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между нами говоря

between you and me; between ourselves; between you, me and the gatepost

Between you and me, I think he made up the whole story.

Between ourselves, he is having trouble with his wife.

Between you, me and the gatepost, I don’t believe his words.

между Сциллой и Харибдой between Scylla and Charybdis

мелкая сошка

small fry

The boss is too snobbish to greet the small fry.

мерить взглядом (кого-л.)

to look someone up and down

She looked me up and down and I knew she thought I was improperly dressed for the party.

мертвого разбудит

loud enough to wake the dead

The noise was loud enough to wake the dead.

мертвый сезон

the off season

This town is very quiet in the off season.

место под солнцем

a place in the sun

John worked very hard to earn his place in the sun.

метать бисер перед свиньями

to cast pearls before swine

She tried to show the beauty of Latin poetry to her students but it was just casting pearls before swine.

минута в минуту

on the dot

She promised to come at nine o’clock on the dot.

молоко на губах не обсохло

to be still wet behind the ears

He has no experience of the job – he is still wet behind the ears.

молочные реки и кисельные берега

a land of milk and honey

Many people regard the United States as a land of milk and honey.

мороз по коже пробежал (у кого-л.)

a shiver down someone’s spine

Every time I hear that song, I feel a shiver down my spine.

мочиться против ветра

to piss against the wind

To argue with the director is like pissing against the wind.

мутить воду

to muddy the waters

I found different definitions in other dictionaries which only muddied the waters further.

мухи не обидит

wouldn’t hurt a fly

My dog barks a lot, but really he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

на верху блаженства

on top of the world

Daniel is on top of the world – he’s just got a new job.

на вес золота

worth one’s weight in gold

She is a good secretary. She is worth her weight in gold.

на всякий случай

to be on the safe side

We should come to the station at least an hour before the train leaves, just to be on the safe side.

на глазах (у кого-л.)

before someone’s (very) eyes

The boy stole the sweets before my very eyes.

на голову выше (кого-л.)

head and shoulders above someone

Mary thinks her husband stands head and shoulders above any other man.

на голом месте

from scratch

His house was destroyed by fire and he had to start building again from scratch.

на каждом шагу

at every turn

He encountered unexpected difficulties at every turn.

на коленях

on bended knees

He was willing to go to her on bended knees to ask forgiveness.

на месте (кого-л.)

in someone’s shoes

If I were in your shoes I wouldn’t trust him.

на ногах

on one’s feet

The doctor has been on his feet all day long in the operating room.

на ножах (с кем-л.)

at daggers drawn (with someone ); at loggerheads (with someone )

They’ve been at daggers drawn with their neighbours for years.

The government and the trade unions were often at loggerheads.

на носу

(a)round the corner; close/near at hand

Winter is just around the corner. Are you prepared?

The exams are close at hand.

на первый взгляд

at first sight; on the face of it

At first sight, the problem appeared quite simple, but it actually turned out to be very difficult.

On the face of it, her husband is clearly in the wrong, but do we know the whole story?

на плохом счету (у кого-л.)

in someone’s bad/black books

I don’t know what I’ve done to get into his bad books.

на своих двоих

on shanks’s pony

My car didn’t start and I had to go the whole way on shanks’s pony.

на свой страх и риск

at one’s own risk

But remember that the sea is dangerous. You swim at your own risk.

на седьмом небе

in seventh heaven; on cloud nine

The girl was in seventh heaven with her new toy.

Peter has been on cloud nine since his engagement to Mary.

на уме (у кого-л. что-л.)

to have something on one’s mind

I could see he had something on his mind.

на хорошем счету (у кого-л.)

in someone’s good books

Paul has been in the manager’s good books since he increased last year’s sales.

на худой конец

if the worst comes to the worst; as a last resort

If the worst comes to the worst, we could always sell the car.

If we can’t get the money in any other way, I suppose we could, as a last resort, borrow from your rich uncle.

на черный день

for a rainy day

I put aside a little money each month for a rainy day.

набивать карман

to line one’s pockets

The agent has been lining his pockets with the profits for the last three years.

набивать руку (в чем-л.)

to get the hang of something ; to get one’s hand in (at something )

The task seemed difficult at first, but after a few weeks I got the hang of it.

It won’t take you long to get your hand in at the game.

навострить уши

to prick up one’s ears

He pricked up his ears when they mentioned his name.