Przydatne słówka i zwroty

(not) give a toss nie obchodzić, nie interesować (w przeczeniach) don't give a toss that you are tired. You are supposed to finish it today! (nic mnie nie obchodzi, że...)
(with your) hands down z palcem w nosie, z łatwością Don't stay up all night, his tests are so easy you'll pass them with your hands down.
a babe in the woods bezradny jak dziecko When it comes to dealing with computers, he's a babe in the woods. He definitely needs someone to help.
a big-head zarozumialec, ważniak Tom told me that all his friends are less intelligent than he is. He's such a big head!
a blue-eyed boy ulubieniec Tom was always jealous of his younger brother because he knew Jack was their mother's blue-eyed boy.
a far cry from sth zupełnie inny, nie mający nic wspólnego This house is a far cry from the one we were shown yesterday; it's much nicer.
a little something drobnostka, niedrogi prezent I want to get a little something for Ben and visit him in the hospital.
a piece of cake nic trudnego, pestka Climbing that mountain was a piece of cake. No problem at all.
a shot in the dark strzał w ciemno, na chybił trafił It was just a shot in the dark. I don't know what the correct answer is.
all of a sudden nagle All of a sudden the lights went out.
all year round przez cały rok Most of the hotels are open all year round.
as stubborn as a mule uparty jak osioł I was trying to make my father go to a doctor at last but he's as stubborn as a mule.
at first sight na pierwszy rzut oka At first sight he seems to be a very competent person.
at sb's expense 1. na czyjś rachunek; 2. czyimś kosztem The trip is at company's expense.We are always making jokes at Mark's expense.
at the eleventh hour w ostatniej chwili We were so nervous that he would miss the train but he, as usual, arrived to the railway station at the eleventh hour.
burst out laughing wybuchać śmiechem The movie was so funny that finally even Susan burst out laughing.
chew something over przemyśleć coś I can't give you the answer today. I simply need to chew it over.
chicken out stchórzyć I wanted to ask Mary out but I chickened out at the last moment.
choose a soft option pójść na łatwiznę He gets on my nerves! Whenever there is something challenging, he always chooses a soft option.
couch potato Płaszczyć dupsko Our 9-year-old son is a real couch potato who wants to spend all his free time watching television

cry for the moon chcieć gwiazdki z nieba Oh, come on! Be realistic! It's like crying for the moon! We cannot afford it.
dead easy dziecinnie proste Listen! Reported Speech is dead easy - I can explain it to you if you want...
easy come easy go łatwo przyszło, łatwo poszło I've lost the money you gave me last week - well, easy come easy go.
for a change dla odmiany She always seemed rather serious so it was nice to see her laugh for a change.
for a laugh - dla zabawy dla zabawy They put salt in his tea just for a laugh but he didn't find it funny.
from cover to cover od deski do deski I always read detective stories from cover to cover; they're so exciting!
from head to foot od stóp do glów The dog was covered in mud from head to foot.
from scratch od samego początku I learned Spanish from scratch at university.
Get a move on! pośpiesz się! Come on, get a move on! I don't want to be late.
Get lost! Spływaj, zjeżdżaj! I can't stand your behaviour any more. Get lost!
Get stuffed! wypchaj się! I tried to be nice to him but finally he went too far! I simply told him to get stuffed...
get the message załapać, zrozumieć coś He finally got the message and left Mary and John alone together.
give somebody a ring zadzwonić do kogoś I'll give you a ring in the evening.
go to somebody's head uderzyć do głowy Power and success went to his head - he no longer comes to our parties.
have a narrow escape cudem uniknąć czegoś, o mały włos He had a narrow escape when he slipped on the stairs.
have something on the brain chodzić komuś po głowie Do you know this song? I've had it on my brain all day.
have sth at one's fingertips mieć coś w małym palcu You can always go and ask Tom of anything concerned with maths, he just has it at his fingertips.
if you like jeśli masz na to ochotę - Shall we stop for a rest?- Yes, if you like.
in a sense w pewnym sensie In a sense she's right, but I still don't understand her point of view.
in black and white na piśmie This agreement is invalid, unless you bring it in black and white.
in the interim tymczasem I'll be back in few minutes. In the interim please read the extract from the novel.
inside out 1. na lewą stronę, 2. (znać) na wylot He's a real computer freak - he knows them inside out.
let alone nie mówiąc już o.. I hardly ever go to the cinema, let alone the theatre.

make oneself at home rozgościć się Frank! So many years! Come in and make yourself at home. Something to drink?
nagging Zrzędliwy Nagging headache
not have a clue nie mieć pojęcia I haven't a clue where she left her book.
off the point nie na temat We were all talking about our jobs so Nick's comment on his marriage was rather off the point.
out of stock nie być dostępnym w sprzedaży I'm so sorry but this camera is out of stock now. Can I propose a different model within the same price?
out of the ordinary niezwykły, specjalny, niecodzienny My friend's paintings are out of the ordinary; I've never seen something like that before.
out of the question wykluczone I will not let my son go to France on his own. It is out of the question.
out of this world świetny, doskonały This restaurant is rather expensive but the food is really out of this world!
over my dead body! po moim trupie! I want to sell our house. Over my dead body! That house will never be sold.
over the counter bez recepty I'm afraid you can't buy this medicine over the counter, you must have a prescription.
pop the question oświadczyć się After seven years of dating, I finally popped the question to my girlfriend.
put in jeopardy narazić na niebiezpieczeństwo As the Ambassador didn't want to put the staff in jeopardy, they were all dismissed and sent home.
safe and sound cały i zdrowy To everybody's relief, he returned safe and sound from the storm.
take a shortcut pojść na skróty I wouldn't rely on him - he always thinks how to take shortcuts in everything he does.
take it easy nie przejmuj się, wyluzuj się Don't despair if you fail that exam; take it easy.
the naked eye gołym okiem Bacteria are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
the other side of the coin druga strona medalu Fame has the other side of the coin as well.
time please! zamykamy! (in a pub) Time please! These were the last drinks. Please come back tomorrow.
Time's up! czas się skończył! Time's up now, put down your pens and leave the class, please.
to be all ears zamienić się w słuch I'm all ears- tell me how it happened that you've come back to Poland.
to be down in the dumps mieć depresję, 'doła' Well, you can try to ask her out but she is down in the dumps and I can't promise that she will answer the phone first of all...
to be head over heels in love być zakochanym po uszy Jim's head over heels in love with Monica; he talks only about her.
to be in somebody's shoes być na czyimś miejscu I wouldn't like to be in Susan's shoes - imagine taking that difficult exam again!
to be in the pink być zdrowym My sister is finally back in the pink after having a bad cold for two weeks.
to be in the right mieć rację, słuszność There's no need to apologize; you were in the right.
to be into something być czymś zainteresowany, lubić coś Don't ask me about Manga - I am not into it at all.
to bite the dust umrzeć, przekręcić się, 'gryźć ziemię' John was already 89 when he bit the dust.
to brush up 'odkurzyć', podszlifować (umiejętności, jezyk itp.) My French has got a bit rusty, I'm afraid. I will need to brush it up before the holidays.
to burn rubber wciskać gaz do dechy, palić gumy He has got another ticket! He simply can't drive if he doesn't burn rubber!
to call a spade a spade nazywać rzeczy po imieniu Stop moaning that that you don't like the idea! Just go to your boss and call a spade a spade!
to give someone a hand pomóc komuś Could you please give me a hand with the luggage? It's really heavy.
to go na wynos Can I have two small pizzas- to go, please?
to hammer sth into someone wbijać komuś coś do głowy My brother and I always had it hammered into us that we should respect old people.
to have butterflies in one's stomach denerwować się, mieć tremę I had butterflies in my stomach when I was waiting for the results of my exam yesterday.
to have one's heart in one's mouth mieć duszę na ramieniu; drżeć ze strachu When I think of my exam tomorrow, I have my heart in my mouth.
to have one's heart in the right place mieć dobre serce He has not a very pleasant manner, but his heart is in the right place.
to have sth on the tip of sb's tongue mieć coś na końcu języka Gosh! I had the answer on the tip of my tongue but of course it wasn't enough to pass the exam...
to have the time of one's life świetnie się bawić, przeżywać coś bardzo miłego I took my kids to Disneyland last summer and they had the time of their lives.
to have words with somebody sprzeczać się, kłócić się I think Mark had words with his girlfriend today because he is very nervous.
to hit the roof wściec się My parents hit the roof when I told them that I failed my exam again.
to hold the guns mieć wszystkie atuty w ręku Well, it's hard to come up with any reasonable argument in this discussion if he holds the guns.
to keep one's word dotrzymywać słowa Sue said she would help me to find a job and I hope she will keep her word.
to keep oneself to oneself żyć cicho, samemu, bez towarzystwa Mary hardly ever goes out with us; she keeps herself to herself.
to kill time zabić czas I only read magazines in doctors' waiting rooms to kill time.
to land/fall on one's feet spaść na cztery łapy Jim is a type of a guy that, no matter what, seems to land on his feet.
to lose face stracić twarz, honor I guess John thinks he would lose face if he admitted he had made a mistake.
to lose heart stracić wiarę w coś Don't lose heart because you cannot solve the problem straight away.
to make a scene robić scenę, awanturę Please don't make a scene. I'll do what you want.
to make ends meet wiązać koniec z końcem They're really poor; it's hard for them to make ends meet.
to make head or tail of sth zrozumieć coś Can you help me? I can't make head or tail of these instructions on the radio.
to pick sb's brains zasięgnąć rady (kogoś kto się na tym zna), skonsultować coś Terry, I need to pick your brains about the computer software - I've heard you are an expert.
to pick up the pieces naprawić coś, uporządkować After the fire in the factory, it took weeks to pick up the pieces and get production back to normal again.
to play something by ear robić coś spontanicznie, improwizować If our plan fails, we can always play it by ear. It might work.
to play truant chodzić na wagary More and more children are caught playing truant.
to play with fire igrać z ogniem Tom is negotiating with two publishers at the same time for the same novel. He's playing with fire.
to pull yourself together opanować się, wziąć się w garść Pull yourself together and come back to work, please.
to put the brakes on przestać coś robić I think we will have to put the brakes on spending so much money on leisure activities.
to raise one's hand against sb podnieść na kogoś rękę If you ever raise your hand against me, I'll leave you.
to read someone's mind/thoughts czytać komuś w myślach We understand each other very well and I sometimes think she reads my mind.
to read sth from cover to cover przeczytać coś od deski do deski This novel was so thrilling that I simply read it from cover to cover during one night!
to save face zachować twarz The comment that he made was only an attempt to save face in that difficult situation.
to save something for a rainy day odkładać coś na czarną godzinę Don't spend all your money just like that! You'd better save some for a rainy day.
to show one's face pokazywać się, pojawiać After all the trouble you have caused, don't you dare to show your face here again!
to sleep like a log spać jak zabity Did you sleep well last night? Yes, thanks. Like a log!
to spill the beans wygadać się, wyjawić sekret I showed Tom my present for our mother and asked him not to spill the beans.
to take one's time nie śpieszyć się, robić coś powoli We don't need these articles to be translated tomorrow, so relax, take your time and submit them next week.
to take someone for a ride oszukać kogoś, nabrać Be careful when doing business with him; he may take you for a ride.
to take something into account wziąć coś pod uwagę Remember to take his age into account when deciding what kind of work to give him.
to take something to heart brać sobie coś do serca I didn't really mean that your husband is silly, so don't take it to heart.
to take the mickey (out of somebody) robić sobie żarty/jaja z kogoś Mike was taking the mickey out of me when I was dancing.
to talk behind one's back mówić o kimś za jego/jej plecami I don't feel good at work as I know my colleagues are always talking behind my back.
to talk rubbish mówić bzdury, głupstwa I don't really like Mark; he talks rubbish most of the time.
to throw a party urządzić przyjęcie, imprezę We're throwing a party for Jim's birthday next week.
to toe the line podporządkować się Two members have been expelled from the party as they didn't toe the party line in voting.
to treat someone like dirt traktować kogoś jak śmiecia I can't believe that Mark is still with Ann - she treats him like dirt!
train of thought ciąg myśli Stop interrupting me or I'll lose my train of thought.
trial and error metoda prób i błędów I found the answer by trial and error, which obviously took little more time.
under oath pod przysięgą I was asked to tell my story under oath at the trial.
under one's breath pod nosem Jack was angry when I told him the bad news and he was muttering something under his breath.
Watch your step! Uważaj jak idziesz! Watch your step! The floor is very slippery.
white lie niewinne kłamstewko White lies are sometimes inevitable in order to protect other people's feelings.
without a shadow of a doubt bez cienia wątpliwości I can guarantee that - without a shadow of a doubt this car is the best in its class on the market.
without fail niezawodnie The postman always comes at 10 o'clock without fail.
written all over one's face wypisane na twarzy When Nick was told that he hadn't won the contest, disappointment was written all over his face.