4. Descriptive translating of idiomatic and set expressions

The meaning of a great number of idioms and set expressions can be expressed by explication only, i.e. by descriptive translation, in the following ways:

1. by a single word,

e.g. out of the blue – зненацька,

poor fish – йолоп/нікчема,

to sell smoke – піддурювати/шахраювати,

to set at large – звільняти

2. by free combinations of words,

e.g. to sell someone short – недооцінювати когось,

the sixty-four dollar question – найважливіше питання,

to go West – пропасти/зникнути, зійти зі сцени

3. by a sentence or longer explanation,

e.g. white elephant – подарунок, якого важко позбутися,

yes man – людина, що з усім погоджується/підтакує,

to cut off with a shilling – позбавити/залишити без спадщини

Depending on the speech style of the text and taking into account the nature of the phraseologism (literary, colloquial, historical, etc.) some modifications of the above methods of

translation or even a new variant introduced by a translator may be applied. However, the aim of translation, i.e. achieving faithful rendering of the SL units remains the same.