brush off
give the brush off
To refuse to hear or believe; quickly and impatiently; not take seriously or think important.
John brushed off Bill's warning that he might fall from the tree.
I said that it might rain and to take the bus, but Joe gave my idea the brushoff.
Father cut his finger but he brushed it off as not important and kept working.
To be unfriendly to; not talk or pay attention to (someone); get rid of.
Mary brushed off Bill at the dance.
I said hello to Mr. Smith, but he gave me the brushoff.
brush under the carpet
досл. Замести под ковер
Спрятать, утаить, скрыть.
Спрятать, утаить, скрыть.
You made a mistake that you can't brush under the carpet.
Ты совершил ошибку, которую не утаить.
build castles in the air
build castles in Spain
To make impossible or imaginary plans, dream about future successes that are unlikely.
He liked to build castles in the air, but never succeeded in anything.
To build castles in Spain is natural for young people and they may work hard enough to get part of their wishes.
burn one's house to get rid of the mice
Дословно: сжечь дом, чтобы избавиться от мышей. Потратить много средств для достижения малой цели, обычно по глупости.
He got into troubles. He could burn his house to get rid of the mice.
Он попал в неприятности. Он мог пожертвовать многим, чтобы избавиться от незначительной неприятности.
burn the candle at both ends
To work or play too hard without enough rest; get too tired.
He worked hard every day as a lawyer and went to parties and dances every night; he was burning the candle at both ends.
burn the midnight oil
To study late at night.
Exam time was near, and more and more pupils were burning the midnight oil.
burn up the road
To drive a car very fast.
In his eagerness to see his girl again, he burned up the road on his way to see her.
Speed demons burning up the road often cause accidents.
burnt child dreads the fire
once bitten, twice shy
A person who has suffered from doing something has learned to avoid doing it again. A proverb.
Once Mary had got lost when her mother took her downtown. But a burnt child dreads the fire, so now Mary stays close to her mother when they are downtown.