Phraseology
used in the novel
to come down to brass tacks – перейти к делу, к фактам; вникать в подробности
to do smth before one can say knife – сделать что-либо мгновенно, моментально
a millstone round one’s neck – камнем на шее у кого-либо
to look like a piece of cheese – выглядеть непривлекательно
to know the ropes – хорошо ориентироваться (в чем-либо); знать все ходы и выходы
to be at a loose end – быть без определенной работы, без дела; в беспорядке
to be head over ears in love with smb – быть по уши влюбленным
to get one’s foot on the ladder - положить начало (карьере и т.п.)
to get on together like a house of fire – прекрасно ладить
I don’t care a straw (a damn, a button, a fig, a feather) – мне безразлично, наплевать
to sell smb a pup – продать кота в мешке
to pull the strings – нажимать тайные пружины; влиять на ход дела, быть скрытым двигателем (чего-либо)
to laugh at smb up one’s sleeve – смеяться в кулак, исподтишка; радоваться втихомолку
to have the cheek to do smth – иметь наглость сделать что-либо
to cook one’s goose – расправиться с кем-либо; погубить кого-либо
to put on frills – важничать, задаваться
to make head or tail of smth – понимать что-либо (кого-либо), разбираться в чем-либо (в ком-либо)
Let bygones be bygones – Кто старое помянет, тому глаз вон!
to be in one another’s pocket – быть вынужденным не расставаться; торчать друг у друга на глазах
to knock smb down with a feather – производить ошеломляющее впечатление
to throw prudence to the winds – махнуть рукой на приличия
to cut off one’s nose, to spite one’s face – действовать во вред самому себе под влиянием гнева
to eat out of one’s hand – приручить кого-либо
Appendix
Phraseology has been created in the course of linguistic evolution. Both free word combinations and phraseological combinations are combinations of words grouped to convey ideas according to the main rules of syntax.
The human language teems with the word combinations the components of which are fixed and can’t be substituted without the change in the meaning of the whole combination. The overwhelming majority of phraseological combinations which are reproduced as ready-made are typical of this or that language. Only for a native speaker it is understandable what is meant by the expressions “to wash one’s dirty linen in public”, “there is a skeleton in every cupboard”, “to throw the house out the windows” and so on.
Christianity, antique mythology, literature, history gave birth to such expressions as: “to fill up the measure of”, “the apple of Sodom”, “the camel and the needle’s eye”, “Achilles’ heel”, “the good Samaritan”, “every inch a King”, “to be or not to be”.
The term “phraseological unit” introduced by Academician V.V. Vinogradov is the most widespread. It is used as a general definition for all phenomena dealing with phraseology. Some linguists, for example, professor N. N. Amosova, use the term “phraseme” to define some units of phraseology which have the structure of word-combinations.
In the English and American linguistics the term “idiom” is used to denote the word-combinations the meaning of which is not the sum of its components.
Charles Bally, the well-known Swiss linguist, writes that some words tend to join each other more closely than they join other words. When this tendency reaches the highest degree if cohesion, the group of words come to be fixed by usage. Bally calls these groups of words fixed by usage “locution phraseologiques” (Ch. Bally. “Traite de stylistique Fransaise”).
Unlike free word combinations phraseological units are not constructed in speech; they are reproduced by the speaker as ready made units. Another feature that distinguishes them from free word-combinations and makes them similar to words is their semantic wholeness (the meaning of the collocation is not a sum of the component meanings).
Words in phraseological units lose their meanings and develop a new meaning which should be really new. This process, as Ch. Bally points out, resembles a chemical reaction.
As a rule phraseology is deeply national and understandable only for native speaker. That is why it is one of the main stumbling-blocks to foreign students in their study of English.
Phraseology in Maugham’s works is used as a powerful stylistic device to characterize his characters. The writer’s works in generaland plays in particular is a land of plenty for the study of phraseology. Where else one can find such an abundance of idioms, colloquialisms and proverbs?
Below a short list of phraseology found in Maugham’s plays is introduced.
to crack a bottle – to drink (coll.); it corresponds to Russian – “раздавить бутылочку”.
“Arthur: Ronny must lunch with us to-morrow.
Violet: We’ll crack a bottle to celebrate his step.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
to have the blues – to be disappointed, insulted; Russian – хандрить.
“Duchess: When I had the blues, I almost wished I’d never left home.”
(Our Betters)
to rack one’s brains – to think hard in order to understand or contrive; Russian – ломать голову.
“Rose: You always agree with me and there’s an end of if. So, I have to rack my brains again”.
(Lady Frederick)
to make a dead set at smb – an incessant attempt; in this context it corresponds to the Russian – “бегать за кем-либо”.
“Henry: It’s always flattering when a pretty girl makes a dead set at you.” (Caesar’s Wife)
to lose one’s head – to lose one’s energy or ability; Russian – “потерять голову”.
“Violet: I take a violet fancy to someone, and I lose my head.” (Caesar’s Wife)
to have the face to say something – to have an insolent boldness, impudence; Russian – иметь наглость сказать что-либо.
“Pearl: Pompous owl! He’s refused my invitation after invitation. He had the face to say he was engaged”.
(Our Betters)
to work oneself to the bone -to work hard; Russian-работать не покладая рук
“Victoria: I worked myself to the bone to make you comfortable.”
(Home and Beauty)
not to care two straws – to consider smb or smth to be of no importance; Russian – ни в грош не ставить
“Lady Frederick: But why should you think she cares two straws for him?”
(Lady Frederick)
to break one’s heart – to make smb unhappy; Russian – разбить чье-либо сердце.
“Moreston: But you break my heart. I suppose you think it was only calf-love).
(Lady Frederick)
white night – a sleepless night; Russian – бессонная ночь.
“Pearl: Oh, I know all about that. A white night? Fancy!”
(Our Betters)
small talk – conversation of no importance; Russian – пустая болтовня, светская беседа.
“Pearl: If you want to get into society you must spend money.
Fleming: It was evidently in the nature of a small talk”.
(Our Betters)
high road – public road, main road.
“Princess: If mortification is the first step in sanctity I’m sure you must be on the high road.”
(Our Betters)
small fry – insignificant people; Russian – мелкая сошка.
“Arthur: I was very small fry then, but I came into collision with Osman and he tried to poison me.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
bosom friend – best friend, Russian – закадычный друг.
“Lady Mereston: Heaven knows the disreputable people who’ve been your bosom friend.”
(Lady Frederick)
sleeping partner – inoperative partner. Russian – партнер, не принимающий участия в деле.
“Pearl: Aren’t you afraid I’ll be a sleeping partner?”
(Our Betters)
kept woman – woman living on her lover’s money; Russian – содержанка.
“Bessie: A kept woman, that’s what you are.”
(Our Betters)
killing story – a story causing a big stir; Russian – потрясающая история.
“Pearl: I made a perfectly killing story out of dad selling bananas.”
(Our Betters)
dog’s life – hard existance.
“Arthur: She saved me hundreds of pounds. She led me a dog’s life.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
Now I shall proceed to the idioms which represent part and parcel of the English vocabulary.
heavy father – role of the moralizer; Russian–резонер(театральное амплуа)
“Lady Frederick: Come, come, my boy, you are too young to play the heavy father.”
(Lady Frederick)
best man – groomsman at a wedding; Russian – шафер.
“Victoria: He was my husband’s best man and they always been such great friends.”
(Home and Beauty)
red tape – excessive formality or attention to routine; Russian – волокита.
“Mrs. Shuttleworth: Oh, I know. The coal controller was positively rude to me. Red tape.”
(Home and Beauty)
to move the clock backwards – to hamper the development; Russian – повернуть вспять колесо истории.
“Pearl: I think no one can move to the clock backwards.”
(Our Betters)
to put all one’s eggs in one basket – to risk all one’s money in a single venture; to trust to one source of means. Russian – все поставить на карту.
“Martha: Don’t you think it rather a mistake to put all your eggs in one basket?”
(The Constant Wife)
to play with one’s card on the table – to act honourably, to be a decent fellow; Russian – выложить карты на стол.
“Lady Frederick: Look here, I’m going to play this game with my cards on the table.”
(Lady Frederick)
(not) to let the grass grow under one’s feet – to lose no time, to set promptly; Russian – не сидеть сложа руки.
“Frederick: Victoria, you’re not letting the grass grow under your feet.”
(Home and Beauty)
to upset the apple-cart – to upset a plan or intention; Russian – спутать карты.
“Arthur: Those confounded people must go and upset the apple-cart.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
to twiddle one’s thumbs – to do nothing; Russian – бить баклуши.
“Arthur: I didn’t see anything I could do but just sit still and twiddle my thumbs.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
behind one’s back – in secret; Russian – тайком.
“Arthur: She was just a little vexed because she thought I’d been fixing things up behind her back.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
without turning a hair – to be unexcited, unafraid, unaffected; Russian – глазом не моргнуть и ухом не повести.
“Anne: You take all these compliments without turning a hair, Violet.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
to pull the strings – to control affairs, to be actual operator of smth; Russian – пускать в ход связи.
“Arthur: Have you been pulling strings?”
(Caesar’s Wife)
to give one a leg up – to help smb to overcome difficulties.
“Lady Fredrick: She’s always given me a leg up when I wanted it.”
(Lady Frederick)
to eat one’s heart out – to suffer silently in regret, remorse; Russian – чахнуть, изнывать.
“Lady Mereston: I’m eating out my very heart with anxiety.”
(Lady Frederick)
to have one’s heart in one’s mouth – to be afraid, extremely dejected; Russian – душа в пятки ушла.
“Anne: My heart was in my mouth, I was afraid you were going to tell him.”
(Caesar’s Wife)
Some idioms are characterized by the fixed stability of their components.
tooth and nail – with the utmost ferocity or vigour; Russian - не на жизнь, а на смерть.
for love or money – to be unable to obtain smth at my price or by any means; Russian – любой ценой.
“Victoria: One can’t get a kitchen-maid for love and money.”
to take nineteen for a dozen – to talk much.
“Anne: My dear, you’ve been talking nineteen to the dozen. I’ve not had the chance to get a word in edgeways.”
(Caesar’s Wife)