God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb
A person who is already helpless will not have more trouble; you will not have more trouble than you can bear.
After Mr. Smith lost his job, the Smith's house caught fire, but the fire was put out before much harm was done. Mr. Smith said, "God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb."
a storm is brewing
Назревающий скандал; накаляющаяся атмосфера.
As soon as we saw Pete's face, we knew there was a storm brewing.
Как только мы увидели лицо Питера, то поняли, что надвигается проблема.
before one can say Jack Robinson
between two shakes of a lamb's tail
in the twinkling of an eye
Very quickly; suddenly. An overused phrase.
Очень быстро; неожиданно.
Before I could say Jack Robinson, the boy was gone.
She could do it in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.
Она могла это делать быстро и без затруднений.
cast pearls before swine
cast one's pearls before swine
To waste good acts or valuable things on someone who won't understand or be thankful for them, just as pigs won't appreciate pearls. Often used in negative sentences.
I won't waste good advice on John any more because he never listens to it. I won't cast pearls before swine.
clip one's wings
have one's wings clipped
To limit or hold you back, bring you under control; prevent your success.
When the new president tried to become dictator, the generals soon clipped his wings.
Jim was spending too much time on dates when he needed to study so his father stopped his allowance; that clipped his wings.
drawing card
The most important figure in a multi-person event; the top entertainer during a show; the best professor or researcher at a university, etc.
During the concert series Barbra Streisand was the biggest drawing card.
The biggest drawing card at many a university is the resident Nobel Laureate.
find one's tongue
find one's wings
find one's feet
To become able to use (some power of the body or mind.)
In the program for the parents, John was nervous and could not speak at first; then he found his tongue.
The young bird had just found its wings.
The baby was just beginning to find his feet.
The question surprised him, and it was a minute before he found his tongue.
forty winks
catch forty winks
A short period of sleep; a nap.
Короткий период для отдыха, сна.
When the truck driver felt sleepy, he stopped by the side of the road to catch forty winks.
Dad likes to have forty winks after a game of golf.
Папа любит подремать после игры в гольф.
I caught forty winks after the dinner as I was really tired.
Я немного вздремнул после обеда, так как был очень уставшим.