out of the running
Having no chance to win; not among the real contenders; not among those to be considered.
John had been out of the running since his first date with Mary, but he didn't realize it.
Jones's horse was put out of the running early in the race.
out of thin air
Out of nothing or from nowhere.
The teacher scolded Dick because his story was made out of thin air.
On the way home from town, Tom saw a house standing on the lot that had been empty that morning; it seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
out of tune
sing out of tune
Out of proper musical pitch; too low or high in sound.
The band sounded terrible, because the instruments were out of tune.
Not in agreement; in disagreement; not going well together. Often used with with.
What Jack said was out of tune with how he looked; he said he was happy, but he looked unhappy.
over with
get something over with
At the end of; finished with; through with.
They were over with the meeting by ten o'clock.
By Saturday Mary will be over with the measles.
At an end; finished.
John knew his mother would scold him for losing the money, and he wanted to get it over with.
After the hard test, Jerry said, "I'm glad that's over with!"
packed like sardines
packed in like sardines
So tightly crowded that there is hardly room to turn.
О очень тесной толпе людей, когда трудно даже повернуться.
The trains are so full during rush hour that we must go to work packed in like sardines.
The bus was very crowded - we were packed like sardines!
Автобус был переполнен – мы были как селедки в бочке!
pain in the ass
pain in the neck
An obnoxious or bothersome person or event.
Phoebe Hochrichter is a regular pain in the neck (ass).
paint a gloomy picture
To describe something in a gloomy, pessimistic way.
Описывать что-либо в мрачном, пессимистическом ключе.
We are sad because the weather forecast has painted a gloomy picture for all of next week when we go on vacation.
Нам грустно, потому что прогноз погоды неутешителен на всю следующую неделю, когда мы отправимся в отпуск.
The report painted a gloomy picture of the economy, warning that the next few years could be particularly challenging.
В отчете отражено плохое состояние экономики и предупреждается, что следующие несколько лет могут оказаться особенно сложными.
In her analysis, she painted a gloomy picture of climate change, urging immediate action before it’s too late.
В своем анализе она нарисовала мрачную картину изменения климата, призвав к немедленным действиям, пока не стало слишком поздно.
paint oneself into a corner
To get oneself into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to get out of.
Попасть в плохую ситуацию, из которой трудно или невозможно выбраться.
By promising to both lower taxes and raise the defense budget, the president has painted himself into a corner.
Пообещав снизить налоги и увеличить оборонный бюджет, президент загнал себя в угол.
He thought he could juggle too many projects at once, but in the end, he just painted himself into a corner, overwhelmed and unable to finish any of them.
Он думал, что может заниматься слишком многими проектами одновременно, но в итоге просто загнал себя в угол, чувствуя себя подавленным и неспособным закончить ни один из них.
In his quest for perfection, he painted himself into a corner, where every detail became a new obstacle rather than a step forward.
В своем стремлении к совершенству он загнал себя в угол, где каждая мелочь становилась новым препятствием, а не шагом вперед.