do things by halves
To do things in a careless and incomplete way.
When he reads a book he always does it by halves; he seldom finishes it.
dog in the manger
A person who is unwilling to let another use what he himself has no use for.
Although Valerie lives alone in that big house, she is like a dog in the manger when it comes to letting someone sharing it with her.
dose of one's own medicine
taste of one's own medicine
Being treated in the same way you treat others; something bad done to you as you have done bad to other people.
Jim was always playing tricks on other boys. Finally they decided to give him a dose of his own medicine.
down in the dumps
down in the mouth
Sad or discouraged; gloomy; dejected.
Печальный, расстроенный; мрачный; удрученный - как в воду опущенный.
The boys were certainly down in the dumps when they heard that their team had lost.
You look a bit down in the mouth. What's the matter?
Ты какой-то пасмурный. В чем дело?
Alex has been down in the dumps since he failed his exam.
Алекс мрачнее тучи с тех пор как завалили экзамен.
My friend looked down in the mouth after he finished work today.
Мой друг выглядел уныло после того, как закончил работу сегодня.
Not so long ago I was down in the dumps. I lost my job.
Не так давно я был очень подавлен. Я потерял работу.
Sue looks down in the mouth. What's the matter with her?
Сью как в воду опушенная. Что с ней случилось?
down the drain
Wasted; lost.
Бесполезные расходы, потеря, как правило времени или денег.
It is money down the drain if you spend it all on candy.
Our plans to go swimming went down the drain when it rained.
Then our funding was withdrawn and two years' work went down the drain.
И затем наше субсидирование было прекращено и два года работы были выброшены на ветер.
down the line
Down the road or street; straight ahead.
По дороге или улице; прямо, впереди.
The church is down the line a few blocks.
Mary is very young and many changes await her down the line.
Мэри очень молода, и ее ждет много перемен в будущем.
All the way; completely; thoroughly.
Bob always follows the teacher's directions right down the line.
drag in
To insist on bringing (another subject) into a discussion; begin talking about (something different.)
No matter what we talk about, Jim drags in politics.
Whenever anyone mentions travel, Grace has to drag in the trip to Mexico she took ten years ago.
draw a line in the sand
Установить определенные границы, за пределами которых какая-либо ситуация или активность неприемлемы.
That's it! We're going to draw a line in the sand and make this our final proposal.
Достаточно! Мы подводим черту и делаем это нашим последним предложением.