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.
call one's bluff
To ask someone to prove what he says he can or will do. (Originally from the card game of poker.)
Tom said he could jump twenty feet and so Dick called his bluff and said "Let's see you do it!"
My girlfriend always said that she did not want to get married so I called her bluff and asked her to marry me. She said yes.
Моя девушка всегда говорила, что не хочет выходить замуж, поэтому я решил вывести ее на чистую воду и попросил ее руки. Она сказала "да".
call one's shot
To tell before firing where a bullet will hit.
An expert rifleman can call his shot regularly.
The wind was strong and John couldn't call his shots.
calling down
dressing down
give one a dressing down
A scolding; reprimand.
The judge gave the boy a calling down for speeding.
The sergeant gave the soldier a good dressing down because his shoes were not shined.
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.
card up one's sleeve
ace up your sleeve
Another help, plan, or argument kept back and produced if needed; another way to do something.
Туз (козырь) в рукаве. Припрятанный аргумент, план и предъявленный при необходимости; альтернативный путь сделать что-нибудь.
John knew his mother would lend him money if necessary, but he kept that card up his sleeve.
Bill always has a card up his sleeve, so when his first plan failed he tried another.
The manager has an ace up her sleeve. She'll surprise us with it later.
У нашей управляющей есть козырь про запас; она нас им еще удивит.
carry one's cross
bear one's cross
To live with pain or trouble; keep on even though you suffer or have trouble.
Weak ankles are a cross Joe carries while the other boys play basketball.
We didn't know the cheerful woman was bearing her cross, a son in prison.
carved in granite
chiseled in granite
inscribed in granite
written in stone
Holy; unchangeable; noble and of ancient origin.
You should wear shoes when you come to class, although this is not carved in granite.
The Constitution of the United States is so hard to change that one thinks of it as written in stone.