pound the pavement
To walk up and down the streets; tramp about.
John pounded the pavement looking for a job.
Mary and Bill pounded the pavement to find an apartment.
pour money down the drain
To spend one's money unwisely; to waste one's funds.
Тратить чьи-либо деньги неразумно; растратить чьи-либо финансы; бросать деньги на ветер.
"Stop supporting Harry's drug habit," Ralph said. "You're just pouring money down the drain.".
She is so thoughtless! She needs to save up to pay the bills but she just pours her money down the drain.
Она такая легкомысленная! Ей нужно экономить, чтобы оплатить счета, а она просто бросает деньги на ветер.
power behind the throne
The person with the real power backing up the more visible partner (usually said about the wives of public figures).
It is rumored that the First Lady it the power behind the throne in the White House.
press the flesh
To shake hands with total strangers by the hundreds, keeping an artificial smile all the way, in order to raise one's popularity during political elections.
Incumbent Governor Maxwell was pressing the flesh all day long at six different hotels.
prolong the agony
Продлить агонию; сделать так, что неприятная или напряженная ситуация длится дольше, чем это необходимо.
Please don't prolong the agony. Just tell me whether I've been accepted or not.
Пожалуйста, не мучай меня. Просто скажи, приняли меня или нет.
promise the moon
To promise something impossible.
A politician who promises the moon during a campaign loses the voters' respect.
I can't promise you the moon, but I'll do the best job I can.
proof of the pudding is in the eating
Only through actual experience can the value of something be tested. A proverb.
Только через реальный опыт можно проверить ценность чего-либо. Пословица.
He was intrigued by the ads about the new high mileage sports cars. "Drive one, sir," the salesman said. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
I'm going to try out my new DVD player. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as we all know!
Я собираюсь проверить свой новый DVD проигрыватель. Обо всем судят по результатам!
pull one's chestnuts out of the fire
To do someone else a great favor which they don't really deserve, doing oneself a disfavor in the process.
Small countries often have to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for their more powerful neighbors.