afraid of one's shadow
Scared of small or imaginary things; very easily frightened; jumpy; nervous.
Mrs. Smith won't stay alone in her house at night; she is afraid of her own shadow.
Johnny cries whenever he must say hello to an adult; he is afraid of his own shadow.
apple of one's eye
Something or someone that is adored; a cherished person or object.
Предмет обожания.
Charles is the apple of his mother's eye.
John's first car was the apple of his eye. He was always polishing it.
My grandson is the apple of my eye.
Мой внук мне очень дорог.
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather's eye.
Эта маленькая девочка – любимица своего дедушки.
The youngest son was the apple of his father's eye.
Младший сын был любимцем отца.
The man's youngest daughter is the apple of his eye.
Его младшая дочь очень ему дорога.
at the tip of one's tongue
on the tip of one's tongue
Almost spoken; at the point of being said.
It was at the tip of my tongue to tell him, when the phone rang.
John had a rude answer on the tip of his tongue, but he remembered his manners just in time.
Almost remembered; at the point where one can almost say it but cannot because it is forgotten.
I have his name on the tip of my tongue.
"His name is on the tip of my tongue," Tom said. "It will come to me in a minute."
at the top of one's voice
at the top of one's lungs
As loud as you can; with the greatest possible sound; very loudly.
He was singing at the top of his voice.
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
by the skin of one's teeth
By a narrow margin; with no room to spare; barely.
The drowning man struggled, and I got him to land by the skin of my teeth.
She passed English by the skin of her teeth.
by the sweat of one's brow
By hard work; by tiring effort; laboriously.
Even with modern labor-saving machinery, the farmer makes his living by the sweat of his brow.
cannot see one's hand in front of one's face
Ситуация очень плохой видимости, обычно из-за темноты или тумана. Эквивалент – "не видно ни зги".
I could not see my hands in front of my face because of the heavy rain.
Из-за проливного дождя было ни зги ни видно.
cling to one's mother's apron strings
tied to one's mother's apron strings
tied to one's wife's apron strings
tied to somebody's apron strings
hang on to one's mother's apron strings
let go of one's mother's apron strings
Not independent of your mother; not able to do anything without asking your mother.
Быть зависимым от матери или кого-то еще в возрасте, когда уже надо быть самостоятельным.
Even after he grew up he was still tied to his mother's apron strings.
All his decisions are influenced by his mother. He's still tied to her apron strings.
На все его решения влияет его мама, он все еще держится за ее юбку.
George never comes out with the rest of us - he's tied to his wife's apron strings.
Джордж никогда не ходит с остальными отдыхать – он подкаблучник.