Idiómák

A
about to do something – éppen készült vmit csinálni – on the point of doing something She was about to leave when the phone rang.
about time – lassan ideje, hogy – something that should have happened earlier It is about time that you returned that book to me.
absent-minded – szórakozott – forgetful My grandfather is very absent-minded and often forgets his key.
(not) add up – nem álltak össze (pl. tények történetté) – seem consistent or reasonable The things that he said about his boss dont really add up. after all - végül is - in spite of everything You mustn't be angry with him. After all, he's your best friend. ahead of time - korábban a tervezettnél - early We started the meeting ahead of time so we could go home early. ahead of one's time - megelõzi a korát - know more than the people of that age Edison was ahead of his time. air ones dirty laundry (linen) in public – kiteregeti a szennyest – make public something embarrassing that should be kept secret The dinner party became uncomfortable when the host began to air his colleagues dirty laundry in public.
all along – egész végig – all the time I knew all along that he would not get the promotion.
all at once – hirtelen – suddenly, without warning All at once the fire alarm rang so we had to leave the building.
all but – majdnemhogy; csak éppen nem nearly almost He was really rude and aggressive; h eall but asked me to leave.
All day and every day – éjt nappallá téve;egész nap -continuously; without a break He’s been working all day every day to be done with that project on time.
all day long – egész nap – the whole day She has been sitting and waiting for the mail to arrive all day long.
all ears – csupa fül – eager to listen to someone Okay, Im all ears, please tell me about the party. (be) all Greek to sb - kínaiul van neki -can't understand sth He kept talking about interest rates and savings, but it was all Greek to me. all in all - összességében - in summary, after considering everything We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful. all of a sudden - hirtelen - suddenly, without advance warning All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain. (be someone) all over - ez õ; teljesen jellemzõ rá -typical of someone He didn't come on time and didn't even call he'd be late. Now that's Ann all over! all over the place - mindenhol; szétszórva mindenfelé -everywhere There were books all over the place all right - rendben - okay, satisfactory She said that it would be all right for me to bring my friend to the party. (be) all the same to sb - teljesen mindegy vkinek -it doesn't matter to sb 'Shall I come on Tuesday or on Friday?' 'Well, it's all the same to me. Come whenever you can.' all the time - folyamatosan; egész végig - continually She asks for money all the time but I dont like to give it to her.
all thumbs – kétbalkezes, ügyetlen – have difficulty fixing things or working with ones hands, clumsy He is all thumbs when it comes to fixing things around the house. apple of ones eye – kedvenc (emberre!); vkinek a szíve csücske – ones favorite His youngest daughter is the apple of his eye. as a rule - általában - usually, as a habit As a rule I usually get up at 7:00 AM every morning. as far as - már amennyire - to the extent or degree that As far as I know he will be here in a few minutes. as long as - feltéve, hogy - provided that, on condition that As long as you promise to be careful you can borrow my car. as the crow flies - nyílegyenesen - by the most direct way, along a straight line between two places As the crow flies it is about 6 kilometers between my house and my company. as usual - mint általában - most of the time, as is the custom As usual, she forgot to bring her book to class. as well as - valamint - in addition to Please bring your swimming suit as well as your towell. as yet - mindeddig - until now, up to the present As yet, she has not told me about her plans to leave the company. ask for trouble - kihívja a sorsot maga ellen - behave in a way that trouble is likely He is asking for trouble if he misses another class. at cross purposes - más az érdekük - have opposite ways to do something, opposing goals They are at cross purposes and are always arguing about what to do. at fault - hibás - be responsible or to blame for something The truck driver was at fault in the terrible accident. at first - elõször - at the beginning At first she didnt want to go to a movie but later she changed her mind.
at first blush – elsõ ránézésre – when first seen, without careful study At first blush he seemed like a good worker but later we had many problems with him.
at heart – a szíve mélyén – basically, fundamentally She is a very nice person at heart although many people dislike her.
at home – otthon – in ones house Im sorry but I left my money at home. Can you lend me some money?
at last – végre – finally, after a long time I was waiting all morning for her call but at last it came.
at loggerheads – veszekedni – having a quarrel, opposing each other We have been at loggerheads over their plans to build a new office complex.
at odds – nem értenek egyet – in disagreement He has been at odds with his boss over the new sales territory.
attend to someone – ellátni vkit – take care or deal with someone The doctor attended to the other patient before he got to my mother. B
back on ones feet - újra egészséges - return to good financial or physical health He is finally back on his feet after his company went out of business. back out - kihátrál (ígéret, egyeszség elõl) - withdraw from an agreement or promise The company backed out of the deal with the foreign firm. back to the drawing board - elölrõl kezdeni az egészet - go back to start a project or idea from the beginning The boss doesnt like our idea so I guess we must go back to the drawing board.
bail someone or something out – kihúzni a gondból – help or rescue The government has decided to bail out the troubled bank.
bank on – számíthat vkire – be sure of, count on You can bank on them to come and help the company.
(one’s) bark is worse than ones bite - csak ugat, de nem harap - someone isnt as bad as they sound Dont worry if he gets angry - his bark is worse than his bite. bark up the wrong tree - rossz helyen kereskedsz - make a wrong assumption about something The police are barking up the wrong tree in their investigation of that person. beat around the bush - kertel - speak indirectly or evasively Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision. beat someone to the punch (draw) - megelõz vkit - do something before others He beat me to the punch and arrived at the interview first. (have a) bee in ones bonnet – be van sózva – have an idea that continually occupies ones thoughts. He has a bee in his bonnet over whether or not to build a new house or not. (do something) behind someones back – vki háta mögött csinálni vmit – without someones knowledge He is very angry because they borrowed the car behind his back. behind the times - régimódi - old fashioned My aunt is a little behind the times. be to blame - nem az õ hibája - be responsible for something bad or unfortunate Hes not to blame for breaking the computer.
bend over backwards to do something – megfeszül, hogy vmit megcsináljon – try very hard If I can, I will bend over backwards to help you get a promotion in the company.
beside ones self - magán kívül volt (pl. a boldogságtól) - very upset or excited about something He was beside himself with joy at winning the contest. beside the point - mellékes - not relevant to the subject that you are considering or discussing "What you are saying is beside the point. We are not talking about salary now." bet on the wrong horse - rossz lóra tett - misjudge a coming event, misread the future I think that he bet on the wrong horse by putting all of his money into that new stock. better off (+ing) - jobban jár - be in a better situation than before He would be better off selling his old car and bought a new one. beyond the pale - több a soknál - outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour What they are doing is totally unacceptable and beyond the pale. bide ones time – türelmesen vár – patiently wait for an opportunity to occur. He is biding his time as he waits to become president of the company.
big shot – nagy fejes – an important and powerful person He is a big shot in the oil and gas industry.
birthday suit – meztelen – completely naked, no clothes on The little boy was running down the street in his birthday suit.
bite off more than one can chew – sokat akar a szarka … – try to do more than one is able to do I think I bit off more than I can chew by taking on the new assignment.
bite the bullet – állja a sarat – endure in a difficult situation, face a difficult situation bravely I have decided to bite the bullet and begin studying for my Masters degree. bite the dust - kipurcan - be killed, break down, be defeated I think that my car has finally bitten the dust. bite the hand that feeds you - az ellen fordul, aki segíti - turn against a friend or supporter, repay kindness with wrong He is biting the hand that feeds him if he continues to criticize and fight against his boss. blind leading the blind - vak vezet világtalant - someone who doesnt understand something trying to explain it to others It is like the blind leading the blind watching him try and explain how to operate the new computer.
blow it (something) – elszúr vmit – fail at something I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the final math exam last week.
blow ones own trumpet - dicsekszik - praise oneself He is always blowing his own horn and is very annoying at times. blow over - elcsitul (probléma) - die down or calm down The problem with the lost invoices has finally blown over and everyone is working hard again. (do sth till you are) blue in the face - csinálhatsz valamit, amíg bele nem kékülsz - very angry or upset, excited and very emotional I argued with him till I became blue in the face but I couldnt change his mind.
bone of contention – (ür)ügy, nézeteltérés kirobantója – a reason for quarrels, the subject of a fight The family cottage was a major bone of contention when their father died.
boot out – kitilt – make someone go or leave, get rid of someone, dismiss He was booted out of high school for smoking on the school grounds.
born with a silver spoon in ones mouth - nagyon gazdagon születik - born rich, provided from birth with everything you need He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life. brand new - vadonatúj - absolutely new He was finally able to buy a brand-new car. break down - lerobban (pl. autó) - stop working because of mechanical failure The car broke down on the lonely road so nobody knew about it. break fresh ground - új megközelítést alkalmaz - deal with something in a new way The researchers were able to break fresh ground in their search for a cancer cure. break the bank - bankot robbant; sok pénzt nyer - win all the money at a casino gambling table He didnt really break the bank but he did win a lot of money.
break the ice – megtöri a jeget (pl. bulin, egy kapcsolatban) – relax and start a conversation in a formal situation Nobody was enjoying the party until the host finally was able to break the ice.
break the news – elmondja a hírt – tell some information first He is planning to break the news to her about his transfer tomorrow.
break up (with someone) – szakít vkivel – stop a relationship She broke up with her boyfriend last June.
bring home the bacon – keresi a kenyeret (ti. pénzt) – work and earn money for your family He is out bringing home the bacon and is very busy.
bring home the importance of something to someone – érzékelteti/megérteti vminek a fontosságát vkivel – make someone fully realize something He was unable to bring home the importance of arriving early for the meeting.
bring some new facts to light – új tényeket fedez fel – discover some new facts, make some new facts known The lawyers were able to bring some new facts to light in the trial of the killer.
bring someone into line – meggyõz vkit – persuade someone to agree with you He was finally able to bring the other members of the committee into line.
bring something on – kivált vmit – cause to develop rapidly I dont know what brought on his anger but you should avoid him until he calms down. bring the house down - összedõlt a ház a nevetéstõl / megnevetteti a közönséget - cause much laughter in the audience The comedian brought the house down with his jokes about the lost dog. bring to mind - emlékeztet vkit vmire - recall something Her perfect acting brought to mind some of the great actresses of the past. bring up - felhoz témát - introduce a subject into a discussion They brought up the subject at the meeting but nobody wanted to talk about it. bring up - felnevel gyermeket - raise or care for a child My grandmother brought up ten children. bring up the rear - sereghajtó - be at the end of the line or in the last position The runner from the other school was bringing up the rear in the school relay race. broke - le van égve (anyagilag) - have no money I spent all of my money on my holiday and I am now broke. brush up on something - felfrissít (tudást) - review something one has already learned Im going to brush up on my English before my trip to New York.
brush with the law – összetûzésbe került a törvénnyel – a brief encounter or experience with the police because of a crime He had a brush with the law when he was young but now he is totally honest.
bull in a china shop – elefánt a porcelánboltban; esetlen, suta vmilyen helyzetben – someone who is clumsy and upsets other people or plans He was like a bull in a china shop when I saw him at the meeting last week. bundle up - jó melegen felöltözni - put on warm clothes, dress warmly We bundled up and went for a walk in the park. burn a hole in ones pocket – költekezhetnékje van, égeti a kezét a pénz – money that you want to spend quickly I just got paid today and this money is burning a hole in my pocket.
burn down – leég (teljesen) – burn completely (usually used for buildings) The neighbors house burnt down completely during the night. burn ones bridges behind one – felégeti maga mögött az összes hidat – do something that makes going back impossible He burned his bridges behind him and is unable to work in the same industry again.
burn the candle at both ends – két végén égeti a gyertyát/ intenzíven él – work or play too hard without enough rest He has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and his studies. That is why he became sick.
burn the midnight oil – késõ éjszakáig tanul – study until very late at night We burned the midnight oil for three nights in a row in order to study for the exam.
bury/hide ones head in the sand - homokba dugja a fejét; nem vesz tudomást a problémákról - refuse to see or face something, keep from seeing or knowing something unpleasant He always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with his family problems at all. bury the hatchet - elássa a csatabárdot, kibékül - stop quarreling and become friendly with someone He decided to bury the hatchet with his brother and they are now on friendly terms again. butter someone up - nyalizik, hízeleg vkinek - flatter someone He is trying to butter up his boss so that he can leave early on Friday. by and large - többé-kevésbé, nagyjából - on the whole, considering everything By and large we had a good meeting even though it was a little short. by and by - most már nemsokára, lassacskán - before long By and by they will come and we can go out for dinner. by far - messze (pl. messze a legjobb) - greatly, by a great margin He is by far the smartest person in the company. by hook or by crook - vagy így - vagy úgy; mindenféleképpen - in any way necessary She says that she will go to Italy this year by hook or by crook. by the way - mellesleg - incidentally By the way, could you please bring your computer tomorrow. by the skin of ones teeth – éppen hogy (pl. eléri e buszt) – by a very small margin, barely I made the application date for the job by the skin of my teeth.
by the sweat of ones brow - kemény munkával, a saját verítékével - by hard work He managed to make enough money to buy the farm by the sweat of his brow. C call a spade a spade - a nevén nevezni vmit - speak bluntly He was calling a spade a spade when he began to criticize his employee for being lazy. call it quits - mára ennyi; abbahagy vmit - stop, finish He called it quits and went home for the day. call of nature - pisilni kell (hív a természet) - the need to go to the toilet He is answering the call of nature and cant talk to you for a few minutes.
call off – lemondani vmit – cancel The game was called off because of the rain.
call on – meglátogatni vkit – visit someone I plan to call on my brother when I am on my holidays.
call on – felszólít (pl. iskolában) – ask someone to participate or contribute something The teacher called on me three times to answer questions in the class.
call someones bluff - lebuktatni vkit, aki szerintünk blöfföl - challenge someone to prove what they say is true I decided to call his bluff and asked him to show me the evidence. call the shots - õ a fõnök; õ parancsol - be in charge, give orders He is now calling the shots and is in control of the company. call up - felhív vkit telefonon - telephone He said that he would call up his parents tomorrow night. calm down - lenyugszik - relax She finally calmed down after the accident. cancel out - semlegesíti vmi másnak a hatását - destroy the effect of something The benefits of her exercise were cancelled out by her always overeating. can of worms - nehéz, bonyolult ügy - a complicated situation or problem The lawsuit opened up a can of worms for the company. cant see the forest for the trees – nem látja a fától az erdõt – unable to judge or understand the whole picture because you are looking at the small parts of it He has no real understanding of most problems as he always fails to see the forest for the trees.
(have a) card up ones sleeve - nem játszotta még ki az aduját; van még ütõkártyája (átvitt értelemben) - a plan or argument kept back to be produced if needed I think that he has a card up his sleeve and will be able to help us later. (in) care of someone - vki címén (tipikusan borítékon pl. Joe Smith c/o Jeff Jones = Joe Smith-nek Jeff Jones címén) - send something to one person at the address of another person I sent the parcel to her in care of her friend at the university. carrot and stick - jutalmazás és büntetés alkalmazása - the promise of reward and threat of punishment at the same time The trade negotiators took a carrot and stick approach to the automobile talks. (get) carried away - magával ragadja a hév - lose control or judgement due to strong feelings I got a carrried away and began to yell at her for losing my textbook. carry on - tovább csinál vmit; folytatja - continue, keep doing as before We were permitted to carry on with the party after we had talked to the landlord. carry (something) out - kivitelez vmit; véghez visz - put into action, accomplish The move to the new headquarters was carried out with a minimum of problems. carry the day - sikeres - win or be successful His fine performance in our company carried the day for us. carry the torch - õ a hûség szobra - show loyalty to a cause or a person He has been carrying the torch for the candidate for a long time. carry through - kivitelez tervet - put a plan into action The company carried through with their plan to layoff 300 workers. (a) case in point - példa, ami illusztrál - an example that proves something or helps to make something clear What he just said was a case in point about what I have been saying all year. cash cow - aranytojást tojó tyúk - a good source of money His new business is a great cash cow. I think that he is really making a lot of money. cash in - készpénzzé tesz vmit; bevált vmit pénzre - exchange something for money We decided to cash in the coupons because we needed some money. cash in on - véletlen haszonra tesz szert - see and profit by a chance The small town cashed in on their success with the winter Olympics. cast pearls before swine - gyöngyöt szór a disznók elé - waste something valuable on someone who doesnt appreciate it Giving her the gold earrings was casting pearls before swine.
cast the first stone – az elsõ követ veti vkire – be the first to blame someone He was the one to cast the first stone and now he is having a major fight with his neighbor.
castles in the air – légvárakat épít – daydreams She is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic.
cat gets ones tongue - elvitte a cica a nyelvét - cant talk I think that the cat has got her tongue. She hasnt said anything at all since the meeting started. catch-22 - 22-es csapdája (megoldhatatlan helyzet) - a situation where whatever you do the outcome will be bad, a no-win situation It was a catch-22 situation where if I went to work there would be problems but if I didnt go to work ther would be more problems.
catch a cold – megfázik – become sick with a cold I caught a cold because of the rain and the cold weather.
catch on – felzárkózik, megért vmit – understand, learn about It was difficult to catch on at first but finally I was able to understand the math problem.
catch on – népszerûvé válik – become popular Recently ballroom dancing has begun to catch on among many people.
catch ones breath - kapkodja a levegõt ( pl. fárasztó futás után) - stop to rest and regain ones normal breathing After running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.
catch ones eye - magára vonni vkinek a figyelmét - attract ones attention I tried to catch her eye but she didn`t notice me.
catch (someone) red-handed – tetten ér vkit – find someone in the middle of doing something wrong He caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy.
catch up with (someone or something) – utolér, felzárkózik vkihez/vmihez – become even with someone (in a race or in schoolwork etc.)