Б-56 • РЕВЕТЬ/ЗАРЕВЕТЬ БЕЛУГОЙ coll [VP; subj: human; usu. this WO] to (begin to) cry profusely, loudly, piercingly: X ревел белугой = X was crying hysterically;
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X was crying (yelling, bawling) his head off; [lim] X was howling like a jackal (a hyena).
[Львов:] Скоро благословение? [Косых:] Должно, скоро. Зюзюшку в чувство приводят. Белугой ревёт, приданого жалко (Чехов 4). [L.:] Will the benediction be soon? [K.:] It should be soon. They’re trying to bring Zyuzyushka around. She’s howling like a jackal. upset about the dowry (4a).
Б-57 • БЕЛЫЙ И ПУШИСТЫЙ recent, coll, iron [AdjP; subj-compl with copula (subj: human or, occas., collect); fixed WO] (of a person or group possessing some attractive, alluring quality which, while unspecified, may be more clearly understood from the context) good, virtuous, righteous; or kind, accommodating; or non-threatening, law-abiding etc (typically used, sarcastically or mockingly, to make clear that the quality in question, positive image etc is lacking): lily-white; squeaky clean; pure as the driven snow; warm (nice) and fuzzy; || среди них белых и пушистых нет = none of them is spotless (completely clean); there are no angels among them; everyone’s got some dirt on them; everybody (each one of them) has done his share of dirt; [with the emphasis on past actions; lim] everyone has skeletons in his closet.
Никто не говорит, что Пётр белый и пушистый, но гадостей делать не станет, это точно! Nobody says that Pyotr is squeaky clean, but he’s not about to pull any nasty stunts—that’s for sure! ♦ Белым и пушистым директора школы никак не назовёшь, и дети его не любят. Но работу свою он делает хорошо. principal is not at all what you would call warm and fuzzy, and students do not like him. But he does his job well.
Б-58 • ГРЯЗНОЕ БЕЛЬЁ (чьё, often своё), usu. ПОЛОСКАТЬ (СТИРАТЬ) (СВОЁ (ЧУЖОЕ)) ГРЯЗНОЕ БЕЛЬЁ (НА ЛЮ>ДЯХ), КОПАТЬСЯ (РЫТЬСЯ) В ГРЯЗНОМ БЕЛЬЕ кого, чьём (В ЧУЖОМ ГРЯЗНОМ БЕЛЬЕ etc) media, disapprov [NP, fixed WO or VP, subj: human or collect] secrets, personal matters, scandals etc of a person, family, or organization that cause embarrassment or shame when publicly exposed: (one’s (s.o.‘s)) dirty linen (laundry); || полоскать своё грязное бельё на людях = wash (air) one’s dirty linen (laundry) in public; expose one’s dirty laundry to the public gaze (eye); || копаться в чужом грязном белье = dig up s.o.‘s dirty laundry; dig up dirt on s.o. (on other people); try to wash (air) s.o.‘s dirty linen (laundry) in public; seek to expose s.o.‘s dirty laundry to the public gaze (eye); pry (snoop) into s.o.‘s (other people’s) personal affairs; stick (poke) one’s nose in(to) s.o.‘s (other people’s) personal affairs.
«Чем, кроме рыбалки, увлекается ваш Пётр Иванович?» — «Обожает рыться в грязном белье своих сотрудников». “What does your Pyotr Ivanovich like to do besides go fishing?” “He loves to pry into his coworkers’ personal affairs.”
Б-59 • НИ БЕЛЬМЕСА (НИ БУМ-БУМ) не знать, не понимать, не смыслить (в чём) highly coll [these forms only; obj (both variants) or predic with subj: human (2nd var.)] to know or understand nothing (about sth.): X (в Y-е) не понимает ни бельмеса (X в Y-е ни бум-бум) = X doesn’t know beans (squat) about Y; X doesn’t know (understand) a thing (the first thing) about Y; X doesn’t have the foggiest (notion) about Y; X doesn’t have a clue (the first (damn) clue) about Y; [of one’s command of a foreign language, technical jargon etc] X doesn’t know (understand) a word of Y; [of a foreign language only] X can’t say two words in (speak a word of) Y.
«Играть не умеете! В миттельшпиле ни бум-бум.» (Аксёнов 3). “You don’t know how to play! You don’t know a thing about the midgame!” (3a). ♦ «Теперь [Херувимов] в направление тоже полез; сам ни бельмеса не чувствует, ну а я, разумеется, поощряю» (Достоевский 3). “Now he’s [Cherubimov has] jumped onto the progressive bandwagon too; hasn’t got the foggiest, of course, but naturally I encourage him” (3a).
Б-60 • (КАК (БУДТО, СЛОВНО, ТОЧНО)) БЕЛЬМО в (НА) ГЛАЗУ (у кого) coll, disapprov [(как etc +) NP; subj-compl with быть0 (subj: human or concr) or adv (var. with как etc only); fixed WO] (a person or thing is) a source of constant irritation to s.o. by his or its presence: X (у Y- а) как бельмо на глазу = X is a thorn in Y’s side (flesh); X is a thorn (a burr) in the side of Y; [lim] X sticks out like a sore thumb; thing X is an eyesore; thing X is a blot on the landscape.
Опора своему брату и заступник всех обиженных. он [Брад-жеш] был, конечно, бельмом на глазу у раджи (Аллилуева 2). To his brother he [Brajesh] had been a real support, a protector to the wronged.. As a result, he became a thorn in the side of the Raja (2a).
Б-61 • УСТРОИТЬ БЕНЕФИС кому coll [VP; subj: human] to scold, rebuke s.o. sharply (usu. in a noisy manner); to vent one’s anger at s.o., punish him for his behavior: X устроил Y-у бенефис = X made it hot for Y; X gave it to Y; X had a few choice words for Y; X lowered the boom on Y.
Об администраторе гостиницы она сказала: «Я его предупредила, в следующий раз я ему устрою такой бенефис, что он после этого собственную маму примет за собственного папу» (Го-ренштейн 1). About the hotel manager she said: “I warned him that the next time I’d make it so hot for him he wouldn’t be able to tell his own mother from his own father (1a).
Б-62 • БЕРЕЖЁНОГО (И) БОГ БЕРЕЖЁТ [saying] a person who is cautious and alert avoids danger (said as advice to be careful, not to take risks, and also as a justification for taking what may seem to be unnecessary precautions): = God helps those who help themselves; God takes care of those who take care of themselves; better (to be) safe than sorry; [lim] discretion is the better part of valor.
Все эти предосторожности были, конечно, с запасом, но бережёного Бог бережёт (Солженицын 2). Some of these precautions, of course, proved not to have been strictly necessary, but God helps those who help themselves (2a).
Б-63 • НАША (ВАША, ТВОЯ БЕРЁТ/ВЗЯЛА coll [VPsubj; more often pfv; if impfv, pres only; fixed WO] we (you etc) are (or are about to be) victorious: наша взяла = we’ve won; our side (has) won; we’re the winner(s) (victor(s)); || наша берёт (возьмёт) = we’re winning (going to win); our side is winning (going to win); we’re going to be the winner(s).
«„Дураки, — говорю я им, — глупые несмышлёныши. Эту власть Гитлер не смог опрокинуть со своими танками, а вы что сможете со своей болтовнёй?.. ” — „Ничего, — говорит один из них, — это так кажется, что они сильные, наша возьмёт”» (Искандер 4). “‘You fools,’ I said to them, ‘you’re a couple of babes in the woods. Hitler couldn’t topple this regime with all his tanks, and what can you do with your blather?.’ ‘Nuts,’ says one of them. ‘They only look strong, we’re going to win’” (4a).