Englisch - Ich versteh nur Bahnhof!

1. to be on one's last legs (coll), to be at the end of one's days, to be approaching the end of one's days, to be at death's door, to have one foot in the grave (coll)

My dog is very old and on his last legs. I ought to have him put down.

2. to be on the last lap (coll), to be in the home stretch (coll)

We are in the home stretch and will have it finished by next week.

to scotch that (coll), to put paid to that (coll), to put the (tin) lid on that (coll), to knock that on the head (coll)

My daughter really wanted to go to Spain on holiday, but I had to scotch that.

to bite on the bullet, to grit one's teeth and keep going, to keep a stiff upper lip (coll)

He was very upset when his girlfriend left him, but he kept a stiff upper lip and did not show his feelings.

1. to foot the bill (coll)

I had to foot the bill for the repairs to my son's car.

2. to take the rap (coll), to face the music (coll), to carry the can (coll), to be left holding the baby (coll)

He had to take the rap for making a mess of the new accounting system.

to put sth by, to save (for a rainy day)

You should always save for a rainy day.

to go the way of all flesh (coll)

Our rowing club has been losing members for years, and now it has gone the way of all flesh.

to call the tune (coll), to rule the roost (coll), to lay down the law (coll)

The boss's son calls the tune around here - no-one else has any influence at all.

to fall out with sbd (coll), to have a row with sbd (coll)

I had a row with him about the new computer system he said we needed. I thought it would be a waste of money.

to take sbd up on an offer (coll)

He said he would drive me home in his car and I took him up on his offer.

to leave sbd empty handed

He expected to gain from the negotiations, but was left empty handed.

umpteen times (coll)

I have explained it to you umpteen times!

from A to Z (coll), from start to finish

He will have no difficulty explaining what has happened because he knows the whole story from A to Z.

the be-all and end-all, the essence

Flexibility and politeness are the be-all and end-all of my present job.

to be as slippery as an eel (coll)

He can't be pinned down on any of these crimes. He is as slipery as an eel.

to be (flat) broke (coll), to be skint (coll), to be stony broke (dated/coll), not to have a bean (dated/coll)

I can't lend you anything - I'm flat broke.

to be a tough cookie (coll), to be thick-skinned (coll)

He is a very tough cookie. When I otld him about his sister's death, he didn't react at all.

You're (You've got to be) kidding!

Pull the other one!

You're having me on!

to get a good hiding, to get a good thrashing

The boy got a good hiding from his angry father.

to cash in (on sth), to rake it in, to make a pretty penny (out of sth)

Car manufacturers have been able to cash in on inadequate public transport systems.

to froget sth, to put sth out of one's mind, to write sth off

You can forget that idea.

You can put that idea right out of your mind.

to put sbd in a backwater

After his successes in America the boss put him in a backwater for fear of being overtaken by him.

to be always on the move

Ever since he got that new job he has been constantly on the move, one week in London, one week in Rome.

to shelve sth

Let's shelve the question since we won't be able to solve the problem anyway.

to be a gifted ..., to be a born ...

He is a gifted musician. / He is a born musician.

to knock at the wrong door

to bark up the wrong tree

to wriggle out of sth

to get out of sth

to extricate oneself from sth

to be tipsy

to have had a few

to be oiled

to be lubricated

to be plastered

to be smashed

to be pissed

to be legless

to be put out to grass; to retire

red tap

to pick up

to get off with (stärker, mit sexuellen Folgen)

to be a sorry sight

to fob sth off on sbd

to palm sth off on sbd

to mind one's own business

to be rooted to the spot