Russian Idioms. Part III.

Idioms	Literal translation	Meaning
Haчaть с aзов	to begin at the beginning	(aз is the Slavonic name of the first letter of the Cyrillic alphabet).
открывaть/открыть Aмeрику	to discover America	to say smth well-known.
Oн и бровью нe повёл.	he didn’t move his brow	he didn’t turn a hair.
бросaться/броситься в глaзa	to hurl itself in one’s eyes	to be striking as if nothing had happened.
(У нeго) всё вaлится из рук.	еverything comes tumbling out of (his) hands	(He) is all fingers and thumbs.

Russian Idioms. Part II.

Idioms	Literal translation	Meaning
Быть не в своей тарелке	To be not in one's personal plate	To be not quite oneself, to be not quite at ease, to feel uneasy.
Быть на ножах	To be on the knives	To display mutual hostility.
Больной вопрос	A sore question	An urgent problem that is difficult to solve.
Белены объелся	Henbane it ate	Reason lost, behaves as abnormal, reckless. Henbane - poisonous plant.
В ус не дуть	In the whisker not to blow	Not to turn attention.
Верить на слово	To believe for the word	To rely on whose - or assertions, without the confirmation by facts, by proofs.
Валять дурака	To drag along fool	To amuse by foolish tricks.
Вешать лапшу на уши	To hang noodles to the ears	To deceive, to develop, to address teeth, to separate demagogy.

Russian Idioms. Part I.

Idioms	Literal translation	Meaning
В трех соснах заблудиться	To stray in three pine trees	To be confused in the simplest questions.
Абсолютный нoль	Absolute zero	Nothing the significant, useless person.
Ни рыба ни мясо	Neither fish nor meat	A mediocre person / thing.
Наломать дров	To break up some firewood	To commit follies; to make a mess of things.
Душа ушла в пятки	One's soul has gone into one's heels	Someone is greatly alarmed by what is happening or anticipated to happen; terribly frightened.
Жить как кошка с собакой	To live like a cat and a dog	To be constantly snapping, bickering and quarrelling.
Ехать зайцем	To ride as a hare	To travel without paying for a ticket.
Зарубить на носу	To make a notch on one's nose	To remember something firmly, forever.
Заморить червячка	To underfeed the little worm	To have a little to eat / to have a snack.
Идти по стопам	To walk in someone's footsteps	To follow someone's example; to be someone's disciple.
Зондировать почву	To probe the ground	To try cautiously to discover someone's inclinations, to test the views of others, to sound out one's chances of success beforehand.
Как гора с плеч свалилась	As if a mountain had fallen off one's shoulders	Someone is relieved of anxiety, doubt, cares.
Искать иголку в стоге сена	To look for a needle in a bundle of hay	To look for something or someone virtually impossible to find.
Как об стенку горох	Like throwing peas against the wall	To say something to which not the slightest attention is paid (often uttered in irritation).
Курам на смех	For the hens to laugh at	It's funny, ridiculous, absurd, silly.
Кот наплакал	Something the cat cried out	Very little; practically nothing; nothing to speak of.
Много воды утекло	Much water has flowed away	That was long ago; much has happened since; much has changed since.
Лезть в бутылку	To climb into the bottle	To be carried away by excitement, to lose self-control, to become suddenly or violently angry (usually without reason, over a mere trifle).
Он /она и мухи не обидит	He / she wouldn't hurt a fly	He/she is meek, timid, gentle, kind.
Не ударить в грязь лицом	Not to strike the mud with one's face	To maintain one's dignity; to acquit oneself well; not to disgrace oneself; to try to appear at one's best.
Одна нога здесь, другая там	One foot's here, the other's there	To go and fetch, to run and fetch; to do something very quickly, with lightning speed.
Ахиллесова пята	The Achilles' Heel	The most vulnerable place in someone.
Белая ворона	White crow	The person, who sharply separates by anything among his surrounding people.
Бежать сломя голову	To run breacking the head	Very rapid, swiftly to run / rush
Белая зависть	White envy	Envy without a feeling of vexation, irritation by possibilities or by the successes of other.
Быть не из робкого десятка	To be not of the timid dozen	Not one to scare easily; not easily frightened, not a coward.
В ногах правды нет	There is no truth in the feet	The witty invitation to squat, to be sat down.