dəstək olan adam; ətə-
English idioms 116

to one’s complaints and yinə ağlaya biləcəyin/

troubles ürəyini boşalda biləcə-
yin adam
◘ - Thanks for listening, Rose. I feel better after talking to you.
- That’s OK. You can always come to me if you need a
shoulder to cry on.
◘ “At last I can cry on his shoulders” [18, p.67].
fight like cat disagree or argue it-pişik kimi yola get-
and dog violently, often mək; yola getməmək
repeatedly
My brother and elder sister fight like cat and dog.
at each (two or more people, dalaşmaq, çox pis yola
other’s groups, etc.) fight a lot getmək; məc. bir-biri-
throats nin boğazını gəmirmək
- Is it true that Jeff and Laura are having problems?
- I think so. They seem to be at each other’s throats most of
the time these days.
through in bad times bərkdən-boşdan çıxmaq; yaxşı
thick and and good gündə də, pis gündə də bir yerdə
thin times olmaq; uzun müddət bir yerdə
olmaq
My parents have been marred for 50 years. In those days people
English idioms 117

stayed together through thick and thin.

there’s no they don’t like bir-birinə hörmət etməmək;
love lost each other (arada) xətir-hörmətin qal-
between … maması
◘ - Why was there such a bad atmosphere in that meeting?
- You’re new here. Didn’t you notice that there’s no love lost
between George and Andrew?
◘ There is little love lost for him around here [14, p.62].
clear to remove angry məsələyə aydınlıq gətirmək, gər-
the air feelings, ginliyi azaltmaq, vəziyyəti yün-
misunderstanding, gülləşdirmək; gərginliyə soyuq
or confusion su səpmək; havanı təmizləmək
◘ There is a bad atmosphere in our office. Some people aren’t
talking to each other. Well, it’s time you had a meeting to clear
the air.
◘ He nodded, and then he had to clear the air [18, p.73].
have ups vicissitudes; alternating arada dığ-dığın/söz-
and downs periods between good söhbətin olması; xırda
and bad times; change in problemlər; taleyin
fortune dönüklüyü
- You have had the same flat-mate for years, haven’t you? You
must get on very well.
English idioms 118

- Well, we’ve had our ups and downs over the years but on the
whole it’s worked very well.
not see eye to not share the same bir-biri ilə razılaşma-
to eye with views as sb about sth; maq, eyni fikirdə olma-
sb (on sth) don’t agree maq, zövqləri üst-üstə
düşməmək
- How are you getting on with your new business partner?
- Well, we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but that’s a good
thing. It’s when we agree on something too quickly that
mistakes are made.
get/start off on (informal) to start a bir kəslə yaxşı mü-
the right foot relationship well nasibət yaratmaq,
(with sb) yaxşı yola getmək
I hope I’ll start off on the right foot with my boss.

♣ SUCCESS AND FAILURE IDIOMS

burning (of feelings, etc) very əlçatmaz arzu; bir şeyi

ambition strong; extreme dəlicəsinə istəmək
- I have always had a burning ambition.
- And what’s that?
- To visit the planet Mars.
English idioms 119

move heaven to try every way; do axtarmaq; yerin altını-

and earth everything you can üstünə çevirmək; əlin-
dən gələni etmək
Look, our customer needs the parts in Jakarta by Wednesday
this week. I don’t care what it costs. We can’t afford to lose
him. You have my permission to move heaven and earth to get
these parts out there.
leave no to try in every way; axtarmaq; əlindən gələni et-
stone miss no chance; do mək, yerin altını-üstünə çe-
unturned everything possible virmək; hər bucağı ələk-və-
lək etmək
◘ The police said that they were confident of finding the
escaped prisoners and would have no stone unturned.
◘ She would leave no stone inturned until she found the truth,
the answer, the culprit [20, p.22].
stop at to be willing to do istədiyini əldə etmək
nothing anything to get what you üçün hər alçaqlığa əl
want, even if it is dishonest atmaq; vicdansız, utan-
or wrong; to be maz, abırsız olmaq
unscrupulous
He has determined to become a manager. He’ll stop at nothing
until he gets the job.
English idioms 120

set (get) your want sth bir şeyi beyninə yeritmək; bir
heart on sth very much şeyin arzusunda olmaq/istəmək
My sister doesn’t want to go to university. She’s set her heart
on becoming a top actress.
pull your to try to do better either qolunu çırmayıb işə gi-
socks up in terms of one’s rişmək/başlamaq; işi da-
behavior or at a task ha yaxşı görmək ücün
one is performing ciddi-cəhdlə çalışmaq
You must pull your socks up or you’ll be in a bad situation.
the be-all-and (informal) the most ən əhəmiyyətli bir his-
the-end-all important part/thing; sə/şey; nəyinsə əsası
(of something) all that matters
His speech isn’t the be-all-and –the –end-all in the meeting.
works/goes works goes/ runs bir şeyin ürəyin istəyən kimi
/ runs like very well indeed əla olması; nəyinsə yaxşı işlə-
a dream məsi; məc. yağ kimi gedir
Our new car works/goes/runs like a dream; it’s fast, but so
smooth and quiet.
English idioms 121

♣ HAPPINESS AND SADNESS

jump for be very happy and çox sevinmək; sevincdən

joy excited about sth that atılıb-düşmək; sevincdən
has happened yerə-göyə sığmamaq
My brother jumped for joy when he heard that he’d passed the
final exam.
something something makes you bir şeyə sevinmək; xoş-
makes your feel very happy bəxt/sevincli gün yaşa-
day maq
It’s great to get a letter from him. It’s really made my day.
feel on top feel very çox sevinmək; özünü dünyanın sahi-
of the happy bi kimi hiss etmək; özünü dünyanın
world yeddinci qatında hiss etmək
◘ When I saw my name in the winners’ list I felt on top of the
world.
◘ He was his own person now, and there were times when he
felt on top of the world, … [19, p.104].
be floating be very happy about something çox sevinmək;
(walking) good that has happened sevincdən göyə
on air uçmaq
She’s been walking on air ever since she and Anar got
English idioms 122

engaged.
grin accept a situation you taleyə boyun əymək; vəziyyətlə
and don’t like because you barışmaq; əzab-əziyyətə məta-
bear can’t change it nətlə dözmək; gülərək öz əzab-
əziyyətini biruzə verməmək;
qismətlə barışmaq
◘ If you don’t leave your job, you’d better just grin and bear it.
◘ ... but the only thing is to grin and bear it [31, p.45].
suffer from (informal) being jealous bir kəsə paxıllıq et-
sour grapes about something you mək; kiminsə paxıl-
can’t have lığını çəkmək
I think my close friend is suffering from sour grapes because
I’ll take part in the school competition.
be a (very informal) someone pisniyyət adam; (hər şey-
misery who complains all the dən) şikayət edən; (hər
guts time and is never happy şeydən) narazı olan; na-
şükür
My sister likes being a misery guts. She is always complaining
about her every day.
English idioms 123

♣ ANGER

rub someone make someone bir kəsin fikrini yayındır-

up the wrong annoyed maq/qarışdırmaq/çaşdır-
way maq
My brother always manages to say something to rub our
father up the wrong way.
ruffle make someone bir kəsi qıcıqlandırmaq/hirs-
somene’s annoyed ləndirmək/narahat etmək;
feathers hisslərinə toxunmaq
She speaks without worrying about whether she might be
ruffling anyone’s feathers.
give someone tell someone bir kəsə hirslənmək; kiməsə
an earful how angry you qulaqburması vermək; dişi-
are with them nin dibindən çıxanı demək
The old lady gave the children an earful for nearly knocking
her over.
(not) be on be so angry with each bir-biri ilə danış-
speaking other that they refuse to mamaq; küsülü
terms speak to each other olmaq
They aren’t on speaking terms at the moment, and I don’t
know what they first quarreled about.
English idioms 124

♣ HAVING PROBLEMS

put your said sth tactless düşüncəsiz və utandırıcı hə-

foot in and embarrassing rəkət etmək; məc. bir kəsin
something yaralı yerinə toxunmaq
When I said it to her I felt embarrassed. I wish I had not put my
foot in it.
be left (informal) to suddenly uşaqla küçəyə atılmaq;
holding make sb responsible for sth öz məsuliyyətini başqa-
the baby important that is really sının üstünə yıxmaq,
your responsibility; to be məsuliyyətdən qaçmaq;
left by at herself to with a tərk edilmək; meydan-
problem alone da tək qalmaq
I have been left holding the baby, and I don’t know how to
escape from this situation.
dig someone to cause a problem çətin və təhlükəli vəziy-
into a hole that will be difficult to yətə düşmək; (özünü)
escape from zibilə/işə salmaq
You’d better stop talking or you’ll dig yourself into a deeper
hole.
English idioms 125

spread try to do too many things çox iş görməyə çalış-

yourself at the same time, with the maq; yüz işdən yapış-
too thin result not to give any of maq; hər işə əl atmaq;
them the attention they bir əldə iki qarpız tut-
need maq
If you take on any more work, you’ll be spreading yourself far
too thin.
be in dire in a very difficult or çox çətin və qorxulu
straits dangerous situation vəziyyətə düşmək
Staying in a hotel with no money and luggage, we were all
aware that we were in dire straits.
English idioms 126

SECTION SIX
INTELLIGENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Zəka və bilik idiomları

♣ KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY

learn sth at to learn something çox gənc yaşlarından hər

your mother’s as a very young şeyi öyrənmək; anasının
knee child qarnında öyrənmək
He had learned to count at his mother’s knee.
go your to do what you want rather öz yolu ilə getmək; öz
own way than what everyone else ağlı ilə hərəkət etmək
does or expects
I believe in going my own way.
rack your to think very hard bir iş barəsində ciddi fikirləş-
brain(s) or for a long time mək; məc. beynini qurdalamaq
about sth /eşələmək; baş sındırmaq
◘ He racked his brains all afternoon, but couldn’t remember
his address.
◘ If she had racked her brains for a week she could not have
thought of anything that would humiliate Tom more bitterly [31,
p.108].
English idioms 127

stuff sb’s to give someone ideas about bir kəsin başını

head with something; teach someone boş-boş şeylərlə
sth (usually something useless or doldurmaq
wrong)
Don’t stuff his head with nonsense.
stuff sb’s to load sb’s bir kəsin beynini boş/lazım-
memory with memory with sız şeylərlə doldurmaq/yük-
sth sth ləmək
I don’t want to stuff your memory with too many details.
hammer into to keep repeating sth bir şeyi dəfələrlə başa
sb’s head forcefully so that it salmaq/təkrar etmək;
will have an effect on bir kəsin beyninə yerit-
people mək
The teacher has been trying to hammer into their heads the
importance of writing dearly.
show promise to be likely to become gələcək üçün ümid-
very good verici olmaq
◘ When she was young, she showed considerable promise as a
teacher.
◘ Not that Sasha showed much greater promise [18, p.249].
be a walking someone who knows a canlı lüğət/ensiklope-
dictionary/ lot, and always has the diya olmaq; həmişə
English idioms 128

encyclopedia information that you hər şeyi bilən adam

want haqqında
If you need to learn sth ask him. He has always had the
information you want. He is a walking dictionary.
bear/reap to have a gördüyü işin bəhrəsini/səmərəsini
the fruits of result of sth görmək; bir şeyin meyvəsini dər-
sth mək
He died before he could bear the fruits of all his hard work.
turn a deaf to ignore what bir şeyi qulaq ardına vurmaq;
ear to sth someone says əhəmiyyətsiz/etinasız yanaşmaq
Young people sometimes seem to turn a deaf ear to the words
of their parents and teachers.
go in (at) one what has been bir qulağından alıb, o bi-
ear and out said is forgotten ri qulağından vermək;
(at) the other immediately əhəmiyyət verməmək
You are speaking, but it just goes in his one ear and out the
other, I’m sure.
second something that you do bir şeyi asanlıqla/gözü
nature very easily and naturally, yumulu etmək, bir şe-
(to do sth) because it is part of your yə çox yaxşı bələd ol-
character or you have maq
done it so many times
English idioms 129

- Can you help me set up a database on my computer?

- No trouble at all! I’ve done it so often I don’t even need to
think about it. It’s second nature to me now.
not to know to be totally heç bir məlumatı olmamaq;
the first thing ignorant about a (hər hansı bir işdə) naşı ol-
about certain issue maq/başı çıxmamaq
something
- Do you know anything about washing machines? Mine’s got a
problem.
- Sorry. I can’t help you. I don’t know the first thing about
them.
know something to know sth bir şeyi ətraflı bilmək; bir şe-
like the back of throughly, yi ovcunun içi kimi bilmək;
your hand inside out cikinə-bikinə bələd olmaq
- Have you been to Oxford before?
- Yes, I lived there for ten years. I know it like the back of my
hand.
be the first the first time to nə barədəsə ilk dəfə eşitmək
to hear of it be aware of it
- Did you know that Lisa is planning to emigrate to Australia?
- You’re kidding! That’s the first I’ve heard of it.
know chalk to be very stupid; to be ağı qaradan seçə bil-
English idioms 130

from cheese unable to distinguish məmək; axmaq, ağıl-

valuable things from sız olmaq
rubbish
My friend will never amount to much; the poor guy doesn’t even
know chalk from cheese.
keep in the in ignorance; without bir kəsi cəhalətdə saxla-
dark information maq; məlumatsız saxla-
maq; intizarda saxlamaq
I wish you hadn’t kept me in the dark about your plans.
learn the through or special bir şeyə yaxşı bələd
ropes/get knowledge of a job; how to olmaq, işi dəqiqliklə
on the do something; the ways of öyrənmək; cikini-
ropes people or the world bikini bilmək
Don’t worry! You’ll soon learn the ropes.
common to be sth that anyone knows, hamının bildiyi
knowledge especially in a particular bir şey; hamıya
community or group aydın olan məsələ
- Don’t talk about it to anybody.
- It is common knowledge. I needn’t.
put your to say or do sth that upsets, düşüncəsiz hərəkət
foot in offends or embarrasses sb; etmək, bir kəsin ya-
sb’s hurt another’s feelings ralı yerinə/ hisslərinə
English idioms 131

mouth without intending to; make a toxunmaq, pis vəziy-

rude mistake yətə salmaq
He put his foot in it with his remark about self-made men
because Jones was one of them.
a little knowledge (literary) a person who kamil bir palan-
is a dangerous knows a little about çı olsa da insan,
thing something – may think yaxşıdır yarım-
he knows it all and çıq papaqçılıq-
make bad mistakes dan
John has read a book on driving a car and now he thinks he can
drive. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

♣ READING/EDUCATION

be very well read (of a person) having bilikli/məlumatlı/çox

(used after an knowledge that has oxumuş/mütaliə et-
adverb) been gained from miş adam olmaq
reading books, etc
If you want to know anything ask Khuraman. She is very well
read.
turn over a to start afresh; to yeni səhifə açmaq (həyatın-
English idioms 132

new leaf have a new da); həyatının axarını dəyiş-

beginning mək
- Why can you never find anything on your desk?
- Because I am naturally untidy! I know. I am going to turn
over a new leaf. I promise.
(not) read to think that sth bir şeyə fikir/əhəmiyyət ver-
too much means more than məmək; boş buraxmaq, ürə-
it really does yinə salmamaq
- She completely ignored me this morning. I must have put my
foot in it yesterday.
- She’s just not in a good mood at the moment, that’s all. I
wouldn’t read too much into it.
be an if you describe sb or their life ürəyində olan dilin-
open as an open book, you mean that də olmaq, səmimi
book you can easily understand them olmaq; hamıya mə-
and know everything about lum olan, açıq həyat
them sürmək
What I like about Susanna is her openness and honesty. Yes,
what you see is what you get. She’s an open book.
read to understand all of bir kəsin hərəkətlərindən/dav-
between one’s meaning by ranışından nə demək istədiyi-
the lines guessing at what he ni başa düşmək; sətraltı/ey-
English idioms 133

has left unsaid hamlı mənaları dərk etmək

Everybody seems to be happy with the idea of Isabel’s joining
our group, except Jack. He said he wasn’t against the idea, but
reading between the lines I think he has got his doubts about
her.
(don’t) (saying) used to insanı geyiminə görə qarşılayıb,
judge a say that you ağlına görə yola salırlar; bir kə-
book by shouldn’t form an sin xarici görkəminə görə deyil,
its opinion about əməllərinə görə nəticə çıxar-
corner sb/sth from their maq; anasına bax qızını al, qı-
appearance only rağına bax bezini al
I was completely wrong about our new press officer. When I
saw the pigtail, I thought, “What have we got here?” Well, you
know what they say: “Never judge a book by its corner”.
read sb to understand bir kəsi yaxşı başa düşmək; fik-
like a easily what sb is rindəkiləri oxumaq; dabbaqxa-
book thinking or feeling nada gönünə bələd olmaq
I could read my husband like a book.
English idioms 134

SECTION SEVEN
MIND AND MEMORY IDIOMS
Ağıl və yaddaş idiomları

have a to consider doing; nəzərdə tutmaq; bir şeyi

(good) intend to with a high etmək üzrə olmaq; bir işi
mind to degree of probability görməyə meylli olmaq
◘ - The service in that shop was terrible. The way that assistant
talked to you!
- Yes, I’ve got a good mind to write and complain.
◘ “I’ve got a good mind to have a shot at it myself,” said
Michael [31, p.60].
on sb’s in one’s müxtəlif fikirlərin beyni/ağılı məşğul
mind thoughts etməsi, beyni qarışıq olmaq
- Jim seems to be very quiet today. He’s not his usual self.
- No, I think he’s got something on his mind.
take your to make you forget about sth fikrini dağıtmaq,
mind off unpleasant for a short time yüngülləşmək
things
- Sorry, Paul, I’m not very good company this evening. I can’t
stop thinking about that argument I had with Sally at work.
- Well, Why don’t we go out? It’ll take your mind off things.
English idioms 135

give someone a to scold angrily; bir kəsin başına ağıl qoy-

piece of your say what you maq; kimisə yerində
mind really think to oturtmaq; məsləhət ver-
mək; danlamaq
- Did you see that woman hit that little girl?
- Hang on! I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.
come/spring immediately cəld fikirləşmək, yadına sal-
to mind think of sth maq; ağlına nəyisə/kimisə
gətirmək
◘ - Now, who could we get to chair the new committee?
- Nobody springs to mind. I’m sorry to say.
◘ … and the memory of her two days there with Charlie sprang
instantly to mind [21, p.246].
with an open wait until you’ve all the facts ayıq başla;
mind before forming an opinion diqqətlə
Before you read this report, I’m going to tell you there are
things in which you’re going to disagree with. All I ask is that
you read it with an open mind.
mind over the power of mind over ağılın/insan zəkası-
matter physical matters, such as nın qələbəsi; nəfsi-
illness, fear, etc nə güc gəlmək
Giving up smoking is just a question of mind over matter.
English idioms 136

put sb’s to do or say sth to make bir kəsi sakitləşdirmək;

mind at sb stop worrying about təsəlli vermək; rahatlaş-
rest sth maq
I’m sure she’s arrived safely, but why not phone her to put
your mind at rest.
be bored out of extremely bored bezmək, yorulmaq
your mind
She talked about nothing but only her husband all evening, I
was bored out of my mind.
slip your mind/ to forget about yadından çıxarmaq,
memory something unutmaq
◘ I’m sorry, I forgot to give you a message. It completely
slipped my mind.
◘ “Has it slipped your memory that I’ve got a first night
tonight?” [31, p.196].
be in your accountable; sane or ağlı başında olmaq; nə
right mind sober etdiyini bilmək
◘ Marry Karl? She’s mad. Nobody is in their right mind to
marry with Karl.
◘ If you were in your right mind, you wouldn’t be saying such
stupid things to our boss.
be a load/ feel relieved because rahatlaşmaq, yüngülləş-
English idioms 137

weight off a worry is removed mək; məc. yük altından

your mind çıxmaq
I have finally finished paying back my car loan. That’s a weight
off my mind.
jog your make you remember yadına salmaq; yaddaşını
memory sth tərpətmək (silkələmək)
◘ - I don’t know anyone in your class.
- Have a look at this photograph. Perhaps it will jog your
memory.
◘ She had almost forgotten, her mother jogged her memory
[18, p.291].
mind goes/ can’t think of anything hər şeyi unutmaq;
becomes to say; unable to yaddaşından silinmək
blank remember anything
◘ I hate being asked questions. When they start asking difficult
questions, my mind goes blank. ◘ As she sat to sleep, his mind
became blank [22, p.80].
refresh to remind yourself sb or sth, yaddaşını təzələ-
your especially with the help of sth mək, yadına sal-
memory that can be seen or heard maq, xatırlamaq
- Are you sure you know the way to the museum from here?
- I’ve been there but I need a little time to refresh my
English idioms 138

memory.
ring a to make you remember nəyisə xatırlamaq, qu-
bell something; sound familiar lağında cingildəmək; ta-
nış gəlmək/səslənmək
◘ - Have you heard of Quasimodo?
- Quasimodo? Yes, that name rings a bell.
◘ It rang another bell too, but he could’t remember what, …
[21, p.282].
bear in the center of your bir şeyi yadında saxla-
something thought; in your close maq; beyninə həkk et-
in mind attention mək
- Don’t forget that Japanese people don’t like to talk about
business straightway.
- Thanks. I’ll bear it in mind.
have a to remember qeyri-adi yaddaşı olmaq; hər
photographic everything/ şeyi/hər kəsi bir baxışdan ya-
memory everyone dında saxlamaq; göz yaddaşı-
na malik olmaq
- If I want to remember anything, I have to write it down.
- Me too, but my boss is incredible. He’s got a photographic
memory.
be on the tip about to say something, such xatırlamağa ça-
English idioms 139

of the tongue as a name, a telephone lışmaq; dilinin

number, etc, but unable to ucunda olmaq
remember it for the moment
I am sure I know his name. It’s on the top of my tongue.
get (hold of) the (informal) to misunderstand bir şeyi səhv/
wrong end of something; to understand sth tərsinə başa
the stick in the wrong way düşmək
No, you must have got the wrong end of the stick. I said we
should meet outside the cinema, not at my house.
go over not understandable; beyond başa düşülməyən
the head your ability to understand; olmaq; yadda qal-
too hard or strange for you mamaq; ağıla bat-
to understand mamaq
I can’t understand anything in my physics class. All the
explanation goes right over my head.
lose someone to become bir kəsi çaşdırmaq/çaşmaq; başa
confused sala bilməmək
- Push these two buttons, then this one and then these two at the
same time.
- Sorry, you’ve lost me! Can you show me again?
get/talk/be if two people are at cross bir-birini başa düş-
at cross purposes, they do not məmək; hərənin öz
English idioms 140

purposes understand each other aləmində olması; bi-

(pl) because they are talking rinin Leyli-Məcnun-
about or aiming at dan, birinin Əsli-Kə-
different things, without rəmdən danişması
realizing it
I was talking about my cat and Chris thought I was talking
about my mother. It wasn’t until I said something about the
cat’s tail and we realised we’d been talking at cross purposes.
can’t make to be unable to bir şeyi anlamamaq; başa
head nor tail understand sth düşməmək; baş çıxarmamaq
of smth
- Do you understand this letter from the solicitor?
- No, I can’t make head nor tail of it.
take a stroll/trip remember some of keçmişdəki xoşbəxt
down memory the happy things günləri yada salmaq/
lane you did in the past xatırlamaq
We decided to visit the place where we’d spent our honeymoon
and take a stroll down memory lane.
be in/within can be remembered by yaddaşlarda yaşa-
living memory people still alive maq; xatırlanmaq
Streets lit by gas lamps are still within living memory.
a train of a series of consecutive fikir düzümü/ardıcıllığı;
English idioms 141

thought thoughts məc. düşüncələrin qatarı

◘ Oh no! I’m losing my train of thought. ◘ He refolded the
letter hastily and was in the act of replacing it in its envelope
when his wife, who had no mail this morning, interrupted his
train of thought [14, p.273].
commit make yourself əzbərləmək, əzbər öyrənmək;
something to remember yadda saxlamaq; yaddaşına
memory something yazmaq/köçürmək
I never write exercise numbers down. I just commit them to
memory.
English idioms 142

SECTION EIGHT
LIFE AND DEATH IDIOMS
Həyat və ölümlə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

bored to (informal) to be extremely darıxmaq; cana

death bored or frightened doymaq; bezmək
He talked about his adventures the whole evening I was bored
to death.
sick to to be bored to death; so əldən düşmək, bezmək,
death ill/sick that you may die cana doymaq
◘ Please be quiet. I’m sick to death of your constant
complaining.
◘ He was sick to death of them all, and even a little bit of
Sasha [18, p.278].
dice with to risk your life by ölümlə çilingağaç oynamaq;
death doing sth that you ölümlə üz-üzə gəlmək, həya-
know is dangerous tını təhlükəyə atmaq
You should get the brakes fixed on you car. You’re dicing with
death every time you go out on the road.
not be able (informal) to be tənbəllikdən düşməninə “da-
to do sth completely yı” demək; heç bir işə yara-
save your unable to do sth mamaq; tamamilə heç bir iş
English idioms 143

life bacarmamaq
I can’t believe my eyes! You are working! It must be a joke!
You can’t work to save your life, can you?
life and the liveliest, most attractive diqqət mərkəzində
soul of the person at a gathering of olan; başqalarından
party friends; the one to whom fərqlənən; həyat eş-
most people pay attention qi ilə dolu olan
My brother-in-low is normally quite quiet but when he has a
couple of drinks he is the life and soul of the party.
frighten the to make sb bir kəsi qorxutmaq/hürkütmək;
life out of suddenly qorxudan ödü ağzından gəlmək;
someone feel afraid ürəyini qoparmaq
- Hello? Who’s there? Is anyone there?
- Oh, it’s you, Jack. You frightened the life out of me.
make sb’s life to behave in a way that bir kəsin həyatını
a misery makes sb else feel very cəhənnəmə çevir-
unhappy mək; incitmək
I think my boss doesn’t like me. She makes my life a misery.
the kiss (informal, especially humorous) təhlükəli/riskli
of death an event that seems good, but is məsələ
certain to make sth else fail
I don’t think it’s a good idea to go there at this very moment.
English idioms 144

That’s the kiss of death.

be at (often humorous) ölüm ayağında olmaq; ağır
death’s very near death; vəziyyətdə olmaq; bir ayağı
door dying qəbirdə olmaq
I hear his father is out of hospital. He was at death’s door only
last month, he’s made a remarkable recovery.

♣ LIFE IS GAMBLING

a bit of a to take a risk with riskli/təhlükəli/qumar oyu-

gamble sth, hoping that you nu kimi bir iş; sonu nə cür
will be successful olacağı bilinməyən iş
- My brother is a lawyer and works self-employed.
- Well, good luck! Working for yourself can be a bit of a
gamble.
play your to use abilities and opportunities imkanların-
cards right so as to be successful; act dan məha-
cleverly; make the best use of your rətlə istifadə
place or skills etmək
◘ - I’ve got a job at this office.
- Congratulations. They’re a good company to work for. Play
English idioms 145

your cards right, then you’ll do very well there.

◘ Tom Fennell had said that if she played her cards well with
Roger it might easily lead to something [31, p.138].
when the said when a situation has həlledici an gəldikdə/
chips are reached its most critical or çatdıqda; dar macal-
down worst point da
- I think the company is having a bad year, from what I’ve
heard.
- Well, we’ll just have to work that bit harder. We usually do
when the chips are down.
put money to bet that a particular horse, bir şeyə/kəsə pul
on sth/sb dog, etc. will win a race; to qoymaq; sərma-
feel very sure that sth is true yə yatırmaq;
or that sb will succeed mərc gəlmək
- The weather looks fine. I’d like to take the children on a
picnic. I promised them one of these days.
- I wouldn’t put money on it if I were you! You know what it
can be like at this time of year.
the luck of the fact that chance decides sth, in a taleyin
the draw way that you cannot control qisməti
- Why do you think I’ve been chosen to lead this course?
- Don’t ask me! It’s just the luck of the draw.
English idioms 146

show your to make your plans öz planını/məqsədini bəlli

hand/cards or intentions known etmək; kartını açmaq
When you start negotiating, let the other person make the first
offer. Never show your hand too early.
bluff your to succeed in dealing with a vəziyyətdən çıx-
way in/out difficult situation by making maq; sudan qu-
through sth other people believe sth which ru çıxmaq
is not true
- If you want my opinion, I’ll have to change your attitude. Get
to work 5 minutes early, not 5 minutes late. Do you realize your
job’s at stake.
- Don’t worry. I can look after myself. I can always bluff my
way out of trouble.
take to take a risk or to use the özünü real hə-
your opportunities that you have and yatda sınaqdan
chances hope that things will happen in çıxarmaq, bəxti-
the way that you like ni sınamaq
My parents advised me to continue my study. But I decided to
take my chances in the real world.
a toss-up (for sth) (informal) to throw a coin püşk/cöp atma;
in the air in order to decide sth, seçim arasında
especially by guessing which side, qalma; bığla
English idioms 147

is facing upwards when it lands; a saqqal arasında

situation in which either of two qalma
choices, results, etc. is equally
possible
We can’t decide to spend our weekend in the country or to go
abroad. It’s a toss-up between the country and abroad.
hit the make or win a lot of money çoxlu pul qazanmaq;
jackpot quickly or unexpectedly cekpotu udmaq
I’ve passed my exam, got the travel grand, and been offered a
fantastic job for when I get back. I guess I’ve hit the jackpot.

♣ LIFE IS JOURNEY

be in a stick in an unchanging; boring yerində addımla-

rut job, marriage, or other situation maq; qabağa get-
in life məmək
◘ I have been doing the same job for 15 years. I think I’m in a
rut. I need a change.
◘ “Why is Mary so sad?” her brother Joe asked. “She feels that
she is in a rut”, Mary’s husband replied.
go to end a relationship with ayrılmaq, əlaqələrə son
English idioms 148

separate sb; to go in a different qoymaq; vidalaşıb/gö-

ways direction from sb you have rüşüb ayrılmaq; öz yo-
been travelling with lu ilə getmək
Our partnership didn’t last. In the end we agreed to go our
separate ways.
on the road changing; going from sağalmağa başlamaq;
to recovery one condition to yaxşılaşmaq; məc. kə-
another fəni yırtmaq
◘ I’m feeling much better now. I’m well on the road to
recovery.
◘ My sister was sick for several weeks, but now she is on the
road to recovery.
(no) turning to return the way you have geriyə yol yoxdur
back come is impossible
You’ve made your decision, you realise there’s no turning
back, don’t you?
follow in sb’s to follow someone’s bir kəsin yolunu da-
footsteps example; follow vam etdirmək; kimin-
someone exactly sə davamçısı olmaq
His father’s a doctor and it’s obvious Harry’s going to follow in
his father’s footsteps.
be at a at an important point in yolayrıcında qal-
English idioms 149

crossroads sb’s life or development maq; həlledici anda/

məqamda olmaq
I can’t make up my mind. It’s either stay where I am or apply
for a job abroad. I seem to be at a crossroads in my present
job.
sb has (informal) somebody has xoşbəxt/bəxtli/bəxtəvər
arrived become successful olmaq; bəxti gətirmək
Now he’s been given a new company car, he thinks he’s really
arrived.
go off the to start behaving in a xoşagəlməz hərəkətlər
rails strange or unacceptable etməyə başlamaq; hər
manner, for example şeydən əl çəkmək; cı-
drinking or taking drugs; zığından çıxmaq; rels-
to lose control and stop dən çıxmaq
functioning correctly
His wife died last year. I’m afraid he just hasn’t come to terms
with yet. And now he’s started drinking. I’m afraid he’s just
gone right off the rails.
not know to be so excited or yerin altında, yoxsa
whether you’re confused that you üstündə olduğunu
coming or going cannot behave or hiss etməmək; çaş-
think in a sensible baş qalmaq
English idioms 150

way
I’ve got so much work on my desk. I’m really confused. I don’t
know whether I’m coming or going.
English idioms 151

SECTION NINE
NATURE AND WEATHER IDIOMS
Təbiət və hava ilə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

king’s/queen’s or very nice, əla hava; xanlara

royal weather beautiful weather (bəylərə) layiq hava
We’re having royal weather when we were on holiday.
pour with rain to rain very hard leysan; güclü/şıdırğı yağış
It’s pouring with rain.
high summer the hottest part of yayın cırhacır vaxtı; ya-
summer yın ən isti vaxtı
I’ll have to go on holiday in high summer.
in the depths of the coldest time qışın oğlan çağı;
winter qışın ən soyuq vaxtı
It’s very terrible to be homeless in the depths of winter.
the course the usual or natural təbiətin qanunu; təbiət-
of nature way that something də hər hansı bir hadisə-
happens, develops, or nin təbii olaraq baş ver-
is done məsi
In the course of nature winter gives way to spring.
rain or shine whatever the istər gün olsun, istər yağış;
weather is like hava necə olur-olsun
English idioms 152

We’ll go for a walk rain or shine.

fine weather for the ducks rainy weather yağışlı hava
This city has fine weather for the ducks.
in the dead of in the middle of qışın ortası; qışın oğlan
winter winter çağı
She moved there in the dead of winter and it made everybody
unhappy who heard it.
wind and bad, windy weather “zəhrimar” kimi hava; çox
weather pis küləkli hava
It’s a large house, proof against wind and weather.
warm to make sb/sth more bir kəsi/şeyi şövqə gətirmək,
sb/sth lively or enthusiastic; ürəkləndirmək, canlandır-
up to become more lively maq, qızışmaq, qızışdırmaq
or enthusiastic (məclis və s.)
- How was the office party?
- A bit slow at first, but it soon warmed up when the boss left!
warm (up) to to begin to bir kəsə isinişmək, öyrəşmək,
somebody like sb meyl salmaq, dostlaşmaq
◘ - So, you met my old friend Garry yesterday. What do you
think of him?
- A great guy! Yes, I warmed up to him straightway.
◘ She didn’t warm up to no one [18, p.272].
English idioms 153

cloud a sad or bir kəsi/şeyi kədərləndirmək, əhvalı-

someone/ depress nı pozmaq, qəmləndirmək, pərt ol-
something news maq; bir kəsin qanını qaraltmaq; ke-
finə soğan doğramaq; kefsiz olmaq
- Did you have a good time last night?
- Not really, Jill had some sad news which clouded the whole
evening.
brighten up to become, feel or look çiçəyi çırtlamaq;
happier; to make sb look seinmək, xoşbəxt
happier olmaq/görünmək
- She seemed a bit depressed this morning.
- Oh, she’ll soon brighten up when I’ll tell her she’s being sent
to Paris!
give a frosty sth that you do or say to bir kəsi qaşqabaqlı
reception to sb when they arrive, qarşılamaq, soyuq
somebody especially sth that makes qarşılamaq; üzünə
them feel you aren’t baxmamaq
happy to see them
I felt sorry when I saw them. They gave us a very frosty
reception.
storm to go somewhere bir kəsin üstünə hücum çəkmək,
into quickly and in an gözlənilmədən içəri girmək; fır-
English idioms 154

angry, noisy way tına kimi soxulmaq

He stormed into the room and shouted at me!
give a sth that you do or say to sb bir kəsi mehriban-
warm when they arrive, especially lıqla/gülərüzlə/sə-
welcome sth that makes them feel you mimiyyətlə qarşıla-
are happy to see them maq
They gave me a very warm welcome.
every cloud every sad or difficult hər işin sonunda
has a silver situation has a positive bir xeyir var
lining (saying) side
English idioms 155

SECTION TEN
HOUSE AND HOME IDIOMS
Evlə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

hit/strike if a remark, etc. hits/strikes home, bir kəsin yaralı,

home it has a strong effect on sb, in a zəif yerinə to-
way that makes them realize what xunmaq; kefinə
the true facts of a situation are; soğan doğra-
strike a vulnerable spot maq
◘ It wasn’t until I got home and sat down that the news about
my job really hit home. Twenty-five years in the same factory
and now it’s closing.
◘ And what she had said to him hit home [21, p.125).
a few (usually pl.) a true but unpleasant xoşagəlməz/pis/
home fact about a person, usually told to acı həqiqət
truth them by sb else
◘ My flat mate never cleans or does the dishes. I think I am
going to have to tell her a few home truths. ◘ “Now, Miranda,
it’s time for a few home truth. If you think I’m your servant,
you’re mistaken”.
eat (informal) to eat hər şeyi yeyib qurtarmaq;
someone so much as to kiminsə qonaqpərvərliyin-
English idioms 156

out of cause economic dən sui istifadə etmək, hara-

house and hardship; to dasa uzun müddət qalmaq;
home overstay one’s bir kəsi talamaq, var-yox-
welcome dan çıxarmaq
My brother and his family came to stay with us at Christmas.
They nearly ate us out of house and home. We spent a fortune
on food.
till the cows until sunset; until the last şər qarışana kimi;
come home çox gec saata kimi
- He likes to talk, doesn’t he? It’s sometimes difficult to shut
him up.
- Yes, he’ll sit and talk until the cows come home if you let
him.
the lights are (humorous) used to describe sb axmaq/ağlı
on but no one who is stupied, not thinking başında ol-
at home clearly or not paying attention mayan adam
- Pan can be a bit slow sometimes. I often have to explain things
three times.
- I know what you mean. I don’t like saying this, but sometimes
it seems as if the lights are on but there’s no one at home.
bring the to start an audience gurultulu alqışlara sə-
house down laughing or clapping bəb olmaq; uğur əldə
English idioms 157

enthusiastically etmək
◘ Her last song brought the house down.
◘ It used to bring the house down [31, p.185].
nothing to nothing interesting or danışılası (qeyri adi) bir
write home significant; nothing to şey yoxdur; adi, heç nə-
about brag about yi ilə fərqlənməyən
- Have you seen Christine’s new boyfriend? What is he like?
- Well, he’s OK, I suppose. But nothing to write home about.
put your to sort out one’s özünə umac ova bilməyib,
own house own problems başqasına əriştə kəsmək; öz
in order first problemləri ilə məşğul olmaq
He needs to put his own house in order.
Put your own house in order! Öz işinlə məşğul ol!
English idioms 158

SECTION ELEVEN
POLITICS
Siyasətlə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

rivet ['rivit] when things rivet sb, they bir kəsin

one’s attention fascinate sb and hold sb’s diqqətini
on (to) interest firmly and completely cəlb etmək
World attention was riveted on the talks in Geneva.
take to do things in order to ölçü götürmək; addım at-
action deal with or achieve maq; bir şeyin qarşısını al-
something mağa çalışmaq
The government is already taking action to stop the strike.
get a new to consider a problem hər hansı bir məsələyə
angle on or situation, to change başqa tərəfdən baxmaq;
sth one’s point of view of yeni fikir nümayiş etdir-
sth mək
He has got a new angle on the problem.
agree to agree to accept the fact müxtəlif fikirdə olan
to that they will never have the adamların bir araya gəl-
differ same opinion about sth and məsi; razılaşmaq; bir-
so stop arguing about it birinə güzəştə getmək
Sometimes, where important matters are concerned, people
agree to differ.
English idioms 159

hardly a question (problem) hər il müzakirə olunan

annual discussed every year məsələ; çeynənmiş məsələ
Readers are one more filling the columns of that newspaper
with “Is the government’s policy a Failure?” The hardly
annual attracts everybody’s attention this time.
drive into the not to pay much bir şeyə əhəmiyyət ver-
background attention to sth, to məmək, diqqət yetirmə-
find sth unimportant mək, bir şeyi arxa plana
keçirmək
This missile crisis drove again into the background, for a
time, the social and political aspirations of the people.
keep in the to try not gözdən yayınmağa çalışmaq; diq-
background to be qəti cəlb etməməyi/gözdən uzaq/
noticed arxa planda qalmağa çalışmaq
He keeps himself very much in the background.
on (upon) the under discussion; sth which hələ də müza-
anvil ['anvil] is still being considered and kirə obyekti
talked about olan məsələ
The new immigration laws are on the anvil.
kill the bill to defeat a proposed təklif olunan qanun la-
new law yihəsini rədd etmək
The bill was killed by 230 votes to 150.
English idioms 160

lay down to stop fighting əl saxlamaq; vuruşmanı da-

(one’s) arms and surrender yandırmaq, təslim olmaq
Having suffered a defeat, they laid down their arms.
rise in arms to prepare to əldə silah üsyan etmək/
(take up arms attack sb and üsyana qalxmaq/silaha
against) fight against sb sarılmaq
The people immediately took up arms against the invader.
under if a country has people under arms, it döyüşə hazır
arms has people trained to use weapons and əsgərlər
ready to fight a war
At this time our country has more forces under arms than ever
before.
up in arms to be very angry about qəti etiraz etmək; nə-
over sth sth and protest strongly yinsə qəti əleyhinə
The youth is really up in arms over an unpopular war in Iraq.
big stick the threat of using bir kəsə hərbə-zorba
policy/the military or political force to gəlmək, qorxutmaq;
big stick get what one wants güc/dəyənək siyasəti
What is their policy? Is it the big stick policy of their
President?
a carrot the promise of bir kəsi aldadaraq tələyə
and stick reward and threat salmaq; həm mükafat söz
English idioms 161

policy/the of punishment, both vermək, həm də hədə-qorxu

carrot and at the same time gəlmək; sülh və güc siyasə-
the stick ti; bişim-bişimlə öz istədiyi-
nə nail olma
◘ Their method of negotiating is a combination of the carrot
and the stick.
◘ His father used the carrot and stick when he talked about his
low grades.
shuttle international talks, e.g. to try müxtəlif ölkələr
diplomacy to make peace, carried out by arasında sülh əldə
someone who travels between etmək üçün apa-
the countries concerned rılan beynəlxalq
taking messages and danışıqlar zamanı
suggesting answers to vasitəçilik diplo-
problem matiyası
We find Secretary Brown’s shuttle diplomacy very important.
shirtsleeve informal and bağlı qapı arxasında aparı-
diplomacy direct diplomacy lan danışıqlar; qeyri-rəsmi
və üzbəüz danışıq
Two presidents continue their shirtsleeve diplomacy.
political someone who is put in prison because siyasi
prisoner they oppose and criticize the government məhbus
English idioms 162

of their own country

The President says they have no political prisoners.
political the right to remain safely in another siyasi
asylum country, for a person who cannot live sığına-
safely in their own because of the political caq
situation
He is seeking political asylum.
be at peace a situation in which there is no sülh şəraitin-
with sb war between countries or in a də yaşamaq
country
They’ve been at peace with Germany for many years.
go into politics to become a politician siyasətçi olmaq
He went into politics in his early thirties.
under a during the period hər hansı bir hökumətin
government of a government hakimiyyəti dövründə
There were some changes in policy under the last
government.
be in to be governing a hakimiyyətdə olmaq
government country
How long has this president been in government?
English idioms 163

SECTION TWELVE
LAW IDIOMS
Qanunla bağlı işlənən idiomlar

go to to go to court in order to deal with a məhkəməyə mü-

law dispute, or arrange to do this raciət etmək
If he doesn’t agree to our terms, we’ll have to go to law.
bring (take) a change or a matter for bir kəsə qarşı məh-
an action consideration by a court kəmə işi qaldırmaq
against sb of law
I’m afraid, we must bring an action against him.
the scene of a place where an event cinayət yeri; hadisə-
the crime or action happens nin baş verdiyi yer
They say that murderers always return to the scene of the
crime.
be behind bars in prison dəmir barmaqlıqlar arxasında/
həbsxanada olmaq
He has made a lot of crimes, now he is behind bars.
aid and to help sb in cinayət ortağı olmaq; bir kəsə
abet criminal activities cinayətdə köməklik göstər-
mək; cinayətdə əli olmaq
He was accused of aiding and abetting the murderer.
English idioms 164

take the law to take no notice of müstəqil araşdırma

into one’s society’s rules and act aparmaq, xəfiyyəlik
own hands alone, usually by force etmək
He took the law into his own hands and shot the burglar.
the (long) pomp., humor – justice, esp. in the form güclü
arm of the of the police, considered as something qanu-
law that criminals cannot escape from nun əli
They were beyond the arm of the law.
be called to become a barrister, a lawyer ali məhkəmədə
to the Bar who has the right of speaking danışmaq hüqu-
in the higher courts of law quna malik olmaq
Your uncle is called to the Bar, isn’t he?
hardened men who have been bir çox cinayətlərdə əli
criminals guilty of many crimes olan; qatı cinayətkarlar
Putting this man into prison alongside hardened criminals is
the surest way to make him reoffend.
The greater the serious crimes Cinayət nə qədər
crime, the higher must be punished böyük olarsa, cəza
the gallows severely bir o qədər ağır olar
English idioms 165

SECTION THIRTEEN
EATING IDIOMS
Yeməklə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

eat a horse to eat a lot; çox yemək, acgözlüklə yemək;

eat hungrily bir oturuma bir qoyun yemək
I’m hungry. I could eat a horse.
eat your to take back something sözünü geri götürmək;
words you have said; admit sözündən qaçmaq; məc.
something is not true tüpürdüyünü yalamaq
◘ I made him eat his words.
◘ He will eat his words with a fork and spoon [16, p.66].
have a to be excessively fond of şirniyyatı xoşlamaq;
sweet dessert items, such as ice şirniyyatdan keçə bil-
tooth cream, pies, etc məmək
- Will she have a dessert?
- I’m sure she will. She always has a sweet tooth.
bite sb’s to answer someone in bir kəsə acıqla/qeyzlə/
head off great anger; answer quduzcasına cavab ver-
furiously mək; it kimi qapmaq
I had said nothing; I’ve no idea why he’s biting my head off.
be in your what a person bir kəsin zövqünə uyğun
English idioms 166

taste likes or prefers olmaq; bir şeyi xoşlamaq

I didn’t like the opera. It is not in my taste. Bu mənlik
deyil.
swallow your to take back something qürurundan əl çək-
pride you have said; admit mək; güzəştə getmək
something is not true
Just swallow your pride and accept their help.
leave a bad (of events or experiences) bir kəsdə nifrət/ik-
taste in to make you feel disgusted rah oyatmaq; pis
your mouth or ashamed afterwards təəssürat buraxmaq
The whole experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.
get your (informal) to have something bir işin qulpun-
teeth into real or solid to think about; go dan möhkəm ya-
sth to work on seriously; struggle pışmaq; işə ciddi
with girişmək
- I thought you liked your job. Why do you want a change?
- I need a fresh challenge-something to get my teeth into.
a second bite an opportunity to daha bir şans; yenidən
at the cherry do sth cəhd göstərmək imkanı
- I’ve failed my university entrance exam. I’m not sure if I can
retake it.
- I expect you can. You’re allowed a second bite at the cherry.
English idioms 167

bite off more to try to do more başından yekə iş görmək;

than you can than you can; be bacarmadığı işdən yapış-
chew too confident of maq; burnu girməyən ye-
your ability rə başını soxmaq
- I’m going to try to fix the car myself.
- Well, if it is difficult, don’t do it. Don’t bite off more than
you can chew.

♣ FOOD IDIOMS

sb’s cup of (informal) something bir kəsin zövq aldığı və ya-

tea/dish of you enjoy or do well xud yaxşı bacardığı iş; hər
tea (used at; a special interest, hansı bir işə olan xüsusi
with a or favourite maraq; sevimli məşğuliy-
possessive) occupation yət, zövq, həvəs, meyl, ma-
raq
Going for a walk is his cup of tea.
not sb’s cup of (informal) not what sb bir kəsin xoşla-
tea (used with a likes or is interested in; madığı, maraq-
possessive) something you don’t lanmadığı iş
enjoy or don’t do well
English idioms 168

◘ Going to the restaurants is not my cup of tea.

◘ But I’m not sure that’s my cup of tea at all [19, p.108].
a couch a person who is addicted bütün günü televizora
potato to watching television all baxan adam; televizor
day aludəçisi
My brother works hard during the week but at the weekends he
spends most of his time lying on the sofa watching TV. He can
be a real couch potato.
bread the usual needs of əsas gəlir mənbəyi, çörək ağacı;
and life; food, shelter, həyat üçün zəruri olan ehtiyac
butter and clothing (ərzaq, paltar və s.), yaşayış va-
sitəsi
◘ - So you write novels poetry, do you?
- Yes, but sports journalism’s my bread and butter.
◘ He’s got his bread and butter to think of, like the rest of us
[33, p.56].
go (sell) to sell quickly or əlüstü/dərhal satılmaq; göydə
like hot in great numbers qapmaq (mal), əlüstü alınıb
cakes qurtarmaq
These T-shirts are sold like hot cakes.
a piece of cake very easy çox asan; bir udum su kimi
I went windsurfing for the first time on Saturday. I thought it
English idioms 169

was going to be a piece of cake but soon realized it was a lot

more difficult than I’d expected.
as cool as a very calm and sakit/soyuqqanlı/təmkinli/
cucumber controlled özünü itirməyən
Did you see the way she handled that aggressive customer? She
was as cool as a cucumber.
go pear-shaped to go wrong alt-üst olmaq, alınmamaq,
puç olmaq
The whole peace settlement went pear-shaped when the
terrorists planted a bomb in the main railway station.
butter to try to get the favour or bir kəsə quyruq bula-
someone friendship of (a person) maq, yaltaqlanmaq;
up by flattery or məc. kimisə yağlamaq,
pleasantness başını bişirmək
- Before we ask our boss for anything, we start being extra nice
to him.
- We do the same with our boss. We just butter him up a bit.
It’s never failed yet!
have (put) all to place all your efforts, bütün ümidlərini
your eggs in interests, or hopes in a bir kəsə/şeyə bağ-
one basket single person or thing lamaq; risk etmək
The golden rule with investments is to put our money in a
English idioms 170

variety of different companies. Don’t put all your eggs in one

basket.
stew in your to suffer from sth that öz qazdığı quyuya
own juice you have caused to düşmək; öz cəzasını
happen yourself çəkmək
- I’m going to phone Mike to see if he’s ready to say sorry
about that argument.
- No, don’t do that, it’s his fault, so let him stew in his own
juice, for a while.
egg on embarrassment; humiliation utanmaq; biabır
sb’s face caused by a claim made, olmaq; pis vəziy-
which subsequently turns out yətə düşmək; pərt
to be false olmaq
◘ We ended up with egg on our face.
◘ My friend announced that she got the directorship of the firm.
He sure had a lot of eggs on his face the next day, when it
turned out that he was not even considered for the post.
the icing something extra and not süd gölünə düşmə,
on the essential that is added to an istədiyindən artığı-
cake already good situation or nı əldə etmə; doşab
experience and that makes it alasan bal çıxa
even better
English idioms 171

I love my new job; the people, the work, the money. The fact
they’ve given me the car of my dreams is just the icing on the
cake.
Fry your eggs! Öz işinlə məşğul ol!

♣ MEALS

eat sb’s to live on sb, to live at the bir kəsin çörəyini ye-
bread cost of someone else mək; kiminsə hesabına
yaşamaq
He likes to eat his parents’ bread.
wine and to entertain or be bir kəsi yedirib-içirmək,
dine sb entertained with a qonaqlıq vermək, bir kəsi
meal and wine qonaq etmək
We wined and dined our guests until late into the night.
make your to want to eat sth ağzının suyu axmaq; ağzı
mouth water very much sulanmaq; bir şeyi çox is-
təmək
◘ What beautiful cakes! They really make my mouth water.
◘ Makes my mouth water just repeating the menu [23, p.305].
melt in your if food melts in your ağzında ərimək (bir
English idioms 172

mouth mouth, it is soft and şeyin çox yumşaq və

delicious dadlı olması)
These chocolates really melt in your mouth.
smack to make a short loud noise with ağzını marçıldat-
your your lips because one is hungry, maq; bir şeyin ləz-
lips or to express how much you’ve zətli olduğunu gös-
enjoyed eating some food tərmək
He looked at the plate and smacked his lips.
eat to eat a lot of hər şeyi yeyib qurtarmaq,
somebody someone’s supply bir kəsin qonaqpərvərliyin-
out of house of food, so that dən sui istifadə etmək, məc.
and home they have to buy silib-süpürmək; hər şeyin
more (ərzaq) axırına çıxmaq
When her children come home, they eat her out of house and
home.
Eat, drink and be enjoy life, because Ye, iç, kef elə, dünya
merry (saying) it’s very short beş günlükdür
I advise you eat, drink and be merry. We don’t know what
we’ll face in future.
big (light, fussy, someone who eats a lot, not qarınqulu;
etc.) eater much, only particular things, çox yeyən
etc
English idioms 173

My friend has always been a big eater.

to my (your, his, in a way that I zövqümə uyğun, ürəyimcə
etc.) taste like olan; ürəyimə yatan
There are many things to my taste here. I think I’ll stay here.
eat like a to eat very little uşaq payı (az) yemək; yeməyi
bird quş kimi dimdikləmək
She is very thin. She eats like a bird.
English idioms 174

SECTION FOURTEEN
FIRE IDIOMS
Odla bağlı işlənən idiomlar

Fire has always been very important in all societies. It is not

surprising that the image of fire is used in many situations,
particularly in human relationships.

burning (of feeling) very bir şeyi dəlicəsinə istəmək; bir

ambition strong; extreme işin həyata keçməsini çox arzu-
lamaq
I want to be a teacher. I’ve got a burning ambition to teach
children English in our village.
heated a loud, often violent alovlu/qızğın/səs-küylü
discussion discussion müzakirə
I wouldn’t say we had an argument. It was just a heated
discussion.
get on like (informal) (of people) bir kəslə yaxşı yola get-
a house on to become friends mək; tez və asan əlaqə
fire quickly and have a very yaratmaq, yaxşı ünsiy-
friendly relationship yətdə olmaq; isti müna-
sibət qurmaq
English idioms 175

◘ I met Jackie at a conference and liked her immediately. We

got on like a house on fire.¨
◘ I know that you can act me off the stage, but we get on
together like a house on fire, and … [31, p.36].
play with to act in a way that is risk etmək; məc. odla
fire not sensible and take oynamaq, özünü təhlü-
dangerous risks kəyə atmaq
You’re playing with fire. If the company finds out what you’ve
done, you’ll be looking for a new job.
go up in if your plans, hopes, etc. go arzuların puç olma-
smoke up in smoke, they fail sı; bir şeyin tamami-
completely; disappear; fail; lə yanıb kül olması;
not come true; to be yoxa/boşa çıxması
completely burnt
◘ I was planning a quiet weekend, but Sally and Richard invited
themselves round on Saturday, so all my plans went up in
smoke.
◘ Our cottage went up in smoke last year.
shoot to be very critical of bir kəsin ağzından vur-
somebody sb’s ideas, opinions, maq, sözünü ağzında
down in etc qoymaq; danışmağa
flames imkan verməmək
English idioms 176

Every time I have a new idea you just shoot me down in

flames without really listening to what I have to say.
sparks (usually plural) feeling of mübahisə, dava-dalaş,
fly anger or excitement səs-küy; aləm bir-biri-
between people; argument nə dəyir
Have you ever heard Kate and Tina discussing politics? The
sparks really fly when they disagree about something.
a baptism a difficult introduction to a cəhənnəm əzabı
of fire new job or activity
I can remember my first day in the classroom. I had to teach
maths to a class of 30 very difficult sixteen - year-olds. It was a
baptism of fire.
burn to make a tələsik qərar vermək; tələsik ad-
your decision that dım atmaq, geriyə yol qoymamaq,
bridges you cannot məc. öz körpüsünü/qayığını yan-
change dırmaq; oturduğu budağı kəsmək
- Are you resigning?
- Well, I’m looking for a change, but I’m not leaving this job till
I’ve got something fixed up. I don’t want to burn my bridges.
add more to make a bad matter aranı qatmaq; odun üs-
fuel to the worse by adding to its tünə yağ tökmək; dala-
fire cause; spread trouble şanları qızışdırmaq; və-
English idioms 177

increase anger or ziyyəti daha da pisləş-

other strong feelings dirmək, məc. altına od
by talk or action qoymaq
- That’s the third government minister who’s resigned this
week.
- There’s been something funny going on for a long time. This
just adds more fuel to the fire.
English idioms 178

SECTION FIFTEEN
MEDICINE IDIOMS
Təbabətlə (səhhətlə) bağlı işlənən idiomlar

alive and if someone or something is alive həyat eşqilə do-

kicking and kicking, they are not only lu; sağ və sala-
still living or in existence, but are mat; gümrah
also very active and lively
Though my age I am alive and kicking and thinking of you.
be a picture of to look very yanaqlarından qan dam-
health healthy maq; çox sağlam görünmək
When I saw him, he was a picture of health.
be (as) right to be completely well özünə gəlmək; yenidən
as rain and healthy again qaydasına düşmək
Don’t worry! You’ll soon be as right as rain.
a bag of bones/ very thin çox arıq; bir qucaq sür-sümük;
skin and bone bir dəri, bir sümük
My sister is very thin, just a bag of bones.
feel like a very tired özünü əzgin hiss etmək; çox
boiled/wet rag yorğun olmaq
I’m just recovering from flu, and I don’t think there is any
illness which makes one feel more like a wet rag than that
English idioms 179

does.
feel like death to feel very ill çox xəstə olmaq; məc. özü-
warmed up nü ölü kimi hiss etmək
My wife feels like death warmed up much of the time.
go to pieces to be nervous dəli-divanəyə dönmək
◘ His nerves had gone to pieces when he heard this news.
◘ He plays a winning hand very well, but when he has bad
cards he goes all to pieces [33, p.41].
go from bad to to become more difficult pisləşmək (iş,
worse vəziyyət və s.)
After that things went from bad to worse.
between life an extremely serious, dangerous həyatla
and death situation when someone may die if ölüm ara-
people don’t act immediately sında
Phone an ambulance. She’s between life and death. It’s a
matter of life and death.
catch a to become ill with a sətəlcəm olmaq, soyuqla-
cold cold maq, özünü soyuğa vermək
Don’t sit there. You’ll catch a cold.
catch one’s death to be very cold and soyuqlamaq;
=catch one’s death probably become very ill sətəlcəm ol-
of cold maq
English idioms 180

Don’t go out in wet weather! You’ll catch your death of cold.

sb’s days there only remains a short sayılı günləri qal-
are time before sth unpleasant maq; ölümünə az
numbered will happen to someone, qalmaq; can ver-
e.g. that someone will die mək, can üstə olmaq
Me grandfather is terribly ill. His days are numbered.
breathe your last to die canını tapşırmaq; son
(breathe or gasp) nəfəsini vermək; ölmək
◘ He sighed and breathed his last.
◘ … and then finally breathed his last, …[21, p.309].
die a natural to die quietly of old age or illness əcəli ilə
death rather than because of an accident, ölmək
in war
He had been in action all through the war. But he died a
natural death.
die in your boots/die to die while still qəfildən olmək;
with your boots on working rahat ölmək
I’d much rather die in my boots.
hope against to hope for sth möcüzənin baş verəcəyinə/
hope that seems qeyri-mümkün olan bir işin
impossible düzələcəyinə ümid etmək
We hoped against hope that my father would become better.
English idioms 181

But in vain.
be a martyr to suffer greatly/ bir şeydən çox əziyyət
of sth/die a die, because of sth çəkmək; bir şeyə düçar/
martyr to mübtəla olub ölmək
She’s a martyr to severe headaches.
take your to put oneself in həyatı ilə oynamaq; özünü
life in your danger of death təhlükəyə/ölümün ağuşu-
own hands na/ atmaq
Every time you cross this busy road you take your life in your
hands.
nurse sb to nurse someone xəstənin yatağından aralan-
back to until they’re well mamaq; sağalanadək xəstə-
health again nin qulluğunda durmaq
My mother nursed my elder brother back to health.
bring sb to make someone live, bir kəsi yenidən həyata
to life regain consciousness qaytarmaq
She was brought to life by the doctor.

♣ HEALTH IDIOMS

a sore a weak or sensitive part; a subject or ağrılı məsələ;

English idioms 182

point/ thing about which someone bir kəsin ağrılı

spot becomes angry or upset easily yeri
Try not to mention baldness while he’s here. It’s a sore spot for
him.
give someone a to treat bir kəsin sənə etdiyi pisliyin
tastle/dose of someone the /yaxşılığın əvəzini vaxtı gə-
their own way he or she ləndə çıxmaq; kiməsə onun
medicine treats others öz kartı ilə cavab vermək
When I refused to help him I tried to give him a tastle of his
own medicine.
sugar do sth to make something gərginliyi azaltmaq
the pill unpleasant more acceptable
My father has sugared the overtime pill by offering a large
extra payment.
a bitter pill something hard xoşagəlməz məsələ/əhvalat;
to swallow to accept; qəbul edilməsi ağır olan acı
disappointment həqiqət
◘ My brother wasn’t invited to the party as it was a bitter pill
for him to swallow.
◘ At forty, cessation of menses is a bitter pill to swallow.
have (informal) to want to bir yerdə qərar tuta bilmə-
itchy travel or move to a mək; bir yerdə uzun müd-
English idioms 183

feet different place; to want dət qala bilməmək; məc.

to do sth different ayağının altı qaşınmaq
I’m leaving this place next week. As you know, I can’t stay in
one place for more than a year without getting itchy feet.
English idioms 184

SECTION SIXTEEN
DAILY PROGRAMME
Gündəlik işlərlə bağlı olan idiomlar

be as regular very saat kimi dəqiq olmaq; hər hansı

as clock-work regular bir işi eyni vaxtda görmək; mün-
təzəm
He phones me every evening, regular as clockwork.
be as busy as a bee very busy arı kimi çalışqan olmaq;
çox məşğul olmaq
I don’t have time to help you. I’m as busy as a bee.
be up to one’s to have a lot of work çox işi olmaq; işi ba-
ears in work şından aşmaq
I’m up to my ears in work.
have one’s to be very başını qaşımağa vaxtı olmamaq;
hands full busy or too olduqca məşğul olmaq; əlində
busy çox işi olmaq
I’m sorry I can’t come. I have my hands full with problems at
home.
a woman’s work is one has always evin (qadının) işi
never done some housework to qurtarmaz; həmişə
do görüləsi işi olmaq
English idioms 185

I’ll do the cleaning and go to bed, I’m tired out. A woman’s

work is never done.
morning, noon used to emphasize that səhər-axşam;
and night something happens a lot or daima
continuously
My sister is on the phone morning, noon and night.
not sleep a wink/not not be able to yuxusuz qalmaq;
get a wink of sleep sleep at all çimir almamaq;
göz yummamaq
◘ He looked tired. He never slept a wink that night.
◘ Eily couldn’t sleep a wink with worry and did her best to
hide it from the others [30, p.38].
English idioms 186

SECTION SEVENTEEN
BREAKING IDIOMS
Emosional hisslər ifadə edən idiomlar

go to to become very nervous or sick məhv olmaq; dünya

pieces from nervousness; become wild başına fırlanmaq;
qəlbi parçalanmaq
He went to pieces when he heard of his mother’s death.
feel not strong and likely to özünü əzgin/xəstə hiss
fragile become ill/sick etmək; kefsiz olmaq
He’s feeling fragile this morning. He had a late night.
handle to deal with sb in a very bir kəslə çox ehtiyat-
someone careful way so that you do la davranmaq; bi-
with kid not offend or upset them şim-bişimlə dav-
gloves ranmaq
Be very careful what you say to him. You have got to handle
him with kid gloves.
knock someone (informal) used gördüyündən şoka düş-
down with a to express mək; sevincdən ürəyi get-
feather surprise mək; gözləri kəlləsinə çıx-
maq
◘ When I heard the news, you could have knocked me down
English idioms 187

with a feather.
◘ “You could have knocked me down with a feather”, she
answered, so surprised that she looked at him blankly [33,
p.34].
snap to speak or say sth in an bir kəsə kəskin/kobud/
back sb impatient, usually angry qaba tərzdə cavab ver-
voice mək; it kimi qapmaq
“Do it yourself, if you think you can do it better!” he snapped
back.
put sb’s life to come to yenidən həyata qayıtmaq;
back together oneself özünə gəlmək
After his wife’s death, it took him a long time to put his life
back together.
mend the to find a solution to a bir kəsin könlünü al-
relationship problem or disagreement maq; münasibətləri
yenidən bərpa etmək
She wants a divorce, but Justin is trying to mend the
relationship.
pick up the to continue living life hər hansı bir hadi-
pieces normally after some tragedy sədən sonra özünə
that put a major roadblock gəlmək; yenidən
in one’s way həyata bağlanmaq
English idioms 188

It was terrible losing Mary, but I’m doing my best to pick up

the pieces.
need careful to deal with sb in a bir kəslə ehtiyatla rəftar
handling very careful way etmək; bir kəslə bişim-
bişimlə davranmaq
He needs careful handling. He’s brilliant, but he’s a bit
sensitive to criticism.
break sb’s to discourage greatly; ruhdan düşmək, məyus
heart make very sad or olmaq; bir kəsin qəlbini
hopeless sındırmaq/parçalamaq
◘ When her son was killed in the war, it broke her heart.
◘ “Have you broken my heart and ruined my whole life just to
keep me in your rotten theatre?” [31, p.43].
English idioms 189

SECTION EIGHTEEN
HOLIDAYS
Istirahətlə bağlı işlənən idiomlar

get away to get loose or get free; hamıdan, hər şeydən

from all become free from being qaçmaq/uzaqlaşmaq;
held or controlled; succeed baş götürüb qaçmaq,
in leaving; escape aradan çıxmaq
- When are you on holiday?
- Tomorrow.
- I can’t wait. I am really looking forward to getting away from
it all.
off the not well known or often gözdən uzaq yer; sakit
beaten used; not gone to or seen by yer; tapdaq (ayaqaltı)
track many people; unusual olmayan yer
I like this town. It is so quiet. We are the only tourists. I prefer
places off the beaten track.
let your act freely and azad nəfəs almaq; sərbəst
hair down naturally; be olmaq; dincəlmək, özünü
informal; relax sərbəst aparmaq
Why do you always stay here? It is the best place to really let
your hair down.
English idioms 190

have time of a very happy or həyatın ən gözəl dəqiqə-

your life wonderful time lərini yaşamaq
- How was your holiday?
- Wonderful. We had the time of our lives.
in the middle in a deserted, çox uzaq, əlçatmaz yer; dün-
of nowhere far away place yanın qurtaracağında/o başın-
da
◘ - Where is the cottage you’re renting in Portugal?
- Oh, it’s miles from anywhere in the middle of nowhere.
◘ When my car stopped on the highway in the middle of
nowhere, it took forever to get help.
◘ To die all alone in the middle of nowhere, starved and with
no family or friends [30, p.70].
have a whale to enjoy yourself very much; əla vaxt keçir-
of a time to have a very good time mək; əylənmək
- Did you like your skiing holiday? What was it like?
- It was great. We had a whale of a time.
what the (humorous) exactly zəruri/gərəkli olan
doctor orders what sb wants or needs hər şey; quş iliyi can
dərmanı
- I see you had a good time?
- Fantastic. Sun, sea and excellent food. It was just what the
English idioms 191

doctor ordered.
recharge the to get back your enerji yığmaq; güm-
batteries strength and energy rahlaşmaq; havasını
by resting for a while dəyişmək, istirahət et-
mək
We are going to recharge our batteries, that is why we are
here.
pack everything (humorous) a very əlinə keçəni, gözü
except the large number of things, gördüyünü götür-
kitchen sink probably more than is mək; hər şeyi
necessary yığıb-yığışdırmaq
- Are you sure everything is in the cases?
- Yes, positive. We have packed everything except the
kitchen sink.
watch the to relax and watch qaynar həyatı kənar-
world go by people in a public place dan seyr edərək zövq
almaq
- Have you been to Paris?
- Yes, I love Paris, I love sitting in a cafe watching the world
go by.
English idioms 192

SECTION NINETEEN
SLEEP AND DREAM IDIOMS
Yuxu və arzu idiomları

lose sleep to worry about narahat olmaq; kürkünə birə

over something düşmək; yuxusu ərşə çəkilmək
- I am a bit worried that I upset Amanda I didn’t mean to be
rude.
- It was just a misunderstanding. Don’t lose any sleep over it.
be half asleep not fully awake ayaq üstə mürgüləmək;
yarı yuxulu
- Sorry? What did you say? I wasn’t listening.
- What’s the matter with you this morning? You are half
asleep.
a dream especially one that seems arzunun həyata keç-
come true difficult to achieve məsi/gerçəkləşməsi
- So, you’re off to America at the weekend? Have a good time.
- I will. I’ve been waiting to go for years. It’s a dream come
true.
go like a to work very well; to yuxuya bənzəmək; əla
dream happen without problems, getmək/(iş, plan və s.)
in the way that you had olmaq/işləmək
English idioms 193

planned
◘ - How was your date with Richard? Is he Mr. Right?
- It was wonderful. Everything was perfect. It went like a
dream.
◘ Our new computer goes like a dream.
sleep on (informal) to delay making a götür-qoy etmək;
sth decision about sth until the next təxirə salıb (qərarı)
day, so that you have time to vaxtı uzatmaq/
think about it vaxt qazanmaq
- Work in the Madrid office? Well, it sounds good, but it’s a big
decision to have home for two years.
- Sleep on it! You don’t have to decide now. We can talk again
tomorrow.
I wouldn’t (informal) Bunu heç vaxt etmərəm! Bu-
dream of it! I would never nu ağlımdan da keçirmirəm!
do it
- Do you allow yourself to have a drink when you’re driving?
- No, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’d never forgive myself if I had
an accident.
sleep like a (informal) to sleep very yaxşı yatmaq; ölü/daş
log/baby deeply and soundly kimi yatmaq, xorxaxor
yatmaq
English idioms 194

◘ I feel great. I slept like a log last night.

◘ Every day I was up at dawn, clearing, working on my house,
and at night when I threw myself on my bed it was to sleep like
a log till morning [32, p.202].
dead to the world fast asleep bərk yatmaq; dünyadan
xəbəri olmamaq
Someone said there was thunder last night, but I didn’t hear a
thing. I was dead in the world.
get/have a wink to be able to sleep gözünün acısını al-
maq; mürgüləmək
I sometimes stay in my office and have forty winks at my desk.
look dead on very tired but still çox yorğun olmaq; məc.
one’s feet standing or walking ayaq üstə ölmək
(yorğunluqdan)
It is time you go to bed. You look dead on your feet.
English idioms 195

SECTION TWENTY
SUITABILITY
Münasibət bildirən idiomlar

feel at home to feel comfortable, özünü evindəki kimi hiss

relaxed, at ease etmək; rahat olmaq
- Is your son still living in Italy?
- Yes, he feels very much at home there.
fit (sb) like to fit əyninə biçilmək; boyuna/ölçüsünə
a glove perfectly uyğun olmaq; məc. əyninə qutu kimi
oturmaq
- How do these shoes feel?
- Lovely. They fit like a glove. I’m just not sure about the
colour.
do the to bring success in doing uğur gətirmək; uğur-
trick something; have a desired lu/yaxşı olmaq (nəticə
result haqda)
- I’ve got a terrible headache. I’d better go home.
- Try this medicine. It’ll do the trick! You’ll be feeling as right
as rain again in a couple of minutes.
fit/fill the bill to be what is needed münasib olmaq; uyğun
in a particular (yararlı) olmaq; tələblə-
English idioms 196

situation or for a rə cavab vermək

particular purpose
◘ - We’re looking for somebody to send to England.
- What about Mr. Anar? I think he’d fill the bill, wouldn’t he?
◘ And Harcourt didn’t fit the bill either, though he was perfect
for her sister [21, p.17].
tailor to make or adopt sth for bir şeyi tələblərə
something to a particular purpose, a uygun düzüb-qoş-
sb’s needs particular person, etc maq
- My timetable is not suitable for me.
- Don’t worry. That’s no problem. We can tailor it to your
needs.
out of in the wrong place or at the əlverişli/münasib olma-
place wrong time; not suitable; yan vəziyyət; biabırçı/
improper gülünc vəziyyət
Everyone else was wearing fancy dress! I was the only one in a
suit! I felt completely out of place.
It’s (for) you! (me, used to say that sth belongs Əsl sənin
her, them, etc.) to or who it is intended for malındır!
- Does this coat suit me?
-It’s you! Yes, it’s definitely you.
a square peg a person who doesn’t fit öz yerində olmayan
English idioms 197

in a round into a job or position; adam; müqəvvaya

hole someone who doesn’t oxşayan/gülünc gö-
belong where he is rünən adam
I’m sorry for Clive. He just doesn’t fit in around here. He is a
square peg in a round hole.
be in your doing what you are ürəyincə olan/zövq aldığın
element good at and enjoy işi görmək, öz yerində ol-
maq
My sister works in the kindergarten. She loves children, and she
is in her element.
right up (informal) very suitable for bir kəs üçün əlverişli
your you because it is sth that /münasib olan iş; bir
street you know a lot about or kəsin ürəyincə olan iş
are interested in
Thanks for this job. It is right up my Bu işə görə çox sağ
street. olun. Əsl mənlikdir.
English idioms 198

SECTION TWENTY ONE

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Oxşarlıq və fərq bildirən idiomlar

be in the in the same trouble, in the eyni vəziyyətdə ol-

same boat same fix; in the same bad maq; eyni qara gün-
situation də/dərddə olmaq
It’s not just you who are worried about losing their jobs. We’re
all in the same boat.
a/the world (informal) used to emphasize yer-göy qədər
of difference how different two things are; fərqli olmaq;
to be different çox fərqlənmək
There is a world of difference between visiting a country and
actually living there.
one of a kind the only one tayı-bərabəri olmayan; hamı-
like this dan (hər şeydən) fərqli olan
I love my uncle. He’s a politician. I don’t know anybody quite
like him. He’s one of a kind. (Ondan yoxdur).
be poles completely different; to have tamamilə fərqli, ayrı-
apart no interests that you share ayrı fikirlərdə olmaq
Anar and I are good friends but when it comes to politics we’re
poles apart.
English idioms 199

a far cry from something very fərqli/yer-göy qədər fərqli

different olmaq
◘ So here you are living in a luxury flat looking out at
Buckingham Palace. It’s a far cry from the slums of Liverpool!
◘ It was a far cry from her gentle loving family in Japan [19,
p.26].
as different if two people or things are çox fərqlənmək;
as chalk like chalk and cheese, or as yer-göy qədər
and cheese different as chalk and fərqli olmaq; ayrı-
cheese, they’re completely ayrı dünyanın in-
different from each other sanları olmaq
- I think, you and your husband are very different characters,
aren’t you?
- Completely different. We are as different as chalk and
cheese.
a different (informal) a completely fərqli olmaq; hamı-
kettle of fish different situation or dan fərqlənmək; baş-
person from the one qa adamlardan seçil-
previously mentioned mək
- I only knew Mary’s sister Anne. She led a very quiet life.
- Oh, you couldn’t accuse Mary of that! She was a different
kettle of fish.
English idioms 200

stick out to be barmaqla göstərilmək; gülünc

like a sore conspicuous; vəziyyətə düşmək; diqqəti özünə
thumb be different cəlb etmək; özünü gözə soxmaq
from the rest (hərəkəti, geyimi və s. ilə)
You can’t go to work wearing such a kind of tie! You’ll stick
out like a sore thumb!
be on a par as good, bad, bir kəslə/şeylə bərabər,
with sb/ sth important, etc. as eyni vəziyyətdə olmaq;
sb/sth else fərqlənməmək
I would say that the cost of living in London is on a par with
Paris.
Join the (informal) used when sth bad sən də bizim gün-
club! that has happened to sb else has lüsən; sən də biz-
also happen to you lərdənsən
- I’m absolutely fed-up! I’m over-worked and under-paid.
- Join the club! You are not the one, you know!
a carbon copy a person or thing that is bir kəsin/şeyin
very similar to sb/sth else eyni
This book is virtually a carbon copy of the last one.
English idioms 201

SECTION TWENTY TWO

ORGANIZATIONS ARE GARDENS
Yaxşı plan işin yarısı deməkdir

dig out to find by searching; bir şeyi araşdırmaq/üzə çı-

bring out (sth) that was xarmaq/axtarıb tapmaq;
put away qazıb/eşib çıxarmaq
I have got some difficulties with this account. Do you have a
minute? If you can dig them out for me, I’ll be grateful to you.
stem from originate kökünü/mənbəyini/başlangıcını gö-
from türmək; yaranmaq, əmələ gəlmək;
I’ll explain to you why you’ve got problems. All your problems
stem from bad communication. You need to speak to each other
once more.
plough money invest a lot of pul/sərmayə qoymaq;
into money bir şeyə maya yatırmaq
I don’t advise you to plough money into this project.
Otherwise you’ll fail, I think.
weed to remove what is kənar etmək; təmizləmək;
out unwanted, harmful, or təzələmək; köhnəni yenisi ilə
not good enough from əvəz etmək; alaq etmək
Some people have been doing the same thing at our work for a
English idioms 202

long time. We haven’t had any differences yet. I think we need

to weed out our weaker ones and re-train our best staff.
cut back on to reduce azaltmaq, aşağı salmaq, kəsmək
We are in the middle of a recession. That means we all have to
cut back on all unnecessary expense.
branch expand and genişləndirmək; müxtəlifləşdirmək,
out into diversify eyni şeyi cürbəcür şəkildə göstərmək
They are planning to branch out into new markets in this part
of the city.
bear fruit produce results nəticə vermək/göstərmək;
bar vermək
Two thousand replies this week! Our promotional campaign is
beginning to bear fruit at last.
dead people or things that have yararsız; heç bir işə
wood become useless or unnecessary yaramayan adam/əş-
in an organization ya; köhnə-kürüş, cır-
cındır
If we want to be more efficient, we have to get rid of the dead
wood in middle management.
English idioms 203

SECTION TWENTY THREE

FAMILY IDIOMS
Ailə üzvləri arasındakı münasibətləri əks etdirən idiomlar

♣ FAMILY LIFE

baby of the a younger child in a ailənin sonbeşiyi;

family family, often the youngest evin kiçiyi
I’ve got two brothers who are older than me and then my
younger sister Susan who is 16. She is the baby of the family.
be like two closely similar; almost iki alma kimi bir-bi-
peas in a pod exactly alike rinə oxşamaq; çox
oxşar olmaq
They’ve got two sons and they look just the same. They’re like
two peas in a pod.
blood is persons of the same family ətini yesə də sümüyü-
thicker are closer to one another nü atmaz; qan çəkir;
than than to others; relatives (ailə üzvlərinin bir-bi-
water are favored or chosen over rinə çox bağlı olması
outsiders haqda)
◘ Sam is not the best person for the job but his father made him
head of marketing in the family business. As you know, blood
English idioms 204

is thicker than water.

◘ Mr. Brown hires his relatives to work in his store. Blood is
thicker than water.
◘ She was his sister after all, and blood was thicker than
water [18, p.93].
be your a close relative (as bir kəsin can-ciyəri (se-
own flesh a father, daughter, vimlisi) olmaq; yaxın qo-
and blood brother); close hum/eyni qandan olmaq
relatives
◘ My son’s in trouble with the policy. I normally have no
sympathy with people who break the low but it’s different
when it’s your own flesh and blood.
◘ They were flesh and blood, and he loved them [18, p.92].
fight like cat disagree or argue dalaşmaq; yola
and dog violently, often repeatedly getməmək; it-pişik
kimi dolanmaq
My sister and her husband used to fight like cat and dog when
they were younger.
like father, (ironic) a son is usually like his oğul atasına
like son father in the way he acts oxşayar
My brother is mad about tennis, just like our father. You know
what they say: “Like father, like son”.
English idioms 205

tie the to get married; to evlənmək; bir yerdə ömür sür-

knot perform a wedding məyə qərar vermək; ömrünü
ceremony kiminləsə bağlamaq
My brother and his girlfriend decided to tie the knot. They’re
getting married in spring.
a long-lost a long-lost relative is uzun müddət xəbər-ətər
relative one whom you haven’t çıxmayan qohum; itkin
seen for many years düşmüş qohum
I have a long-lost relative in Persian. I didn’t even know he
existed. I’m going to visit him this summer.
runs in the to be a common family ailə ənənəsi; nə-
family (runs characteristic; be learned or sildən-nəslə ke-
in the blood) inherited from your family çən ailə ənənəsi
Everyone in our family plays a saz. Music runs in our family.
be like to be completely bir-birindən fərqlənmək;
chalk and different from each bir-birinə oxşamamaq, yer-
cheese other göy qədər fərqli olmaq
My sister and I look alike but when it comes to personality
we’re like chalk and cheese.
be/look the very be the spitting bir kəsə çox bənzəmək;
picture of your image of sb; to elə bil atasının eynidir,
(father) look like a məc. elə bil atasının bur-
English idioms 206

relative nundan düşüb

My brother looks the very picture of our father.
as pretty as a very pretty şəkil kimi gözəl; çox gözəl
picture
◘ She is as pretty as a picture. I’m sure my brother will fall in
love with her at the first sight.
◘ “And pretty as a picture, they tell me” [31, p.138].
keep one’s to continue to be özünü yaxşı saxlamaq
looks physically attractive (xarici görünüşcə); yax-
şı görünmək
My boss keeps his looks even in the old age.
beauty lies different people have Leyliyə Məcnunun
in lover’s different opinions about gözü ilə bax; hər kə-
eyes what is beautiful sin gözəllik haqda öz
fikri var
I don’t not agree with you. I think, he is very handsome.
Beauty lies in lover’s eyes.
appearances something that is insanı geyiminə görə
are deceptive seems to qarşılayıb, danışığına gö-
deceptive be one thing but is in rə yola salarlar; xarici
fact very different görkəm aldadıcı olur
It’s usually best not to judge by appearances. They say,
English idioms 207

appearances are deceptive.

in the flower to be at the time in your bir kəsin həyatının
of life (one’s life when you are the çiçəkləndiyi dövr;
age); in the strongest and most kamillik dövrü
prime of life active
He was about 40 years old, and in the prime of life.
a chip off a person very like həm xasiyyət, həm də görü-
the old his or her mother or nüşcə valideynlərinə oxşa-
block father in character/ maq; (atasını, anasını) itə-
appearance ləyib yerində durub
“That daughter of hers”, observed the Colonel, “is a chip off
the old block”.
bear/carry off to look younger that yaşına görə cavan gö-
your age well one actually is rünmək/yaxşı qalmaq
- I wonder if you know how old she is.
- I think she is in her thirties, but she carries off her age well.
the apple of to be loved very bir kəsin sevimlisi/gözünün
one’s eye much by someone işığı/göz bəbəyi olmaq
My brother is always the apple of my parents.
be a someone who is ailənin üz qarası; ailəyə bi-
black regarded by other abırçılıq gətirən adam, ya-
sheep members of their family ramaz, bədzad, rəzil adam;
English idioms 208

or group as a failure or bir dana bütöv naxırı kor-

embarrassment layır (atalar sözü)
I think she’s the black sheep of the family, she always behaves
badly.
be a to be an interesting çox maraqlı və qeyri-adi
character and unusual person insan olmaq; şəxsiyyət ol-
maq
He is quite a character. He has so many tales to tell.
English idioms 209

SECTION TWENTY FOUR

GRAMMATICAL IDIOMS
Qrammatik idiomlar

♣ “ALL” IDIOMS

if it’s all the to not be əgər inciməsən; əgər sənin

same to you important to sb üçün fərqi yoxdursa; əgər
etiraz etmirsənsə
- Let’s go by car, shall we?
- Thanks for offering, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll walk. I
need some fresh air.

all of a suddenly; unexpectedly, qəfildən; gözlənilmədən;

sudden without warning; abruptly bir göz qırpımında
I was watching TV, having coffee and all of a sudden
everything went black; the TV, the lights. There was a power
cut.
be all go to be very busy or full of çox məşğul olmaq;
activity fəaliyyətdə olmaq
Sorry I haven’t been able to ring you earlier, but my phone
stopped ringing since I got in the morning. It has been all go!
all over completely finished; in tamamilə qurtarmış;
English idioms 210

every part; everywhere; in hər tərəfdə/yerdə; hər

every way halda, necə olsa da
◘ If you don’t hurry, the cinema will be all over by the time we
get there.
◘ I have a fever and aches all over.

by all people say; apparently deyilənə görə/deyirlər

accounts ki,/söz-söhbət gəzir ki,
- Have you been to the new art gallery?
- No, I haven’t but, by all accounts, it’s excellent.
be all for in favour of bir şeyin tərəfdarı olmaq; bir kəsi
dəstəkləmək/tərəfində olmaq
- People aren’t allowed to smoke here. But it’s true. People
should be allowed to smoke wherever they want. This is a free
country, after all.
- Well, I’m all for of freedom, but you do have to respect other
people’s health don’t you?
when all is said the general iş-işdən keçəndən sonra;
and done conclusion başqa əlac olmayandan
sonra/ əlac nədir?!
◘ I can’t say I like my job. There are things I don’t like about it,
but it pays the bills. When all’s said and done, it’s better than
having no job at all!
English idioms 211

◘ … when all is said and done he was only the public [31,
p.71].
all being well if nothing goes hər şey qaydasında olsa;
wrong bir əngəl çıxmasa
I’ll visit you tomorrow, all being well. It partly depends on the
weather.
all in in summary; altogether; bütünlükdə, ümumilikdə,
all the person or thing that ümumiyyətlə götürdükdə; se-
you love most vimli insan; misilsiz bir şey
◘ - I hope the weather didn’t ruin your holiday.
- Well, it was very disappointing, but everything else was
great. All in all we had a really good time.
◘ I was all in all to him.
◘ Football was his all in all. (Futbol onun üçün hər şey demək
idi).
all the (used to than üstəlik; hətta; daha
emphasize comparative otherwise; da; (yoxsa, əks təq-
adjectives, adverbs, and even dirdə; başqa cür, di-
nouns) gər halda)
Opening the letter made the situation all the worse.
all the go the latest fashion son dəb, dəbdə olan
These trousers are all the go this winter.
English idioms 212

♣ BINOMIALS (“AND” IDIOMS)

Binomials are expressions (often idiomatic) where two words

are joined by a conjunction (usually “and”). The order of the
words is usually fixed.

be sick feeling strong dislike for cana doymaq;

and something repeated or continued bezmək, xəstəhal
tired too long; exasperated; annoyed və yorğun olmaq
- Stop telling me how to behave!
- I’m sick and tired of being treated like a child.
time and again many times; repeatedly; dəfələrlə; dönə-
very often dönə
My sister keeps using my computer without asking me. It’s
driving me mad. I’ve asked her time and again not to do it but
she still does.
get peace the state of being rahatlıq tapmaq; dincəl-
and quiet calm or quiet mək; asudə nəfəs almaq
The main reason I go to the countryside is to spare some time on
my own. In fact, it’s the only time I get any peace and quiet.
be out be able to go outside again xəstəlikdən sonra yeni-
and after an illness; traveling dən ayaq üstə olmaq;
English idioms 213

about around a place gəzmək/dolaşmaq

◘ Don’t phone me at work tomorrow. I’m going to be out and
about all day. Call me at home in the evening. ◘ She is better
now, out and about again.
have ups the mixture of good and bad ara sıra küsüb barış-
and things in life or in a maq; həyatın eniş-yo-
downs particular situation or xuşu ilə üzləşmək
relationship
Don’t worry about yesterday’s. There’s no such thing as the
perfect marriage. Every couple have their ups and downs. It’s
the same for everyone.
born and born and having grown up in a anadangəl-
bred particular place with a particular mə; anadan
background and education olandan
I’m not English. I’m American born and bred.
bright prompt and alert; on time təyin olunmuş vaxt-
and and ready; cheerful and on da və yüksək əhval-
early time or before time ruhiyyədə
- Be ready at six.
- OK. See you in the morning bright and early, then.
go round to work hard at sth heç bir irəliləyişə nail ol-
and round or discuss sth madan eyni işi görmək;
English idioms 214

in circles without making any məc. yerində fırlanmaq/

progress saymaq
This meeting is getting us nowhere. We just keep going round
and round in circles.
wear and deterioration işlənib köhnəlmə, xarab olma;
tear through use yeyilmə, aşınma; yıxılıb-dur-
ma; kökdən düşmə
◘ After 75,000 miles there is usually a lot wear and tear on any
car.
◘ I need an operation on my knee. It’s because of the wear and
tear of playing football over the past 25 years.
forget used to tell sb that sth is not qulaq ardına vurmaq;
and important and that they göz yummaq, əhəmiy-
forget shouldn’t worry about it yət verməmək
If I have an argument or fight with someone, I always try to
forget and forget. It’s the only way to keep your friends.
short and brief and to qısa və yığcam; mətləbdən uzaqlaş-
sweet the point madan; az danış, yaxşı danış;ucun-
dan tutub ucuzluğa getmədən
If you’re going to make a report, my advice to you is: “Keep it
short and sweet.” (Qısa və konkret ol!).
cut and decided or expected əvvəldən hazırlanmış,
English idioms 215

dried beforehand; following the şablon, trafaret (nəti-

same old line; doing the cə, fikir, mülahizə və
usual thing s. haq.)
The solution to this problem isn’t going to be easy. I wish there
was a cut and dried answer, but there isn’t!
few and not many; few and ərşə çəkilmə, qeyb olma, yo-
far scattered; not often xa çıxma, azalma; nadir/ az
between met or found; rare rast gəlinən/tapılan
Last year we picked a lot of apples, but this year they’re very
few and far between.
tried and to use, do or test sth in order to sınaqdan çıxarıl-
tested see if it is good, suitable, etc. mış; yoxlanılmış
When I get a cold I go to bed with whisky and honey. The next
day I’m fine. It’s a tried and tested remedy.
search high and everywhere hər tərəfi axtarmaq; hər
low yeri ələk-vələk etmək
I can’t find my password. I’ve searched high and low for them,
but I can’t find them anywhere.
be home to have done sth azad/rahat nəfəs almaq;
and dry successfully, especially rahatlaşmaq; üstündən
when it was difficult yük götürülmək
When I finish my final essay, hand it in, then I’ll be home and
English idioms 216

dry.
day and age now, in the modern ilin-günün bu vaxtı; hal-
world hazırki vaxtda
In our country it’s not usual in this day and age for couples to
live together without getting married.

Note: The order in these expressions is fixed. You can’t say

I’m tired and sick of waiting or I need a bit of quiet and peace.

♣ IDIOMS WITH DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES

(GOOD/BETTER/BEST; BAD/WORSE/WORST)

do sb/sth the to make sb feel much bir kəsə/şeyə çox xeyri

world of good better; to improve sth dəymək/xeyir vermək
I’ve just come back from a holiday. I’ve been top France,
Madrid, etc. You should try it some day. It did me the world of
good.
be in sb’s (informal) used to bir kəs haqqında yaxşı/pis fi-
good/bad say that sb is kirdə olmaq; bir kəsin qara
books pleased/annoyed siyahısına/qırmızı kitabına
with you düşmək
English idioms 217

Shalalah has been doing very silly things recently. She is not in
my good books.
throw good to spend more money pulu boş yerə xərclə-
money after on sth, when you have mək; məc. pulu çölə at-
bad wasted a lot on it maq/havaya sovurmaq
already
We needn’t to spend so much money on this project. It won’t
work. We’re just throwing good money after bad.
for your having a useful or kiminsə xeyrinə/yaxşı-
own good helpful effect on sb/ sth lığına
I think you need to go on a diet. Believe me, it’s for your own
good.
Good for you! (informal) used to praise Afərin! Halaldır!
(sb, them, etc.) sb for doing sth well Bərəkallah!
You’re trying to learn English at last! Good for you!
What’s the good of doing …? …bunu etməyin nə mənası?
- I’ve complained so many times about the noise from the next
door. But they never pay any attention to my words. I’m
absolutely fed up with them.
- What’s the good of complaining any more? They just ignore
us.
it’s a (informal) used to say that you are yaxşı oldu; ye-
English idioms 218

good pleased about a situation or that sb is rinə düşdü; nə

job lucky that sth happened yaxşı ki
It’s a good job I didn’t catch the two o’clock plane. That’s the
one that crashed!
at the best even when the circumstances are dünyanın düz
of times very good vaxtı
- It’s the most boring lesson I’ve ever had. He’s so dull.
- Yes, he’s not very interesting at the best of times, but that
day he was worse than usual.
it’s probably used to say that although sth hər şey yaxşı-
for the best appears bad or unpleasant now, lığa doğru-
it will be good in the end dur
- Sorry, Jane. I have to cancel our meeting next Sunday.
- Don’t worry. It’s probably for the best. I’m very busy
myself.
the best of your as far as your bir kəsin bildiyinə görə/
knowledge know məlumatına əsasən
- What about Farid? Is he doing the same things?
- To the best of my knowledge, he’s still working at the same
office.
make the best to accept a bad or vəziyyətlə razılaş-
of a bad job difficult situation and maq/barişmaq; taleyə
English idioms 219

do as well as you can boyun əymək

◘ It was difficult for me to leave my job, but soon I made the
best of a bad job and began to enjoy it.
◘ -The food in this restaurant is awful. If I’d known it was
going to be this bad, I’d never have come.
- Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s just make
the best of a bad job.
see (usually of things) (always yaxşı günlər görmək;
better perfect tense form) to enjoy a vaxtilə daha yaxşı və-
days better or happier life; to ziyyətdə olmaq; köh-
become old, damaged or nəlmiş/yararsız olmaq
useless
◘ - I hear you’ve got an old Volkswagen Bettle, What’s it like?
- Well, it’s seen better days but it still runs very well.
◘ They had all seen better days, … [21, p.449].
know (than that/than to do bilməliydin; bir şeyi etməmiş-
better sth) to be sensible dən əvvəl nəticəsini anlamaq,
enough not to do sth başa düşmək, dərk etmək
- Frank still hasn’t given me back the $50 I lent him.
- You should know better than to lend him money. That’s
typical of him.
second best not as good as the thing ürəyincə olmamaq;
English idioms 220

you really want babat olmaq

If you know what kind of job you want, you really shouldn’t
settle for second best.
give/get the have the advantages bir neçə şeydən zövq al-
best of both of two different maq; bir kəsə dünyaları
worlds things at the same bəxş etmək (hər şeyin ən
time yaxşısını dadmaq)
Living in France and working in Switzerland gives them the
best of both worlds – Swiss salaries and a French lifestyle.
for the best unpleasant now but will turn yaxşılığa doğru
out well in the future
It may well be that the break-up of their relationship is for the
best.
be on your best make an effort to özünü bacardığı qədər
behaviour behave as well as yaxşı aparmağa çalış-
possible maq
My brother hates formal parties, but he has promised to be on
his best behaviour at the reception tonight.
give something stop sth mənasız hesab etdiyi işi ya-
up as a bad job because it’s rımçıq saxlamaq; davam et-
not worth dirməyə lüzum görməmək;
continuing bir işdən vaz keçmək
English idioms 221

I was learning driving, but I have given it up as a bad job.

if the worst if the situation əgər vəziyyət daha da pis-
comes to the becomes very ləşsə/ciddiləşsə; aləm qa-
worst difficult or serious rışsa/bir-birinə dəysə
◘ If the worst comes to the worst, we’ll sell the house and
move back to our parents.
◘ He had said that he would stand by her, and if the worse
came to the worse, well … [33, p.21].

♣ IDIOMS WITH “IT”

it’s in (informal) if sth is in the məc. çantada hazır olmaq

the bag bag, it is almost certain (bir işin düzələcəyinə
to be won or gotten əmin olaraq söyləmək)
- Have you got the contract?
- Well, it hasn’t actually been signed, but I think we can safely
say it’s in the bag.
it’s up in not yet settled; həll olunmamış, qərara alınma-
the air uncertain; mış; bir şeyin sual altında olma-
undecided sı; məc. havadan asılı qalmaq
- Are Jim and Ann getting married or not? I hear they’re having
English idioms 222

second thoughts.
- That’s right. They had a big argument about something, so
it’s all up in the air at the moment.
It’s (informal) something Bu heç kimin fərz/təxmin
anyone’s that nobody can be etmədiyi məsələdir; Bunu
guess certain abou heç kim dəqiq bilmir
- We’ve been waiting for five hours and we still don’t know
when the plane is going to leave. Do you think it’ll be tonight?
- I’m sorry, sir. It’s anyone’s guess. We’re as much in the dark
as you. As soon as we hear anything, we’ll make an
announcement.
it’s touch very dangerous and çox təhlükəli/qeyri-
and go uncertain in situation müəyyən vəziyyət
- How is your father? Is he still in hospital?
- Yes, I’m afraid! It’s touch and go at the moment. We’ll
know within 24 hours whether he’s going to pull through or
not.

♣ NUMBER IDIOMS

be at sixes (informal) in confusion; not çaş-baş qalmaq;

English idioms 223

and sevens well organized başını itirmək

◘ My husband is waiting for me in the taxi. We’re going to the
cinema. But I’m not ready yet. I’ve lost my keys and can’t find
my hand bag. I’m all at sixes and sevens. ◘ Everything was at
sixes and sevens [22, p.426].
Third time used when you’ve failed to do sth Atalar
lucky! twice and hope that you will succeed üçdən
the third time deyib!
-I again failed my entrance exam. I’m so unhappy.
- I’m sure you can do it next year. You know what they say:
Third time lucky!
two/ten a very common and qara qəpiyə dəyməyən,
penny therefore not valuable dəyərsiz/adi
I’m glad that you split up with your boyfriend. I never liked
him. Men like him, are ten a penny.
hit/knock to affect sb bir kəsə sarsıdıcı zərbə vurmaq,
somebody very deeply pis təsir göstərmək; bir kəsi şoka
for six salmaq; yeddi qatından keçmək
When I heard that they gave me the sack, it completely knocked
me for six.
be on cloud too happy to think of göyün yeddinci qatında
nine anything else, very olmaq; çox sevinmək
English idioms 224

happy
His last books are best-seller, so he’s on cloud nine at the
moment.
at the eleventh at the last possible time; son dəqiqədə;
hour just in time ən son anda
- I think James is late. Let’s phone him.
- Oh, don’t worry. He’ll be here soon. He always arrives at the
eleventh hour.
be in extremely son dərəcə xoşbəxt olmaq, göyün yed-
seventh happy dinci qatında olmaq; sevincdən uç-
heaven maq, çox sevinmək
She’s been invited over to Hollywood, so you can imagine she’s
in seventh heaven!
be back to start at the beginning again hər şeyi yenidən
to square in an attempt to correct başlamaq, nəzər-
one whatever mistakes were made dən keçirmək
initially
I’ve just phoned some shops and nobody sells that wall-paper
any more, so we’ll have to find another wall-paper. We’re back
to square one.
be in two to be unable to iki fikir arasında qalmaq;
minds about decide what you qərara gələ bilməmək; tə-
English idioms 225

something think about sb/sth, rəddüd etmək; məc. bığla

or whether to do saqqal arasında qalmaq
sth or not
- So, what have you decided? Will you buy that car or not?
- I’m not sure it. I’m in two minds about it.
six of one and two things the ikisi də eynidir; fərq yoxdur;
half a dozen of same; not a həm bu həm o; hər ikisi; ke-
the other real choice; no çəl Həsən ya Həsən keçəl,
difference fərqi nədir?/ikisi də bir bezin
qırağıdır
◘ - Who is to blame – John or Ken?
- It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
◘ - Do you want to eat now or swim later or swim now and eat
later?
- Oh, I don’t care. It is six of one and a half a dozen of the
other.
two is company, an informal way to üçüncü adam
three is a crowd express a situation when artıqdır, çox-
two people desire privacy luq “zibillik-
and a third one is present dir”
- Why don’t you come with me and Mary?
- No, no, two is company, three is a crowd.
English idioms 226

it takes co-operation is always necessary həm yaxşı, həm pis

two to in order to accomplish işdə iki nəfərin ey-
tango! something, whether good or bad ni dərəcədə iştirakı
- My sister blames her husband, and he blames her. I don’t know
who is guilty?
- Well, these things are never one person’s fault. It takes two to
tango. Bu işdə onların hər ikisinin günahı (əli) var!
work work fast az vaxtda çox iş görməyə çalış-
against because you only maq; vaxta/saata qarşı işləmək;
the clock have limited time vaxtı qabaqlamağa çalışmaq
I’m working against the clock to get the report finished before
the meeting.
call it a decide to finish işi qurtarmağa qərar vermək, işi
day (usually finish başqa günə saxlamaq, təxirə sal-
working) maq; münasibətlərə son qoymaq
◘ I’m really tired. Let’s call it a day now and come back to it
next week.
◘ “We’ve had some very jolly times together, but don’t you
think the moment has come to call it a day?” [31, p.146].
not have a to be çox məşğul olmaq; işi başından aş-
minute to call very maq; adını belə yadına sala bilmə-
your own busy mək; başını qaşımağa vaxtı olmamaq
English idioms 227

My sister has not had a minute to call her own ever since her
twins were born.
nine times out of ten almost always demək olar ki, həmişə
- Let’s try and speak to Mr. Anar, shall we?
-Well, we can try, but nine times out of ten he’s too busy to
meet anyone.
from time to time sometimes, but not regularly hərdənbir,
bəzən
My father plays golf from time to time.
feel like a million to feel özünü əla hiss etmək; məc.
dollars wonderful özünü yenidən dünyaya gəl-
miş kimi hiss etmək
◘ My mother had a headache yesterday but she feels like a
million dollars today.
◘ I feel like a million dollars [31, p.202].

♣ IDIOMS WITH “MILLION” OR “THOUSAND (S)”

Thank you for the flowers. Güllər üçün təşəkkür edirəm.

You’re one in a million! Səndən yoxdur! Səndən bir
English idioms 228

dənədir!
I wouldn’t have thought he Mən onun belə pis hərəkət edə-
would have behaved so badly. cəyinə inanmazdım. O, bunu
Not him! Not in a million edə bilməz! Heç vaxt! Dünya-
years! sında inanmaram!
Now, who is going to replace İndi kim onun yerində olmaq is-
him? That’s the 64–thousand təyir? Bu ölüm-dirim məsələsi-
dollar question! dir!

♣ “NO” IDIOMS

no idea (informal) used to emphasize heç bir fikri/məlu-

that you don’t know sth matı olmamaq
◘ - Do you know where the meeting takes place?
- Sorry, I’ve got no idea. (Çox təəssüf, amma mənim
xəbərim yoxdur).
◘ She had no idea when to keep her own councle and defer to
others [14, p.64].
no way not at all; never; under heç vəchlə; mümkün de-
no circumstances yil; ola bilməz; çətin ki
◘ - I’m going to wear these jeans today’s meeting. What do you
English idioms 229

think?
- Well, if you wear jeans, there’s no way they’ll let you in.
They’ve got a strict no jeans policy.
◘ - Can I borrow your coat?
- No way!
no doubt without doubt; doubtless; şübhəsiz; ehtimal ki
surely; certainly
Something had happened, of that there was no doubt, but there
seemed to be no way to get an explatation [40, p.15].
no joke without teasing; to be zarafat deyil, asan deyil;
difficult or unpleasant çətin və xoş olmayan iş
- If we miss the last bus we can walk home. No problem.
- It isn’t problem for you. But walking that distance for me is no
joke.
no word a thing that you say; a heç bir xəbər yoxdur;
remark or statement xəbər-ətər yoxdur
- What do you think how the just-married are going on
together?
- Heaven knows! There’s been no word from them since they
left.
no an event, an action, a fact, etc that heç bir əlamət/
sign shows that sth exists is not happening işarə/nişan yox-
English idioms 230

or may not happen in the future dur; işıq ucu

yoxdur
◘ - He’s getting worse and worse, isn’t he?
- Yes, and here’s no sign of him getting better.
◘ But the lion still hasn’t heard, or if it has, it shows no sign
[16, p.64].
no a cause or an explanation for sth that heç bir sə-
reason has happened or that sb has done bəb yoxdur
◘ - Be careful what you’re saying!
- Listen to me. I know you’re in a bad mood, there’s no
reason to take it out on me!
◘ You guessed about mine, no reason why I can’t do the same
[16, p.51].
no chance a possibility of sth happening, heç bir ümid
especially sth that you want yoxdur
- It’s already twenty past four.
- Well, there’s no chance of us getting there in time.
no point the purpose or aim of sth ehtiyac yoxdur; məs-
ləhət deyil
◘ - Shall we send Anar a card?
- There’s no point. He never says thank you and he never
sends us one!
English idioms 231

◘ There was no point in evasion any longer [14, p.71].

No such luck! Məndə o bəxt hanı!
- Can you stay at home on Monday? Don’t go to work.
- No such luck! I must be there in time.
No hard a lack of resentment or Narahat olmağa dəyməz!
feelings! anger; a state of Fikir vermə! Unut getsin!
peace and forgiveness (bağışlamaq əlaməti ola-
raq)
- Look, I’m really sorry about what I said yesterday.
- No hard feelings!
no end of so many, or so much of, as (problemin) ucu-bu-
(problems) to seem almost endless; cağı yoxdur; (prob-
very many or very much lem) qurtarmır; çox
I have had no end of problems with my new car.
No thanks to you! despite sb/sth; with no help Başına
from sb/ sth dəysin!
- Look, we found the way in the end, let’s get away from here.
- No thanks to you!
a no-go an area, especially in a city, which is təhlükəli
area dangerous for people to enter, or that the yer, giriş
policy or army do not enter, often because qadağan
it is controlled by a violent group olunan yer
English idioms 232

When I was in Naples years ago, they told me not to go near a

certain area. They said it was a no-go area.
It’s a real used to say that it is Heç cür mümkün de-
no-no! impossible to do sth yil! Həqiqətən olmaz!
Whatever you do, don’t take Julia’s things. It’s a real no-no.
She gets very angry about it.

♣ “OR” IDIOMS

believe it often heard when one announces inanırsan inan,

or not that something unusual will be inanmırsan inan-
communicated ma
◘ Believe it or not, I used to be a professional singer.
◘ “Believe it or not, I’m back in school again [19, p.30].
take it or to accept something without istəyirsən götür, is-
leave it change or refuse it; decide təmirsən götürmə;
yes or no özün bilərsən
I’ll give you $50 for the blouse. That’s my final offer. Take it
or leave it.
like it used to say that it makes no istəsən də, is-
or not difference to you if sb likes sth or not təməsən də
English idioms 233

◘ There’s no point complaining about tax. You have to pay it

whether you like it or not.
◘ “It means that, like it or not, you’re going to have to leave,
Audrey” [21, p.195].
laugh (informal) to be unable to decide bilmirdim gü-
or cry how to react to a bad or unfortunate lüm, yoxsa ağ-
situation layım
I’ve just been to the travel agent. Can you believe it costs $700
to fly to South Africa? I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry
when they told me.
Hilary wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry [18, p.134].
sink or to succeed or fail by your own təkbaşına mübarizə
swim efforts; without help or aparmaq; bir şeyə
interference from anyone else; təkbaşına nail ol-
fail if you don’t work hard to mağa çalışmaq;
succeed ölüm -dirim məsələsi
◘ When I started this new job, nobody told me how to do
anything. I just had to learn quickly. It was a real sink or swim
situation.
◘ When his parents died he was thirteen, and he was left by
himself to sink or swim.
sooner at some unknown gec-tez, əvvəl-axır; gec ya da
English idioms 234

or later time in the future; tez; nə vaxtsa, nəhayətdə; bir

sometime vaxt/zaman
You can’t keep being rude to people, Tom. Sooner or later,
somebody’s going to get really angry and hit you.
rightly or wrongly what is morally düzdürmü ya səhv-
good or correct dirmi; düz ya səhv
I believe, rightly or wrongly, that private schools should be
abolished.
neither here not important to the thing being məsələ bun-
nor there discussed; off the subject; not da deyil
mattering
- You can’t complain about me being late. Lots of people were
late today.
- That’s neither here nor there. You are always the last to
arrive.
now or this is the right time to do something ya indi ya da
never at other times the opportunity to carry heç vaxt; qa-
out such an activity will not be there çırılası fürsət
deyil
- I’m thinking of asking Sally to come out for a drink with me.
- Here she comes now, Steve, go on! It’s now or never.
for better used to say that sth cannot be yaxşı ya da pis,
English idioms 235

or worse changed, whether the result is başqa yol yoxdur

good or bad
◘ - Do you think Jack is up to the job?
- I hope so. For better or worse he’s the man we’ve
appointed
◘ …and if not, she had lived with him for fourteen years … for
better or worse … [18, p.416].
either or used to show a choice of two things ya, ya da
We are going to have to make a choice – increase wages or give
them more holiday. This isn’t an either or situation. I’m afraid
it’s “both and”.

♣ SOMETHING, ANYTHING, NOTHING IDIOMS

something of to some degree bir növ

When I was younger, I used to be something of an athlete. In
fact, I won quite a few trophies. Do you want to see some
photos?
nothing but only; no more/less than … -dan/-dən; başqa
heç nə
◘ My computer has been nothing but trouble since the day I
English idioms 236

bought it! Something goes wrong with it every day.

◘ The fact was, Kitty supposed, that she cared for nothing but
her children … [33, p.18].
nothing to presenting no serious asanlıqla həyata keçirilən/
challenge; easily çətin olmayan iş; heç nə
accomplished
Anyone can use this method. It’s easy. There is nothing to it!
something against opposing or disagreeing bir kəsə qarşı
somebody with sb/sth nə isə
Have you got something against me, or have you got an
attitude problem?
not for nothing for a very good reason səbəbsiz deyil,
səbəbi var
Mike? Oh yes, he’s a real pain in the neck. It’s not for nothing
that nobody wants to share an office with him.
there is/was something is/was not düz deyil; boş şeydir/
nothing in sth true söhbətdir
There was a rumour she was leaving for London, but I think
there was nothing in it.
look for sth (informal) behave in a heç nədən iş çıxar-
for nothing way that you seek maq; qaşınmayan
unpleasantness in vain yerdən qan çıxarmaq
English idioms 237

There’s always someone looking for something for nothing!

make to make (sth/sb) daha irəli getmək, daha yax-
something of seem important şısına nail olmaq, vəziyyəti
(yourself) şişirtmək/böyütmək
◘ I wonder why Mike is working in a supermarket. He could
really make something of himself if he wanted to.
◘ When the girls see another girl with a boy, they often try to
make something of it.
anything you can do as you hər şey mümkündür; necə
goes please; anything is istəyirsən, o cür hərəkət edə
permissible bilərsən
When I was young, women wore earrings, made-up and had
long hair, and men didn’t. Nowadays, it seems anything goes!
something so good as to be beyond qeyri-adi; tərifə sığ-
else description; the mayan; təsvir etmək
ultimate; stupendous mümkün olmayan
Did you see that seven-year-old dancing on TV last night? He’s
something else, isn’t it?
come to to end in failure; boşa çıxmaq; nəticəsiz qurtar-
nothing fail; be in vain maq; məhv olmaq/dağılmaq
After spending over a million researching the new engine, the
whole thing came to nothing! It was scrapped.
English idioms 238

it is nothing of the to be wrong; elə şey yoxdur; qətiyyən be-

sort it is not true lə deyil; heç də belə deyil
Don’t believe people when they tell you the weather’s awful in
England. It’s nothing of the sort. It’s just different! Different
every day.
it has nothing to to not be involved mənimlə heç bir əla-
do with me with; not care about qəsi yoxdur
- Who broke the vase on the table?
- Was it you, Pat?
- No, it has nothing to do with me! Ask Robert.
there is nothing to both are the aralarında heç bir fərq
choose between same yoxdur; ikisi də eynidir
- So, which one do you advise me to take? The Sony or the
Phillips?
- To be honest, there’s nothing to choose between them.
They’re both excellent systems.

♣ TO + INFINITIVE

to cap used to introduce the final piece of hələ bu harası-

it all information that is worse than the dır; bu azmış
English idioms 239

other bad things that you’ve just kimi; ən əsası/

mentioned başlıcası
I found my brother sitting in my office with his feet on my
desk, using my phone, and, to cap it all, he’d finished the
crossword in my newspaper.
to make matters the situation became işin tərsliyindən;
worse very difficult ən pisi
◘ I left home late, the traffic was terrible and then, to make
matters worse I had a puncture on the motorway. That’s why
I’m so late.
◘ … and to make matters worse, in June they had a massive
heat wave [21, p.488]..
to say the to put it an understated way; uzun sözün qı-
least without exaggerating at all sası; kəsəsi
◘ I was involved in an accident last week. My car was a write
off. I only had a small cut on my face and a sprained ankle. I
was lucky, to say the least. ◘ But he also found his manner
difficult – abrasive, to say the least [14, p.175].
to put it in in a few words; briefly, without bir sözlə; qısası
a nutshell telling all about it
Increased sales, profits up, and a full order book; to put it in a
nutshell, our best year ever!
English idioms 240

to add insult to make bad bu azmış kimi, ən pisi; daha

to injury trouble worse pisi, gözüm baxa-baxa; ağını
çıxarmaq
They told me I was too old for the job, and then, to add insult
to injury, they offered it to somebody who was less than a year
younger than me!
to be fair to be honest açığı; düzü; vicdanla desək
- I don’t like Jerry at all, he’s loud and he’s often rude to other
members of staff.
- I know what you mean, but, to be fair, he’s one of the best
workers here.
to be honest what I really think is vicdanla/səmimi desək
◘ I’m not sure how many more rounds of this I can take, to be
honest with you [20, p.41].
◘ Do you like Japanese food? I don’t want to offend you, but to
be perfectly honest, I don’t really.
not to without ever needing to üstəlik; bundan baş-
mention speak of; in addition to; qa; hələ ... demirəm
besides
◘ You know that Rachel’s rich; her clothes, her jewellery, not
to mention, the brand new Mercedes.
◘ It can only be an embarrasment to them, not to mention
English idioms 241

painful [18, p.285].

nothing to write nothing interesting heç nəyi ilə fərq-
home about or or significant; lənməyən; danışı-
nothing to boast nothing to brag lası/qeyri adi bir
about or nothing to about şey yoxdur; elə
wire home about bir şey deyil
◘ What do you think of your first big London musical? To be
honest with you, it is nothing to write home about. I’ve seen
better on Broadway.
◘ “ From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing much to write home
about” [23, p.106].
to sum to put something into a few words; xülasə;
up shorten into a brief summary; summarize bir sözlə
Now, I’ve given you all the arguments for and against going
into this new market. To sum up, and I can’t be more honest, I
think you would be crazy to go ahead.
to put it used to show that what you are talking açığı; bir
mildly about is much more extreme, etc. than az yumşaq
your words suggest desək
- I’m going to Cannes this summer. You’ve been there, haven’t
you?
- Yes, it’s expensive, to put it mildly, it’s a lovely place.
English idioms 242

♣ THE FOLLOWING INFINITIVES ARE ALWAYS

PASSIVE:

remains said when someone remains gözləməkdən baş-

to be seen skeptical about a statement or qa çarə yoxdur
promise made
◘ He said he’ll meet us outside the school no later than seven
but whether or not he will, remains to be seen. He’s never on
time.
◘ That remainded to be seen [21, p.116].
not to be good enough to be “hm” demək olmaz; şan-
sniffed at accepted or considered sı əldən vermək olmaz
seriously
I’ll get an extra $75 if I work at weekends and that’s not to be
sniffed at.
leaves a to be highly flawed, qənaətbəxş/arzu edilən səviy-
lot to be bad, unsatisfactory yədə deyil; istədiyini (arzula-
desired dığını) əldə edə bilməmək
The food in this restaurant leaves a lot to be desired. I won’t
be back.
there’s a lot to there are good reasons … yaxşı/müsbət
be said for for doing sth tərəfləri var
English idioms 243

There’s a lot to be said for working for a year before going to

university. (Universitetə daxil olmamışdan əvvəl bir il
işləməyin çox müsbət tərəfləri var).

♣ SIMILES (AS … AS)

In this unit we look at idioms with as … as. As … as idioms

make an adjective stronger/more intense. Remember, most
of these similes are fixed. For example: as dead as a
doornail; the whole phrase means “totally dead”. Use all
these expressions with care and keep them generally as part
of your receptive vocabulary. Try to memorize the
keywords. They may help you to remember the whole idiom
more easily. They also tell you something about what
animals are associated with the British culture.

be as blind anyone who is blind and has yarasa kimi kor ol-
as a bat difficulty in seeing; a person maq; görə bilmə-
with very thick glasses mək; yaxşı görmə-
mək
I am as blind as a bat during the night.
English idioms 244

be as busy as a to be very busy arı kimi çalışqan olmaq;

bee çox işləmək
Though his age my grandfather is as busy as a bee every day.
be as to change one’s külək kimi gah bu tərəfə, gah
slippery attitude; position; o tərəfə əsmək; balıq kimi sü-
as an eel constantly to rüşkən olmaq; mövqeyini tez-
escape control tez dəyişmək; bir fikrə/məqsə-
də/qulluq etməmək
I won’t ask his attitude. He is as slippery as an eel.
be as sly to be very sly, tülkü kimi hiyləgər olmaq; yerin
(cunning) cunning altını da, üstünü də bilmək
as a fox
If I were you, I wouldn’t trust her. She’s as sly/cunning as a
fox.
be as strong to be very strong öküz kimi güclü olmaq;
as an ox çox güclü
I think his brother is as strong as an ox.
be as plain as the very easy to see gün kimi aydın olmaq;
nose on your face açıq-aşkar görünmək
- I think there’s something strange goes between them. What do
you think?
- You’re right. It’s as plain as the nose on your face.
English idioms 245

be as ugly to be very ugly indeed adama oxşamamaq;

as sin çox eybəcər olmaq
Looks aren’t everything. It doesn’t matter if you marry someone
who is as ugly as sin as long as you love each other.
be as light as to be very light quş/lələk kimi yüngül olmaq
a feather
Don’t worry. My luggage is as light as a feather.
be as heavy to be very heavy qurğuşun kimi ağır olmaq
as lead
Oh, I can’t carry this suitcase. It’s as heavy as lead.
be as quiet to be very quiet, silent siçan kimi səssiz/sakit
as a mouse olmaq
My little son is as quiet as a mouse.
be (as) hard not flabby or soft; strong dəmir kimi möh-
as iron /rock and tough; not gentle or kəm olmaq; daş
mild; rough; stern kimi bərk olmaq
◘ This chair is as hard as iron. I can’t sit on it.
◘ Her eyes were hard as rocks, and he could feel his heart sink
as he watched her [19, p.346].
as bold without showing həyasız, abırsız; utanmaz; üzü
as brass any respect, (mis kimi) qırmızı; qırmızı-qır-
shame or fear mızı; həyasızcasına (zərf)
English idioms 246

She told him, as bold as brass, that she didn’t like him.
as quick as a very fast, very çox cəld; işıq kimi sürətli
flash quickly
She answered the question as quick as a flash.
be as red as bright red or pink utandığından/acığın-
a beetroot especially because you dan qızarmaq; çuğun-
are angry, embarrassed dur (pazı) kimi qıp-
or ashamed qırmızı olmaq
When I told him about his affairs, his face went as red as a
beetroot.
be as sick as a dog vomiting ürəyi/ödü ağzına gəlmək
The dinner was bad, and I felt as sick as a dog.
be/feel as sick as a bad feeling of özünü ümidsiz/əlac-
parrot disillusionment, sız/zəif hiss etmək
frustration
When I heard that she ran off with my money I felt as sick as a
parrot.
English idioms 247

♣ IDIOMS WITH EXPRESSION “THERE IS NO …”

These are four common fixed expressions all starting with

“There is no …”

there is no going you won’t be able to geriyə yol yoxdur

/turning back change your mind
And once they began the trip, there would be no turning back
[21, p.137].
there is no place your country/home is gəzməyə qərib öl-
like home the best place to live kə, ölməyə vətən
yaxşı
there is no smoke if sth bad is being said od olmasa,
without fire about sb/sth, it usually has tüstü çıxmaz
some truth in it
there is no if there is no rhyme nor reason baş verən hadi-
rhyme nor to/for sth, it happens in a way sənin səbəbini
reason to/ that cannot be easily explained heç cür başa
for sth or understood; no emotional or düşmək, anla-
intellectual substance maq olmur
English idioms 248

♣ IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH PREPOSITIONS

be/feel on top feeling pleased and çox sevinmək, həyacan-

of the world happy; feeling lanmaq; göyün yeddinci
successful qatında olmaq
◘ My daughter’s getting married in a week. She is so excited.
She’s on top of the world.
◘ I feel on the top of the world [31, p.202].
top of the list the highest or most əsas/ən vacib mə-
important rank or position sələ; başlıcası
- Have you found anywhere else to live, Joe?
- Not yet. I’m not looking for too hard at the moment. Top of
the list right now is finding a new job.
from top to in one’s entirety əvvəldən axıradək, ta-
bottom without skipping any mamilə, bütünlüklə, büs-
detail; wholly; entirely bütün, başdan ayağa
I couldn’t find my glasses. Though I’ve searched the house from
top to bottom.
be on top of standing or lying bir-birinin üstündə/dar
each other on; live very close yerdə/darısqallıqda yaşa-
maq
- This flat is too small for five of you, you need a bigger place to
English idioms 249

live, don’t you?

- Yes, we need more space. Most of the time we’re on top of
each other.
over the (informal) (of a person) old and “havası” çalın-
hill therefore no longer useful or mış/vaxtı keç-
attractive; past one’s prime; miş/qocalıb əl-
unable to function as one used to dən düşmüş
◘ - Our centre forward is useless. He’s only scored three goals
this season.
- Well, he must be about 35 now. If you ask me, he’s over the
hill.
◘ I’m twenty-four years old, I’m not over the hill yet, … [19,
p.316].
without a shadow of a doubt no doubt şübhəsiz
It was John. I’m telling you I saw him. It was him - without a
shadow of a doubt.
be in a bit in a predicament; in çətin/xoşagəlməyən/müş-
of a jam a difficult situation kül vəziyyətdə olmaq; işə
düşmək
I’m in a bit of a jam. I’ve to go to the airport in an hour’s time
and Helen’s got my car. Can I borrow yours? I’ll be back by
4.30, so you don’t need to worry.
English idioms 250

be (into, out, of) to be in özünü cəncələ salmaq; bəlaya/

in hot water trouble pis vəziyyətə düşmək; məc. oda
düşmək
- I often use the office phone for personal calls. I don’t think it
matters.
- Well, if Helen finds out what you’ve been doing, you’ll be in
hot water.
out of my in a situation in which one mən girən kol de-
(his, etc.) feels unprepared or not yil; mənim səviy-
depth ready to react intelligently yəmdə deyil
◘ I had a great conversation with Kim and Kevin. The only
problem was when the conversation got round to opera. They
know about it very much. I was completely out of my depth. ◘
He never seemed out of his depth [14, p.72].
bottom dollar one’s last penny, bir kəsin son qəpiyi/axı-
one’s last dollar rıncı pulu
I was down to my bottom dollar when I suddenly got the job
offer.
top the head of any business hər hansı bir təşkilatın
banana/ or organization; the most və ya kompaniyanın
top dog influential or most başçısı; təşkilatın ən nü-
prestigious person in an fuzlu/etibarlı/hörmətli
English idioms 251

establishment adamı/başbiləni
Who’s the top banana/dog of his company?
on (the) top of in addition to; along with üstəlik; bu azmış
that kimi
Our company has faxed to say they’re going to be a month late
with their payment. And on the top of that, they’ve asked for
more discount.
be (do sth) (informal) done to an ağ olmaq; ağını
over the top exaggerated degree and çıxarmaq
with too much effort
◘ His speech was completely over the top.
◘ I think you’re going to do it a bit over the top at times.
rock-bottom (informal) the ən aşağı (qiymət, yer, səviy-
lowest point or yə); ən pis vəziyyət; tamami-
level that is lə bədbinlik/ruhdan düşmə
possible
◘ The rock-bottom price of this T-shirt is $ 20.
◘ My friend needs help. His wife has left him and he’s drinking
heavily. He’s hit rock-bottom.
thin on top without much hair on the head keçəl, daz
My husband is 35, but he looks, at least ten years older than that.
It’s because he’s going thin on top.
English idioms 252

off and on/on and off occasionally hərdənbir, bəzən,

vaxtaşırı; ara-sıra
◘ - Do you go and see your parents very often?
- Well, off and on.
◘ For the next two days it rained on and off [30, p.64].
English idioms 253

SECTION TWENTY FIVE

MIXED IDIOMS
Qarışıq idiomlar

kick up a to misbehave and dava/qalmaqal salmaq;

row disturb someone; to aləmi bir-birinə qatmaq;
make a scandal aranı qarışdırmaq
◘ He’s a small fry. He won’t kick up a row.
◘ “… let Walter kick up a row if he chose” [33, p.21].
make a fuss to worry about; to be hay-küy qaldırmaq,
(over helpful toward a vurnuxmaq, boş-bo-
somebody or person or a pet; to şuna əlləşmək, təşvişə
something) argue about someone düşmək, panika ya-
or something ratmaq
Don’t make a fuss. There’s nothing to worry about.
get/touch to hurt somebody’s bir kəsin dərdini təzələmək;
someone feelings by talking yaranın üstünə duz səpmək;
on the about something kimin üçünsə ağrılı olan mə-
raw which is painful to sələdən danışmaq; bir kəsin
him/her hisslərinə toxunmaq
When he talked his words got me on the raw.
laugh at somebody to laugh at sb bir kəsi ələ salmaq; bir
English idioms 254

behind his back without him/ kəsin arxasınca gül-

her knowing mək, rişxənd etmək
It’s vulgar to laugh at a person behind his back.
love with all one’s to love someone bütün qəlbi və
heart and soul dearly, passionately ruhu ilə sevmək;
ehtirasla sevmək
◘ When I was young I loved him with all my heart and soul.
◘ “He loves me with all his heart and soul” [33, p.66].
take somebody to protect, bir kəsi öz qanadı altı-
under your wing help somebody na almaq; himayədarlıq
etmək
◘ He took his niece under his wing.
◘ The people who worked there were friendly to her, and many
of them, sensing how young she was, took her under their
wing … [19, p.163].
drink to pay a lot of bir kəsin sözlərini ciyərinə çək-
in sb’s attention to or mək; diqqətlə və zövqlə qulaq as-
words enjoy something maq; ürəyinə yağ kimi yayılmaq
They drank in their president’s words.
read sb’s to guess what adamların ürəyini/fikrini
thought someone is thinking oxumaq
Tell us the truth. We can’t read your thoughts.
English idioms 255

set your hopes to rely on bir kəsə/şeyə ümid olmaq/

on someone/ someone or sth bel bağlamaq; bir kəsə ar-
something xalanmaq
She set her hopes on her son.
be to be so afraid çox qorxmaq, qorxudan nitqi
frightened that one can qurumaq; qorxudan adını ya-
out of your no longer dından çıxarmaq; qorxudan ağ-
wits think clearly lı çaşmaq/ağlı başından çıxmaq
She was frightened out of her wits by the terrible noise.
pull to bring one’s emotions under hisslərini cilov-
yourself control so that one can behave lamaq; özünü
together calmly and reasonably and think ələ almaq
clearly
Don’t be afraid. Try to pull yourself together, then speak.
keep up to continue to dress and yalandan özü-
appearances behave in the way that people nü nümayiş
have come to expect of this etdirmək; göz-
person, especially when he can dən pərdə asıb
no longer afford it, but he is özünü heç nə
too proud to admit it (hide the olmamış kimi
true situation and pretend that göstərmək/
everything was going well) aparmaq
English idioms 256

◘ It was very expensive to buy this kind of car. But they kept
up appearances.
◘ When they lost their money, they were determined to keep
up appearances.
take pains to make a great effort to özünü bir şeyi etməyə
to do sth do something məcbur etmək; dişini-
dişinə sıxmaq
She took pains to tell the truth.
do sth of your to do sth because you want to bir şeyi öz xo-
own free will do it, you’re not forced to do şu ilə etmək
it
He went to the party of his own will.
cry for to want something əlçatmaz/qeyri-mümkün olan
the impossible to have bir şeyi istəmək/arzulamaq;
moon göydən ulduz qoparmaq xül-
yasına düşmək
There’s no use crying for the moon.
beat to try to avoid söhbəti fırlatmaq; əsas
about/ answering a question məsələdən deyil, ordan-
around or saying something burdan danışmaq, əsas
the bush immediately and məsələdən yayınmaq; gah
directly nala, gah da mıxa vurmaq
English idioms 257

◘ Stop beating about the bush. Come straight to the point.

◘ There was no playing around with her, no beating around
the bush, … [19, p.120].
come/get to discuss the basic məsələyə aydınlıq gətir-
down to and most important mək; işin əslini öyrən-
brass tacks facts mək, təfərrüata varmaq;
əsas məsələyə toxunmaq
◘ They are going to come down to brass tacks.
◘ I want to get down to brass tacks [31, p.184].
have your not to be sincere or serious qeyri-səmimi,
tongue in about what you say; in an ikiüzlü olmaq
your cheek ironic or insincere manner
◘ I felt she had her tongue in her cheek when she told it to
you.
◘ Kitty spoke with her tongue in her cheek, for she knew
well … [33, p.33].
have your to be sensible, to ağlı başında olmaq; yaxşı
head screwed have common düşünmə qabiliyyətinə
on your sense malik olmaq; sağlam dü-
shoulders şüncə sahibi olmaq
◘ My mother has her head screwed on her shoulders. She
can give you a good piece of advice.
English idioms 258

◘ “No, but I flatter myself that I’ve got a head screwed on my

shoulders” [33, p.16].
know which to know how to make oneself özünü gözə
side your liked by people in power or how soxmağı/is-
bread is to gain their approval; to know tətməyi ba-
buttered what is one’s advantage carmaq
◘ Some of my colleagues know which side their bread is
buttered.
◘ Charlie was right when he suggested that Walter knew
which side his bread is buttered [33, p.60].
keep your to be out of qara gün görməmək; ciddi çə-
nose above serious tinliklə üzləşməmək; xəta-bəla-
water difficulty dan uzaq gəzmək/durmaq
He’s spent his life keeping his nose above water.
wash your to make unpleasant öz paxırını açıb tökmək;
dirty linen subjects in public xoş olmayan məsələdən
in public which ought to be danışıb aləmə car çək-
kept private mək
◘ I think, you shouldn’t wash your dirty linen in public.
◘ Walter doesn’t give me the impression of a fellow who’d
care to wash a lot of dirty linen in public [33, p.55].
burn the to work or be active from very gecə-gündüz işlə-
English idioms 259

candle early until very late; use up all mək; dincliyi olma-
at both one’s strengths by trying to do maq; çox az dincəl-
ends too many different things; get mək; istirahətin nə
too little rest olduğunu bilmə-
mək
My boss is working very hard though he’s old. He’s burning
the candle at both ends.
burn your to destroy all means of keçmişin üstündən
bridges going back, so that one xətt çəkmək; pis olan
behind you must go forward hər şeyi arxada qo-
yub irəliyə baxmaq
He decided to break off with his old friends and burn his
bridges behind him.

♣ SWIMMING IDIOMS

keep your to deal with a difficult güc-bəla ilə dolanmaq,

head above situation, especially özünü çətinliklə dolan-
water one in which you’ve dırmaq, bir təhər do-
financial problems, and lanmaq/keçinmək, çu-
just manage to survive lunu sudan çıxarmaq
English idioms 260

My wife’s just lost her job. If we’re careful with money, we

should just about be able to keep our heads above water.
swim against to agree with/oppose əksəriyyətə qarşı get-
the tide the attitudes or mək/çıxmaq, zamanla
opinions that most ayaqlaşmamaq, axına
other people have qarşı getmək
You’ll have to agree in the end. You can’t go on swimming
against the tide for much longer.
going in or into an müflis olmaq, hər hansı işdə geri
under unconscious state getmək; iflasa uğramaq; məc.
batmaq
If the recession continues for much longer, a lot of small
businesses are in real danger of going under.
be/drow serious bəlada/fəlakətdə/çətin/təhlükəli/çı-
in deep trouble or xılmaz vəziyyətdə olmaq; çətinliklə
water(s) difficulty qarşılaşmaq; çətinə/dara düşmək
◘ I’ve got some terrible news. Bill’s son has just been arrested.
He’s been involved with some pretty shady business deals. He is
in deep water.
◘ She was a nine-year-old child after all, and she was slowly
drowning in deep waters [18, p.108].
make a (informal) to do sth in a way diqqəti cəlb etmək;
English idioms 261

splash that attracts a lot of attention səs-küy qaldırmaq,

or causes a lot of excitement sensasiya yaratmaq
◘ If you really want to make a splash with your new book,
you’ll have to throw a few parties and give away a few thousand
copies to the right people.
◘ I don’t want to make a splash when I go to the parties. Then I
don’t feel comfortable.
test the to find out what the bir şeyi sınaqdan çıxar-
waters situation is before doing maq/yoxlamaq/araşdır-
sth or making a decision maq; tədbirli olmaq
◘ I think it would be a good idea to test the waters first before
we spend any more money on the project.
◘ “I’d like you to come to America one day,” he said as though
testing the waters, as he watched her eat [18, p38].
throw someone to help sb who bir kəsə yardım əli uzat-
a lifeline is in a debt maq; köməklik göstərmək,
borc vermək
I wish someone would throw me a lifeline! With a loan of a
couple of thousand pounds I could just about get myself out of
trouble.
be tread to make no progress while you yerində saymaq,
water are waiting for sth to happen qabağa getməmək
English idioms 262

I don’t think I’m going to get promoted here. My job hasn’t

changed for three years and I’m bored. I feel as if I’ve been
tread water.

♣ DRIVING IDIOMS

drive to make sb very angry, bir kəsi dəli etmək;

somebody crazy, etc. or to make hirsləndirmək, özün-
mad them do sth extreme dən çıxarmaq
This new computer is driving me mad.
be in a bit in a predicament; in zibilə/işə/çətinə düşmək;
of a jam a difficult situation çətin vəziyyətdə olmaq,
ciddi problemlə üzləşmək
I wonder if you could help me out. We’re in a bit of a jam.
a dead- a hopeless situation, gələcəyi olmayan iş/məşğuliy-
end job from which one is yət; axırı yaxşı olmayan/ölü
unable to advance nöqtəyə dirənmiş bir iş
I wish I could leave. This is a dead-end job.
steer clear to stay away from; keep bir kəsdən/şeydən uzaq
of sb/ sth from going near sb (kənar) durmaq; gözunə
görünməmək
English idioms 263

Steer clear of him today, he is in a dreadful mood.

go up a to go or move highest; irəliləmək; yüksəlmək;
gear rise, to increase artmaq; qabağa getmək
The team weren’t bad in the first half, but ten minutes into the
second half they seemed to go up a gear. They won 3 nil.
hit the to become a wanderer; to avara/səfil/sərsəri həyat
road live an idle life; become a keçirmək; məc. küçələrə
tramp or hobo; to leave, düşmək; yolu yarı etmək,
especially in a car yola düşmək (maşınla)
◘ Come on. It’s time to hit the road, Jack.
◘ When his wife died, he hit the road.
turn the to pass a very important point in çətin/təhlükəli
corner an illness or a difficult situation vəziyyətdən çıx-
and begin to move maq
Last year was a bit difficult, but I think our company is turning
the corner now.
step on it to go faster; hurry; to push əlli olmaq; tələs-
down on the gas pedal to mək; qaz vermək
make a car go faster (avtomobilə)
Step on it! We’re going to be late.
be in the not make progress as fast yerində addımlamaq/
slow lane as other people, countries, saymaq; irəli getmə-
English idioms 264

companies, etc. mək; geri qalmaq

- I hear your company is not doing very well.
- You’re dead right. We are in the slow lane going nowhere.
go round in without any progress; söhbəti fırlatmaq; əsas
circles without getting mətləbdən/məsələdən
anywhere; uselessly yayınmaq
Let’s get to the point! For the last hour we’ve been going round
in circles.

♣ PEOPLE ARE LIQUID

a ripple of laughter a wave of laugh gülüş dalğası

I started my speech with a joke. It worked. There was a ripple
of laughter across the audience and then I started to relax and
began to speak.
stem the tide to resist; hold back müqavimət göstərmək,
of sth (or sb) something of great qarşı durmaq; tablaş-
pressure or strength maq; məc. axının qarşı-
sını almaq
◘ I think the government has to find a way to stem the tide of
refugees.
English idioms 265

◘ ... but there was no stemming the tides of what she felt, and
had felt since the first day she’d met him [21, p.280].
go with (informal) to be axınla getmək; hər şeyə qane
the flow relaxed and not olmaq; zamanla ayaqlaşmaq;
worry about what palaza bürün ellə sürün (at. söz)
you should do
I never complain about sth. I just go with the flow.
dry up to disappear or vanish azalmaq; yoxa çıxmaq, məc.
as if by evaporating qəhətə çıxmaq; qeybə çəkil-
mək; qeyb olmaq; qurumaq
Nowadays, few people are studying Russian at university. Not
surprisingly, the number of new Russian teachers applying for
jobs is slowly starting to dry up.
be (informal) a boring or stupid quru/darıxdırıcı/can-
a drip person with a weak personality sıxıcı/gicbəsər olmaq
Come on! Come and dance. It’s fun. Don’t be such a drip.
a pool of a group of people available ehtiyatda olan bir
somebody for work when needed dəstə/qrup insan
Our football team has eleven permanent players and a pool of
about 12 temporary players. We use them when we need them
during the game.
English idioms 266

♣ BUILDING IDIOMS

get a the first step toward getting ilk addımlarını atmaq

foot in or doing something; a start (hər hansı bir işdə);
the toward success; opening ayağına yer vermək;
door əlini bir işə ilişdirmək
- Why are you taking such a low paid job? I’m sure you could
find something better.
- I know but it’s a good company. I just want to get a foot in
the door and with, any luck I can work my way up.
(come down) (informal) very məc. bir kəsin üstünə “şığı-
like a ton of heavily; very maq”/düşmək; it kimi qap-
bricks severely maq; bir kəsə qarşı kəskin
davranmaq
- Diana looks cross about something.
- What’s happened?
- I just asked if I could leave early tonight and she came down
on me like a ton of bricks.
hit the to become tüstüsü təpəsindən çıxmaq;
roof/ceiling violently angry; vəhşiyə dönmək; hirsindən
go into a rage divara dırmaşmaq
English idioms 267

- My father wasn’t very pleased about my exam results.

- Neither was mine. He hit the roof when I told him I’d failed
maths.
on (at) the/ very close; very near bir addımlıqda; çox
your doorstep where you work or live yaxın; əlinin altında
- I don’t know how you can live in the middle of town. It must
be awful.
- It is all right once you’re used to it. You’ve got everything
right on your doorstep.
get sth through the in an unfair or tanışlıqla/rüşvətlə bir
back door indirect way şeyə nail olmaq
- How did you manage to get a job with the bank?
- Well, I got it through the back door, really. My dad plays
golf with one of the directors.
bang/set to be unable to make any bütün cəhdlərə bax-
your back progress because there is mayaraq istədiyinə
against a a difficulty that stops you nail olmamaq; işləri
brick wall daşa dirənmək
- You still haven’t got a job, then?
- No, I’m afraid not. I’ve applied for maybe thirty and I haven’t
had one interview. I feel as if I’m banging my head against a
brick wall.
English idioms 268

be at death’s door very near death; dying ölüm ayağında

olmaq
I was so ill with flu last week. I thought I was at death’s door.
have your (informal) to be in a trap, çətin/çıxılmaz vəziy-
back to the with no way to escape; in yətə düşmək; tələyə
wall bad trouble düşmək
◘ Our business is not going too well at the moment.
Financially, we’ve got our backs to the wall.
◘ The soldiers had their backs to the wall.
go out of the window to go out of effect; yaddan çıxmaq
be abandoned
I’m supposed to be a diet at the moment. Whenever I have
dinner with friends, it just goes out of the window.
talk to a to talk to somebody boş yerə danışıb özünü
brick wall uselessly yormaq; məc. daşa-diva-
ra danışmaq
You never listen to me. It’s like talking to a brick wall.
English idioms 269

♣ METAL IDIOMS

worth your extremely useful özü boyda qızıla dəy-

weight in gold or valuable mək; çox dəyərli olmaq
I wish I had a secretary like yours. She’s got everything so well
organized. I know, she’s worth her weight in gold.
have nerves to have great iradəli/dözümlü olmaq; məc.
of steel courage dəmirdən əsəbləri olmaq
Look at that man working up there on that roof. I can’t even
bear to look at him! He must have nerves of steel.
have the a combination of abırsız/həyasız/utanmaz
brass confidence and lack of olmaq; hər şeyə üzü gəl-
neck respect mək
I don’t know how he had the brass neck to ask for a rise after
the mistakes he’s made this year.
go over to fail to generate a müsbət qarşılamamaq
like a lead positive response or (hər hansı bir fikri);
balloon enthusiasm; to meet with bir şeyi narazılıqla,
boredom or disapproval könülsüz qarşılamaq
The minister’s suggested budgets cuts went over like a lead
balloon.
English idioms 270

♣ MONEY IDIOMS

tighten to live on less money than qənaət etmək (pula,

your belt usual, use less food and yeməyə və s.); özünü
other things sıxmaq
- I’m afraid. Our rent is getting more and more expensive.
- Well, we’ll just have to be careful what we spend. We should
tighten our belts a bit.
go halves to share half or equally bir işi şərikinə/yarı-
become partners yarıya görmək
- Let’s go to the restaurant. I’ll pay for this.
- No, it’ll be expensive. Let’s go halves.
save money a time of need; especially, a qara gün üçün
for a rainy time when you really need pul yığmaq; qə-
day money naət etmək
I’m not going to spend the money I’ve got. I’m going to save it
for a rainy day.
put money to save kənara pul qoymaq; bir şey üçün
aside money pul yığmaq, qənaət etmək
- Every year you go on holiday. How can you manage it?
- Easy! I just put a bit of money aside each month just for my
English idioms 271

holiday.
live on the it is the situation where çətin/dözülməz vəziy-
breadline you are just able to feed yətdə yaşamaq; güclə
yourself and your family dolanmaq; yarı ac, ya-
rı tox yaşamaq
Millions of people in this country are still living on the
breadline, just surviving.
buy and sell to have a lot bir kəsi pulla satın ala bilmək;
someone of money çox dövlətli olmaq; məc. pula-
pul deməmək
The old man next door looks like a down-and-out, but he’s a
millionaire. He could buy and sell you.
live in the well supplied with var-dövlət içində yaşa-
lap of luxuries; having most maq; yağ-bal içində ya-
luxury things that money can şamaq, süd gölündə üz-
buy mək
My brother has just got a teaching job in Brunei; big tax, free
salary, all expenses paid. He’s living in the lap of luxury.
short of a usual, customary, normal (orta) səviyyədə
bob or two ordinary, routine yaşamaq
I wouldn’t say I am rich. Let’s just say I’m living short of a
bob or two.
English idioms 272

Note: The informal word for the old British “coin” known as
a shilling (5 p) was a bob.

♣ SHOPPING

buy for a (informal) to buy something bir şeyi çox ucuz/

song very cheaply lap havayı almaq
They bought their house for a song some years ago.
cost a pretty penny cost a lot of money çox baha olmaq
That car cost a pretty penny!
pin a small amount of money that qara gün üçün yığı-
money you can spend on yourself lan/saxlanılan pul;
rather than on necessary son qəpik-quruş
things
What a selfish girl she is? I can’t understand her. She spent her
pin money on a dress.
spend money to spend too çox pul xərcləmək; pulu su
like water much money kimi xərcləmək; pulu sağına
-soluna xərcləmək
Her mother will be angry with her, I’m sure. She spends
English idioms 273

money like water.

burn a if money is burning a hole in pulu tez xərcləməyə
hole in your pocket, it means you çalışmaq; kasıb pul
your want to spend it as soon as tapdı, qoymağa yer
pocket you can tapmadı
That $100 is burning a hole in my pocket. (O yüz dollar
cibimi cırır).
buy sth to buy sth and put more bir kəsin başinin üs-
over sb’s money than someone tündən iş görmək;
head else in order to get it kimdənsə xəbərsiz iş
görmək
He bought the house over his brother’s head.
have money to burn/ to have a dövlətli olmaq; dam do-
flush with money/ lot of lusu pulu olmaq; pulu
have deep pockets money başından aşmaq/pulunu
qoymağa yer tapmamaq
They must have money to burn.
it’s not worth a about sth which is qara qəpiyə dəyməz
farthing/penny worthless, useless
What an ugly dress you’ve bought! It is not worth a farthing.
be a good/bad to be worth or to be not verdiyin pula
buy worth the price you paid dəyər/dəyməz
English idioms 274

This wine is a good buy at $3.50.

dirt cheap extremely low in price çox ucuz; lap havayı
These shoes are dirt cheap.

♣ “VERY” IDIOMS

In English there are some different words used as

intensifiers. They make an adjective stronger. For example:
totally, different, absolutely ridiculous, utterly stupid. Some
adjectives have their own intensifiers which very often go
with them. Some are very obvious: bone dry, razor sharp,
paper thin. Others are less obvious: shark naked, brand new.
They all have one thing in common. You can’t guess them.
You have to learn the words together as a single expression.

broad (in) the clear light of day, when it günün günorta

daylight is easy to see çağı
My sister was robbed in the street last week in broad
daylight.
stone-deaf showing no signs of life; completely tamam kar
deaf
English idioms 275

You have to shout at my grandmother. She’s stone deaf.

pitch black totally, completely dark göz-gözü görməyən
qaranlıq
I can’t see a thing. Switch the light on. I can’t find the light
switch. It’s pitch black in here.
paper thin very thin kağız kimi nazik, çox nazik
The walls of my flat are paper thin. You can hear everything.
wide awake fully awake tamamilə oyaq; oyanmış, ayıq
- It’s been a long day. You must be very tired.
- Actually, I feel wide awake.
bone dry very dry çox quru, odun kimi quru; qup-quru
-These clothes are probably still a bit wet, aren’t they?
-No, actually, they’re bone dry.
razer sharp very sharp ülgüc kimi iti, çox iti
Be careful with that knife, it’s razer sharp.
rock hard extremely hard or strong çox bərk; daş kimi
bərk
This bread is lovely when it’s fresh but next day it goes rock
hard.
brand-new as new or fresh as when qatı açılmamış;
just made and sold by the istifadə olunma-
manufacturer; showing no mış; təp-təzə; yeni
English idioms 276

use or wear
◘ - Can I borrow your camera for the weekend?
- OK, but please be careful with it, It’s brand-new.
◘ Everything was brand-new between them [19, p.247].
dead easy very easy çox asan, su içmək kimi asan
- I’m really worried about my oral.
- Oh, don’t worry. It’s dead easy. It’s the composition you
need to worry about!

♣ “LIKE” IDIOMS

look like death to look or feel xəstə/ümidsiz/rəngi solgun

warmed up very sick/ill or görünmək; məc. öluyə oxşa-
tired maq
- I feel terrible. I think I need to consult a doctor.
- Yes, go home. You look like death warmed up.
treat sb to treat sb with bir kəsi adam yerinə qoymamaq;
like dirt no respect at all məc. kimisə əski hesab etmək, bir
kəsə hörmət etməmək
◘ - Did you see the way Robert spoke to his wife last night?
Disgusting, wasn’t it?
English idioms 277

- Yes, but it didn’t surprise me. He treats her like dirt.

◘ “… who used to come to our house at home that here we
should be treated like dirt” [33, p.19].
eat like a horse to eat a lot; eat çox yemək; camış ki-
hungrily mi/acgözlüklə yemək
- I see Peter’s put more weight on.
- I am not surprised. He eats like a horse.
drink like a to drink (alcoholic beverages) in çox içmək,
fish great quantities, to be addicted to ayıq vaxtı
alcohol olmamaq
- I could smell alcohol on Gerry’s breath this morning. Does he
drink a lot? Didn’t you know?
- He’s got a problem. He drinks like a fish.
have memory (informal) to have a very huşsuz olmaq;
like a sieve bad memory; to forget məc. quşbeyin
things easily olmaq
- Surely you remember Monica. She’s the teacher you met at
Cardin’s house.
- Sorry. I’ve got memory like a sieve.
smoke like to smoke very heavily çox siqaret çəkmək;
a chimney and continuously məc. baca kimi tüstülə-
mək
English idioms 278

- I suppose I smoke about ten cigarettes a day.

- That’s nothing compared to my brother. He smokes like a
chimney.
spend like there to spend sabahı düşünməmək; bəd-
is no tomorrow much money xərc olmaq; çox pul xərc-
ləmək
My sister has always short of cash. She spends like there is no
tomorrow.
drive like to drive dangerously dəli kimi maşın sürmək
a maniac
Never get into a car with Gerry. He drives like a maniac.
speak something to speak hər hansı bir dildə ana dili kimi
like a native fluently danışmaq, çox yaxşı danışmaq
You should hear Simon’s Spanish. He speaks it like a native.

♣ “WAY” IDIOMS

“Way” is a very common word in English with many uses

and different meanings:
1. You can see the literal meaning in “Could you tell me the
way to the nearest shop?”
English idioms 279

2. “Way” can also mean “distance”. It’s a long way to

Madrid.
3. It can also mean “method” or “style” as in Frank
Sinatra’s famous song “I’ll do it my way”.

work your (informal) rise, move, to cəmiyyətdə/işdə özünə

way to the more responsible yer tutmaq, mənsəbə
top positions by one’s own çatmaq, pillə-pillə bö-
efforts yümək, artmaq
It’s taken me a long time to get where I am in the company. I
started as an office clerk and slowly worked my way to the top.
It took a lot of hard work.
meet to give up part of what you want qarşılıqlı gü-
someone or to do your share in reaching an zəştə/kompro-
halfway agreement with someone misə getmək
$400 is too much so I’ll meet you halfway. Let’s say $350.
have a way to be talented at başqasını fikrindən da-
with words speech; be able to şındımaq; yolundan
influence others by döndərmək; sözlə ilanı
expressing oneself yuvasından çıxarmaq;
succinctly and məc. yağlı dili olmaq
persuasively
English idioms 280

My mother can persuade people to do almost anything. She has

a way with words.
stand in sb’s to prevent sb bir kəsi fikrindən daşındır-
way (in the from doing sth, maq; mane olmaq; məc. qa-
way of sth) stop sth ratikan kimi kiminsə yolu-
happening nun üstündə bitmək; yolunu
kəsmək
◘ I personally think you should go to university. But if you
really want to leave school and get a job, I won’t stand in your
way.
◘ Naturally, I don’t want to stand in her way [31, p.195].
go out of to make an extra əlindən gələni etmək, bir kəsə
your way effort; do more yardım əli uzatmaq, köməklik
than usual göstərmək; dəridən-qabıqdan
çıxmaq
I’m never going to help him again. I went out of your way to
make time to help him fix his car yesterday and not a word of
thanks. Nothing at all.
keep out of to stay out; bir kəsin gözünə görünmə-
sb’s way remain out of mək; bir kəsdən uzaq olmaq
Martin is in a bad mood, so I would keep out of his way if I
were you.
English idioms 281

have two incompatible bir əldə iki qarpız tutmaq;

something approaches to the bir araya sıgmayan, uyuş-
both ways same problem can mayan iki iş görmək; bir
not happen at the əldə iki qarpız tutmaq
same time
◘ You’ll have to choose between a wage rise or shorter hours.
You can’t have it both ways.
◘ John wants to keep both his wife and his mistress; he doesn’t
understand that he must choose. He can’t have it both ways.
come a to show much improvement; uzun və şərəfli bir
long way make great progress yol keçmək
- I remember the days our company employed only five people,
and that included you and your wife! Now it’s around two
thousand, isn’t it?
- That’s right. We’ve come a long way since those early days.

♣ “WORD” IDIOMS

be a man who keeps his promises and sözünə əməl etmək;

of word does the things he agrees to sözünün ağası ol-
do; a man who can be maq; sözünün üstün-
English idioms 282

trusted də durmaq
I don’t think you need to worry about him changing his mind.
He’s a man of his word.
from the word go from the əvvəldən; başlanğıcdan
beginning
Never buy anything second-hand. I bought a second-hand fridge
a month ago and it was trouble from the word go.
word for word in exactly the same sözbəsöz; olduğu
words kimi, eyni ilə
He has got an amazing memory for what people say. She can
repeat what you said last week word for word.
be lost for to be surprised, confused, deməyə söz tapma-
words etc. that you don’t know maq (təəccübdən,
what to say çaşqınlıqdan və s.)
I told Kevin I was leaving because I’d never worked for anyone
as stupid as him. He didn’t say anything at all. For once he was
lost for words.
too awful very terrible dəhşətli/çox təsirli mənzərə; sözlə
for words accident deyiləsi/təsvir ediləsi olmayan hadisə
I saw a motorbike accident yesterday. It was terrible. I feel sick
when I think about it. It was too awful for words.
take the to say what another is bir kəsin qəlbni oxu-
English idioms 283

words right just going to say; to put maq; fikirləri üst-üstə

out of sb’s another’s thought into düşmək; bir kəsin söy-
mouth words ləmək istədiyini ondan
qabaq demək
- I don’t know about you, but I think we should stop for lunch.
- You took the words right out of my mouth.
famous issued as a warning after an optimistic boş söz; məc.
last statement indicating that the person deyilişi gözəl
words with the optimistic outlook could easily sözlər
be wrong
◘ - Don’t worry, the meeting will be finished no later than
four o’clock.
- Famous last words! We’ll be lucky to be out of here by
seven.
◘ - He will be OK, don’t worry.
- Famous last words!

♣ “TIME” IDIOMS

at the crack the time in the morning səhər sübhdən; gün

of dawn when the sun’s rays first doğanda; dan yeri sö-
English idioms 284

appear küləndə
When I’m on holiday and the weather is good, I love to get up
at the crack of dawn.
once in a very rarely; very tək-tük/çox az/nadir hal-
blue moon seldom; almost never larda; ayda ildə bir dəfə
Although we work at the same university, we only see each
other once in a blue moon.
in this day and now, in the modern ilin-günün bu vaxtı;
age world müasir dövrdə
I can’t believe there are so many homeless and unemployed
people in this day and age. The government should do
something about it.
at the last the latest possible time lap son anda; məc. bı-
minute before an important event çaq sümüyə dirənəndə
I’m never early, and I’m never late, but I do admit doing things
at the last minute.
long time greeting; I haven’t seen you for çoxdandır görün-
no see quite a long while - a joking mürsən, aya-günə
imitation of Pidgin English dönmüsən
Where’ve you been for the past six mouths? Long time no see.
there’s no this is the right time to do fürsəti fövtə ver-
time like something; at other times the mə; dəmiri isti-is-
English idioms 285

the present opportunity to carry out such ti döyərlər; vaxtı

an activity won’t be itirmək olmaz
Here’s the number of my dentist. Ring him and make an
appointment. Go on, there’s no time like the present.
Tomorrow used to say to sb to be Gecənin xeyrindən
is another patience and not to lose gündüzün şəri yaxşı-
day! hope or the ability to dır! Allah kərimdir!
stay calm Ümidini üzmə!
Just forget everything that’s happened today. Tomorrow is
another day!

♣ SEEING IS UNDERSTANDING

see through to think about bir şeyə başqasının gözü ilə

sb’s eyes and see sth the baxmaq; özünü bir kəsin ye-
way that another rinə qoymaq, başqasının və-
person sees it ziyyətini başa düşməyə çalış-
maq
Try to see the situation through my eyes. I simply can’t accept
his invitation.
with eyes fully aware of the düşünülmüş şəkildə, nə-
English idioms 286

wide open possible problems or ticələri nəzərə alaraq hər

results of a particular şeyi götür-qoy edərək
course of action
Jane and Fred are both in their forties, so they are going into
marriage with their eyes wide open.
see past the end not to be burnunun ucundan uzağı
of your nose clever görməmək; ağıl-sız olmaq
enough
My boss is really selfish and small-minded. He can’t see past
the end of his nose.
open to make a person see or bir kəsi ayıltmaq;
sb’s understand the truth; make a başa salmaq; məc.
eyes person realize; tell a person bir kəsin gözünü
what is really happening or açmaq, qəflət yuxu-
what really exists sundan ayıltmaq
I think you need to change your job. They make you work all
hours. It’s time you opened your eyes.
see to think or act sensibly, razılaşmaq; yola
reason especially after realizing what the gəlmək; məc. daşı
facts are on a certain matter and ətəyindən tökmək
accepting advice about it
It took a long time to persuade him, but he finally saw reason.
English idioms 287

EXERCISES

ANIMAL IDIOMS
Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with one of these idioms:
a. monkey around; b. swing a cat; c. ants; pants; d. a pig-sty; e.
gone to dogs; f. a little bird told (whispered)
1. - I heard they’d moved in a new flat. What’s the matter?
- Oh, they found a room with a bit more space. There wasn’t
enough space in their flat.
2. Will you stop ? You’ll break something!
3. A me you’re going to London. Is it true?
4. My little boy just can’t sit still while eating. It always makes
me angry. I often say to him: “Do you have in your____?”
5. - Their house used to be quite good but look at it now.
- I know. It’s really in the last few years.
6. Did you see her flat? I just couldn’t believe my eyes. It was
like !
Exercise 2. Without using a dictionary, guess the meaning
of the underlined idioms.
1. I don’t like this character of yours. You always make up
decisions on the hoof.
2. I’m very hungry. I can eat a horse.
3. Why do you want to make me visit him? Wild horses can’t
English idioms 288

drag me to his house again!

4. My daughter is so thin. She eats like a sparrow.
5. Be careful! Don’t think that your mother doesn’t see you.
She has eyes like a hawk.
6. My boss has taken me under his wing.
Exercise 3. Use each of the following animals as a verb by
putting it in a suitable form in its correct space in the
sentences below.
a. fox; b. monkey; c. worm; d. hound; e. dog; f. ram; g. duck; h.
badger
1. The thief in the stolen car refused to stop so the police were
forced to it with their own car.
2. This machine is complicated and dangerous so don’t
about with it.
3. The children their father to buy them a dog until he
finally gave in and did so.
4. He complained that because of his political beliefs he had
been by the press.
5. To avoid being seen he down behind the hedge.
6. He tried to avoid telling me but after half an hour I managed
to the truth out of him.
7. He managed to his pursuers by changing cars three
times and then escaping in disguise.
English idioms 289

8. All through her life she was by misfortune.

Exercise 4. Add the missing words:
1. Fight like cat and … .
2. Stop … !
3. A cat in … chance.
4. A … remark.
5. When the cat’s … .
6. Put the cat … .
7. Let the cat out of the … .
8. The cat’s … .

BODY IDIOMS
Exercise 5. Put each of the following idioms in its correct
place in the sentences below.
a. a brave face
b. a good head
c. to talk behind somebody’s back
d. to pull somebody’s leg
e. to find somebody’s feet
f. a heart of gold
1. Hey, Nicy, my heart went to pieces when I heard that you -
_____.
2. - I want to ask her for help, but I can’t take the bull by the
English idioms 290

horn.
- If I were, I’d do it. She has .
3. I know after her mother’s death she’s so sad and helpless,
but she on it.
4. Mike always makes fun of me, but I don’t take him too
seriously. I know he only .
5. - How is your new job going?
- I don’t know yet. I’m still .
6. If I’m in a difficult situation I always ask Irada .She has
_____ for everything.
Exercise 6. How we call the following situations with the
idioms.
1. if something irritates you?
2. if you’re trying something for the first time?
3. if you pay for something?
4. if you really don’t feel like doing it?
Exercise 7. Comment on the meaning of each of the idioms.
Try to give their equivalents in Azerbaijani and use them in
situations of your own.
1. Get on everyone’s nerves.
2. Dip someone’s toe in the water.
3. Foot the bill.
4. To have eyes in the back of someone’s head.
English idioms 291

Exercise 8. The following parts of the body are used as

verbs in the sentences below. Put each one in its correct
place.
a. shin d. finger g. head i. back
b. head e. back h. foot j. elbow
c. mouth f. thumb
1. I think we’d better for the station. Our train leaves in
half an hour.
2. It is your fault! Don’t leave me to all the blame!
3. There was a crowd of people there. I’d to my way
through.
4. They decided to their way round Europe. They’re
experienced hitch-hikers.
5. If customers a book a lot, it gets dirty.
6. I’m having my house painted. It’s very expensive. I don’t
know how I’m going to the bill.
7. Bob couldn’t hear me because of the noise, so I had to
what I wanted to say.
8. He’s very fit and strong. Watch him up that tree like a
monkey.
9. It’s been announced that the Foreign Minister will
delegation to visit China next month.
10. A large manufacturing firm has offered to the
English idioms 292

Himalayan Expedition.
Exercise 9. Rewrite each underlined idiom with a literal
expression that has the same meaning. Use a dictionary if
necessary.
1. She said some very hurtful things to me, but I just bit my
tongue, because I didn’t want to show her I was upset.
2. He doesn’t have any notes. He will just play it by ear, and
he’ll be great.
3. When I lent him some money he turned his nose up at it and
returned it back.
4. We were all ears when she told some gossip about Ted and
Lily?
5. I wish you wouldn’t poke your nose into other people’s
affairs.
6. The table was piled high with mouth-watering desserts.

CLOTHES IDIOMS
Exercise 10. Rewrite these sentences using an idiom instead
of the underlined bits. The following idioms will help you.
1. Don’t listen to what your brother is saying. He doesn’t know
what he’s talking about.
2. I love my native country. If I could get a job here, I’d stay
here, without planning.
English idioms 293

3. He wanted to tell me a secret, but he made me promise to tell

nobody.
4. We never use type-writers now. They are old-fashioned.
5. My husband is going to repair his car by himself. I admire.
I’m sure he isn’t able to do it without professional help.
(through somebody’s hat; at the top of a hat; keep it under
somebody’s hat; old hat; I take my hat off to him)
Exercise 11. Can you think of a situation where you
might …
1. have to pull your socks up?
2. have to tighten your belts?
3. have to keep something under your hat?
4. have to do everything on a shoe-string?
5. have to get your knickers in a twist?
6. don’t feel like to be in anybody’s shoes?

COLOUR IDIOMS
Exercise 12. Put each of the following color idioms in its
correct place in the sentences below.
a. out of the blue
b. once in a blue moon
c. green fingers
d. in black and white
English idioms 294

e. a black sheep
f. a white elephant
1. The offer of a holiday sounded very good, but I couldn’t
believe it till I had it .
2. We have a beautiful garden. My grandfather is a successful
gardener. He has .
3. Your friend is always in trouble, unlike the rest of the family.
I’m afraid he is .
4. Tourists often visit our country to see Maiden Tower, but we
only go there.
5. - I think this piano just takes up space. Am I right?
- Right. We’re going to sell it. It’s a bit of .
6. I had lost touch with my friend, and yesterday I met him
right in the street . What a surprise!
Exercise 13. Match the idioms on the left-hand box with
their non-literal meanings on the right-hand box:
English idioms 295

1. A black spot is a. unofficial and illegal.

2. A black look is
3. The black economy is
4. A white lie is
5. A black picture is
6. A black sheep is
7. In black and white means
b. not serious and sometimes
saves embarrassment.
c. a dangerous road or corner.
d. an angry one.
e. different from the rest of the
family.
f. in writing.
g. a depressing one.

Exercise 14. Write the missing colour.

1. They painted the town after the exam.
2. My brother is a – eyed boy. Everyone loves him at
work.
3. That’s like a rag to a bull.
4. You may ask till you’re in the face, but I won’t
change my decision.
5. It was a – letter day.
6. My mother-in-law got a carpet treatment when she
came to us.
7. I do my morning exercises once in a moon.
8. She was caught – handed.
English idioms 296

IDIOMS EXPRESSING PEOPLE’S FEELINGS,

RELATIONSHIPS …, IN PARTICULAR SITUATIONS
Exercise 15. Here are some idioms that can be grouped as
expressing either positive or negative feelings. Try to group
them using a dictionary if necessary.
1. to be over the moon
2. to feel/be a bit down
3. to keep somebody’s chin up
4. to be in a (black) mood
5. feel like a million dollars
6. kick up one’s heels
7. paint the town red
8. get away clean
9. at the end of one’s rope
10. face the music
Exercise 16. Choose suitable idioms to fill the gaps in the
following sentences.
a) sell someone down the river
b) leave someone high and dry
c) sell someone short
d) spill the beans
e) on ice
f) burning ambition
English idioms 297

g) pull the rug from under somebody’s feet

h) light at the end of the tunnel
i) have something up one’s sleeve
j) knock someone down with the feather
k) out of the blue
1. I had lost touch with Jack, and then one night he arrived at
my flat right _____. What a surprise!
2. We’re going to Mum’s birthday. I don’t worry. I’ve got
______.
3. It’s been a long, hard struggle, but I think at last we can see
____ .
4. When my boss began to criticize my work it really ______.
5. I saw Jody’s car yesterday. It .
6. My is to climb Mount Everest. Can you believe it?
7. We’ve been working since morning. I’m hungry. Let’s put
the notes awhile and grab a bite to eat.
8. I’ve bought a present for Irada. I wanted to make her a
surprise. But someone .
9. Just because he doesn’t say very much is no reason to .
10. I thought my sister was going to help me do the washing up,
but she .
11. I never liked my brother’s girlfriend. When I heard that his
so-called girlfriend I didn’t get surprised.
English idioms 298

Exercise 17. Which idiom would you use in these situations?

The following idioms will help you.
1. if somebody’s panicking about the future?
2. if you encourage a friend to try something?
3. if somebody wants to take some exercise?
4. if you encourage someone to take control of a situation and
take action?
5. if you tell someone to wait patiently and take no action?
6. if you tell someone not to worry about a situation?
7. if you tell someone to be careful?
8. if you tell someone not to assume that something will
happen?
(take one day at a time; go for it; don’t overdo it; take the bull
by the horns; sit tight; don’t lose any sleep over it; don’t take
anything for granted; keep your wits about you).

ADVICE (POSITIVE)
Exercise 18. Fill in the following verbs in the idiomatic
expressions below:
go; bide; take (2); sit; make; speak; tread; keep (2).
a. … your mind
b. … the most of it
c. … your wits about you
English idioms 299

d. … the bull by the horns

e. … your time
f. … tight
g. … carefully
h. … one day at a time
i. … a low profile
j. …. for it

ADVICE (NEGATIVE)
Exercise 19. Match each idiom on the left with its definition
on the right.

1. don’t throw the baby out a. say what you are thinking
with the bath water b. don’t worry about it
2. don’t lose any sleep over c. be careful, when you change
it things, not to lose some of the
3. don’t over do it good old ideas
4. don’t beat about the d. slow down and stop doing so
bush many things

HAPPINESS AND SADNESS

Exercise 20. Correct the mistakes in each of these sentences.
1. My brother was thrilled for bits to have his photo in the
English idioms 300

paper.
2. I felt as if I was floating in air as I ran down the hill into his
arms.
3. Why does he look so out of sort today?
4. Don’t make such fuss. It’s not the finish of the world!
5. Your telephone call has really done my day!
6. Anar said he was on cloud seven and we agreed that he was
in ninth heaven.
7. Why does Mark always have to be such a miserable guts?
8. He is said to be over the sun.

ANGER
Exercise 21. Group these pairs of idioms which mean more
or less the same thing:
go off the deep end; give him an earful; put his back up; do his
nut; drive him up the wall; rub him up the wrong way; give
him a piece of her mind; send him round the bend;

SUCCESS AND FAILURE IDIOMS

Exercises 22. Rewrite the underlined parts using success
and failure idioms.
1. At first we thought the new road would spoil our village, but
in fact it was a positive development and the village shops are
English idioms 301

doing more business.

2. I sprayed the stain remover onto my jacket and it had an
immediate positive result.
3. This is not the absolute best and most complete cookery
book, but it does have recipes from 100 different countries.
4. The school has got better and better since the new head
teacher took over.
5. Getting new curtains has changed my flat in a positive way.
It feels like a new one.

HAVING PROBLEMS
Exercise 23. Match the beginning of each idioms on the left
with its ending on the right.

1. left holding the a. wall

2. brick b. music
3. dire c. baby
4. draw a d. barrel
5. have you over a e. straits
6. face the f. blank

READING IDIOMS
Exercise 24. Look back at the reading idioms and fill in the
English idioms 302

missing nouns:
1. I’m turning over a new …
2. You’ve got to read between the …
3. It’s just a … of tripe.
4. I read it from cover to …
5. I can’t make head nor … of this.
6. I didn’t read the small ...
7. It takes a … to get going.
8. Never judge a book by its …

EDUCATION
Exercise 25. Match the following idioms to their respective
dictionary definitions.

◘ Learn something at one’s mother’s knee

◘ Show promise
◘ In one ear and out the other
◘ Live and learn
◘ Stuff sb’s memory with sth
◘ Follow in sb’s footsteps
English idioms 303

◘ To load sb’s memory with sth

◘ To learn sth as a very young child
◘ To do the same things as sb did earlier
◘ To increase one’s knowledge by
experience
◘ To be likely to be very good
◘ What has been said is forgotten
immediately

Exercise 26. The following sentences all contain an idiom

with one key word missing. Choose one of the four
alternatives to complete the idiom.
1. The factory owner’s turned a (dead, deaf, deep, deft)
ear to the demands of the workers.
2. I think if I work hard I’ll (bar, bare, bear, beard) the
fruits of my work.
3. My little sister agreed to go to the dentist under
(presage, press, pressing, pressure).
4. Our dean knows a lot about everything. I think she’s a
(working, waking, walking, wanting) dictionary.
5. My mother tries to (ham, hamper, hammer, hamstring)
the facts into our heads every day.
6. Don’t (stumble, stump, stuff, stun) the child’s head with
English idioms 304

this nonsense.
Exercise 27. Add the missing word to these idioms:
a. He’s got his … screwed on.
b. He can turn his … to anything.
c. He knows what’s ….
d. He hasn’t got a ….
e. He’s learning the ….
f. He hasn’t got the … of it yet.
g. He doesn’t know one … of a car from the other.
h. It’s common ….
(end; hang; clue; what; knowledge; ropes; head; hand).
Exercise 28. Without using a dictionary, guess the meaning
of these idioms.
1. My brother knows a thing or two about computers.
2. We’ll soon get the hang of it.
3. My boss is an old hand at the university.
4. I think you know it like the back of your hand.
5. Don’t worry! You’ll soon learn the ropes.
6. She’s got her heard screwed on.
7. It’s second nature to me now.

MIND AND MEMORY IDIOMS

Exercise 29. Try to complete these expressions using
English idioms 305

memory or mind idioms. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Out of sight, out of _____.
2. The class reunion gave us a great opportunity for a trip down
_____ lane.
3. I’m sorry I forgot to post your letters. It just slipped my
_____.
4. You can’t remember what you did last night? Let me jog
your _____.
5. Please, bear me in _____ if you need someone to work on
this project.
6. I was so embarrassed that my _____ just went blank.
7. It never crossed my ______ to tell Nigel about our meeting.
8. Streets full of horse – drawn carriages are still within living
____ just!
9. I wanted to give her a surprise, but nothing suitable came to
______.
10. Try to commit your mobile phone number to ______.

NATURE AND WEATHER IDIOMS

Exercise 30. Rewrite these sentences using an idiom from
this section.
1. It was raining very hard when I got up yesterday.
………………………………………………………………….
English idioms 306

2. It is rainy weather.
…………………………………………………………………
3. I hope they’ll start early in the morning.
…………………………………………………………………
4. I hope, they’re having very nice, beautiful weather in the
village at the moment.
…………………………………………………………………
5. Last year we had mild, snowless winter.
…………………………………………………………………
6. I’ll go to the match whatever the weather is like.
…………………………………………………………………
7. She will be operated on in the hottest part of summer.
…………………………………………………………………
Exercise 31. Try to work out the meaning of the idioms
from the context. If you can’t, then check their meaning in
a dictionary or in a dictionary of idioms.

1. I was shaking like a leaf as I waited to hear if I had passed

the exam.
2. I slept like a log last night. It was so quiet and the bed was
very comfortable.
3. I hate making big decisions. I usually prefer to just go with
the flow.
English idioms 307

4. It goes against the grain for him ever to say he was wrong. It
is not in his character to admit that he has made a mistake.
5. The news has come as a breath of fresh air for students
worried about the level of fees.
6. The discussions have not solved the problem, but they have
helped to clear the air to a certain.

HOUSE AND HOME IDIOMS

Exercise 32. Match the idiomatic expressions on the left-
hand box with the non-idiomatic equivalents on the right-
hand box:

1. She’s nothing to write home a. Sort out your own

about. problems first.
2. They ate us out of house and b. We liked each other a lot.
home. c. We had no food left.
3. Put your own house in d. The audience applauded a
order. lot.
4. He brought the house down. e. She’s not specially good-
5. We got on like a house on looking.
fire.
English idioms 308

POLITICS
Exercise 33. Decide which version of the idioms is correct in
the following sentences.
1. The citizens of the country are making/taking action to stop
the war.
2. The war drives many problems into the background
/underground.
3. I’m afraid they’ll kill/fill the bill.
4. We’re against the arms race/pace.
5. Our president is famous for his shuttle/shutter diplomacy.
6. We’ll hold a round/ground table discussion next month.
Exercise 34. Match the following English idioms to their
respective dictionary definitions:

◘ Get a new angel on sth ◘ Promises and treats

◘ Make arrangements
◘ Hardly annual
◘ Shirtsleeve diplomacy
◘ Go into politics
◘ The carrot and the stick
◘ Hold the balance
◘ Kill the bill
◘ Informal and direct diplomacy
◘ Become a politician
◘ Have the power to take all the
important decisions
◘ Change one’s point of view
◘ Make plans and preparations
◘ To defeat a proposed new law
English idioms 309

LAW IDIOMS
Exercise 35. Here are some idioms connected with law. Can
you translate them into your own language?
1. If he doesn’t repay his debts, we’ll have to go to law.
2. He was accessory after the fact.
3. Everybody looked at the prisoner at the bar.
4. They became hardened criminals.
5. Crime doesn’t pay.
6. Yesterday they broke jail.
7. We had to take the law into our own hands.

FIRE IDIOMS
Exercise 36. Add the missing words in the following fire
idioms.
1. … the world on fire
2. … a blazing row
3. … with fire
4. … on like a house on fire
5. … fuel to the dire
6. … the imagination
7. … up in smoke
8. … your bridges
English idioms 310

MEDICINE IDIOMS
Exercise 37. A. Match the following medicine idioms to
their respective dictionary definitions.
◘ Alive and kicking ◘ To become ill with a cold
◘ Catch one’s death ◘ To look very healthy
◘ Breathe one’s last ◘ Very thin
◘ Die in one’s boots ◘ To be nervous
◘ Sb is a picture of ◘ To be very active and lively
health ◘ To die
◘ Bring sb to life ◘ To die while still working
◘ Catch a cold ◘ To make someone live, regain
◘ A bag of bones consciousness
◘ Go to pieces ◘ To be very cold and probably
become very ill

B. Use some idioms to make up a story. A student starts it

with “Good health is above wealth”.

HEALTH IDIOMS
Exercise 38. Match each statement on the left with the most
likely response on the right.
English idioms 311

1. Failing the driving test a. Why? You should give her a

was a bitter pill to dose of her own medicine.
swallow. b. Don’t worry. You’ll soon get
2. I don’t think I’ll tell her over it.
what I think of her. c. Don’t worry. I know it is a sore
3. I think she’s got itchy spot for him.
feet. d. Where would she like to go this
4. Be very attentive while time?
speaking to her. Her son
is deaf.

Exercise 39. Put each of the following idioms in its correct

place in the sentences.
a. death warmed up
b. recharge one’s batteries
c. a bitter pill to swallow
d. sore spot
e. have itchy feet
1. Try not to mention the merger to him; it’s a bit of a _____
for him.
2. Telling Farida what you feel may be a _____, but you owe it
to her nevertheless.
3. Watching travelling programmes on TV always gives me
English idioms 312

_____.
4. Have you seen Lala? She looks like _____ !
5. A good game of golf at the weekend always helps to _____
my brother’s_____.

DAILY PROGRAMME
Exercise 40. Try guessing from the context what the
underlined daily programme idioms mean. Use a dictionary
if necessary.
1. All work and no play makes my brother a dull boy.
2. The students haven’t done a stroke of work.
3. Evidently, we don’t have time to burn.
4. “Go to bed with the lamb and rise with the lark!” – my
grandmother used to say to me when I was young.
5. I didn’t sleep a wink that night.
6. Hurry up! We don’t have all day!
Exercise 41. Read the following passages and choose the
correct key word to complete daily programme idioms. Use
your dictionary to check your answers. Translate the
passages into Azerbaijani.
1. Julia and Charles dined at the Savay. They had come late,
they dined well, and by the time Charles had finished his
brandy people were already beginning to come in for supper.
English idioms 313

“Good gracious, are the theatres out already?” he said, glancing

at his watch. “How quickly the time (flights/flies) when
I’m with you.” [31].
2. Julia and Gimmie had no sooner sat down to table than he
went straight to the point, “I never slept a (wing/wink)
all night for thinking of you”, he said. [31].
3. How are you today, Sydney? You’re looking very well.
Busy as a (beetle/bee) as usual, I suppose. You’re
simply amazing. [34].

HOLIDAYS
Exercise 42. Rewrite each sentence with a suitable idiom in
this section.
1. It was exactly what I needed.
2. I like going to quiet and unusual places.
3. I had a wonderful time.
4. I’m ready to come back to work.
Exercise 43. Add the missing words:
1. A … is as good as a ...
2. I need to get … from it ...
3. There’s … place like …
4. We had a … of a …
5. It was … what the … ordered.
English idioms 314

6. We had the … of our …

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Exercise 44. Here are some idioms that can be grouped as
expressing a similar meaning or a different meaning. Try to
group them, using a dictionary if necessary.
a far cry from
in the same boat
the odd one out
the spitting image
on a par with
carbon copy
poles apart
six of one and half a dozen of the other
a world of difference
one of a kind

GRAMMATICAL IDIOMS
Something/Anything/Nothing idioms
Exercise 45. Put each of the following idioms in its correct
place in the sentences bellow.
a. nothing to write home about
b. something against
English idioms 315

c. nothing of the sort

d. something for nothing
e. there’s nothing to it
f. nothing … trouble
g. there’s nothing to choose
h. anything goes

1. - Have you seen Farida’s new boyfriend? How is he like?

- Handsome enough, but !
2. My new computer has been but ___since the day I
bought it! I think something is wrong with it.
3. Everyone can drive nowadays. There’s .
4. I think you’ve got me, or why you’re speaking like
this.
5. When I was a pupil, we wore uniforms, didn’t make-up
while going to school, read much. Nowadays it seems, !
6. Don’t believe people when they tell you that the weather’s
fine in Russia in winter. It’s . It’s just different everyday!
7. There’s always someone looking for !
8. - I don’t know whether to buy Ford or Jeep. Which one do
you recommend?
- Honestly, there’s between them. They’re both
excellent cars.
English idioms 316

GOOD/BETTER/BEST
BAD/WORSE/WORST
Exercise 46. Complete each of these idioms with good, bad,
better, best, worse or worst.
1. As I learned Japanese it stood me in _____ stead when I
visited there.
2. He has been in quiet a _____ way ever since he had flu in
March.
3. I didn’t want to have a karaoke machine at our party, but
against my _____ judgments, I agreed.
4. People who live here enjoy the _____ of both worlds: the
peace of the countryside, and fast and frequent rail connections
with the city.
5. The situation at the scene of the disaster seems to be going
from ______ to ______.
Exercise 47. Put the words in correct order and make
sentences.
1. else/to/better/Sona/has/one/go/everyone/always/than.
2. to/to/worse/going/be/bad/conditions/seem/from.
3. the/tried/to/best/we/was/make/bad/a job/weather/the/of/bad/
but.
4. it/I/I/the/of/her/better/nearly/thought/told/but/truth.
5. the/happens/whatever/for/best/happens.
English idioms 317

IDIOMS WITH “TO+INFINITIVE”

Exercise 48. Put each of the following words in its correct
place.
a) it all b) the truth c) the record straight d) insult to injury e) a
long f) the least h) matters worse i) in a nutshell
1. to cut …
2. to say …
3. to make …
4. to put it …
5. to cap …
6. to set …
7. to add …
8. to tell you …
Exercise 49. A. Try to group the following idioms whether
they’re used in the active or in the passive.
1. to put it mildly
2. to be honest
3. not to be sniffed at
4. to be fair
5. leaves a lot to be desired
6. to add insult to injury
7. a lot to be said for
8. nothing to speak of
English idioms 318

9. remains to be seen
B. Comment on the meaning of each of them. Use any of
these idioms in situations of your own.

BINOMIALS
Exercise 50. Join the following idiomatic expressions with
“and”. Then check in a dictionary that you’ve the right
word order and meaning.
bright dry ups up
round outs choose high
pick ins about downs
early round

Now use them to fill the gaps in these sentences.

1. I’ll meet you in the morning and .

2. If I were you I shouldn’t pay much attention to it. All have
their and at work.
3. This meeting is getting us nowhere. We just keep going
and in circles.
4. My brother is in bed with flu, but I think he’s over the worst.
He’ll be and in no time.
5. I’m thinking of setting up my own business, but I need to
English idioms 319

speak to someone who knows the and of how to get

started.
6. If you’re going to publish a book, and , you
need to be sure you’ve got some financial advice.
7. I was left and , with no one to help me.

“OR” IDIOMS
Exercise 51. Match words from the left-hand box with
words from the right-hand box to form idioms with “or”.
Use a dictionary if necessary.

give; take; it; like it; leave it; later; rightly;

wrongly; sooner; laugh; Or cry; not; swim; take;
believe it; sink; make not; break

Now use these idioms in the sentences below.

1. , I have been to London twice.
2. I’ll pay for this blouse 20 manats. That’s my final offer.
______!
3. Our business has been going down-hill for a while now. The
next few months are for us.
4. When I heard that the ticket to London cost $500, I didn’t
know whether to .
English idioms 320

5. It’ll take three months for your new passport to arrive

a week.
6. I believe, , that private schools should be abolished.
7. If you go on being rude to people, , somebody will
really get angry and hit you.
8. There’s no point to complaining about meeting. We have to
take place whether we .
9. When I started my job, nobody told me how to do anything.
I just had to learn everything by myself. It was a real
situation.

SIMILES
Exercise 52. Look back at the expressions with similes and
add the missing words:
1. as quick as a …
2. as red as a …
3. as flat as a …
4. as bold as …
5. as quiet as a …
6. as dry as a …
7. as hard as…
Exercise 53. Different similes contain the same word. Fill
the gaps with the appropriate words.
English idioms 321

1. Don’t worry. I think it is as easy as… off a log.

2. After eating that awful chicken I was as sick as a …
3. I knew she had deceived me. I felt as sick as a …
4. My grandmother’s hair is as white as …
5. Her face suddenly went as white as a …

“NO” IDIOMS
Exercise 54. Try guessing from the context what the
underlined idioms mean.
1. I have had no end of problems with my new car.
2. When I was in Paris, I was told not to go near a certain area.
They said it was a no-go area.
3. Whatever you do, don’t touch Sona’s things. It’s a real no-no.
She gets very annoyed about it.
4. - I found the book you asked, didn’t I?
- No thanks to you! It’s not the same book.
5. - Hey, Nicy, I’m really sorry about what I said yesterday.
- No hard feelings!

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH PREPOSITIONS

Exercise 55. Add the missing prepositions.
1. His company has gone _____ strength _____ strength in the
last six months. He’s making a lot of money now.
English idioms 322

2. The flood ruined our old kitchen, but it was a blessing ____
disguise, because the insurance company paid for a completely
new one.
3. This new model is not the be – all – and- end – all – digital
cameras, but it certainly has many technical features that others
do not have.
4. Your offer to drive us to the airport makes all the difference
_____ our travel plans.
5. Your plan to persuade Lala to join the committee worked
_____ magic.
Exercise 56. Write the idioms in this section opposite the
meanings using the words in brackets:

1. absolutely certain (bet) ………………………………

2. as a guess (head) ………………………………
3. find the truth (bottom) ………………………………
4. looked everywhere
(search) ………………………………
5. exaggerated (top) ………………………………
6. as emotionally low as
possible (rock) ………………………………
7. not much hair (thin) ………………………………
English idioms 323

NUMBER IDIOMS
Exercise 57. Complete the following idioms with numbers.
1. Two’s company, a crowd!
2. I’m in minds about it.
3. It’s first come, served.
4. It was of one and half a dozen of the other.
5. It takes to tango.
6. I put and together.
7. Two heads are better than .
Exercise 58. Put each of the following idioms in its correct
place in the sentences bellow.
a. to have second thoughts
b. in her seventh heaven
c. at the eleventh hour
d. knocked me for six
e. on cloud nine
f. third time lucky

1. Our financial problems were so great that we thought we’d

have to sell our house, but my father-in-law lent us some
money ------.
2. At first I liked him, but now I’m beginning .
3. My sister was when she actually met her favorite singer.
English idioms 324

4. When I heard that they refused to take you, it completely .

I wasn’t expecting it.
5. My brother was ____ when he heard that he’d won the
competition.
6. I always repeat: “____!” when I fail to do something.
Exercise 59. Complete each of these idioms.
1. It runs like ____.
2. We set off at the crack ____.
3. We were working against ____.
4. I’ve had enough. Let’s call ____.
5. It happens this way nine ____.
Exercise 60. Complete these idioms with prepositions.
1. … scratch.
2. once … a lifetime.
3. once and … all
4. … time …time.
5. work … the clock.
6. nine times … … ten.

MIXED IDIOMS
Exercise 61. Can you think of a situation where you
might …
1. be willing to pay through the nose for tickets?
English idioms 325

2. have to take somebody under your wing?

3. have to drink in somebody’s words?
4. have to read somebody’s thoughts?
5. find it hard beat about the bush?
6. have to know which side your bread is buttered?
Exercise 62. Here are some idioms. Comment on the
meaning of each of them. Use them in situations of your
own.
1. Wash one’s dirty linen in public.
2. Be in the air.
3. Keep one’s nose above water.
4. Burn the candle at both ends.
5. Burn one’s bridges (behind one).

“VERY” IDIOMS
Exercise 63. Try guessing from the context what the
underlined “very” idioms mean.
1. I’ve been working since morning and I feel wide awake. I’d
better go to bed.
2. When my brother wanted to borrow my car, I asked him to
be careful with it because it was brand new.
3. I don’t think these clothes are a bit wet. They’re bone dry.
4. My mother-in-law couldn’t eat the bread because it was rock
English idioms 326

hard.
5. You have to shout at my grandmother. She’s stone deaf.
6. The walls of our flat are paper thin. You can hear everything.
7. My mother was robbed in the street yesterday in broad
daylight.
8. I watched an awful film last night. I should have just
switched it off but I watched it until the bitter end to see what
happened.

“WAY” IDIOMS
Exercise 64. A. Try to complete these “way” idioms.
1. either …
2. to … thinking
3. the other …
4. … way
5. that …
6. by …
7. come …
B. Now use them in your own sentences and try to give
their equivalents in your own language.

Exercise 65. A. Try giving the equivalents of the following

“way” idioms in your native language.
English idioms 327

1. either way
2. the way of thinking
3. the other way round
4. on the way
5. that way
6. by the way
7. in a way
8. come a long way
B. Make up a story using any of these idioms.

“LIKE” IDIOMS
Exercise 66. What can you say about …
1. a person who sees everything and never misses a thing?
2. a plan or course of action that works very well?
3. someone who eats and drinks a great deal?
4. someone with a very bad memory?
5. someone who has been very active and busy all day?

“WORD” IDIOMS
Exercise 67. Look back at the “word” idioms and add the
missing words:
1. I’ll take your word ____ it.
2. ____ word of mouth.
English idioms 328

3. put ____ a good word for you.

4. get a word ____ edgeways.
5. ____ a word – no.
6. ____ the word go.
7. word ____ word.
8. a man ____ his word.
9. lost ____ words.
10. _____ other words.

“MONEY” IDIOMS
Exercise 68. Put the words in right order and make
sentences.
1. is/a killing/his/job/new/in/Anar.
2. I/put/the/position/had/I/was/in/but/no choice/pick up/to/the
tap.
3. spent/we/the/hotel/at/in/living/a/weekend/lap/the/of/luxury.
4. our/spent/neighbours/small/a/conservatory/fortune/on/new/
their.
5. we/to/had/pay/nose/the/through/get/to/tickets/match/the/for.

FOOD IDIOMS
Exercise 69. Choose one of the alternatives to complete each
sentence.
English idioms 329

1. Although it was too slow-moving for my taste, I sat through

the film to the bitter/sour/sweet end.
2. Watching that cookery programme on TV has really
watered/wetted/whetted my appetite for trying some new
recipes.
3. Staying in a hotel room that Elvis Presley had once used was
really the icing on the biscuit/cake/ sugar.
4. As Shalalah has such a sweet mouth/tongue/tooth it makes
very difficult for her to lose weight.
5. The wonderful smells from the kitchen are really making my
eyes/mouth/nose water.
Exercise 70. Comment on the meaning of each of the
following idioms. Use them in situations of your own.
1. bread and butter
2. eat a horse
3. eat sb out house and home
4. egg on one’s face
5. bear fruit

DWELLING IDIOMS
Exercise 71. A. Rewrite the following text in idiomatic
English.
My parents are good at receiving guests. They’re houseproud. I
English idioms 330

think, they make a great effort to make our house as interesting

and attractive as possible. Everything is perfectly arranged in
our house. My parents are wealthy. They have enough money
to buy everything they want. They like to see our friends in our
house. They welcome visitors at any time. Our friends say our
place is as pleasant and comfortable as their own house. My
parents say their home is the best place in the world for them.
B. Use any of the dwelling idioms to make up a story. A
student starts it with “An Englishman’s home is his castle”.
English idioms 331

SOME KEYS TO EXERCISES

Dear reader, as many of your answers will depend on

your own particular interests and needs, some keys to exercises
have been given undone.
Exercise 1:
1. to swing a cat, 2. monkey around, 3. a little bird told, 4. ants;
pants, 5. gone to dogs, 6. a pig-sty.
Exercise 2:
1. to do sth quickly and without giving it your full attention, 2.
to eat a lot, 3. nothing would prevent sb from doing sth or
make them do sth they do not want to do, 4. to eat very little, 5.
to watch sb very closely, 6. to take care of and help sb who has
less experience of sth than you.
Exercise 3:
1. ram, 2. monkey, 3. badgered, 4. hounded, 5. ducked, 6.
worm, 7. fox, 8. dogged
Exercise 4:
1. dog, 2. pussyfooting around, 3. hell’s, 4. catty, 5. away; the
mice will play, 6. bag, 7. whiskers.
Exercise 5:
1. are talking behind my back, 2. a heart of gold, 3. puts a
brave face, 4. pulls my leg, 5. finding my feet, 6. a good heard.
English idioms 332

Exercise 6:
1. get on sb nerves, 2. dip your toe in the water, 3. foot the bill,
4. heart is not in sth.
Exercise 8:
1. head, 2. shoulder, 3. elbow, 4. thumb, 5. finger, 6. foot, 7.
mouth, 8. shin, 9. head, 10. back.
Exercise 9:
1. to stop yourself from saying sth that might upset sb or cause
an argument, although you want to speak, 2. to decide how to
deal with a situation as it develops rather than by having a plan
to follow, 3. to refuse sth, 4. to be waiting with interest to hear
what sb has to say, 5. to try to become involved in sth that does
not concern you, 6. food looks or smells so good that you want
to eat it immediately.
Exercise 10:
1. talk through his hat, 2. go at the drop of a hat, 3. to keep
under your hat, 4. old hat, 5. I take my hat off to him.
Exercise 12:
1. in black and white, 2. green fingers, 3. a black sheep, 4. once
in a blue moon, 5. a white elephant, 6. out of the blue.
Exercise 13:
1. c, 2. d, 3. a, 4. b, 5. g, 6. e, 7. f.
English idioms 333

Exercise 14:
1. red, 2. blue, 3. red, 4. blue, 5. red, 6. red, 7. blue, 8. blue.
Exercise 15:
Positive:
1. to be over the moon, 2. Feel like a million dollars, 3. Paint
the town red, 4. Get away clean, 5. To keep somebody’s chin
up, 6. kick up one’s heels.
Negative:
1. to feel/be a bit down, 2. to be in a black mood, 3. at the end
of one’s rope, 4. face the music.
Exercise 16:
1. out of the blue, 2. sth up my sleeve, 3. light at the end of the
tunnel, 4. pull the rug under my feet, 5. knock me down with
the feather, 6. burning ambition, 7. on ice, 8. spill the beans, 9.
sell him short, 10. leave me high and dry, 11. sell him down the
river.
Exercise 18:
a. speak, b. make, c. keep, d. take, e. bide, f. sit, g. tread, h.
take, i. keep, i. go.
Exercise 19:
1. c, 2. b, 3.d, 4. a.
English idioms 334

Exercise 20:
1. for - to, 2. in - on, 3. sort - sorts, 4. finish - end, 5. done -
made, 6. seven - nine, 7. miserable - misery, 8. sun - moon.
Exercise 21:
1. went off the deep end/did his nut, 2. give him an earful/give
him a piece of her mind, 3. drive him up the wall/send him
round the bend, 4. put his back up/rub him up the wrong way.
Exercise 22:
1. it was a blessing in disguise, 2. worked like magic/did the
trick, 3. the be-all-end all, 4. has gone from strength to strength,
5. made all the difference.
Exercise 23:
1.c, 2.a, 3. e, 4. f, 5. d, 6. b.
Exercise 24:
1. leaf, 2. lines, 3. a load of tripe, 4. cover, 5. tail, 6. print, 7.
while, 8. corner.
Exercise 26:
1. deaf, 2. bear, 3. pressure, 4. walking, 5. hammer, 6. stuff.
Exercise 27:
a. head, b. hand, c. what, d. clue, e. ropes, f. hang, g. end, h.
knowledge.
Exercise 29:
1. mind, 2. memory, 3. mind, 4. memory, 5. mind, 6. mind, 7.
English idioms 335

mind, 8. memory, 9. mind, 10. memory.

Exercise 33:
1. taking, 2. background, 3. fill, 4. race, 5. shuttle, 6. round.
Exercise 36:
1. set, 2. have, 3. play, 4. get, 5. add, 6. fire, 7. go, 8. burn.
Exercise 41:
1. flies, 2. wink, 3. bee.
Exercise 43:
1. change, rest, 2. away, all, 3. no, home, 4. whale, time, 5. just,
doctor, 6. time, lives.
Exercise 44:
Meaning similar:
in the same boat
the spitting image
on a par with
carbon copy
six of one and half a dozen of the other
Meaning different:
a far cry from
the odd one out
one of a kind
poles apart
a world of difference
English idioms 336

Exercise 45:
1. a, 2. f, 3. e, 4. b, 5. h, 6. c, 7. d, 8. g.
Exercise 46:
1. good, 2. bad, 3. better, 4. best, 5. bad, worse.
Exercise 47:
1. Sona always has to go one better than everyone else.
2. Conditions seem to be going from bad to worse.
3. The weather was bad, but we tried to make the best of a bad
job.
4. I nearly told her the truth, but I thought better of it.
5. Whatever happens, happens for the best.
Exercise 50:
bright and early
pick and choose
up and about
ups and downs
round and round
high and dry
ins and outs
Exercise 51:
give or take
take or leave it
like it or not
English idioms 337

rightly or wrongly
sooner or later
believe it or not
sink or swim
laugh or cry
make or break
Exercise 52:
1. a flash, 2. a beet-root, 3. a pancake, 4. brass, 5. a mouse, 6.
a bone, 7. rock.
Exercise 53:
1. falling, 2. dog, 3. parrot, 4. snow, 5. sheet.
Exercise 56:
1. I can bet you bottom dollar, 2. off the top of my head, 3. get
to the bottom of this,
4. I’ve searched from top to bottom, 5. over the top, 6. hit the
rock, 7. thin on top.
Exercise 57:
1. three, 2. two, 3. first, 4. six, 5. two, 6. two, two, 7. one.
Exercise 58:
1. c, 2. a, 3. b, 4. d, 5. e, 6. f.
Exercise 59:
1. clockwork, 2. of dawn, 3. the clock, 4. it a day, 5. times out
of ten.
English idioms 338

Exercise 60:
1. from, 2. in, 3. for, 4. from… to, 5. against, 6. out of.
Exercise 64:
1. way, 2. my way of, 3. way round, 4. on the, 5. way, 6. the
way, 7. a long way.
Exercise 66:
1. like a hawk, 2. like clockwork, 3. like a horse, like a fish, 4.
like a sieve, 5. like a bee.
Exercise 67:
1. for, 2. by, 3. in, 4. in, 5. in, 6. from, 7. for, 8. of, 9. for, 10.
in.
Exercise 68:
1. Anar is making a killing in his new job.
2. I was put in the position where I had no choice but to pick
up the tap.
3. We spent a weekend at the hotel living in the lap of luxury.
4. Our neighbors spent a small fortune on their new
conservatory.
5. We had to pay through the nose to get tickets for the match.
Exercise 69:
1. bitter, 2. watered, 3. cake, 4. tooth, 5. mouth.
English idioms 339

LITERATURE
ƏDƏBİYYAT

Azərbaycan dilində
1. Bayramov H.A. Azərbaycan dilinin frazeologiyasının
əsasları. Bakı, 1978.
2. Cahangirov F.F. İngilis dilindən leksik çalışmalar toplusu.
Bakı, Nurlan, 2003.
3. Hacıyev E.İ. Müasir İngilis və Azərbaycan dillərində
köməkçi nitq hissələrinin funksional-semantik xüsusiyyətləri.
Bakı, Mütarcim, 2006.
4. Hacıyeva Ə.H. İngilis və Azərbaycan dillərində somatik
frazeologizmlərin struktur-semantik xüsusiyyətləri. Bakı,
Nurlan, 2004.
5. Hacıyeva A.K. İngilis-Azərbaycan zoo-metaforizmlər lüğəti.
Bakı, Nurlan, 2004.
6. Xanbutayeva L. İngilis dilində qrammatik omonimlik və
onlara aid çalışmalar toplusu. Bakı, ADU-nun nəşriyyatı,
2007.
7. Qurbanov A. Müasir Azərbaycan dilinin frazeologiyası. Bakı,
1963.
8. Musayev O.İ. İngiliscə-Azərbaycanca lüğət. Bakı, “Qismət”
Nəşriyyat-Poliqrafiya, 2003.
English idioms 340

9. Musayev O.İ. Azərbaycanca-İngiliscə lüğət. Bakı,

Azərbaycan Dövlət Nəşriyyatı, 1996.
10. Nəbiyeva N. Bir daha ingilis dilindəki а-prefiksli sözlər
haqqında. Azərbaycan Təhsil Nazirliyi. BSU, Humanitar
elmlərin məcmusu. Bakı, 2003.
11. Vahabova İ.Ə. Müasir Azərbaycan və ingilis dillərində
idiomlar və onların bəzi üslubi imkanları. Humanitar
Elmlərin öyrənilməsinin aktual problemləri. Bakı, 2000.
12. Vəliyeva N.Ç. Frazeoloji birləşmələrin müqayisəli
linqvistik təhlili (Azərbaycan, İngilis və Rus dillərinin
materialları əsasında). Bakı, Ünsiyyət, 2001.

İngilis dilində
13. Adam Makkai, M.T.Boatner, J.E.Gates. A Dictionary of
American Idioms. Printed in the United States of America,
2004.
14. Anne Perry. Cain His Brother.
15. Arnold I., Smirnitsky A., Kunin A. A dictionary of
phraseology. Moscow, 1995.
16. Charles Baxter. First Light.
17. Collins V.H. A book of English Idioms. London, L. 960.
18. Danielle Steel. Kaleidoscope.
19. Danielle Steel. Star.
English idioms 341

20. Danielle Steel. The Ranch.

21. Danielle Steel. Wanderlast.
22. David Herbert Lawrence. The Rainbow.
23. Faye Kellerman. Grievous Sin.
24. Harry Collins. 101 American-English Idioms. USA, 1994.
25. Hornby A.S. Oxford Advanced Leaners Dictionary of
Current English. Oxford University Press, 2005.
26. Jennifer Seidl, W.Mc.Mordie. English Idioms and how to
use them. Moscow, 1968.
27. John Galsworthy. The Silver Spoon.
28. Jon Wright. Idioms Organizer. Printed in England by
Commercial Colour Press. London E 7.
29. Maharramov L., Abdullayeva F. Many A Little Makes A
Mickle. Bakı, Təhsil, 2002.
30. Marita Conlon-McKenna. Under the Hawthorn Tree.
31. Maugham W.S. Theatre.
32. Maugham W.S. The Moon and Sixpence.
33. Maugham W.S. The Painted Veil.
34. Maugham W.S. Services Rendered.
35. Micheal McCarthy, Felicity O’ Dell. English Vocabulary in
Use. Cambridge University Press, Second Edition 2002.
36. Micheal McCarthy, Felicity O’ Dell. English Idioms in Use.
Cambridge University Press, 2002.
English idioms 342

37. Thomas B.J. Advanced Vocabulary and Idiom. England,

1995.
38. Yunusov D.N. A Guide to English Grammar. Bakı,
Mütarcim, 2006.
39. Yunusov D.N. Constancy and Variety of Complex
Syntactic Units in languages of different systems. Istanbul
Ekizler Publishing House, 2007.
40. Danielle Steel. Remembrance.
41. John Le Carre. Single and Single.

Rus dilində
42. Винарева Л.А., Янсон В.В. Английские идиомы.
Moсквa, 2005.
43. Кевиселевич Д.И. Русско-английский фразеологичес-
кий словарь. Moсква, 2000.
44. Кунин А.В. Англо-русский фразеологический словарь.
Moсква, 1967.
45. Seredina K.Q., Qwmlwnovic A.K., Krasnanskaya N.A.
Idiom Speech. Leningrad, 1971.
English idioms 343

CONTENTS
Ön söz ............................................................................. 3
İdiom nədir? Idiomları öyrənmək nə üçün lazımdır? 6
Section 1. Animal idioms …………………………….. 11
It is a zoo out there …………………………………… 11
Cat idioms …………………………………………….. 19
Bird idioms …………………………………………… 23
Horse idioms …………………………………………... 27
Fishing idioms ………………………………………… 31
Section 2. Body idioms ……………………………….. 33
The body has many uses ………………………………. 33
Eye idioms …………………………………………….. 40
Face idioms ……………………………………………. 44
Fingers and thumbs idioms ……………………………. 47
Foot idioms …………………………………………….. 49
Hand idioms …………………………………………… 53
Head idioms ……………………………………………. 56
Heart idioms …………………………………………… 59
Section 3. Clothes idioms …………………………….. 64
Clothes make the man and the woman ………………… 64
Section 4. Colour idioms ……………………………... 70
Black/white …………………………………………….. 70
English idioms 344

Red/blue ……………………………………………….. 72
Section 5. People’s feelings in particular situations ... 77
When things go wrong ………………………………… 77
When things go well ………………………………… 82
People do the strangest things …………………………. 84
Suprises ………………………………………………... 87
You don’t say ………………………………………….. 90
That is not nice ………………………………………… 95
Do your best …………………………………………... 97
Advice (positive) ………………………………………. 100
Advice (negative) ……………………………………… 102
Being positive ………………………………………….. 105
Agreeing and disagreeing ……………………………… 107
Annoyance and frustration …………………………….. 110
People’s relationships ………………………………….. 113
Success and failure idioms …………………………….. 115
Happiness and sadness ………………………………… 118
Anger …………………………………………………... 120
Having problems ………………………………………. 121
Section 6. Intelligence and knowledge ……………… 123
Knowledge and ability ………………………………… 123
Reading/Education ……………………………………. 128
English idioms 345

Section 7. Mind and memory idioms ………………... 131

Section 8. Life and death idioms …………………….. 139
Llife is gambling ………………………………………. 141
Life is journney ………………………………………... 144
Section 9. Nature and weather idioms …………….... 148
Section 10. House and home idioms …………………. 152
Section 11. Politics ……………………………………. 155
Section 12. Law idioms ……………………………….. 160
Section 13. Eating idioms …………………………….. 162
Food idioms ……………………………………………. 164
Meals …………………………………………………... 168
Section 14. Fire idioms ……………………………….. 171
Section 15. Medicine idioms …………………………. 175
Health idioms ………………………………………….. 178
Section 16. Daily programme ………………………... 181
Section 17. Breaking idioms …………………………. 183
Section 18. Holidays ………………………………….. 186
Section 19. Sleep and dream idioms ………………… 189
Section 20. Suitability ………………………………… 192
Section 21. Similarities and differences …………….. 195
Section 22. Organizations are gardens ……………… 198
Section 23. Family idioms ……………………………. 200
English idioms 346

Family life ……………………………………………... 200

Section 24. Grammatical idioms …………………….. 206
“All” idioms …………………………………………… 206
Binomials ……………………………………………… 209
Idioms with degrees of adjectives ……………………... 213
Idioms with “It” ………………………………………... 218
Number idioms …………………………………….…... 219
Idioms with “million” or “thousand (s) ………………... 224

“No” idioms ……………………………………………. 225

“Or” idioms ……………………………………………. 229
Something/anything/nothing idioms …………………... 232
To + Infinitive …………………………………………. 235
The following infinitives are always passive ………….. 239
Similies (as … as) ……………………………………... 240
Idioms with the expression “There’s no …” …………... 244
Idiomatic expressions with prepositions ………………. 245
Section 25. Mixed idioms …………………………….. 250
Swimming idioms …………………………………… 257
Driving idioms …………………………………………. 259
People are liquid ……………………………………….. 262
Building idioms ………………………………………... 264
Metal idioms …………………………………………… 266
English idioms 347

Money idioms ………………………………………….. 267

“Shopping” idioms …………………………………….. 269
“Very” idioms …………………………………………. 271
“Like” idioms ………………………………………….. 273
“Way” idioms ………………………………………….. 275
“Word” idioms ………………………………………… 278
“Time” idioms …………………………………………. 280
Seeing is understanding ………………………………... 282
Exercises ………………………………………………. 284
Some keys to exercises ………………………………... 328
Literature ……………………………………………... 336