All fingers and thumbs translation of the idiom. Start in science. Reinforcement task

Hook hands

2 all fingers and thumbs

Awkward, clumsy. A distorted version of all my fingers are thumbs (“all my fingers are big” - “I have hook hands”), i.e. a person cannot coordinate his movements due to severe excitement or stress.

When the time came to open the Christmas presents Peter couldn't unwrap his fast enough. He was all fingers and thumbs. - When the time came to open the Christmas presents, Peter couldn't open his quickly. He was very clumsy.

3 all fingers and thumbs

4 all fingers and all thumbs

all fingers and thumbs/all thumbs inf hook hands

When it comes to knitting, Mary is all thumbs. I"m sorry I spilled your coffee.

I"m all fingers and thumbs this morning because I"ve got a job interview after lunch.

See also in other dictionaries:

all fingers and thumbs- If you re all fingers and thumbs, you are too excited or clumsy to do something properly that requires manual dexterity. All thumbs is an alternative form of the idiom … The small dictionary of idiomes

all fingers and thumbs- informal: very clumsy Sorry I dropped the vase; I m all fingers and thumbs today. Main Entry: finger … Useful english dictionary

all fingers and thumbs- If you re all fingers and thumbs, you are too excited or clumsy to do something properly that requires manual dexterity. All thumbs is an alternative form of the idiom. (Dorking School Dictionary) *** If you have all fingers and… …

all fingers and thumbs- adjective clumsy or awkward He tried to tie his shoelace but was all fingers and thumbs due to his nervousness. Syn: all thumbs...Wiktionary

all thumbs / all fingers and thumbs- If you are all fingers and thumbs, you are awkward and clumsy and do things incorrectly. Would you mind wrapping this for me? I m all fingers and thumbs! ... English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

be all fingers and thumbs- be all fingers and thumbs, have one s fingers all thumbs, etc see under thumb Main Entry: finger * * * be all fingers and thumbs phrase to be unable to do a small difficult job because you cannot control your fingers well enough Thesaurus … Useful english dictionary

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Target: get acquainted with the history of the origin of English idioms and use them in oral speech.

Tasks:

1. Develop the ability to work with different sources of information.

2. Develop an interest in the history of the English language.

3. Expand your vocabulary and horizons.

Object of study: English idioms

Subject of study: features of English idioms.

Research program

To solve the problems, the following methods were used:

Theoretical analysis of literature;

Sociological survey of students;

Comparative and contrastive analysis.

Work plan:

Learn literal translations of idioms.

Learn the meaning of idioms.

Conduct a comparative analysis of information on the research topic.

Conduct a survey among students in grades 8, 9 and 10 to determine knowledge of the meaning of idioms and their literal translation.

Introduction.

Idioms or phraseological units are stable figures of speech, indecomposable combinations of words, usually understood in a figurative meaning. The meaning of the entire expression is not determined by the meaning of the words included in it. Often the meaning of an idiom is difficult to guess and understand from the words it contains if you are not familiar with it. Good knowledge of a language is impossible without knowledge of its phraseology. Knowledge of phraseology greatly facilitates reading both journalistic and fiction literature. With the help of phraseological expressions that are not translated literally, but are perceived re-interpreted, the aesthetic aspect of the language is enhanced. The world of phraseology of modern English is large and diverse, and every aspect of its study certainly deserves due attention.

Idioms are an integral part of any language. They reflect the history of the country, the history of the development of the language, various cultural phenomena and the speaker’s attitude towards them. English is no exception. There are dictionaries that contain idioms. There are thousands of idioms in the English language, but it is impossible to give an exact number, just as it is impossible to say the exact number of words in a language. For example, the Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms (M. McCarthy, 1998) has 5,782 dictionary entries, but in reality this number does not say much. English idioms, like words, are living units of speech, and their number is constantly changing. Some idioms live for centuries, while others fall out of use very quickly.

Knowing English idioms is really useful and interesting,

Many idioms have a stylistic connotation, are used in informal speech, and are characteristic of certain social or age groups.

You should use idioms in speech carefully only if you know exactly what they mean and in what situations they can be used. Especially if the conversation is business or official.

In films, TV shows, and books, idioms sometimes appear, but usually the meaning is guessed from the context. For example, without context it is impossible to understand the meaning of the expression: “Put your John Hancock here.” Who is John Hancock? (According to legend, D. Hancock signed such a sweeping signature that King George III could read it without glasses.) It is clear that John Hancock is a signature; the expression “John Hancock” has become an informal synonym for the word “signature”.

Sometimes, especially in text, the idiom is completely impossible to understand. If you read a phrase in which all the words individually are understandable, but together they form some strange nonsense like “pot calling the kettle black” (who would say, whose cow would moo), you are definitely looking at an idiom .

If you need to translate an idiom from English into Russian or vice versa, you need to take into account an important point: idioms are extremely rarely translated verbatim; usually you need to select an equivalent expression from another language, or translate descriptively, taking into account the context.

The concept of an idiom, its formation

It is difficult to imagine a speech in which popular expressions and phraseological units would not sound. This is the richness of any language, its decoration. An entire branch of linguistics - phraseology - is devoted to the study of set expressions. Philologists define three types of phrases in a huge number of bright and unique phrases: phraseological combinations, unities and fusions. The latter is an idiom. Idioms are present in many languages, including English. What is fusion? This is a phraseological unit that is not semantically divided, that is, its meaning is not at all derived from the meaning of its constituent words. Many of the components of the idiom are already outdated form or meaning, now completely incomprehensible.

The word "idiom" comes from the Greek "idίōma", which means "peculiarity, originality".

A significant part of the English vocabulary is represented by English idioms. With translation, as well as from Russian to other foreign languages, difficulties arise here too. An example of a classic stable expression is the English phrase It’s raining cats and dogs, which literally translates as “rain of cats and dogs.” This is an analogue of the Russian idiom “it’s pouring like buckets.”

As in the Russian language, in English phraseological adjunctions are used in different speech styles and in different literary genres.

Some of their phraseological combinations are used quite often, others less frequently, but each of them is a grain of the national language and national history. Having found out what an idiom is, we can conclude: this is the wisdom of a particular people, collected throughout its history and preserved to this day. The presence of figurative stable phrases gives any language depth and special coloring.

Meaning of English Idioms

The work examines English idioms, which include body parts, animals, palette colors, flowers and funny idiomatic expressions associated with school and study, and examined their meaning in Russian.

1. Idioms about body parts.

The names of body parts are mentioned by the British in conversation not only when discussing well-being or someone's appearance, but also to designate some abstract, non-physical states - mood, character traits, relationships between people.

Give / get the cold shoulder. Literal translation: cold shoulder. In order to understand the origin of this idiom, we will have to understand a little about the intricacies of cooking. In English, the word shoulder, in addition to its usual meaning - “shoulder”, also has another translation - “the shoulder part of the meat carcass”. In England, it was customary for welcome guests to be served a hot, freshly prepared meal. How then did you greet uninvited guests? The British, apparently, could not afford to leave them completely hungry, so they served them cold mutton shoulder. Meaning: cold, indifferent. For example: I really needed his advice, but he has given me the cold shoulder. Translation: I really needed his advice, but he showed complete indifference to me.

To live from hand to mouth. Literal translation: live from hand to mouth. Meaning: barely making ends meet; live from hand to mouth. In economically unstable times, people often did not know when the next time they would get a nutritious meal. That is why, literally, everything edible that fell into the hands immediately went into the mouth - from hand to mouth. As we can see, the negative connotation of this expression has survived to this day. For example: They lived from hand to mouth, never knowing when the next meal was coming. Translation: They lived from hand to mouth, not knowing when the next time they would be able to eat.

Let your hair down. Literal translation: let your hair fall. Meaning: relax, behave at ease. Back in the 17th century, women wore a variety of hairstyles, collecting and pinning their hair. In the evening, in a relaxed atmosphere, the usual procedure was to let down and comb hair. Now the expression let your hair down has come to be used with a slightly different meaning. For example: I had an extremely hard day at work and need to let my hair down now. Translation: I had a really hard day at work and now I need to relax.

To badmouth/ badmouth. Literal translation: bad mouth. Meaning: to insult, humiliate. In American slang it means “to insult or humiliate someone; to besiege someone or to denigrate, to defame someone or something” The English equivalent is to rubbish. This expression is borrowed from African slang and means a spell, a curse. For example: He was her bitter enemy and never missed a chance to bad - mouth her. He was her worst enemy and never missed an opportunity to do something nasty and humiliate her.

All fingers and thumbs. Literal translation: all my fingers are big. Meaning: awkward clumsy (in Russian - hands like hooks). A person cannot coordinate his movements due to severe stress. For example: When the time came to open the Christmas presents Peter couldn’t unwrap his fast enough. He was all his fingers and thumbs. Translation: When it came time to open his Christmas presents, Peter couldn't open his quickly. He was clumsy.

Apple of someone's eye. Literal translation: pupil. Meaning: something valuable, expensive. The pupil or “apple of the eye.” The favorite student at school was called the apple. Later, the word became part of the expression apple of someone’s eye - a pupil, the loss of which meant going blind. This expression is often used when something valuable or dear is lost. For example: Maxim was the apple of his mother’s eye. Translation: Mom doted on Maxim.

To cross one's fingers. Literal translation: cross your fingers. Meaning: “to root” to worry about someone (in Russian “Keep your fists”). This expression means crossing the middle finger with the index finger. A person, crossing his fingers, forms with them the semblance of a cross, which wards off evil. We often keep our fingers crossed before an exam or an important event. For example: Good luck tomorrow! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. - Good luck to you tomorrow! I'll cross my fingers for luck.

1. Idioms about animals

Many original English idioms are associated with animals. A literal translation of these expressions will only confuse us, so it is necessary to memorize entire expressions.

It's raining cats and dogs. Literal translation: rain of cats and dogs. Meaning: pour like a bucket. There is much speculation regarding the origin of this idiom. Back in the 1500s, when modern architecture was still very far away, the roofs of houses were covered with a thick layer of thatch, which made them a particularly attractive place for cats, dogs and other small animals. During heavy rains, animals sometimes slipped and fell, and the British began to associate heavy rain with falling cats and dogs, hence the expression it’s raining cats and dogs. For example: I will stay at home! The weather is terrible! Just look, it’s raining cats and dogs. Translation: I'm staying home! The weather is disgusting! Look, it’s pouring like buckets.

A cock-and-bull story. Literal translation: the story of the chicken and the bull. Meaning: improbable story. When you hear “a cock-and-bull story,” it doesn’t mean that it was written by a chicken and a bull. This expression suggests that a story is too implausible. For example: It is a cock-and-bull story, I don’t believe a single word. Translation: All this is for the chickens’ laughs, I don’t believe a single word.

A dead duck. Literal translation: dead duck. Meaning: in vain. If your interlocutor calls some activity “dead duck”, it does not mean at all that it is connected with a tragic event. This expression is translated into Russian as “a dead business.” For example: Don’t even waste your time; it's a dead duck. Translation: Don't even waste your time, this is a dead business.

Rabbit's foot. Literal translation: hare's foot. Meaning: Talisman for good luck. Don’t be alarmed if someone promised to give you a “rabbit’s foot” for your birthday. This means that your friend only wants to choose a good luck charm for you. For example: Do you possess something that is a rabbit’s foot for you? Translation: Do you have anything that is a talisman for you?

Monkey's business. Literal translation: monkey business. Meaning: stupid trick, eccentricity. Don't look for the definition of “monkey business” in an economic dictionary. This is what they call some kind of eccentricity, a stupid trick. For example: Stop doing monkey business and start your homework! Translation: Stop fooling around and start your homework!

To fox. Literal translation: fox. Meaning: to deceive, deceive, deceive, mislead. For example: If we go round the back, that’ll fox them. Translation: If we walk through the front door, it will throw them off.

1. Palette color idioms

Interesting idioms that include the name of a color. The symbolism of flowers in many languages, especially European ones, is similar, and this partially facilitates their understanding

White - white.

White coffee, white tea. Literal translation: white coffee, white tea. In fact, it means tea, coffee with milk. For example: I prefer to drink white coffee in the morning. Translation: I prefer to drink coffee with milk in the morning.

A white lie. Literal translation: white lie. Meaning: white lie. For example: I know it was white lie. Translation: I know it was a white lie.

Purple - violet.

To be born in purple. Meaning: The color purple is considered a royal color, so this expression means to be born into a noble family, i.e. have a noble origin. For example: The princess was born in purple. Translation: The princess was born into a noble family.

Black - black.

What is black look? Imagine the situation in which you would give someone the “black stare.” In Russian we will say a dark, threatening look. Literal translation: black gaze. Meaning: dark, threatening look. For example: She has black look. Translation: She has a dark look.

Who is a black sheep? We say black sheep, meaning bad person. Literal translation: black sheep. Meaning: bad person. For example: I feel myself a black sheep. Translation:

I feel like a bad person. To be in the black. The literal translation is to be in black. Meaning: to be in the black, to have no debts. For example: From the very beginning our company was in the black. Translation: From the very beginning, our company has been profitable. meant the opposite. To be in the red. The literal translation is to be in red. Meaning - to be in a difficult financial situation. For example: Being in the red I had to put off the purchase of a car. Translation: I had to put off buying a car due to financial problems. The origin of these two idioms is directly related to the use of red and black ink in drawing up a balance sheet. When calculating the debts and income of their clients, accountants highlighted the former in red, leaving the latter in black. Thus, the color red, and in particular the expression to be in the black, became associated with good financial standing or debt, while to be in the red meant the opposite.

Red - red.

One of the most common idioms is to see red. Literal translation: see red, what could this mean? Meaning: It is believed, although erroneously, that when a bull sees red, it becomes very angry and aggressive. People quickly adopted this “feature” of the bull’s behavior into language to describe the degree of anger of other people. For example: It really makes me see red when I see many trees are thoughtlessly cut down by people. Translation: It makes me really angry if I see trees cut down by people.

And red letter day. Literal translation: red day. The meaning of red for Europeans is twofold - it is both danger, threat and at the same time a holiday. The red day of the calendar is not only a reality of the Soviet era. Meaning: red day of the calendar, holiday. For example: It"s a red letter day tomorrow in the company. It"s our fiftieth birthday! Translation: Tomorrow is a red calendar day in our company. Our fiftieth birthday!

Blue - blue.

To feel blue, to look blue. Literal translation: feel blue, see blue. Meaning: to be sad, sorrowful. For example, when a person says: "I am feeling blue" he simply means that he is sad. Also, when they say about a person: “He is as blue as the devil,” they mean that he is very gloomy, gloomy. The name Blues in music means a sad, sorrowful melody.

The expression True blue has historically been used to describe a loyal, dedicated member of the Conservative Party in the UK. Gradually, limited usage entered everyday language. Now it is used to characterize any person, meaning his dedication to his work. This idiom means a real, dedicated person. Literal translation: Blue loyalty. Meaning: A genuine, dedicated person. For example: He is a true blue teacher. Translation: He is a dedicated teacher.

A blue-eyed boy. Literal translation: Blue-eyed boy. Meaning: Pet. For example, this is what they say in relation to someone's favorite. He's the director's blue-eyed boy! Translation: He's the director's favorite!

Brown - brown.

You can often find the idiom to be in a brown study. Literal translation: to be in the brown office. It means thinking deeply.

Currently, the idiom is practically not used in speech; young people do not recognize it. However, in literature, in the speech of people of the older generation, it still sounds. For example: After reading this book I was in a brown study.

Translation: After reading this book, I thought deeply.

Browned off. Literal translation: Toasted. Meaning: Feel bored, despondent. For example: Tom is browned off with his job.

Translation: Tom is bored with his job.

Green - green.

Judging by the number of idioms with this color, we can say that the British really love everything green.

To be green about the gills. Literally translated as follows: Turn green around the gills. Meaning: If you were told this, it means you have turned very pale. For example: Suddenly a student is green about the gills. Translation: Suddenly the disciple turned very pale.

To have green fingers. Literal translation: To have green fingers.

Meaning: It turns out that there are no golden hands in the English language, but there are green fingers? Usually this is said about a good gardener, about a person in whom everything grows in his garden. For example: Tatyana Petrovna has green fingers. Translation: Tatyana Petrovna is a good gardener.

Green as grass. Literal translation: Green as grass. This idiom is used when they want to indicate someone's inexperience. For example: Young driver was green as grass. Translation: The young driver was inexperienced. There are traffic lights in many countries around the world, so its colors evoke similar associations in many people.

Have got the green light. Literal translation: To have the color green. Meaning: To have permission. For example: Finally we have got the green light and our parents will buy us a dog. Translation: Finally, our parents allowed us to buy a dog.

Gray - grey.

A gray area. Literal translation: Gray area. Meaning: Something that is not easy to define and therefore difficult to deal with. For example: The law concerning e-mail is still a gray area in some countries. Translation: The law regarding emails has not yet been finalized in some countries.

1. Idioms about flowers or "flower" idioms

There is probably no person who does not love flowers. We rejoice when we receive bouquets as gifts; we often stop at shop windows, admiring armfuls of freshly cut flowers. They are associated with a feeling of celebration, joy, and flourishing life. English idioms also “speak” of a similar attitude towards flowers.

And bed of roses. Literal translation: bed of roses. Meaning: happy, carefree life. When you find out that someone you know sleeps at home on a similar bed, do not take this as a special folly. This is what they say about a happy and carefree life, devoid of any problems.

For example: My childhood had been a real bed of roses before I became a teenager and started to live my own life. Translation: My childhood was a happy, carefree period until I became a teenager and began to live my own life.

Аs welcome as flowers in the may. Literal translation: as desirable as flowers in May. Meaning: the arrival of something long-awaited, bringing joy. After a long winter, the long-awaited spring comes. In May, when it becomes very warm, nature presents people with its main gift - a variety of blooming flowers. Therefore, the expression as welcome as flowers in the may speaks of the arrival of something long-awaited and bringing joy. For example: Meeting with all my classmates was as flowers in the May since we haven’t seen each other for 10 years. I was very happy to meet my classmates, since we had not seen each other for 10 years.

To gild the lily. Literal translation: to gild the lily. Meaning: to decorate something that does not require decoration. No, this is not a foreign fashion for decorating bouquets and individual flowers. If someone decided to gild the lily, this means that he took on the task of decorating something that is already beautiful.

For example:Using make-up is like gilding the lily for her. She is very beautiful by nature. Translation: She has absolutely no need to wear makeup. She is beautiful by nature.

A shrinking violet. Literal translation: shrinking violet.

Meaning: to be embarrassed, to be shy. So far, botanists have not come up with flowers that can dramatically change their shape. This is what they say about people who are very easily embarrassed by something. For example: I become a real shrinking violet every time I see him. Translation: I feel terribly shy every time I see him.

Аs fresh as a daisy. Literal translation: fresh as a chamomile. Meaning: fresh, rested. If you feel and look truly refreshed after the weekend, don't be surprised if your English friends comment on this by comparing you to a flower. In Russian, the most common expression for this would be “fresh as a cucumber.” For example: I feel as fresh as a daisy after the short afternoon nap. Translation: I feel fresh as a cucumber after a short nap.

1. Idioms about school and learning

Like all the children in the world, English schoolchildren speak their own jargon, in which there is a place for stable expressions both about teachers and students, and about the classes themselves.

To count noses. Literal translation: count noses.

Meaning: count the number of students. Every English teacher begins his lesson with counting noses, which means that he counts the number of students. For example: It was hard for a teacher to count all the noses because all the kids were bustling and were not on their seats. Translation: It was difficult for the teacher to count the children because they were all fussing and out of place.

An eager beaver. Literal translation: active beaver. Meaning: to study diligently and willingly, in Russian “nerd” If your child comes home from school offended by the fact that his classmates call him an eager beaver, do not take this as an insult. After all, this means that your child studies very diligently and willingly. For example: I used to be a real eager beaver when I was at school, but now I"m not so interested in my studies.

Translation: I was a real nerd in school, but now I'm not so interested in studying.

Teacher's pet. The literal translation is the teacher's pet. The meaning is someone who is bad at learning. However, one must distinguish a diligent student from a teacher's pet, who does not always love to learn as much as the teacher seems to think.

For example: There were some teacher's pets in my class, who always got better marks than I did. There were several teacher's "pets" in the class who always got better marks than I did.

Cut class. Literal translation: cut a lesson. Meaning: to take time off from classes. Yet, in addition to diligent students and “favorites” of teachers, there are those in the class who do not want to study at all and cut classes every day. The closest meaning to this idiom comes from the Russian expression “to screw up” classes. For example: I"m going to cut my English class because I haven"t done my homework. Translation: I'm going to fail my English because I didn't do my homework.

Pass with flying colors. Literal translation: with flying coats of arms. Meaning: Pass a test with ease. Regardless of how someone attended classes and how diligently they studied, everyone wants to pass the exam with flying colors, which means easily passing the test and getting a good grade. For example: I passed all the exams with flying colors. Translation: I passed all the exams without difficulty. Many idioms have come to us from ancient times. And perhaps, since they retain their meaning for so long, it is worth thinking about the depth of the cultural heritage of mankind, the greatness of any language.

4. Research methodology

4.1 Research on students' understanding of English idioms

The meaning of set expressions is very difficult to grasp, despite the fact that the translations of all compound words are familiar. For this purpose, we conducted a small study.

To find out the understanding of the meaning of English idioms, as well as the frequency of their use in speech, we conducted a survey among students in grades 8, 9 and 10 of our school. The number of respondents was 79 people.

Number of survey participants by class

4.2 Survey results“English idioms and their meaning in Russian”

We presented students with a range of English idioms and asked them to write the meaning of the idioms in Russian and to indicate how often they use them in speaking and writing.

in English	Meaning idioms on Russian language	Student Actions
		Know the meaning of the idiom			They gave a literal translation			Didn't answer
		Number of people		Number of people			Number of people
	be sad
	Inexperienced
It's raining cats and dogs.	It's pouring out like a bucket
monkey's business	Stupid trick
	Having rested
	Carefree life
	Teacher's pet
	Skip classes
To live from hand to mouth	Make ends meet
To cross your fingers	Worry about someone

Survey results

Frequency of use of idioms

The results of the survey showed that the students were able to translate the proposed idioms into Russian, since they knew the words included in them. But almost no one knows the true meaning of these idioms.

Regarding the frequency of using idioms, unfortunately, students do not use them in their speech. It's easy to explain, they just don't know them.

Development of a memo

After studying the literature and the results of the survey, we began to develop a memo. We decided to include frequently used, but unfortunately unfamiliar to students, English set expressions. In the future, we plan to study idiomatic expressions on other topics.

Conclusion

You can talk endlessly about the origin of idioms, finding more and more interesting and funny stories. Our main goal was to show you that expressions that at first glance do not have any logic, miraculously acquire it if you look at them more carefully. This, perhaps, is one of the secrets of successfully learning any foreign language - asking yourself the question “why?” and try to find an answer to it. I hope that the stories that we have offered you will help you master and remember the idioms you like. After all, speaking at least one foreign language is a necessity in our time. Often, a speaker’s level of English proficiency is characterized by the use of English idioms in speech, since they have no analogues in their native language. On the one hand, idioms enhance the uniqueness and individuality of the language, but on the other hand, the use of idioms complicates understanding and translation from a foreign language. But still, knowledge and use of idioms in speech indicates a high level of proficiency in a foreign language, embellishes speech, and makes it figurative. The results of the research part of our work showed that students at our school do not use English idioms in their speech, they simply do not know them. We hope that thanks to the reminder we have developed, students will begin to actively use them, thanks to which their speech will become more vivid and closer to the original.

Literature

1. Russian-English dictionary of idiomatic expressions Nauka 2000.

2. Magazines “Foreign language at school” No. 4,5,6 2003. ; No. 2,6,7 2004; No. 2,3,4,6,7 2006

3. English-Russian short dictionary of idioms; Natalya Belinsky, 2003

4. Internet site http://www.fluent-english.ru

6. Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms, M. McCarthy, 1998

Application

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10. Use idioms in your speech

Idiom	Literal translation	Meaning	This is interesting
Give / get the cold shoulder	Cold Shoulder	Cold, indifferent attitude	In order to understand the origin of this idiom, we will have to understand a little about the intricacies of cooking. In English, the word shoulder In addition to the usual meaning for us - “shoulder”, it also has another translation - “the shoulder part of the meat carcass”. Now imagine that in England it was customary to serve welcome guests a hot, freshly prepared meal. How then did you greet uninvited guests? The British, apparently, could not afford to leave them completely hungry, so they served them a cold shoulder of lamb - cold mutton shoulder.
To live from hand to mouth	Live from hand to mouth	Barely making ends meet	During the Great Depression, and other economically unstable years, people often did not know when the next time they would get a nutritious meal. That is why, literally, everything edible that came into our hands immediately went into our mouths - from hand to mouth. As we can see, the negative connotation of this expression has survived to this day.
Let your hair down	Let your hair fall	Relax, act casual	I think that this idiom will be especially close to our readers, and here’s why. Back in the 17th century, women wore a variety of hairstyles, collecting and pinning their hair. In the evening, in a calm and relaxed atmosphere, the usual procedure was to let down and comb the hair. Now the expression let your hair down began to be used in a slightly different meaning.
Wear one's heart on one's sleeve	Wear your heart on your sleeve	Soul wide open	It is likely that this expression is reflected in the medieval tradition of knightly tournaments. It is believed that knights showed their devotion to their lady by tying a ribbon given by her on their sleeve. Thus, they literally "wore their hearts on their sleeves." Today we use this idiom when talking about a person who openly shows his emotions.
	Bad mouth	Insult, humiliate	In American slang it means “to insult or humiliate someone; to besiege someone or to denigrate, to defame someone or something” The English equivalent is to rubbish. This expression is borrowed from the slang of people from Africa and the Caribbean and means a spell, a curse.
All fingers and thumbs.	All my fingers are big	Awkward, clumsy	A person cannot coordinate his movements due to extreme excitement or stress.
Apple of someone's eye.		Something valuable, expensive	The pupil or “apple of the eye.” The favorite student at school was called the apple. Later, the word became part of the expression apple of someone’s eye - a pupil, the loss of which meant going blind. This expression is often used when something valuable or dear is lost.
It's raining cats and dogs.	Rain of cats and dogs	It's pouring out like a bucket	Back in the 1500s, when modern architecture was still very far away, the roofs of houses were covered with a thick layer of thatch, which made them a particularly attractive place for cats, dogs and other small animals (apparently due to the fact that this material retained heat better ). During heavy rains, animals sometimes slipped and fell, and the British began to associate heavy rain with falling cats and dogs, hence the expression.
Аock-and-bull story.	The story of the chicken and the bull	Improbable story	When you hear “a cock-and-bull story,” it doesn’t mean that it was written by a chicken and a bull. This expression suggests that some story is too implausible.
	Dead duck	It's a waste of time	If your interlocutor calls some activity “dead duck”, it does not mean at all that it is connected with a tragic event. This expression is translated into Russian as “a dead business.”
Rabbit's foot.	Hare's foot	Talisman for good luck	Don’t be alarmed if someone promised to give you a “rabbit’s foot” for your birthday. This means that your friend only wants to choose a good luck charm for you.
Monkey's business.	Martyshkin business	Stupid trick	Don't look for the definition of “monkey business” in an economic dictionary. This is what they call some kind of eccentricity, a stupid trick.
		To trick, to deceive
	Spoiled with stains	Low quality of something	A term used in the second-hand book trade since the 1840s to mean "stained with spots" (usually red-brown or brown-yellow, i.e. the color of fox fur). Nowadays this word denotes the low quality of something.
To show a white feather	White coffee White lies Show white feather	Coffee with milk White lie Show fear
To be born in purple	Be in purple	Born into a noble family
To be in the black	Black look Black sheep Be in black	Gloomy look Bad person Have no debts

In Russian, the word "finger" refers to both the thumb, the toe, and the finger on the hand.

There are different words used in English: finger, thumb and toe. These words mean finger, but each is used differently

Let's look at their use.

Finger

Pronunciation and translation:

Finger [ˈfɪŋɡə] / [finge] - finger on the hand

Meaning of the word:
Movable arm end

Use:
We use the word finger when we talk about fingers on the hand. For example: She had a ring on her ring finger.

However, in English this word is used only in relation to 4 fingers: little finger, ring finger, middle finger and index finger. The thumb has a separate name.

Example:

I cut my finger.
I cut my finger.

She pointed her finger at him.
She pointed her finger at him.

Thumb

Pronunciation and translation:

Thumb [θʌm] / [self] - thumb (on hand)

Meaning of the word:
Part of the hand that helps hold things

Use:
In a word thumb we call it the thumb on the hand. For example: He hit his thumb.

Example:

The glove has a hole in the thumb.
The thumb of the glove has a hole.

He accidentally hit him thumb with the hammer.
He accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer.

Toe

Pronunciation and translation:

Toe / [tyou] - toe

Meaning of the word:
Movable end of the foot

Use:
We use toe when we talk about toes. For example: She was so cold that her toes were numb and she could not move them.

Example:

She wriggled her toes.
She wiggled her toes.

Can you touch your toes?
Can you touch your toes?

What is the difference?

Word finger we use when we talk about fingers. For example: She pricked her finger with a needle while sewing on a button.

Word thumb denotes the thumb. For example: He showed his thumb as a sign of approval.

Word toe we use when talking about toes. For example: He hit his toe on the nightstand.

Reinforcement task

Now let's move on to practice. Fill in the correct words in the following sentences.

1. He stepped on my ___.
2. She pricked ___ when she sewed on the button.
3. She took off the ring from ___.
4. The child grabbed her big ___.
5. She bent down and easily reached ___.
6. She crossed ___ behind her back.