blowout
An explosion of a tire or a fuse.
Jim's van veered sharply to the right after his car had a blowout.
A big party.
After graduation from college, my son and his friends staged a huge blowout.
blue around the gills
green around the gills
pale around the gills
yellow around the gills
pink around the gills
white around the gills
Pale-faced from fear or sickness; sickly; nauseated.
Also used with other prepositions besides around, as about, at, under, and with other colors, as blue, pink, yellow, white.
Also used with other prepositions besides around, as about, at, under, and with other colors, as blue, pink, yellow, white.
Иметь бледное лицо от страха или болезни; болезненный; тошнотворный.
Bill's father took him for a ride in his boat while the waves were rough, and when he came back he was green around the gills.
You should sit down. You look a bit blue around the gills.
Тебе следует присесть. Ты выглядишь неважно.
The car almost hit Mary crossing the street, and she was yellow around the gills because it came so close.
Машина чуть не сбила Мэри, когда она переходила улицу, и девушка побледнела от страха потому, что машина проехала так близко.
body blow
A great disappointment; a bitter failure.
When he failed to get on the team it came as a body blow to him.
camp follower
A man or woman who goes with an army, not to fight but to sell something.
Nowadays camp followers are not allowed as they were long ago.
A person who goes with a famous or powerful person or group in hope of profit.
A man who runs for president has many camp followers.
come to blows
To begin to fight.
The two quarreling boys came to blows after school.
The two countries came to blows because one wanted to be independent from the other.
eat one's words
swallow one's words
To take back something you have said; admit something is not true.
Брать назад свои слова; признавать, что что-то было не верным.
John had called Harry a coward, but the boys made him eat his words after Harry bravely fought a big bully.
John was wrong about the election and had to eat his words.
Джон был неправ насчёт выборов и должен забрать свои слова обратно.
He said I'd never get the job, but he had to swallow his words when I was appointed.
Он говорил, что мне никогда не получить эту работу, но ему пришлось признать, что он ошибался, когда меня назначили.
To speak unclearly; fail to put enough breath into your words.
Phyllis was hard to understand because she swallowed her words.
feel low
To be depressed; be in low spirits.
I don't know what's the matter with Mary, but she says she has been feeling very low all afternoon.
fellow traveller
A sympathizer with a political movement who does not officially belong to the political party in question.
Many Germans after World War II were innocently accused of being fellow travellers of Nazism.
During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of being Communist fellow travellers.