Муниципальное бюджетное общеобразовательное учреждение
Лицей №4 г. Данков Липецкой области
Лицейское научное
общество
«синяя
птица»
Конкурс
исследовательских работ
«первые
шаги в науку»
Секция:
Языкознание
Тема проекта:
«Английские идиомы: они подобны как «мел и сыр»
или «как две капли воды»».
Автор проекта:
Скороходина Виктория
11 б класс
Руководитель: Черных Н.И.
учитель английского языка
г. Данков
Содержание.
1. Введение.
1.1. Цели проекта
1.2. Актуально.
1.3. Почему я выбрала данную тему.
1.4. Разъяснение основных моментов.
1.5. Процесс работы.
2. Исследование.
2.1. Идиомы, абсолютно подобные
русским.
Идиомы, включающие название частей
тела;
Идиомы, включающие названия
животных;
Идиомы, включающие названия еды;
Идиомы, включающие общие слова.
2.2. Идиомы, немного отличающиеся от
русских выражений.
Идиомы, используемые для описания
людей;
Идиомы, включающие названия частей
тела;
Идиомы, связанные с эмоциями и
чувствами;
Другие идиомы.
2.3. Идиомы, имеющие более
существенные различия.
2.4. Исключительные идиомы.
2.5. Чисто английские, широко
распространенные идиомы.
3. Заключение.
4. Используемая литература.
1. Введение.
1.1. Цели проекта.
The key purpose of this research is
working out the main similarities between English and Russian idiomatic
expressions by comparing these figures of speech and studying their structures.
Although it is the main aim of the project, there are some minor points which
should not be regarded as insignificant. My research in idiomatic expressions
is aimed at finding some points in relationship between British and Russian
cultures. As it is generally known, the success of the international
interaction is based on understanding similarities between nations and on the
tolerant attitude towards differences. Thus, the results of the project will
give the opportunity to penetrate into the heart of hearts of the British. Furthermore,
there is also the last purpose of the research. However, the last is not least
as I can say relating to the subject of my project. This aim is connected with
the adoption. There are plenty of loan-words and fixed expressions are not an
exception. Almost the whole world knows the phrase ‘Time is money’, so it is
really useful to learn worldwide expressions and find justifications for
borrowings.
In brief, the aims of the
project are the following:
·
Finding and
explaining important similarities between idioms of the English and Russian
languages.
·
Suggesting ideas
about the closeness between British and Russian cultures.
·
Studying the
adoption of some English idiomatic phrases.
1.2. Актуально.
In the modern world much attention
is devoted to the interaction of languages, to their integration and to the
mutual penetration of words and whole phrases. The comparison of figures of
speech, in this case idioms, lets us give a definite answer to the one of sharp
questions - do different languages, belonging even to various families of
languages, have similarities and include the same constructions? During the period
of doing research, comparing idioms, I will work out basic criteria of
comparison; I will try to explain the main reasons of their differences;
besides, after completing the work it would be possible to draw conclusions
about some adoption of English idiomatic expressions by other languages,
particularly by Russian. The matter of the adoption is the one of actual questions
in modern linguistics thanks to studying mutual penetration of lexical items,
it is possible to judge about the spread and the development of the language.
Moreover, after studying the similarities and the differences of image-bearing
expressions, I will be able to draw conclusions about the similarities and
differences between British and Russian mentalities and their perception of the
world. Working it out is the main task of culture experts because it is the
basis for the developing cross-cultural and international cooperation in
general. Besides, it should not be forgotten that English is the lingua franca,
so knowing the idioms and their analogies, it would be easier to understand
people from other countries.
Thus, the results of the
research in idiomatic expressions are not only the value for modern
linguistics, but it is also important for other fields of science such as
culturology, the Social Science, psychology and even the international
political science.
1.3. Почему я выбрала данную
тему.
Why have I chosen to do a project in
English idioms? Perhaps, it would be sensible if I set this question at the
beginning of my project, but I prefer to give objective reasons at first, I
mean the actuality and the importance of this issue. It cannot be denied that
it is unreasonable to do a project which does not contain useful research, even
though the subject is extremely interesting to study. Therefore, I explain my
motivation afterwards.
I have been learning English
for seven years and unusual figures of speech have always drawn my attention.
Before studying English seriously, I used to be very interested in learning
Russian idioms because I enjoyed speaking figuratively. Thus, once studying
British culture, I understood that it was impossible to carry on getting new
facts of the life in English speaking countries without knowledge of idiomatic
phrases, so I decided to do some research. To my surprise, most idioms were
similar to Russian ones, moreover, some of them were exactly the same. This
fact inspired me to continue finding similarities and to divide all the idioms
learnt into different groups according to their structures and definitions. This
means that a simple interest led to a serious research which formed the basis
for my project. In any case, doing at least some research in idiomatic
expressions might be a great help for people who are determined to know a lot
about the British and the English language.
1.4. Разъяснение основных моментов.
Before starting a project
it is necessary to decide which points will be considered. In this part of the
introduction the content of the research is presented. In other words, it is
something like an extending plan. Hence, what comparison has been done?
First of all, in this
project I included the reasons why I divided idiomatic expressions into such
groups. In the first part of the project itself there is a full explanation of
the criteria for this division. Secondly, the project consists of five groups
of idiomatic phrases; all the groups differ in ways they are similar to Russian
expressions. They are the following:
1. Idioms, completely similar to Russian
ones;
2. Idioms, slightly different from
Russian expressions (the difference is only in one word);
3. Idioms, having Russian equivalents
and more significant differences (more than two words are different);
4. Idioms, having no analogies in the
Russian language and very specific ones (‘Exceptional idioms’);
5. Purely English idioms widely spread
in the whole world (expressions from British literature, legends, history,
etc);
Besides, to make the
understanding easier and the form of studying more acceptable, all the
idiomatic phrases are divided into groups according to the relation to various
topics. Thus, the biggest group, I mean the first one, consists of different
smaller parts: idioms connected with animals; idioms connected with parts of
body; expressions connected with common nouns such as ‘life’, ‘death’ or
‘love’; phrases connected with food. Also some parts of the research include the
division based on different sides of life - relationships, emotions, work or
studying.
It goes without saying
that simply comparing and contrasting idioms it is impossible to do an
informative and useful project. Because of this, there are many comments and
explanations for some similarities and differences between English and Russian
idiomatic expressions which are caused by special British mentality and Russian
understanding of life processes.
The part consisting of
purely British idioms contains interesting stories about their origin, examples
when these phrases are used and some specialities of literature sources where
the expressions appeared at first.
1.5. Процесс работы.
How did I do this project?
Some people find different facts at first and then consolidate them systemizing
all the information, but I prefer to work out a strategy so as not to be snowed
under a lot of facts. First of all, I imagined which idioms might be
completely the same. This fact depends on the key words in each phrase. For
instance, expressions containing names of the body may be similar because there
are no differences in people’s perception of themselves. The second phase was
to do some research in Russian idioms and decide into which groups it would be
suitable to divide them: expressions related to people’s relationships, ways of
describing personality, etc. Having studied some analogies I continued finding
other phrases, connected with these topics. Thus, the main and the biggest part
of the research started. Then, having plenty of information, I had only to
check all the groups and drew conclusions. So, the phases of doing this project
are the following (let alone the process of choosing the subject of this
project):
1. Working out the strategy how to find
material for comparison;
2. Studying Russian idioms in order to
divide them into different groups;
3. Collecting information;
4. Distribution of the idioms into
groups formed;
5. Drawing conclusions;
2. Исследование.
2.1. Идиомы, абсолютно подобные русским.
First of all, it is
necessary to indicate why English idioms might be similar to Russian ones.
There are a lot of people having various views on the same things, so
differences in expressing feelings between different nationalities might be
big. However, expressions may be absolutely the same due to the similarities in
attitude towards some common things. In this part there are 4 groups: Parts of
the body, Common words, Animals and Food. In most languages, in all countries
the word ‘head’ means something or somebody important, so it is hard to imagine
this word meaning something opposite. ‘Heart’ in most cases is also associated
with the definite thing - people’s soul. The word ‘horse’ is used not only as a
name of an animal, but also for describing a person with great stamina. The
expression ‘crocodile tears’ originates from the people’s observation, so it is
difficult to misinterpret this idiom, which has become worldwide. Hence, it is
possible to explain these surprising similarities.
(The structure of the comparison is
the following: English idiom – ‘Russian equivalent’- meaning of the expression
or examples of the use; Example)
Идиомы,
включающие названия частей тела.
Heart
To have a heart of gold – ‘иметь золотое сердце’ – is used for describing a kind, warm-hearted
person; Example: ‘You always put me up if I stay in your city. You
have a heart of gold!’
To have a heart of stone – ‘иметь каменное сердце’ – is used for describing a person, who is violent or
extremely indifferent; Example: ‘Why don’t you help your Granny to carry
these heavy bags? You don’t seem to have a heart of stone.’
To be in a heart of something – ‘быть в сердце чего-либо’
– be in the centre of something, for example, of a town; Example: ‘The
Kremlin is placed in a heart of Moscow.’
With all somebody’s heart – ‘всем сердцем’ – to do something with all energy or emotion; Example:
‘If the subject of the project suits my interests, I will do it with all my
heart.’
Somebody’s heart bleeds (for) – ‘сердце кровью обливается’ – is used to express sympathy
towards someone; Example: My heart bleeds for homeless children hanging out
in the streets.’
To know the way to somebody’s heart – ‘знать путь к чьему-либо сердцу’ – to know the way how to mollify or
please someone; ‘Example: Don’t worry! Dad’s very angry, but I know the way
to his heart.’
To win somebody’s heart – ‘завоевывать чье-либо сердце’ – to make somebody love you or to
win somebody’s favor; Example: ‘Mary doesn’t pay attention on me, but I’ll
do my best to win her heart!’
To do something with heavy heart – ‘с тяжелым сердцем’ – to do something worrying or with foreboding of
evil; Example: ‘I was waiting for the news from Dan with heavy heart.’
To open somebody’s heart – ‘открыть свое сердце’ – to share your deepest feelings with somebody; Example:
‘As you know, I prefer not to tell anyone about my love, but I want to open my
heart to you.’
To take something to heart – ‘брать что-либо близко к сердцу’ – to take something seriously, especially criticism;
Example: ‘Don’t be sensitive! Don’t take this rubbish to heart!’
To put somebody’s heart and soul into
something – ‘вложить во что-либо свое сердце и душу’ – to put a great deal of effort into something; Example:
‘I’m so proud of this painting! I’ve put my heart and soul into it.’
Head
To keep a cool head – ‘держать голову в холоде’ – to do something impartially, not affected by
emotions; Example: ‘Keep your head cool when you enter the room so as not to
say too much.’
To lose somebody’s head – ‘терять голову’ – to lose control because of emotions or love; Example:
‘He is so gorgeous! I’m on the verge of losing my head.’
To bury somebody’s head into the sand – ‘зарывать голову в песок’ – to avoid solving problems; Example: ‘I hope you
are not a coward and you won’t bury your head into the sand instead of finding
the way to cope with this problem.’
Two heads are better than one – ‘одна голова хорошо, а две лучше’ – is used to say that two people can find a solution
more quickly than one; Example: ‘Don’t panic! I’ll help you and we will
finish this essay. Two heads are better than one.’
Eyes
To have/keep somebody’s eyes glued to
something – ‘прилипнуть, приклеиться к чему-либо’
– to look at something without a break (usually used for watching TV); Example:
‘Let’s go for a walk! Why do you have your eyes glued to TV?’
Before somebody’s very eyes – ‘прямо на глазах’ – to do something what a person sees clearly; Example:
‘You must have seen her cheating! It was before your very eyes.’
To close/ shut somebody’s eyes to
something – ‘закрывать глаза на что-либо’
– not to notice something on purpose; Example: ‘I hope you are fair and you
won’t close your eyes to her being late.’
Can do something with somebody’s eyes
closed – ‘уметь делать что-либо с закрытыми глазами’ – can do something perfectly, without any efforts; Example:
‘I’ve been practicing playing this tune all day, so I can do it with my eyes
closed.’
An eye for an eye – ‘глаз за глаз/ око за око’ – is used to describe an action taken to punish
someone in the same way they have treated you; Example: ‘I’m not going to
let him off, but I don’t want to follow the rule ‘an eye for an eye.’
To have eyes in the back of somebody’s
head – ‘иметь глаза на затылке’ – to be able to see something happening behind you; Example:
‘Why are you asking me what Mary is doing? I don’t have eyes in the back of my
head!’
To have eyes like a hawk – ‘иметь глаза как у сокола’ – to have very sharp eyesight’; Example: ‘How can
you see that tower? You have eyes like a hawk!’
To cry somebody’s eyes – ‘выплакать (все) глаза’
– to cry a lot; Example: ‘Where on earth have you been so long? I’ve cried
my eyes.’
Not to believe somebody’s eyes – ‘не верить своим глазам’ – not to believe what you see; Example: ‘Mark? I
haven’t expected to see you here! I don’t believe my eyes.’
To open somebody’s eyes to– ‘открыть глаза на что-либо’
– to show someone what something is indeed; Example: ‘You’ve opened my eyes
to Jane’s behaviour.’
Ears
To have a smile from ear to ear – ‘иметь улыбку до ушей’ – to smile broadly; Example: ‘Jim is having a
smile from ear to ear. He might have got good news.’
To be up to somebody’s ears in
problems / work – ‘быть по уши в проблемах / работе’ – to have
a lot of problems/work; Example: ‘She looks so tired. She might be up to her
ears in work.’
It goes in one ear and out the other – ‘в одно ухо влетает, в другое вылетает’ – is used to describe someone not
listening carefully; Example: ‘It’s impossible to explain her anything!
Everything goes in one ear and out the other.’
Nose
To poke somebody’s nose into
something –‘совать нос во что-либо’–to
be very interested in things you are not related to; Example: ‘Don’t poke
your nose into other people’s business!’
To turn somebody’s nose up – ‘нос воротить’ – not to find something pleasant or
tasty; Example: ‘Ann, don’t turn your nose up at this soup! It’s delicious.
’
To lead somebody by the nose – ‘водить кого-либо за нос’ – to deceive or mislead somebody; Example: ‘I
don’t believe you! You’re leading me by the nose.’
Tongue
To click somebody’s tongue – ‘цокать языком’ – to make a noise with the tongue to show you are
annoyed or disappointed; Example: ‘Mike clicked his tongue and started finding
his mistake.’
To have a sharp tongue – ‘иметь острый язык’ – to tend to say something angrily; Example: ‘Be
careful talking with her. She’s got such a sharp tongue.’
To bite somebody’s tongue–‘прикусить язык’–to stop talking so as not to say anything
unnecessary; Example: ‘I wanted to tell her my secret, but finally I bit my
tongue.’
To loosen somebody’s tongue – ‘развязывать язык’ – to talk a lot, often after drinking alcohol; Example:
‘Try not to loosen your tongue after this party.’
Hand/ hands
To be in somebody’s hands – ‘быть в чьих-либо руках’ – to depend on someone; Example:
‘You might do what you want; your future is only in your hands.’
To be in good hands– ‘находиться в хороших руках’–to be held or brought up in good conditions or
atmosphere; Example:‘Don’t cry! Your kitten is in good hands.’
To get your hands dirty – ‘запачкать руки’ – to do hard physical work; Example: ‘I’ll help
you with gardening. I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.’
To wash somebody’s hand of something – ‘умывать руки’ – to stop trying doing something; Example: ‘I’m
not going to persuade you to give up smoking any more! I’m washing my hands!’
Knees
Knees knocking (together) –‘коленки дрожат’– is used to describe someone who is frightened or
cold; Example: ‘I’m so scared! My knees are knocking together.’
To bring somebody to their knees – ‘поставить кого-либо на колени’ – to subdue someone; Example: ‘The invaders tried
to bring inhabitants to their knees, but they met with resistance.’
Stomach
To do something on an empty stomach – ‘делать что-либо на голодный желудок’ – to do something being hungry; Example: ‘Let’s
have a coffee. I can’t work on an empty stomach.’
Идиомы,
включающие названия животных.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth – ‘дареному коню в зубы не смотрят’- it means we should not look censoriously at
presents given; Example: ‘Don’t show you’re disappointed with this book.
It’s said: ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth.’
To work like a horse – ‘работать как лошадь’ – to work hard; Example: ‘-He looks exhausted.
–It’s not surprising- he works like a horse.’
To be a dark horse – ‘быть темной лошадкой’ – is used to describe somebody who
is not well-known; Example: ‘Ann is a dark horse. It’s hard to say what she
might do if she takes part in this meeting.’
To have a dog’s life – ‘жить как собака’ – to have a difficult life; Example: ‘Don’t think
I am happy. I have such a dog’s life.’
To play cat and mouse – ‘играть в кошки-мышки’
– to pretend to allow someone to do or have what they want, and then to stop them
from doing or having it; Example: ‘You should decide definitely what to say.
It’s unfair to play cat and mouse with Ann not allowing her to act as she
wants.’
To be like the cat that got cream – ‘быть как кот, наевшийся сметаны’ – to look
very satisfied or delighted; Example: ‘The boss must have approved of Tim’s
project. He is like the cat that got cream’
To be quite as a mouse – ‘тихий, как мышка’ – to be very quite; Example: ‘Is
there anybody? Mary, you’re here! You’re quite as a mouse!’
To be like rats leaving the sinking
ship–‘быть крысами,бегущими с тонущего корабля’–is used to describe people declining the
responsibility if the situation gets worse; Example: ‘Stay here so as not to
be like a rat leaving the sinking ship’.
Crocodile tears – ‘крокодиловы слезы’ – is used to describe someone’s attempt to move
somebody to pity even if he does not desire it; Example: ‘Don’t believe
Mike! He is really guilty. These are crocodile tears.’
To be a lone wolf – ‘быть одиноким волком’ – to prefer being alone; Example: ‘Don’t worry if
Jack won’t communicate with you. He’s a lone wolf, actually.’
To be a busy bee – ‘быть трудолюбивым, как пчела’ – is used to describe an industrious person; Example:
‘You’re always at work. You are such a busy bee!’
To be an early bird–‘быть ранней пташкой’–is used to describe a person who gets up early; Example:
‘-How can you get up at 6 o’clock? - I’m simply an early bird.’
Not hurt a fly –‘мухи не обидит’–is used to describe a person who is very kind; Example:
‘Don’t think Jim is cruel. Appearances are deceptive.He won’t hurt a fly;
Идиомы,
включающие названия еды.
To know which side someone’s bread is
buttered on – ‘знать, с какой стороны масло на хлеб мажут’ – to know which people to be nice to in order to get
advantages for yourself; Example: ‘-You’re so successful! -Oh, I simply know
which side my bread is buttered on.’
To feel like a fish out of water – ‘чувствовать себя, как рыба без воды’ – to feel uncomfortable; Example: ‘I felt like a
fish out of water in that office.’
To be sold like hot cakes – ‘продаваться / расходиться
как горячие пирожки’ – to be bought by many people; Example: ‘If you
reduce the price of these magazines, they will be sold like hot cakes.’
To take the bread out of somebody’s
mouth – ‘забирать /отнимать чей-либо хлеб’ – to take away someone’s means of earning money; Example:
‘Have a heart! It’s my responsibility! Don’t take the bread out of my mouth.’
To be a hard nut (to crack) – ‘быть крепким орешком’ – to be difficult to be done or understood; Example:
‘This problem is a hard nut to crack. I can’t solve it!’
To butter someone up –‘подмасливать’– to be very nice to someone,
usually to obtain something; Example: ‘He is strict, but unprincipled. You
can butter him up to get the permission to do your unusual project.’
Идиомы,
включающие общие слова.
Life, Death, God
A matter of the life and death– ‘вопрос жизни и смерти’–a vital matter or thing; Example: ‘Don’t forget
to inform me about this news. It’s a matter of life and death for me.’
That’s life – ‘такова жизнь’ – is used when we want to say that our life is
difficult and we should accept it; Example: ‘It’s not easy to get a good
job, but that’s life!’
To see life – ‘увидеть жизнь’–is used to say when someone wants (or needs) to get
life experience; Example: ‘Working as a travel agent gives me a chance to
see life.’
To be bored to death – ‘наскучить до смерти’ – to be very bored; Example: ‘This lecture is so
dull! I’m bored to death.’
God’s gift to somebody – ‘божий дар’ – is used for expressing that someone is very
talented; Example: ‘Mary is such a talented artist! It’s a God’s gift to
her.’
I swear to God – ‘богом клянусь’ – is used to express that you tell the truth; Example:
‘I do love you! I swear to God!’
A man of God – ‘божий человек’ – a male priest or a very religious man; Example:
‘Oh! Who is going from the church? It’s the Father Ben, a man of God.’
Man proposes, God disposes – ‘человек предполагает, а Бог располагает’ – is used to express that not
everything depends only on a human; Example: ‘-Where are you going this
summer? -I want to visit London, but Man proposes, God disposes.’
Time
Time flies – ‘время летит’ – time passes very quickly; Example: ‘Ann, You’ve
changed extremely! I can’t recognize you. – Time flies, so don’t be surprised.’
To do something from time to time – ‘делать что-либо время от времени’ – to do something not very often; Example: ‘I
prefer working out at home, but I go to the gym from time to time.’
It’s a matter of time – ‘Это вопрос времени’ – it used for expressing that the time is needed to
give a definite answer to some questions; Example: ‘-Is your book
successful? –It’s difficult to say now. It’s a matter of time.’
To kill time – ‘убивать время’ – to do something so as not to be bored in your free
time; Example: ‘If you don’t come home now, I’ll watch TV to kill time.’
From time immemorial – ‘с незапамятных времен’ – for a long time; Example: ‘You can rely on
Mary. I know her from time immemorial.’
2.2. Идиомы, немного
отличающиеся от русских выражений.
This group includes English idiomatic
expressions which are almost the same with Russian ones. The main difference is
only in one word. What are the reasons for such a specific difference? Firstly,
it depends on the views of every nationality. In some countries a donkey might
be considered as a silly and stubborn animal, while in the others it is not
like that. In Russia when someone saves money so as to use them in case he is
in trouble, it is said ‘он копит деньги на черный день’. In England the same expression is ‘to save money
for a rainy day’. This difference shows that due to the weather conditions, the
British use ‘rainy’ as the synonym to ‘bad’ whereas the Russians use the
adjective ‘черный’ since it also means ‘bad’. Secondly,
synonyms might cause this slight difference too. ‘Heart’ (сердце) is usually replaced with ‘chest’ (грудь), ‘руки’ (hands) with ‘fingers’ (пальцы). The structure of this part is the same as in the
previous one, but words which differ are in bold.
Идиомы,
используемые для описания людей.
As blind as a bat – ‘быть слепым как курица’ – is used to describe a person
whose eyesight is bad; Example: ‘Don’t listen to Jane. She is as blind as a
bat!’
A big cheese/gun/noise/wheel – ‘важная птица’ – is used to describe a very
important person; Example: ‘Our boss is a big cheese as I can see.’
A wolf in sheep’s clothing – ‘волк в овечьей шкуре’ – is used to describe a person
pretending to be kind and obedient; Example: ‘Be careful when you talk with
Mark. He is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’
Neither fish nor fowl – ‘ни рыба ни мясо’– is used to describe an uninteresting person not
having his own opinion; Example: ‘I don’t like Andy. He’s neither fish nor
fowl. It’s boring to talk to him, as it were.’
To be a bull in a china shop–‘быть слоном в посудной лавке’– to be clumsy; Example: ‘Don’t be a bull in a
china shop! There are plenty of unique vases.’
Идиомы,
включающие названия частей тела.
To have somebody’s hands full – ‘иметь забот полон рот’ – to have a lot to do; Example: ‘Oh, I can’t go
out this evening. I have my hands full.’
To be under somebody’s thumb – ‘быть в кулаке у кого-либо’–
to be completely under control of somebody; Example: ‘Poor Dan! He has to be
under his father’s thumb.’
One’s fingers itch – ‘руки чешутся’ – is used for showing that you are really determined
to do something; Example: ‘Let’s start to work! My fingers itch.’
To risk one’s neck–‘рисковать головой’-to accept the risk of physical harm
so as to accomplish something; Example: ‘I would do that even if I had to
risk my neck.’
Идиомы,
связанные с эмоциями и чувствами.
To get something off somebody’s chest – ‘из сердца вон’ – to try to forget completely about something; Example:
‘I’m not worrying about his behaviour. I’ve got it off my chest.’
To lose a tongue – ‘проглотить язык’ – to become unable to speak because of surprise or
fear; Example: ‘Why are you keeping silence? Have you lost a tongue?’
To have a strong stomach–‘иметь крепкие нервы’–to be mentally strong; Example: ‘To
watch such psychological thrillers you should have a strong stomach.
To get in somebody’s hair – ‘действовать на нервы’ – to annoy somebody; Example: ‘Turn off the
television, please. This talk show is getting in my hair.’
Другие
идиомы.
To buy a pig in a poke – ‘покупать кота в мешке’ – is used for expressing that someone does not know
what he is buying; Example: ‘You have to examine this device carefully so as
not to buy a pig in a poke.’
From ‘A’ to ‘Z’ – ‘от «А» до «Я»’ – to know something well; Example: ‘To be a good
journalist you should know these rules from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.’
For a rainy day – ‘на черный день’ – to put something aside in case you do not have
enough money; Example: ‘In this small chest I keep money for a rainy day.’
Baker’s dozen – ‘чертова дюжина’ – thirteen; Example: ‘Go to the market and buy a
baker’s dozen of eggs.’
To have a whale of time – ‘иметь массу времени’ – to have a lot time; Example: ‘Of course. I’ll
go for a walk with you. I’ve got a whale of time!’
A storm in a teacup – ‘буря в стакане’ – is used to express that people
are angry about unimportant things; Example: ‘Calm down! It’s not serious.
It’s such a storm in a teacup!’
To kill the goose that lays
the golden eggs – ‘убить курицу, несущую золотые яйца’ – to get rid of something profitable; Example:
‘He won’t refuse to do this project since it will be like killing the goose
that lays the golden eggs.’
2.3. Идиомы, имеющие более
существенные различия.
This part of the research includes
idiomatic expressions which are very different from the Russian ones in various
aspects. However, it is easy to find analogies to them. The development of the
culture of the country is impossible without the changes of the language. Thus,
during many centuries the range of idioms is gradually increasing since life is
making progress all the time. People invent various expressions so as to
emphasize what they want to say, and then these figures of speech become
widespread and become the spice of the language. Conditions of life, morals and
manners might be the same in different countries, so the meaning of expressions
might be the same as well, although the form and structure might be completely
different.
This part includes English
idioms and their Russian equivalents. Besides, there are meanings of each
expression.
Идиомы.
To be a stone’s throw from something – ‘рукой подать’ – is used to express that something is very close; Example:
‘This shop is a stone’s throw from our house. It will take us about 5 minutes
to get there.’
Let sleeping dogs lie – ‘Не буди лихо, пока оно спит’ – is used when we want to say not to annoy somebody;
Example: ‘Don’t be rude to Jane. Let sleeping dog lie.’
Pull the wool over somebody’s eyes – ‘пускать пыль в глаза’ – to tell lies so as to impress somebody; Example:
‘Remember: he will pull the wool over your eyes to convince you that he works
attentively.’
To cry over spilt milk–‘плакать у разбитого корыта’–to cry when something has happened; Example: ‘The
mistake is done. It’s unreasonable to cry over spilt milk.’
The land of milk and honey – ‘молочная река, кисельные берега’ – is used to
describe the ideal place where are no problems at all; Example: ‘I’m so
exhausted! Getting to the land of milk and honey is all what I want.’
Bread and butter questions–‘насущные вопросы’ – very important questions; Example:‘Stop talking!We’re
discussing bread and butter questions.It’s not a joke.
One’s man meat is another man’s
poison – ‘что русскому хорошо, то немцу смерть’ – is used to express that there is nothing
universal; Example: ‘This cure really helped me, however, be careful: one’s
man meat is another man’s poison.’
Sink or swim –‘пан или пропал’ – is used to express that there is an only choice:
to fail or succeed; Example: ‘I’ll do it in any case. Sink or swim – it
doesn’t matter.’
To have a finger in every pie – ‘быть в каждой бочке затычкой’ – to be involved in many
activities, but in a very annoying way; Example: ‘Ann’s friendship is her
own business. Don’t poke your nose in it. Don’t have a finger in every pie!’
When pigs fly – ‘когда рак на горе свистнет’ – is used to express that something
is impossible; Example: ‘Our boss will approve of your project when pigs
fly.’
To carry coals to Newcastle – ‘ехать в Тулу со своим самоваром’ – to do something unnecessary; Example:
‘You’re so funny! Doing this work is like carrying coals to Newcastle.’
2.4. Исключительные идиомы.
This part includes different
idioms which do not have equivalents in the Russian language. It is difficult
to explain what reasons were to choose these expressions. They simply appeared
to be very unusual and interesting. (For people having good imagination it
might be extremely exciting and astonishing.)
This part consists only of
English idioms and their definitions.
To be as cool as a cucumber – to be very calm or indifferent;
To go bananas – to become mad;
To have green fingers – to be good at gardening or
planting;
To be a wet blanket – to be a boring person spoiling
others people’s enjoyment;
To talk turkey – to talk frankly;
To be like chalk and cheese – to be completely different;
I’ll eat my hat! – I bet!
2.5. Чисто английские широко
распространенные идиомы.
There is also a specific group of
English idioms – expressions which are widely spread in the whole world. Why
have they become so popular? Where do they originate? To begin with, the main
source of these figures of speech is British literature. For instance, due to Lewis’s
Carroll tale ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’, nowadays we have a very
interesting expression ‘to grin like a Cheshire cat’, which means ‘to have a
smile from ear to ear’. Besides, Shakespeare’s tragedies are great sources of
idiomatic expressions. It is almost impossible to meet a person who does not
know the Hamlet’s phrase ‘to be or not to be’. To describe people being at loggerheads
with each other we use the expression ‘to be like Montague and Capulet’, so
these families are still ‘famous’ and ‘popular’, although the number of people
enjoying reading is gradually decreasing. To show that a man is very jealous
people from the whole world say: ‘He is like an Othello’ and it makes us
remember the well-known Moor from the Shakespeare’s tragedy. Furthermore, some
widespread expressions do not have an exact explanation of their origin. For
instance, the idiom ‘time is money’, which is usually used to express that somebody’s
time is valuable.
Thus, telling about British
idiomatic expressions it is impossible not to mention some of them which are
well-known and widespread. The fact of their popularity is such a kind of the
adoption of useful English phrases.
3. Заключение.
1. The first main conclusion I can draw is that these
both languages (English and Russian) have a lot of points of contact. Some
idiomatic expressions are completely the same. The group of such idioms mainly
consists of figures of speech which include the names of parts of body. Such
words as ‘head’, ‘heart’ and ‘hands’ form expressions which have absolute equivalents
in Russian.
2. Although there are a lot of worldwide stereotypes of
animals’ characters, the expressions including the names of them are slightly
different. Some Russian idioms seem to be more emphatic while the English ones
are more neutral.
3. Studying idioms and comparing them, it is wiser to
find their equivalents in the other language since it gives a better idea of
their definitions. Simply translating them (I mean translating word by word) we
are in danger of getting very confusing definitions which are not connected
with the correct meanings.
4. Studying figures of speech gives the opportunity to
become closer to the culture of the country, the mentality of inhabitants, to
its history and literature. Besides, it is a chance to learn some facts about
the geography of the country. (For instance, the expression ‘to bring coals to Newcastle’ gives us information about the one of the main coal mines of England.)
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