167 загадок для тех, кто хочет знать английский лучше - Хейнонен Е.

Автор: Хейнонен Е.

Теги: английский язык английский иностранный язык иностранная литература изучение языков английская грамматика

ISBN: 978-5-699-72621-9

Год: 2015

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Текст

УДК 811.111(075.4)
ББК 81.2Англ
Х 35
Оформление обложки
и иллюстрации О. Поповича

Х 35

Хейнонен, Елизавета.
167 загадок для тех, кто хочет знать английский лучше / Е. Хейнонен. — Москва : Эксмо,
2015. — 320 с. — (Иностранный в картинках).
ISBN 978-5-699-72621-9
В этой книге собрано множество загадочных историй и таинственных происшествий, ребусов и головоломок, шифрованных записок и секретных кодов. Для их
решения читателям предстоит вспомнить все, что они
знали об английском языке, и не забыть о логике и здравом смысле. В книге содержатся загадки на правописание, фонетику, лексику и грамматику, рассматриваются
популярные каламбуры, омонимы и омофоны. Найдя
правильные ответы на каверзные вопросы, изучающие
язык уберегут себя от досадных грамматических ошибок и двусмысленных заявлений, научатся лучше применять грамматические конструкции и лексические
единицы в речи.
Все загадки снабжены не только ключами, но и
пояснениями, которые помогут больше узнать о рассматриваемых грамматических явлениях, устойчивых
выражениях, заставят обратить внимание на распространенные ошибки. Пособие рассчитано на учащихся
начинающего уровня, владеющих основами английского языка и стремящихся говорить на нем свободнее.
УДК 811.111(075.4)
ББК 81.2Англ

ISBN 978-5-699-72621-9

I. WORD AND GRAMMAR PUZZLES
Лексические и грамматические загадки . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
II. RIDDLES
Загадки и ребусы . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
III. HUMOROUS PUZZLES
Шуточные загадки . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
IV. DETECTIVE PUZZLES
Детективные загадки . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
KEY
Ключи . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Англо-русский словарь . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Русско-английский словарь . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319

I
Лексические и грамматические загадки

I
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Essay

After the summer holidays, the teacher asked her
class to write an essay on how and where the children
had spent their vacation. Johnny worked on his essay for
almost an hour, yet he wasn’t sure how the teacher would
take it.1
And indeed, when the teacher opened his exercise
book, she frowned, because she saw something she
never expected to see. This is what she saw:

But the next moment she smiled and said to herself,
“This little rascal is really very talented. I hope he liked his
stay in—”

In what country? Where did Johnny spend
his summer holidays?
1

how the teacher would take it — как учительница это воспримет
Лексические и грамматические загадки

Johnny’s Grammar
,
.

VOICE ON THE PHONE: Are your father and mother
at home?
LITTLE JOHNNY: They was, but they isn’t now.
VOICE ON THE PHONE: They was, but they isn’t!
Where is your grammar?
JOHNNY: She is out, too.1

She is out, too. — Ее тоже нет дома.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

He Wanted a Horse
,
,
,

.
:
.
CUSTOMER: Can I rent a horse?
GROOM: How long do you want it?
CUSTOMER: As long as you have, laddie. There are
ﬁve of us.1

here are ive of us. — Нас пятеро.
Лексические и грамматические загадки

Is or Does?

,
what’s?
Five-year-old little Johnny was lost, so he went up to a
policeman and said, “I’ve lost my dad!”
The policeman said, “What’s he like?”
Little Johnny replied, “Beer and women!”

Low Opinion

.
.
The inspector was making his monthly visit to the
village school. After examining the children thoroughly he
rose to his feet and, looking around the room, remarked:
“I wish I could be1 a little boy at school again.” After
waiting for this to sink in2, he added: “Do you know why
I wish that?” For a moment there was silence. Then a
little girl raised her hand and said: “Because you forgot
everything you ever knowed.”
1

I wish I could be — хотел бы я быть
ater waiting for this to sink in — подождав, пока его слова дойдут до
сознания учащихся
2

Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Farmer and His
Sheep

A farmer had seventeen sheep. All but
nine died. How many live sheep does he
have left?1

How So?

There was a theft in Jack Brown’s oﬃce. Someone
had stolen a very important document. A police inspector
came to look around and to talk to the employees.2 He
found out that the theft had taken place at exactly 5:15.
Jack told him that he had left his oﬃce by 5:15. His friend,
Nick, who also worked in the same oﬃce, said, “I didn’t
leave the oﬃce until 5:15.” In other words, the two
young men left the oﬃce at about the same time, but the
inspector, having asked Jack a few questions,3 released
him. For some reason, he decided that Nick could tell him
more, and he asked him to stay.

How so?4
1

How many live sheep does he have let? — Сколько живых овец у него
сталось?
2
Инфинитивная конструкция с частицей to указывает на цель действия: он пришел, чтобы осмотреться и побеседовать c сотрудниками.
3
having asked Jack a few questions — после того, как задал Джеку несколько вопросов
4
How so? — здесь: Как так могло получиться?

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Drag, Drug, Drugged
?
.

,
.

The police physician was called to examine an
unconscious prisoner who had been arrested and
brought to the station house for drunkenness. After
a short examination, the physician addressed the
policeman who had made the arrest.
“This fellow is not suﬀering from the eﬀects of alcohol.
He has been drugged.”
The policeman was greatly disturbed, and spoke
falteringly: “I’m thinkin’ ye’re right, Sor.1 I drugged him
all the way to the station.”

ye’re = you are; Sor = Sir
Word and Grammar Puzzles

How Is That Possible?

A man removed the hands and the face. He cleaned
and oiled them, then put them back in place.

How is that possible?

She Misunderstood Him
,
?

?
,

A policeman spotted a woman driving and knitting at
the same time. Driving up beside her, he shouted out of
the window:

“No,” she shouted back, “a pair of socks!”

Лексические и грамматические загадки

What Does a Clown
Taste Like?

funnyy

?
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the
other: “Does this taste funny to you?”

Word and Grammar Puzzles

A Difficult Riddle

A ﬁrst grader will solve this riddle in ﬁve minutes,1 a
ﬁfth grader in ﬁfteen minutes, a university student in an
hour, a university professor may never solve it.

Here is the riddle: What could the word
ottffssent possibly mean?2 Decipher it.

Bon Appétit!3
toast

?
“What do the guests do at a cannibal wedding?”
“They toast the bride and groom.”

1
in ive minutes — за пять минут. Здесь предлог in указывает, за какой
срок может быть выполнено действие.
2
What could the word ottfssent possibly mean? — Что может означать
слово ottfssent? Здесь possibly используется как слово-усилитель.
3
bon appétit — приятного аппетита (франц.)

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Fine for Parking

ine

?
POLICEMAN: Why did you park in front of the
ﬁrehouse?
WOMAN: Why,1 it says here: “Fine for Parking.”

Здесь why — междометие со значением возражения, смешанного
с удивлением: «А что я такого сделала?»
Word and Grammar Puzzles

At the Zoo

A teacher took his class to the zoo. Suddenly, he saw
the zoo attendant running towards him, waving his arms
and shouting something.
“A girl! A little girl fell into the pond with crocodiles!” he
said, panting. “Could she be one of your girls?”1
The teacher approached the pool.
“That’s right,” he said. “This is one of my girls. But I’m
afraid, I can’t help you here. The crocodiles are yours, so
you save them.”

Solve this rebus to find out the name of
the little girl who was able to throw a
scare even into crocodiles.

Здесь модальный глагол could указывает на вероятность соответствующего действия: «Это случайно не ваша девочка?»

Лексические и грамматические загадки

A Fine Room

,
,
,

,
.
.

LANDLADY: How do you like the room as a hole?
VISITOR: As a whole it’s ﬁne; as a room, not so good.

Do Mountains
Have Ears?

There were two spies escaping from the enemy over
the Alps into neutral Switzerland during the war. As they
began to feel safe, one spy starts to tell the other what he
found out in enemy territory. The other tells him to speak
quietly.
“Why?”, asks his friend a little perplexed. “There’s
nobody around for miles. I could scream and not a soul
would hear us up here!”
“Ah,” replied the other, “haven’t you heard?1 There
are mountain ears!”

What mountain ears? What did he mean?

Haven’t you heard? — Неужели ты не слышал?
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Secret Message

“What’s that you’ve got there, Forestier?1 Another
crossword puzzle?” asked the warden, looking at the
piece of paper in the hand of one of the prison guards,
who was known to be quite fond of all kinds of riddles and
puzzles.
“I’m not quite sure, Sir,” answered the guard.
“Can I take a look at it?”
“Certainly,” answered Forestier, handing over the
piece of paper.
The warden studied it, and then asked:
“Where did you get it?”
“From one of the prisoners, Sir.”
“Tell me more.”2
“I conﬁscated it from Emil Squint Eye.3 Why do you
ask?”
“Have you read it?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Well?”4
“It doesn’t make much sense to me.”
“Well, it does make sense to me.”
“I had no time to look at it carefully. I noticed the scrap
of paper in Squint Eye’s hand and took it away from him,”
explained the guard.
1

What’s that you’ve got there? — Что у вас там?
Tell me more. — Расскажи поподробнее.
3
Emil Squint Eye — косоглазый Эмиль (кличка преступника)
4
Well? — здесь: Ну и что ты думаешь по этому поводу?  В следующей реплике начальника тюрьмы это же слово употребляется
в другом значении, а именно в значении несогласия: Ну, а мне это не
кажется бессмыслицей.
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“We shall need to tighten security, Forestier. Emil
Squint Eye may try to break out.”
“May I ask how you know that, Sir?”
“See for yourself. It is a message. A secret message.
Read it again.”
The warden pushed the piece of paper back to the
guard.
The guard took the paper and read:
“TWO OFFICIALS, NO IDIOTS, GO HOME TOGETHER.”
“Uh-ho!” said the guard after a while. “I wonder, how
he is going to do it? Do you have any theory, Warden?”
“Many, Forestier. Each of them as unlikely as the
next.”
“I hear, no one has ever escaped from this prison. It is
a real fortress.”
“As a matter of fact, they have, but it was long ago.
I know of at least one successful attempt. Some four
hundred years ago, Marquis de Roublard escaped from
here with the help of a rope ladder he found in the pie his
friends sent him for his birthday. And now, get a move on.
Alert all the guards. Tell them to keep a watchful eye on
our Emil Squint Eye.”
“Yes, Sir!”1

And here comes my question: What did the
secret message say?

Yes, Sir! — Слушаюсь, сэр!
Word and Grammar Puzzles

A Little Trick

The famous physicist Gay-Lussac bought special
vessels for his experiments from Austria-Hungary. In
order to reduce the amount of customs duty, he tightly
closed each vessel and labeled it a certain way.1 This little
trick saved him a lot of money. What did he write on the
vessels?

This rebus may help you work out the
right answer:

labelled it a certain way — прикрепил этикетку, надписав ее определенным образом

Лексические и грамматические загадки

All The Vowels

“Is there a word in the English language that has all
the vowels in it?”
“Unquestionably.”
“What is it?”

What is it, indeed?

Came Out Naturally1

?
“Why did you rip the back part out of that new book?”
asked the long-suﬀering wife of the absent-minded
doctor.
“Excuse me, dear,” said the famous surgeon. “The
part you speak of was labelled ‘Appendix,’ and I took it
out without thinking.”

came out naturally — вышло как-то само собой
Word and Grammar Puzzles

A Tricky Word

There is one word which is always spelled
wrong. Name it.

The Russian Count

The steamer from Barcelona to Majorca landed John
Sherlock W. at Palma1 in the early hours of the morning —
and straightaway he met with disillusionment. The hotels
were full!
“What did you expect?” said the taxi driver. “Palma is
popular now! The English, the Americans — they all come
to Majorca in the winter. The whole place is packed. You
won’t be able to get in2 anywhere — except, perhaps, at
Pino d’Oro.”
“What is so special about Pino d’Oro?”3 asked John
Sherlock.
“The prices. It is a small hotel, but it is very expensive.”
“Just how expensive?”4
“Very, very expensive.”
“Very well — but what price exactly?”
The driver didn’t know.
1

Пальма-де-Майорка, курорт в Испании
get in — здесь: раздобыть номер (в отеле)
3
What is so special about Pino d’Oro? — Что такого особенного в «Пино
Доро»?
4
Just how expensive? — Насколько дорогой?
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“Alright. Take me to Pino d’Oro. It seems that I don't
have much of a choice.”
Pino d’Oro turned out to be a small hotel standing on
the edge of the sea. At once John Sherlock knew that this
was what he was looking for. He entered the hotel with
the hope that he would ﬁnd a vacant room.
“There is only one room left,” said the woman at the
reception desk. “It is not very large, but it is a nice room
with a view of the sea.”
“I think it will suit me ﬁne.”
“In that case, would you, please, sign your name in the
guest register?”
John Sherlock took a pen and wrote: “John Sherlock W. England.”
He wouldn’t be the famous John Sherlock W. had he
not glanced at the names of the other guests staying at
the hotel.1

But he wouldn’t be the famous John Sherlock W. had he not looked at the
names of the other guests staying at the hotel. — Но он не был бы знаменитым Джоном Шерлоком, если бы не взглянул на имена других гостей
отеля.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

One of the names caught his attention — not so
much the name itself, but the handwriting in which it was
written.1 It seemed very familiar, but John Sherlock could
not recall where he might have seen it.
Later that day, while taking a bath before dinner,
it suddenly dawned on him.2 Why, of course! John
Sherlock was surprised it had taken him so long.3 It
was the same handwriting he had seen on that forged
check! A check that had brought the forger nearly half
a million. The name was diﬀerent, however. The fellow
had been passing himself oﬀ as a Russian count. Count
Ivan Sokoloﬀ — that had been the name. Luckily, some
criminals follow the same pattern, even when inventing
aliases and nicknames.
John Sherlock W. wondered what the man was up to
now.4 Something dishonest, no doubt — once a crook,
always a crook.5 John Sherlock W. failed to nail him that
ﬁrst time, but he will not fail now.
He dressed and left his room with the ﬁrm intention of
making a closer acquaintance6 of his suspect.

Whom did he suspect?

not so much the name itself but the handwriting — не столько само имя,
сколько почерк
2
it suddenly dawned on him — его вдруг осенило
3
Здесь why — возглас удивления: Why, of course! John Sherlock W. was
surprised it had taken him so long. — Ну конечно! Джон Шерлок удивился,
что ему понадобилось так много времени, чтобы вспомнить.
4
be up to sth — замышлять что-л.
5
once a crook, always a crook — мошенник он и есть мошенник
6
make a closer acquaintance of sb — поближе познакомиться с

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Desirable Profession

Not long ago, an advertisement was published in one
of the English newspapers. It read:
“Do you have a thing for all kinds of hieroglyphics?
Then come and visit us, and you will get an opportunity
to ride your hobbyhorse every day without having to go
to Egypt.”

What kind of job was being advertised?
This anagram may help you find the right
answer:
CHEATER

Word and Grammar Puzzles

He Remembered His
Manners, Anyway
,
?
?

WIFE: Why, Oswald, where’s the car?1
ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR: Say!2 I remember
giving someone a lift, and when I got here I got out and
thanked him for his kindness.

John Sherlock W.
Knows All

“Have you read the morning newspapers?” Inspector
Brown shouted as he burst into the room.
“Of course, I have,” answered John Sherlock W.
“And what do you make of this dreadful business?3
This is a real scandal, if ever there was one!”4
“I quite agree with you, my dear Inspector.”
“They say, some American big wigs are involved in the
aﬀair.”
1

Здесь why — не вопросительное слово, а междометие со значением
удивления: Однако где машина, Освальд?
2
Say! — здесь: надо же! (выражение удивления)
3
What do you make of this dreadful business? — Что вы думаете обо
всем этом ужасном деле?
4
his is a real scandal, if ever there was one! — Это скандал, каких свет
не видывал!

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“So I’ve heard.”
“How can you be so calm? Don’t you want to ﬁnd out
who exactly is involved?”
“Of course, I do — and I will.”
At that moment, the door opened and Miss Maggie
Owen, John Sherlock’s secretary, entered the room.
“There is a letter for you, Sir,” she said. “It was
delivered by hand, and bears no return address.”
“Aha!” John Sherlock cried out. “Here is the answer
to your question, Inspector. Unless I’m mistaken — and I
seldom am.”1
He opened the envelope and took out a piece of
paper.
“Wonderful! Just as I thought!”2 he said, rubbing his
hands in satisfaction.
“What does it say?” asked Brown.
“Read for yourself.”
Inspector Brown reached out for the letter. It consisted
of only one word: TREASON.
Inspector Brown looked perplexed. “I don’t think I
quite understand. You said the letter would tell us who is
behind the scandalous story, but it doesn’t. Or does it?”3

What do you think, my dear reader? Does
the letter name anyone?

Unless I’m mistaken — and I seldom am. — Если только я не ошибаюсь,
а я редко ошибаюсь.
2
Just as I thought! — Как я и думал.
3
doesn’t tell us… or does it? — не говорит нам — или все же говорит?
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Extra! Extra!1
Big Accident!
accident

?
“I witnessed an accident at Thirteenth and Avery2 this
afternoon. A man started to cross without waiting for the
traﬃc policeman’s signal, and—”
“Of course he was knocked down and run over by a
motorcar?”
“No, nothing happened to him. That is why I say it was
an accident.”

1
2

Extra! — здесь: Экстренный выпуск!
at hirteenth and Avery — на пересечении 13-й улицы с улицей Эйвери

Лексические и грамматические загадки

It Gave Them
Quite a Shock

?
A travelling businessman booked the last available
space on the sleeper plane from San Francisco to New
York. The dear old lady just behind him in the line seemed
about to burst into tears1 as she told the man at the ticket
window that she absolutely had to arrive in New York on
time2 to see a sick relative.
The businessman, deeply touched, gave up his ticket,
and went to a telegraph oﬃce to wire his ﬁrm.
His oﬃce was amazed next day when this telegram
arrived: “Will be day late. Just gave birth to an old lady.”3

seemed about to burst into tears — казалось, вот-вот разрыдается
she absolutely had to arrive on time — ей непременно нужно было прибыть вовремя. Have с последующим глаголом в неопределенной форме
с частицей to указывает на то, что нечто следует или приходится
сделать.
3
Здесь мы имеем дело с телеграфным стилем, в котором допускается пропуск отдельных слов — местоимений, вспомогательных глаголов и др.

Word and Grammar Puzzles

Last Will and
Testament

Several years ago, a citizen of the French town of
Marseilles made his last will and testament. The will
contained 123 words, out of which 94 were curses.

Name the man’s profession. This rebus may
help you find the right answer.

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Colours
.

!
What colours should you paint1 the sun and the wind?

what colours should you paint — каким цветом следует рисовать
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Too Rich
rich

?
1st СANNIBAL: What’s the matter with you?
2nd СANNIBAL: I’ve got indigestion after having a
millionaire for lunch.1
1st СANNIBAL: Well, I'm not surprised you've got
indigestion. You've been told not to eat anything that's
too rich.

Look Out!

Once upon a time, there lived a Frenchman by the
name of monsieur Gilbert. One day, he travelled to London on business. There, he checked in at a small hotel and
asked for a room that overlooked the street. He was busy
unpacking his suitcase2 when he heard a yell. “Look out!”
someone shouted from the outside. “Why would anyone
want me to look out?”3 thought monsieur Gilbert who
knew some English. He opened the window and looked
1

ater having a millionaire for lunch — пообедав миллионером
he was busy unpacking his suitcase — он как раз распаковывал свой чемодан
3
Why would anyone want me to look out? — Зачем кому-то понадобилось, чтобы я выглянул в окно? (Здесь модальный глагол would подчеркивает недоумение француза.)
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

out. But, before he knew what had happened,1 something hard had hit him on the head. As it turned out later,
some workmen were cleaning the roof (a hurricane had
passed through several days earlier), and were throwing
down branches, pieces of tiling, and that sort of thing.
Monsieur Gilbert fell victim to one of these things. But not
only that. He didn’t seem to know the other meaning of
the phrasal verb look out, which he understood as invitation to look outside. Following that incident,2 the unlucky
Frenchman wrote down in his diary, “The English are very
strange people.3 In their language, Look out! can sometimes mean—”

Finish his sentence. Did the workmen
really want him to look out?

before he knew what had happened — прежде чем он успел понять, что
произошло
2
following that incident — после того инцидента
3
the English — англичане; определенный артикль перед названием
национальности указывает на то, что имеются в виду все люди данной национальности. Ср.: the French — французы, the Japanese — японцы, и т. д.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Bank Robbery

One day, an armed robber burst into a small bank and
took all the cash. The police questioned the witnesses,
but none of them could describe the bandit. They were
so frightened that they could hardly recall any speciﬁcs.
Only an eight-year-old boy, who had accompanied his
father to the bank, noticed more than the other witnesses.
Now,1 that boy was not just an ordinary boy. He liked all
kinds of riddles and brainteasers, and he was determined
to ask the policemen a riddle. He said that the bandit had
a distinguishing mark that might help the police identify
him. However, he refused to say what that mark was.
Instead, he asked for a piece of paper and a pen, and
wrote this:
A, B, C, D, H, J, K, L, M, O, P, Q, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
The policemen spent several hours trying to solve the
riddle, to no avail. There was nothing to do but to bring in2
the famous private detective John Sherlock W.
John Sherlock took the piece of paper. For a moment,
he stared at it silently, then looked up and winked at the boy.
“You will make a very good detective, kid,”3 he
said.“When you grow up, come to me and we shall work
together. That is,4 if you don’t want to become a banker
or an astronaut.”
1
Здесь слово now указывает на то, что сейчас последует важная информация: Следует заметить, что этот мальчик не был обычным
мальчиком.
2
bring in — здесь: обратиться за помощью к кому-л.
3
You will make a very good detective, kid. — Из тебя получится очень
хороший детектив, малыш.
4
that is — здесь: разумеется

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“The man isn’t a novice at what he is doing,” he said
to the policemen. “He managed to escape without raising
suspicion of the constable at the corner. I’m sure you
will easily identify him on the basis of this distinguishing
feature.”

What was that feature?

Tired?

34
-

?
COF FEE
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Three Days
of the Week

Name three consecutive days without using
the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday.

Weirder Things Have
Happened

36
,

.
?

King Charles the First1 walked and talked half an hour
after his head was cut off.
Put some sense into this sentence by adding the
missing punctuation marks.

1
Charles the First — Карл Первый, английский король, был обезглавлен
30 января 1649 года

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Penny-Farthing

These two coins represent a penny and a farthing.

As you can see, one is much larger than the other. In
the 19th century, the word penny-farthing was used to
describe an early type of—

An early type of what? This rebus may
help you work out the right answer:

Word and Grammar Puzzles

Friday

A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three
nights and then left on Friday.

How come?1

The Telephone Number

One evening, while visiting his friend,2 John Sherlock W. was introduced to a young lady.
“Christie,” said the host. “I would like you to meet my
friend, John Sherlock W., the great private detective.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mister W.” said the young lady.
“Please call me John or simply Sherlock.”
“I will call you Sherlock.”
They came into conversation, and after a while, John
Sherlock asked the young lady for her telephone number.
She wrote something on a napkin and handed it to the
detective.
“I hear, you can solve any riddle,” she said. “Maybe
you can solve this one3, too.”
“What is it?” asked John Sherlock.
“My telephone number.”
1

How come? — здесь: Как такое возможно?
while visiting his friend — навещая своего друга
3
this one — вот эту (здесь местоимение one употребляется во избежание повторения существительного riddle)
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

John Sherlock stared at the napkin for a minute, then
smiled and said, “Very well, I will call you later to wish you
goodnight.”
It took John Sherlock W. one minute to solve the
riddle.1 How long will it take you?
These are the words the young lady wrote on the
napkin:

HERE IS MY TELEPHONE NUMBER IF YOU CAN
GUESS IT.

it took John Sherlock one minute — Джону Шерлоку потребовалась
одна минута; здесь и в следующем предложении глагол take указывает
на время, необходимое для чего-л.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Four Dollars for
the Beer
bill

?
A duck walks into a bar and orders a beer.
“Four bucks,” the bartender says.
“Put it on my bill,” answers the duck.

An Anonymous Letter

One day, John Sherlock W. received an anonymous
letter.
“I have it from a reliable source that one of your
enemies will try to poison you at tonight’s dinner,” the
message read. “Be careful about what you eat.1 I can’t
tell you yet which of the dishes will be tampered with,2 but
I will try to find out.”
The letter was signed: “A friend.”
John Sherlock W. read the letter twice. He, indeed,
was invited to dinner that evening. At least, that much
was true.3
1

be careful about what you eat — будьте осторожны в выборе еды
which of the dishes will be tampered with — в какое именно блюдо
будет подсыпан яд; здесь глагол tamper употребляется в значении
«производить определенные манипуляции с чем-л.», в данном случае
с блюдами, которые предполагалось подать на стол.
3
at least that much was true — здесь: по крайней мере эта часть информации соответствовала действительности
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

At dinner, the waiter slipped him a note. John Sherlock
excused himself and left the table to read it.
This is what he read:
“Remove six letters from this word.
“BSAINXLEATNTEARSS.”
“Hmm,” said John Sherlock to himself. “Whoever
drugged it, had certainly done his homework.1 He even
knows that I like—”

What was it that John Sherlock liked so
much?

That Pesky Comma

42
-

?
A woman sent the following note to her minister:2
“A man going to sea, his wife desires the prayers of the
congregation.”
The following Sunday the clergyman innocently gave
out: “A man going to see his wife, desires the prayers of
the congregation.”

do one’s homework — здесь: тщательно подготовиться, не терять
времени даром
2
minister — здесь: священник
Word and Grammar Puzzles

A Letter

One day, John Sherlock W. found his sister in tears. In
her trembling hand she was holding a letter.
“What’s up1, Betty? Has something happened to
George?” he asked, sounding concerned.
George Atkins was his sister’s ﬁancé. They intended
to get married as soon as he ﬁnished his studies. Now he
was at Oxford, reading away2 in preparation for his ﬁnal
exams.
“No… Well, yes,” said Betty. “Something has happened. I don’t think he loves me anymore.”3
“Does he say so in his letter?”
“No. But he has never compared me to a monster
before.”
“Compared you to a monster? How’s that?”4
The girl held the letter out to him.
“Here,” she said, “you can read for yourself.”
John Sherlock W. took the letter and read:
“My dear Betty,
“I miss you very much. I count the days till I may hold
your hands and kiss your beautiful long nails, all twenty
ﬁve upon each hand and as many on your graceful feet.
“Your George.”
1

What’s up? — Что случилось?
read away — усиленно готовиться (away указывает здесь на энергичность и непрерывность действия)
3
No. Well, yes. I don’t think he loves me anymore. — Нет. Хотя да. Я думаю, что он меня больше не любит. (Здесь well — междометие со значением уступки или согласия. Обратите также внимание на место
отрицания в последнем предложении.)
4
How’s that? — Как это?; Почему ты так решила?
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“You see?” said Betty when her brother ﬁnished
reading. “He thinks I’m a centipede or something. Maybe
he has met some other girl, but doesn’t have the courage
to tell me? Maybe he wants me to be the one to break oﬀ
our engagement?”1
“I don’t think there is another girl. I’m afraid, his
immense workload is ﬁnally getting to him.”2
“Do you mean it has driven him crazy?”
“Not necessarily crazy, but he certainly has a
problem.”

What was the young man’s problem?

The Age of a Woman

44
,
.

HE: How old are you?
SHE: Sixteen.
HE: Excuse me?
SHE: I said twice sixteen.
HE: Oh, you said twice sixteen. That’s better.

he wants me to be the one to break of our engagement — он хочет, чтобы (именно) я разорвала нашу помолвку
2
get to sb — здесь: сказываться на ком-либо
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Four-Letter Word

PATIENT: I didn’t like the four-letter word the Doctor
used during my surgery.
NURSE: What was it?

What was it, indeed? Pick one of the
words below:
1. Gosh!
2. Ouch!
3. Oops!
4. Whew!

Business Reports

Как отчитался писатель?
“My business is looking up,” said the astronomer.
“Mine is going up in smoke,” complained the cigar
maker.
“Mine is just sew, sew,” remarked the tailor.
“Mine is growing,” the farmer boasted.
“Mine is looking better,” said the optician.

What did the writer say?

Лексические и грамматические загадки

The Invitation

One time, a lady sent a letter of invitation to the
Commanding Oﬃcer of a company stationed in the town
of B.1 She wrote: “Lady X. requests the pleasure of your
company this Saturday at 5 p. m.”2 The oﬃcer came, but
not alone.

Whom did he bring with him?

After the Wedding

,
,
.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

1
town of B. — город N. (словосочетание, обозначающее некий провинциальный город)
2
requests the pleasure of your company this Saturday at 5 p. m. — имеет
честь пригласить вас в эту субботу, в пять часов пополудни. Или более буквально: Леди Х. просит вас доставить ей удовольствие, составив ей компанию (слова официального приглашения).

Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Learned Professor

Many years ago, the citizens of Crazyland,1 a tiny
country in the middle of nowhere, had gone to develop
Claustrophobia.2 In other words, they became afraid
of Santa Claus and his presents. To cure themselves
of their illness, the people of Crazyland had to bribe
Santa Claus by giving him presents. Since that time, the
Crazylandians, in accordance with the old tradition, give
expensive Christmas presents to all bearded men.
Thus, it is not surprising that, by Christmas, all kinds
of bearded crooks and swindlers try to penetrate the
country, hoping to get lots of good presents. In order to
unmask the uninvited guests, the king of Crazyland hired
John Sherlock W.
Now,3 John Sherlock W. was not a famous detective
for nothing.4 He soon spotted a very suspicions man with
a long, white beard at one of the tables in the popular
downtown café “Crazy Frog”. A small nametag attached
to the left side of his green jacket said: “Learned Professor
Trickster, the farther of modern science, fourty years in
goverment service, personal adviser to the mare.”

Crazyland — Крейзиленд (вымышленная страна)
they had gone to develop Claustrophobia — у них развилась клаустрофобия (здесь глагол go указывает на нежелательное изменение в состоянии здоровья крейзилендцев)
3
Здесь слово now указывает на то, что сейчас последует важная информация: здесь следует заметить, что
4
he was not a famous detective for nothing — он недаром был известным
детективом

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“Bring me more one coﬀee,” said the bearded man in
green jacket to John Sherlock W., apparently mistaking
him for the waiter.
John Sherlock W. gave a mock bow.
“You’re mistaken, I’m not a waiter. But, unlike you,1
I’m not trying to pass myself oﬀ as someone I’m not.”
“What do you mean, young man?”
“I mean, you will have to2 accompany me to the
nearest police station.”

What made the famous detective suspect
that the bearded man was a phony?

Don’t Bark!

bark
k

?
TEACHER: Sam, what is the outside of a tree called?
SAM: I don't know.
TEACHER: Bark, Sam, bark.
SAM: Bow, wow, wow!3

1
2
3

unlike you — в отличие от вас
you will have to — вам придется
Bow, wow, wow! — Гав-гав!
Word and Grammar Puzzles

It Is Still Running

Закончите реплику журналиста.
A noted European lecturer, having delivered his
speech,1 retired to a near-by bar with a couple of
reporters. In the course of his conversation he began
boasting about his expensive Swiss watch which never
lost a minute.2
“That’s nothing compared to American watches,” a
reporter interrupted. “I dropped my dollar watch3 into the
East River4 last year, and it’s been running ever since.”
“What!” said the startled lecturer. “The same watch?”
“No,” said the reporter. “Not the watch. —”

Finish the sentence.

The Parcel

“When I opened the parcel, there was nothing there
but a dead mouse,” said David Jewell.
“But you were expecting a parcel, weren’t you?”
asked John Sherlock W.
1

having delivered his speech — произнеся свою речь; закончив доклад
which never lost a minute — которые никогда не отставали ни на
одну минуту
3
dollar watch — часы стоимостью в один доллар
4
East River — Ист-Ривер (судоходный пролив, отделяющий ньюйоркские районы Манхэттен и Бронкс от Бруклина и Квинса)

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“I was, indeed, but not with a dead mouse, obviously.”
“What did you expect to ﬁnd there?”
Jewell told him.
“Very clever! Almost brilliant! That’s what I call an
ingenious scheme!” John Sherlock cried out, rubbing his
hands with satisfaction.
Jewell looked at him in bewilderment.
“A scheme? What are you saying? That the mouse
was put there on purpose?”
“Pretty much so,”1 answered John Sherlock.
Two days later, the sender of the parcel was arrested
and charged with fraud.

What, do you suppose, happened, and what
did the recipient expect to find in the
parcel?

No Longing for School

miss

?
TEACHER: Tim, you missed school yesterday, didn't
you?
TIM: Not a bit!

Pretty much so. — Скорее всего.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Cave of Ali Baba

In former days, there lived in Persia a man called
Hussein. He was poor. As poor as his neighbour Ali
Baba. One day, passing the house of Ali Baba, he heard
loud voices coming from behind the fence. One voice
belonged to Zeinab, the wife of Ali Baba. The other also
sounded familiar. He soon recognized it as the rasping
voice of Fatima, the wife of the wealthy merchant Kasim,
Ali Baba’s elder brother.
“You’ve got to1 believe me, Fatima. Ali Baba never
meant to cheat his own brother. He kept quiet about that
cave because he wanted to keep you out of trouble. He
thought that the fewer people know about the gold, the
better.”2
Hussein stopped dead in his tracks.
“Gold?” he thought. “What gold can this poor woman
be speaking of?”
Meanwhile, Zeinab continued:
“If the robbers ﬁnd out that someone has been
stealing their gold, they will come and kill us all. If I were
you, I would3 worry about Kasim instead of being angry
with Ali Baba. When did he leave for the cave?”4
“In the morning.”
“You see? He ought to be back by now.”
“Maybe it took him some time to ﬁnd the entrance to
the cave?”
1

you’ve got to — ты должна
the fewer people know about the gold, the better — чем меньше людей
знают о золоте, тем лучше
3
if I were you I would — на твоем месте я бы
4
When did he leave for the cave? — Когда он отправился в пещеру?
2

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“Maybe. Ali Baba says that if you don’t know that
there is a secret entrance to the cave, you may never ﬁnd
it. It is hidden behind some thick and thorny bushes. Ali
Baba ran into it by chance. He was gathering ﬁrewood
near a high mountain when he saw a troop of horsemen
galloping in his direction. He looked around for a place to
hide and saw a large tree. He was scared. He climbed up
the tree and concealed himself in its thick branches. And
it was a wise thing to do. The horsemen stopped near the
tree and dismounted. There were forty of them, and they
were armed. One of them, a man with only one eye — Ali
Baba took him to be their captain1 — came under the tree
in which he was concealed, and making his way through
some shrubs, uttered these strange words: “Open,
sesame!”
“Sesame,” echoed Fatima. “I think it is the name of
some plant.”
“Yes. It seems to be guarding the entrance to some
secret cave where the robbers keep their loot.”
Hussein wished to stay on2 and listen, but a group of
people appeared at the end of the street, and he hurried
away.
At home, he sat down on the ﬂoor mat to mull over the
news.
“Well, well, well,”3 he thought. “I had no idea Ali Baba
has become rich. And that,4 at the expense of some
highwaymen. I ought to go and look for that cave. It’s a
1

Ali Baba took him to be their captain — Али-Баба принял его на их
главаря
2
stay on — оставаться, не уходить. В составе фразового глагола on
часто указывает на продолжение действия. Ср.: Go on! — Продолжай!)
3
Well, well, well — так, так, так!; ну и ну! (Здесь well — междометие со
значением удивления.)
4
and that — да к тому же
Word and Grammar Puzzles

pity Zeinab didn’t mention where it is. But it can’t be too
far away.”
The next morning, Hussein mounted his donkey and
went to look for the cave. A month later, he was still
searching for it. He was getting desperate, when one day,
he ran into a troop of horsemen. The horsemen galloped,
raising clouds of dust behind them, but Hussein noticed
that the man leading the troop had only one eye.
“Robbers!” thought Hussein. “The robbers!”1
He hid behind some bushes and waited. An hour later,
the highwaymen galloped past him for a second time, but
now they were headed in the opposite direction.2 The
way to the riches was free!
After a while, Hussein came to the mountain he had
been looking for. He made his way through the thick and
thorny bushes, and shouted: “Open, sesame!”
The bushes parted, and he saw a small door. It
opened to let him in. Hussein entered the cave, and the
door closed behind him.
He saw a spacious chamber ﬁlled with bales of silk,
gold and silver ingots, and sackfuls of money. The sight of
all those riches made his head spin. But being not greedy
by nature, he took only as much gold as he could carry
in his pockets. If necessary, he could always return and
take more, he thought. He ﬁlled his pockets and headed
for the exit.
“Open, sesame!” he uttered the magic words.
The door remained shut.
He spoke the same words again, but nothing happened. The door did not open.
1
“Robbers!” thought Hussein. “he robbers!” — «Разбойники, — подумал
Хусейн. — Те самые разбойники!»
2
but now they were headed in the opposite direction — но теперь они
скакали в противоположном направлении

Лексические и грамматические загадки

The young man realized that he was trapped.
“The robbers must have noticed that someone has
been stealing their gold, and changed the exit password,”
he thought.
He had to do something.1 If the robbers returned and
found him in the cave, they would kill him. He had to ﬁnd
a way out of the cave.
He decided to look around, in case there was another
entrance.2 He was studying the walls of the cave when
his glance fell upon a drawing carved in the stone wall
surface.
“This cave looks quite old. It even contains rock
paintings,” thought Hussein.
He stepped closer to take a better look at the drawing.
“Hmm… This painting isn’t so old, after all.3 If anything,4 it was made not very long ago. What if it is the new
password? Suppose, the robbers, fearing that one of
them might forget the new password, encoded it in form
of a carved picture?”
Here is the painting he was looking at:

He had to do something. — Он должен был что-то предпринять.
in case there was another entrance — на случай, если там был другой
вход
3
his painting isn’t so old, ater all. — Однако, это изображение не такое
уж и старое.
4
if anything — скорее наоборот; возможно даже

Word and Grammar Puzzles

“Well,” said Hussein, speaking to himself. “This looks
very much like a lemon. If that is the new password, it is
as simple as pie.”
And he said, “Lemon, open the door!”
Again, nothing happened. The door didn’t open. He
uttered the same words again, louder. Nothing.
“It seems, there is more to this picture than meets the
eye.1 What if it is some sort of word game?”
Hussein thought for a while, and pronounced another
word. The moment he uttered it, the door to the cave
opened and let him out.

What word did he utter? What was the new
password?

What Was His Civil
Profession?

“How is recruit Perkins doing,2 Sergeant?” asked the
Captain.
“I think he will become a ﬁne soldier, Sir.”
“Oh, he picks up things fast?”
“Yeah,” answered the Sergeant.

How did the Sergeant explain the fact
that recruit Perkins picked up things
very fast? What was his civil profession?
1

there is more to this picture than meets the eye — с этим рисунком не
все так просто
2
How is recruit Perkins doing? — Как дела у новобранца Перкинса?

Лексические и грамматические загадки

A Wonderful Dog

A man says his dog can jump over his house. No one
believes him but he is right. How is that possible?

The Horse and
the Cart

57
,

draw
w
.
The teacher told the class to draw a horse and a cart.
One boy ﬁnished his work very quickly, so the teacher
went to look and found that the boy had drawn only a
horse.
“What is this?” asked the teacher.
“Well,1 the horse can draw the cart,” came the answer.

Здесь well — междометие, используемое в начале высказывания для
заполнения речевой паузы.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

A Complaint
week
k

weak.

An old woman approached a postmaster and said,
“I’ve been expecting a package of medicine for a
___________back and it hasn’t come yet.”
“For a ____________ back?” asked the postmaster.
“What do you take for it? I have a ____________ back
myself.”
“I’m not interested in your back,” she replied. “What I
want is my package of medicine.”
“Very well,” said the postmaster, “please ﬁll out this
form and state the nature of your complaint.”
“Well,” said the angry woman, “if you really must
know, it’s gas in my stomach.”

A Simple Question

Следующий, казалось бы, простой вопрос поставил в замешательство профессора Головоломкина.
Может быть, вы сумеете найти на него ответ? Напомню: это языковая загадка!

Which travels faster — heat or cold?

Лексические и грамматические загадки

A Lesson in Manners

gentleman
?
This is the way1 an agent got a lesson in manners.
He called at a business oﬃce, and saw nobody but a
young woman.
“Where is the boss?” he asked rather rudely.
“What is your business?”2 she asked politely.
“None of yours!”3 he snapped. “I have a proposition to
lay before this ﬁrm, and I want to talk to somebody about
it.”
“And you would rather talk to a gentleman?”
“Yes.”
“Well,”4 answered the woman, smiling sweetly, “so
would I.5 But it seems that it’s impossible for either one
of us. So we’ll have to make the best of it.6 State your
business, please, because I am the boss.”

this is the way — вот каким образом
What is your business? — Вы по какому делу?
3
None of yours! — Здесь: не вашего ума дело; вас это не касается. (Так
называемая абсолютная форма yours заменяет здесь притяжательное местоимение your вместе с существительным business: (It is) none
of your business.
4
Well — ну что тут поделаешь. Здесь well — междометие, указывающее на то, что говорящий готов принять существующее положение
вещей, хотя оно его не особенно радует.
5
So would I. — Я бы тоже это предпочла.
6
make the best of sth — оптимальным образом использовать создавшееся положение
2

Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Death of
the Art Collector

A man was found dead on the ﬂoor of his dining room,
lying in a pool of blood. A large knife stuck out of his back.
“Who found the body?” asked John Sherlock W. of
Inspector Gregson, who had called the famous detective
asking him for help.
“A neighbour. She noticed that the door to the victim’s
apartment stood ajar. That was out of the ordinary. The
man owned a valuable collection of paintings and always
kept the door to his apartment under lock and key. The
old woman suspected foul play and called the police.”
“Is anything missing?”1
“Yes. The thief made away with several paintings. We
have found two empty frames in the study and three in
the bedroom.”
“I take it,2 you have no doubts as to the cause of
death?”
“None whatsoever.3 The man was stabbed. The
murderer sneaked up from behind and plunged the knife
into the victim’s back. Then he left, taking the paintings
with him. However, the victim didn’t die instantaneously.
He had just enough time to leave us a message.4 I think,
he tried to tell us the killer’s name, though I must confess,
the message doesn’t make much sense to me.”
“What did he write?”
1

Is anything missing? — Ничего не пропало?
I take it — насколько я понимаю
3
none whatsoever — абсолютно никаких (сомнений)
4
He had just enough time to leave us a message. — У него хватило времени на то, чтобы оставить нам сообщение.

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“Just one word: LEADER.”
“Leader,” John Sherlock repeated pensively.
He thought for a minute and then asked:
“Do you know who the victim had been buying his
paintings from?”
“No, but we can ﬁnd out.”
“Do that. And when you have found the man, arrest
him.”

The art collector wrote the word LEADER,
but, obviously, he meant something else.
What did he mean?

What Could He
Have Said?1

They had just renewed their acquaintance after ﬁve
years.
“Upon my word, Miss Brown,” he said, “you have
changed so much I would hardly have known you.”
“For the better or for the worse?”2 she asked, with an
arch look.
“Ah, my dear girl, you could only change for the
better!”
Then he wondered why she walked away.

1
2

What could he have said? — Что он такого мог сказать?
For the better or for the worse? — В лучшую или в худшую сторону?
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Two Angels
?

Two angels were sent to earth to walk as men for a
time. After a long day, they came upon a nice dwelling.
They asked the owner if they might1 spend the night
and rest after a long journey. The owner, a person of
substantial means, ﬁnally gave into the request and let
them use the old cellar in the back of the house. As they
prepared for sleep, the older angel saw that one of the
walls was on the verge of collapse. He used his ability to
perform miracles and repaired the wall.
“Why did you do that for people who are obviously
very greedy?” asked the younger angel.
The older simply replied, “_________.”
The next evening they came upon a small dwelling in
the woods.
The farmer and his wife invited the two strangers to
share with them their meager meal and let them sleep in
their own bed as they appeared to be very tired and in
need of rest.
The next morning, the angels found the farmer and his
wife in the small back yard grieving over the death of their
only cow. As they walked down the road, the younger
angel became angry and said, “The cow meant a lot to
these poor people. It was very unjust of you to let it die.”
The older angel turned his face to him and said, “The
other night I noticed that behind the collapsing wall there
1

if they might — нельзя ли им

Лексические и грамматические загадки

was an old vault ﬁlled with treasures and gold. I didn’t
want the unworthy people lay hands on it, so I repaired
the wall. Last night1 while we slept, the angel of death
came to take the farmer’s wife. I convinced him to take
the cow instead. __________.”
Варианты:
1. Things are not always what they seem.
2. A little learning is a dangerous thing.
3. Actions speak louder than words.
4. A fool and his money are soon parted.

He Was Not Angry
?
,

.
PATIENT: Doctor, I’m sorry to drag you so far out in
the country2 on such a bad night.
DOCTOR: Oh, it’s all right.3 I have another patient
near here so I can—
Варианты:
1. give you enough rope so that you can hang yourself
2. let sleeping dogs lie
3. let the dead bury the dead
4. kill two birds with one stone
1

last night — здесь: сегодня ночью (то есть той ночью, что только
что закончилась)
2
drag you so far out in the country — вытащить вас в такую глушь
3
it’s all right — ничего страшного
Word and Grammar Puzzles

What Was Her Name?

One day, Mr. Jones got oﬀ the train in Chicago and
while passing through the railway station, met a friend he
had not seen in years. With his friend was a little girl.
“Well, I certainly am glad to see you,” said Mr. Jones.1
“Same here,”2 said his friend. “Since I last saw you,
I’ve married — to someone you never knew. This is my
little girl.”
“I’m glad to meet you,” said Mr. Jones. “What’s your
name?”
“It’s the same as my mother’s,” answered the little
girl.
“Oh! Nice to meet you, Anne!” said Mr. Jones.

How did Mr. Jones know the little girl's
name?

Rearrange the Letters

Rearrange the letters in the words “new
door” to make one word.

Здесь слово certainly выполняет роль усилителя: Well, I certainly am
glad to see you. — Как же я рад тебя видеть!
2
Same here. — Я тоже. (Устойчивая фраза.)

Лексические и грамматические загадки

What Was His Name?

A man was about to board an airplane1 when,
suddenly, he spotted an old friend. He cried out his name,
after which he was immediately arrested.

What was the friend's name?

Be Polite

XQQQME
1

was about to board an airplane — уже собирался сесть в самолет
(Конструкция be about to do sth указывает на то, что некое действие
должно вот-вот совершиться.)
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Don’t Get
Your Hopes Up!1

James Tucker was a bachelor. Women didn’t like
him because he was bold, pail, and, by far, not all that
athletic.2
One summer afternoon, a very beautiful woman came
up to him in the street. She had the appearance of a
real lady. James could hardly believe his ears when the
woman asked him to accompany her.
“I will follow you anywhere, Miss,” he said, feeling as if
all his dreams had suddenly come true.
The woman took him to her place.
They entered the house and went straight to the
bedroom.
“Take oﬀ your clothes. I’ll be right back,” said the
woman.
James took oﬀ his clothes and waited. After some
time, the door opened and the woman entered the room
followed by a boy3 of about seven. The woman pointed at
James and said, “Do you see this man, Johnny? Do you
see how pale and thin and ugly he is? You will be like him
if you don’t eat your soap!”
1

don’t get your hopes up — не следует себя чрезмерно обнадеживать
by far not all that athletic — далеко не атлетического телосложения
(Cлова all that играют здесь роль усилителя.)
3
followed by a boy of about seven — за ней шел мальчик лет семи

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Wrong Word

Назовите слово, которое не мог вспомнить студент.
Some words look much alike, but have far diﬀerent
meanings.
The subject in the physiology class for the day was
the brain. A student was called upon by the teacher to
describe the brain. The student stood up and told about
the brain being divided into two parts,1 grey matter, and
so forth, “and,” said he, “the brain has deep folds called
convulsions.” This caused a laugh among the members
of the class, the professor included; but the young man
did not see anything about which to laugh. He again
proceeded to explain the convulsions of the brain. The
teacher came to the rescue of the much embarrassed
student by explaining that the word was not convulsions
but __________.

Name the word.

told about the brain being divided into two parts — стал рассказывать
о том, что мозг делится на две части
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Jealousy
Based on the story by Jack London

Once upon a time, there was a lion tamer who was in
love with the wife of the juggler by the name of De Ville.
De Ville hated the lion tamer and plotted to murder him.
But he was a very clever man, and he planned out his
revenge very carefully. So, when the lion tamer ﬁnally
died, everyone thought that it was an accident. Such
terrible accidents do happen1 from time to time to a lion
tamer who dares to put his head into the lion’s mouth.
And this is exactly what happened2 to Wallace — that
was the lion tamer’s name. The lion’s jaws clamped shut,
crunch,3 and the lion tamer was dead. Just like that.4
As I have mentioned earlier, everyone thought that
it was an accident until the trapezeman bent over the
dead man’s body, and sneezed. He, then, remembered5
De Ville drawing his handkerchief from his pocket
and pretending to wipe the sweat from his face with it.
Meanwhile, De Ville walked past Wallace’s back6, and
there was a strange look on his face. The look troubled
the trapezeman at the time7, for not only did he see
hatred in it, but he saw triumph, as well.
1

do happen — действительно случаются; здесь глагол do выполняет
функцию усилителя.
2
this is exactly what happened — именно это случилось
3
crunch — хрусть! (Используется здесь как звукоподражательное
слово.)
4
just like that раз — и все; вот так просто
5
he, then, remembered — и тогда он вспомнил, как
6
walked past his back — прошел мимо за го спиной
7
at the time — тогда, в тот момент

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and
he saw the complete picture. It was no accident; it was a
well-planned, premeditated murder!

What was there, in the handkerchief, that
killed the lion tamer? This rebus will
help you find the right answer.

7, 4, 5, 1, 2, 2, 4

High Opinion

?
There was a young girl, a sweet lamb,
Who smiled as she entered a tram.
After she had embarked
The conductor remarked
“Your fare.” And she said, “Yes, I am.”
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Suicide?

“Hello! Police? My wife has committed suicide! Oh, it
is so terrible, so terrible!”
“Please, calm down, Sir! How do you know it was
suicide?”
“She left a suicide note.”
“What is your address, Sir?”
“47, Black Hills Blvd.1 My name is Sam Fawcett.”
“Alright, Commissar Collins will be there within twenty
minutes, Mr. Fawcett.”
Twenty minutes later Commissar Collins was already
questioning the witness.
“I was in my study when I suddenly heard a shot. It
came from my wife’s room. I rushed there, but it was too
late. She was already dead,” said Fawcett.
“Have you touched anything? Moved the body,
perhaps?”
“No, no — of course not. Why would I?2 When I entered
the room, Edith was sitting at the table like she is now.
The moment I saw her,3 I knew that she was dead. There
was nothing I could do. I couldn’t help her. Then I saw this
note … her ﬁnal goodbye…”
Collins took the note and read:
“This is sort of my ﬁnal goodbye to my husband
who always was and is my love, but I, planning to mend
things,4 could kill his great love for me. Edith.”
1
2
3
4

Blvd. = Boulevard, бульвар
Why would I? — Зачем бы я стал это делать?
the moment I saw her — как только я ее увидел
mend things — все поправить (об отношениях между людьми)

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“A very strange suicide note,” said the commissar.
“Very strange, indeed.”
“That was my impression, also,” answered Fawcett.
“It’s rather bewildering. Puzzling, I would say.”
“I agree. The note does sound cryptic,1 but I think that
I may have worked out the puzzle. Samuel Fawcett, you
are under arrest for the murder your wife. I would ask you
to accompany me to the police station.”

What made the commissar suspect
Fawcett of having killed his wife?

A Difference
of Gender

Sam

,
,

When M. Cambon was French ambassador to the
United States he visited Chicago and was shown the sights
of the city by the mayor. The ambassador expressed his
thanks for the mayor’s kindness. “But,” he added, “I am
sorry to cockroach on your time.”
“Oh,” answered the mayor, “don’t think of that. But
you don’t mean cockroach; it is encroach, you mean.”
“Oh, is it? I see — a diﬀerence of gender.”

he note does sound cryptic — записка действительно звучит загадочно, непонятно (Здесь глагол does выполняет функцию усилителя.)
Word and Grammar Puzzles

The Unfaithful Wife

“Your move,” said John Sherlock W. to his brother-inlaw George.
Suddenly, he looked up from the chessboard,
listening.
“Hang on… I think we have a visitor.”
“This late?”1
John Sherlock rose from his chair, crossed the room
and drew back the window curtains to survey the street
below. Through the rain-spattered window, he saw a car
pull up at the door of his house.
“It’s a gentleman,” he said, pressing his nose against
the cold glass. “A stranger.”
“Oh! It must be Jack! I quite forgot… How stupid of
me!” said George.
“Jack? Jack who?”
“Jack Fisher. You don’t know him. We work together.
He asked me this morning if he could consult you, and I
gave him your address. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
“That’s OK.2 Why don’t you go and let him in?”
After the usual introductions, the visitor said, “I think
my wife is cheating on me.”
“What makes you think so?” asked John Sherlock W.
“She gets letters. Weird letters.”
“How do you mean, weird?”3
“I think she and her lover use some sort of a code.”
1

his late? — Так поздно? (Здесь this — не указательное местоимение,
а наречие со значение «так, настолько, до такой степени».)
2
hat’s OK. — Ничего страшного. (Говорится в ответ на извинение.)
3
How do you mean, weird? — Что значит странные?; В каком смысле
странные?

Лексические и грамматические загадки

“Is it possible to take a look at these letters?”
“Yes. I have one with me. What remained of it, that is.1
She had torn them up. I ﬁshed this one out of the wastepaper basket,” said the visitor, putting an envelope on
the table beside the chessboard. “Maybe you can make
something of it.2 I couldn’t.”
John Sherlock emptied the envelope onto the table. It
contained one small piece of paper. Here it is:
ABCDEFGHĲKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ
“It looks like nonsense to me,” said George who had
placed himself behind the detective and was now looking
over his shoulder.
“That was my impression, too,” said the visitor. “What
do you think, John Sherlock?”
“I think you have reasons to be worried, buddy.”
“So, it’s— It’s true? She is cheating on me?”

that is — то есть: What remained of them, that is. — То есть то, что
от них осталось.
2
make sth of sth — быть в состоянии понять что-л. на основании
чего-л.: Maybe you can make something of it. — Может быть, вы сможете его расшифровать.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

“Well,1 this short message sounds rather harmless
and doesn’t tell us beyond doubt that the correspondent
is a man. But the fact that your wife didn’t want you to
read the letters seems alarming.”

It took John Sherlock W. less than five
minutes to decipher the messages. How
long will it take you?

Following His Own
Prescription
disagree
?

“Do not take anything that disagrees with you,”
advised the doctor. Then he went on his vacation and left
his wife at home.

well — да как вам сказать (Здесь well — междометие, свидетельствующее о неуверенности говорящего.)

Лексические и грамматические загадки

On the Boat
.
,

—
single.

A boat full of people goes under a bridge. When it
comes out the other side, not a single person is on it. How
can this be?

Why Was She So Fat?
.

.
There once was a very large1 lady in our town. She
wore a dress size 16.2 I knew her when she was young,
but she had a much smaller size.
Why do you think she is now wearing a size 16?

large — здесь: толстый

Американский размер одежды, соответствует 50-му российскому
размеру.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

Mysteries of the
Unexplained

“Do you believe in the paranormal, Inspector?” asked
Sergeant Smart.
Inspector Rellik was taken aback.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious, that’s all.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s that movie. ‘Mysteries of the Unexplained’. Have
you seen it?”
“No. And I don’t think I’m going to.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t believe in the paranormal. Things
remain unexplained until they are explained one day.”
“Wait till you see a real wonder. You know what? Let’s
make a bet. I will show you something, and if you agree
that it is a wonder, you will pay me a hundred dollars. If
you can explain it, I will pay you a hundred dollars.”
“Deal!” agreed the inspector eagerly. “An extra
hundred dollars would come in handy right now. Where
is your wonder?”
“Right here, in the park.”
Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a
large circus tent. A barker in a shabby tailcoat was trying
to attract attention of the public.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Today is your last chance
to see the great magician Nat Alraсh, the only man in
the world who can read, with his ﬁngertips,1 a message
written on ordinary paper! For only ten dollars, you will
see a real wonder!”
1

with his ingertips — кончиками пальцев

Лексические и грамматические загадки

They paid the entrance fee and took their seats.
About thirty other spectators already sat on folding chairs
around a small arena. The great magician didn’t keep
his audience waiting. It was a tall man with a surprisingly
asymmetric face and a heavy hypnotic look. He bowed
to the audience, took oﬀ his top hat and shook it to show
that it was empty, then produced a small notebook out of
the apparently empty hat.
The inspector was not impressed — he had seen this
trick a dozen times. The magician tore several pages
from a notebook and addressed the public.
“I am Nat Alraсh, the only man who can read something written on ordinary paper with his ﬁngertips. Now,
you have a chance to see it with your own eyes. Will ten
volunteers kindly step forward!”
Several people approached the stage. Among them,
there was a young blond woman who looked really
stunning. Even the inspector had to admit it. When she
rose from her seat, Smart jumped up and hurried to join
the participants in the experiment.
“Each of you will write a few words on these sheets
of paper,” the magician explained to his audience as he
passed around the torn pages. “You may write anything
you like.”
The participants eagerly scribbled away1 on their
pieces of paper.
“Now, if you might kindly roll them up into tubes and
throw them into this hat.” The magician pointed to his top
hat which he had placed on a small table.
The volunteers obeyed.
“Thank you. You may return to your seats. And now, I
will need all your attention!”
1

scribbled away — принялись быстро писать; слово away в составе
фразового глагола указывает здесь на энергичность действия.
Word and Grammar Puzzles

With these words, the magician dipped his hand into
the hat. The audience froze in anticipation.
The magician took out one of the rolled up notes and
felt it with his ﬁngers.
“Aha! I think I’ve got it!” he cried out triumphantly.
“This note says, ‘I don’t believe this nonsense.’ Who
wrote this?”

ink I‛ve
Aha! I th
got it!

“I did,” answered the blonde. She looked shocked.
“I… I didn’t mean to oﬀend you. I was sure you wouldn’t
be able to read it.”
“For a moment I thought it was written by a man.
Because of the handwriting. Let’s make sure that I was
right.”
He unrolled the note and said, “Aha! Just like I thought.
You do have a male handwriting!”
The audience burst into a round of applause.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here,” the magician
continued, dipping his hand into the hat. “Here we have
an almost childish handwriting. The content also sounds

Лексические и грамматические загадки

rather naïve, if not stupid. Long live the blondes! Who is
the author of this masterpiece?”
“I object!” cried out Sergeant Smart, jumping up from
his seat.
“What exactly do you object to?” sneered the magician. “The childish handwriting?”
“Everything!”
People around were giggling.
“I have merely voiced my impression, that’s all. Let’s
see if I was correct,” said the magician unfolding the
piece of paper.
The same way, the magician read the remaining eight
notes. He didn’t make a single mistake. The audience
awarded him with thunderous applause.
“Well,” said the sergeant when they were leaving the
tent. “What did I say? It was a real feat of magic1, wasn’t
it? I want to see my hundred dollars.”
“I’m afraid, my dear friend, you are the one who will
have to part with a hundred dollars,”2 answered the
inspector, “because the whole thing was nothing but bluﬀ.
The man is a swindler. He doesn’t even hide the fact.”
“I wouldn’t jump to such hasty conclusions if I were
you, Inspector.”
“You mean, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones?”3
“Exactly.”
1

a real feat of magic — настоящая магия
are the one who will have to part with a hundred dollars — это вам придется расстаться с сотней долларов
3
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. — Живущий в стеклянном доме не должен бросать в других камни (Пословица, смысл которой сводится к тому, что тот, кто сам небезупречен, не должен
осуждать других.)
2

Word and Grammar Puzzles

“Okay, okay,” said the inspector, conciliatory. “Maybe
this is not so important. What matters more is the fact that
he always unfolded the note after having ‘read’ it with his
ﬁngers.”
“To make sure that he had read it correctly.”
“I don’t think so. I think, it gives us a clue. If we add
to this that he and the blonde work together, everything
becomes as clear as daylight.”

Before we proceed with the story, I would
like you to answer the following three
questions:
Q u e s t i o n 1: What did the inspector
mean saying that the magician didn’t
even try to hide the fact that he was a
charlatan?
Q u e s t i o n 2: What was all that talk
about the glass houses and the stones?
What was the sergeant alluding to?
78

Лексические и грамматические загадки

Q u e s t i o n 3: How did the magician cheat
the audience? Do you have any ideas?
If, upon reflection, you still don’t know
the answers, you will find them in the
remainder of the story.

II
Загадки и ребусы

Загадки и ребусы

II
Riddles

Riddles

A Zulu Legend

Once upon a time in Africa, there lived a man who was
known to be quite lazy. One day, he thought that he had
had enough of working.1 He tied his mattock to his back
so that he couldn’t see it2 and it wouldn’t remind him of
work.

What did the mattock turn into after some
time? And the man himself? What became of
him?
These two rebuses may help you find the
right answer.

1
he thought that he had had enough of working — он решил, что хватит
с него работать
2
so that he couldn’t see it — чтобы не видеть ее

Загадки и ребусы

The Painting

In 1771, Russian Countess Dashkova visited the
German town of Danzig. One of the walls of her hotel
room was decorated with a painting depicting Russian
soldiers begging the Germans for mercy — and this after
the triumphant capture of Berlin by the Russian army!
Filled with indignation, the Countess sent her servant to
the nearest shop.

What did she want him to buy and how did
she intend to use the purchase?
This rebus may help you find the answer to
the first question.

Riddles

The Clever Chess
Player

One day, a monkey chanced to see the Gods play chess.
Watching them, it, too, learned to play, and soon could
play very well. One day, humans came to watch the Gods
play, but the Gods didn’t want to be seen by humans and
disappeared. The monkey took the opportunity to show the
humans its skill. And, indeed, it beat all its opponents.
The people brought the clever monkey to the King.
The best chess players of the country gathered in the
King’s palace to measure their skill against that of the
monkey, but the monkey was far too skillful for them.
It so happened that one of the best chess players of
the Kingdom was in prison. The King ordered his men to
unchain him and bring him to the palace. He promised
the man to pardon him if he could beat the monkey. The
chess player sat down to play. And what do you think
happened? He won three times in a row!

How did he do that? Was he really a better
player than the monkey?

Difficult Choice

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose
between three rooms. The ﬁrst is full of raging ﬁres, the
second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third
is full of lions that haven’t eaten in 3 years. Which room is
safest for him?

Загадки и ребусы

The Blemish

A merchant had a large elephant up for sale. A man
approached the elephant and began to examine it very
carefully. The merchant walked up to him and whispered
in his ear, “Don’t say anything about that elephant ’till I
have sold it, and I’ll make you a present.”
“Alright,” said the man.
After the elephant had been sold, the merchant gave
the man one tenth of the price he had received for it,
saying, “Now, will you tell me how you found that blemish
on the elephant’s foreleg? I thought, it was quite hidden.”
“I never found any blemish,” said the man.
“Then why did you examine the elephant so
thoroughly?”
“Because —”

Why, do you suppose, had the man examined
the elephant so thoroughly?
Riddles

The Story of an African
King and His Friend

One African King had a close friend who, no matter
what happened, used to say, “This is good.”
One day, the King and his friend were out on a hunting
expedition.1 The friend prepared and loaded the guns for
the King. Suddenly, one of the guns backﬁred,2 and the
King lost his thumb.
His friend remarked according to his custom, “This is
good!”
Wincing in pain, the King replied, “No, this is NOT
good!” and ordered his soldiers to throw the man in the
dungeon.
About a year later, during another hunting expedition,
the King fell into the hands of cannibals. The cannibals
captured the King and his companion, and took them to
their village. There, they tied them to a pole near a huge
cooking pot.
After a while, the square around them was ﬁlled with
people. The whole village seemed to have turned out to
have a look at the strangers.
“It is nice of our hosts to give us some supper.
I wouldn’t want to die on an empty stomach,” said the
King’s companion.
“Something tells me, WE are their supper,” the King
replied.
“I thought that cannibals liked their food raw.”
1
were out on a hunting expedition были на охоте; здесь expedition — поездка с развлекательной целью.
2
the gun backired — у ружья разорвало ствол (из-за разрыва патрона
в казенной части)

Загадки и ребусы

“So did I,1 but, I’m afraid, we were both mistaken.”
The chief of the tribe noticed them talking and became
curious.
“What are you two talking about?” he asked them.
“We are just killing time solving each other’s riddles,”2
was the answer.
“Riddles!” said the chief. “This is good.”
He went back to his people and spoke to them for
some time, gesticulating and pointing at their prospective
supper. Then, he came back.
“My people like riddles, too,” he said. “We think that it
will be much more fun if we let the two of you solve one of
our riddles before we eat you. If you work it out, we shall
set you free. What do you say?”
“We agree,” the King replied.

1
2

so did I — я тоже так думал
solving each other’s riddles — здесь: загадывая друг другу загадки
Riddles

“Very well, then,” the chief said and stepped aside to
make room for a very old cannibal who was holding a long
stick decorated with feathers and ribbons.
The old man pounded his stick on the ground and
pronounced in a deep, hollow voice:
“It only goes up, and never goes down. What is it?”
“You’ve heard the riddle,” the chief said. “You have
three minutes to solve it.”
Three minutes later, they still didn’t know the right
answer.
“You had your chance,” said the chief of the cannibal
tribe, “and you have failed. Say your prayers.”
“Wait! We can’t eat that one,” interrupted him the
old man with the stick, pointing at the King. “He has one
ﬁnger missing. It is a bad omen.”
The chief came closer and examined the stump where
the thumb had once been.
“You’re right, Bao Bamba. We cannot eat him,” he said.
“You can return to your people,” he said, addressing
the King. “Your friend, however, shall stay.”1
The cannibals untied the King and chased him out of
the village.
On the way to his palace, the King thought back to the
event that had taken his thumb, and felt remorseful for his
treatment of his friend. He went straight to the dungeon
to speak with him.
“You were right,” he said. “It was good that my thumb
had been shot oﬀ.”
And he told the friend what had happened to him and
his companion during the last hunt. “I am very sorry for
sending you to jail for so long.”
1

shall stay — останется; употребление shall вместо will в третьем
лице придает высказыванию значение категорического требования.

Загадки и ребусы

“Don’t be sorry,” his friend replied, “this is good.”
“I wronged you, and this is not good.”
“And still, it is,”1 the King’s friend replied. “Had I not
been in jail, I would have been2 with you on that hunting
trip. And I don’t know the answer to that riddle, either.”

Do you?

Who Broke the Plate?

A family has just ﬁnished having their dinner. The
father and his nine-year-old son are in the living room,
watching TV. The mother and the daughter are in the
kitchen, washing dishes. Suddenly, the men hear a loud
crashing sound like dishes shattering into pieces.3 They
froze for a moment, listening, but no other sound came.
“Mom has broken a plate,” said the boy.
“How can you tell it was Mom?”4
The boy explained.

How could the boy tell it was his mother
who broke a plate and not his sister?

and still, it is — и все же, это хорошо
had I not been in jail I would have been — если бы я не был в тюрьме,
я был бы
3
like dishes shattering into pieces — подобный тому, который производит бьющаяся посуда
4
how can you tell — откуда ты знаешь; как ты определил
2

Riddles

The Ancient Lie
Detector

According to an ancient legend, the ﬁrst lie detector
was invented many years ago in India. A certain priest
claimed to possess a magic donkey who could easily
expose a liar. The suspect was escorted into a dark
room with a donkey. As he testiﬁed, he had to hold the
donkey’s tail. If he told a lie, the donkey would bray. After
the interrogation, the priest could always tell whether the
suspect had told the truth.1

How?

The Bedroom

Everyone in town knew John Eastman, a businessman
who was famous for his hilarious parties and the pranks
he liked to play on his guests.
Mr. Eastman sold furniture and had a large furniture
store downtown. He lived in the same building, on the
second ﬂoor. He often invited friends and acquaintances
to his house, choosing his guests and the victims of his
pranks carefully.
Onу Saturday afternoon, he called his old school
friend, Jeremy Flint, who had just returned to his native
1

whether the suspect had told the truth — сказал ли подозреваемый
правду

Загадки и ребусы

town after a long stay abroad, and invited him and his wife
to a party.
When Mr. and Mrs. Flint arrived at 8 o'clock, they
found the house full of guests. People ate, drank and
danced. The Flints joined in the revelry.
After midnight, the guests started to leave. Mr. and
Mrs. Flint were about to go, when the host stopped them.
“Why don’t you stay the night?1” he said. “With so
many people around,2 we’ve had no chance to talk.
Tomorrow, I will take you home in my car.”
The unsuspecting Flints accepted the invitation. They
chatted for some time about this and that, then the host
took his guests to their room.
It was a beautifully furnished room with a large bed,
a wardrobe, two night tables, a chest of drawers, and a
large window. The host wished them goodnight and went
to his room.
The tired guests fell asleep almost immediately. They
were awakened early in the morning by what sounded like
loud voices. Opening their eyes, they could see a street
full of people — men, women, children. Some laughed,
pointing at them with their ﬁngers, some cried: “Good
morning! Time to get up!”

What was going on? Where had all those
people come from?

1
2

stay the night — остаться на ночь
with so many people around — когда вокруг было столько людей
Riddles

The Contest

Once upon a time there was a king who had a son. Like
any father, he wanted his son to marry a beautiful and
clever girl. There were many beautiful girls in his kingdom,
but how could he tell a clever girl from a stupid one?1
The king decided to arrange a contest. He invited
several girls from the best families, and gave each of
them a kettle ﬁlled with water. “All you have to do is to
boil this water,” he said to the girls. “The one whose kettle
boils ﬁrst, will marry my son.”
Now,2 there was a girl among the contestants who
was in love with another young man and didn’t want to
marry the king’s son. But as ill luck would have it,3 the
water in her kettle boiled ﬁrst.

Why did it happen?

tell one from another — отличить одно от другого
now — здесь: ну так вот (Указывает на то, что сейчас последует
самое главное.)
3
as ill luck would have it — как нарочно, как назло

Загадки и ребусы

The Clever Princess

Once upon a time there lived a princess. She was
twenty-two years old, but was still unmarried. It is not to
say that1 she was ugly — far from it!2 Her problem was
that she had a quick and brilliant mind. All the kings and
princes, who came to ask her hand in marriage, were just
not smart enough for her. When they arrived, loaded with
gifts, she asked them to solve one of her riddles, and no
one had passed her test so far.
As time went on, her father was getting more and
more worried.
“You’ve got to get married,” he said to his beautiful
and intelligent daughter. “What will people say? It does
not become a princess to stay single.”
“But, Father, it is not my fault that all these kings and
princes are so stupid. I couldn’t live with a stupid man.
You don’t want me to be unhappy, do you?”
The King didn’t. After all, this stubborn girl was his
only daughter, and he loved her very much.
One day, he summoned his ministers and said, “My
daughter refuses to marry a fool, and I can’t say that I
blame her for that. But she can’t stay unmarried, either.
We must do something about it.3 You are my ministers —
you must ﬁnd a way.”
“Maybe we should broaden the circle of potential
suitors?” suggested one of the ministers.
“What do you mean?” asked the King.
1
2
3

it is not to say — не то чтобы; мы не хотим сказать, что
far from it — это далеко не так
do something about it — что-то предпринять (в связи с этим)
Riddles

“If there are no smart young men among the princes,
then perhaps we can ﬁnd some among young men of
lower status?”
“Of lower status?” exclaimed the other ministers in
unison. “This is unheard of!1 A princess can’t marry an
ordinary man, can she?”
“He will not be an ordinary man. He will be a very
intelligent young man. Don’t forget that,” said the
minister. “As for the status,2 the times are changing. The
status is not so important nowadays as it used to be some
two hundred years ago.”
“Any concrete ideas?” asked the King.
“We could conduct a brain tournament,” said the
clever minister.
“A brain tournament? Hmm.”
The King thought for a while, and then said, “Well, if
there are no other suggestions, we might as well try this
one.3 I think, it is worth a go.4 It doesn’t commit us to
anything, but oﬀers the Princess the opportunity to look
around.”
So, he went to his clever daughter and asked her to
write down for him a few of her riddles. After that, he sent
his messengers to all parts of the country and beyond5 to
announce his will.
“Any young man who solves these three riddles,” read
the announcement,6 “has to present himself at the King’s
palace for the second round of the brain tournament.”
1

his is unheard of! — Это неслыханно!
as for the status — что касается статуса
3
we might as well try this one — то почему бы нам не попробовать это
4
I think, it is worth a go. — Я думаю, стоит попытаться. (Здесь go —
попытка.)
5
and beyond — и за ее пределы
6
read the announcement — говорилось в сообщении
2

Загадки и ребусы

Here are the three riddles the young men had to solve:
1. Why is your shadow like a bad friend?
2. Why does a man’s hair usually turn grey sooner
than his moustache?
3. Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it,
knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?

You, too, can try and solve these riddles.
See if you might have had a chance to
marry the beautiful princess if you
happened to live1 in that time and place.

if you happened to live — случись вам жить
Riddles

In Need of a Haircut

Captain Frank was passing through a small town when
he decided to get a haircut. There was only one barber’s
shop in town, and it employed two barbers. One of the
barbers had a nice, neatly trimmed head of hair,1 and
the other looked like his hair had been cut with a pair of
hedge clippers.

Which of the two barbers should Captain
Frank choose to cut his hair and why?

The Power
of Observation

Two old gentlemen were strolling the streets of Paris.
These morning strolls had long become part of their daily
routine.2 Every morning, right after breakfast, they went
for a walk — to limber up their old bones and to admire
the morning Paris with the beautiful women.
It was about 11 when they turned into a small alley.
At that hour, the street was almost deserted. It was a
residential area, devoid of any oﬃces or shops.
Suddenly, one of the old men said, “That’s a very
beautiful girl!”
1

nice, neatly trimmed head of hair — хорошо и аккуратно подстриженная шевелюра
2
hese morning strolls had long become part of their daily routine. — Эти
утренние прогулки давно вошли у них в привычку, стали частью их повседневной жизни.

Загадки и ребусы

“Where do you see a beautiful girl?” said the other.
“I don’t see one anywhere.1 I only see two young men.”
“The girl is behind us,” said the ﬁrst man.
“But how can you see her, then?” asked his friend.
“I haven’t noticed you turn round.”
“I didn’t,” the ﬁrst man said, smiling. “There was no
need for that.”

How did the old man know that there was
a beautiful girl behind them? Not just a
woman or any girl (he would have guessed
that much from the clicking sound of shoe
heels)2, but a beautiful girl. Don’t
forget that there were no shops, so he
couldn’t have seen her reflection in the
shop window.

The Worst Sailor

Jimmy White was one of the worst sailors on the ship.
He was lazy, untidy and quarrelsome. And still, one day
the captain said, “I would like to have ten sailors like Jim.”

Why would he say that about a bad sailor?

I don’t see one anywhere. — Я нигде не вижу никакой девушки. (Здесь местоимение one употребляется во избежание повторения слова girl.)
2
not just a woman or any girl (he would have guessed that much from the
clicking sound of shoe heels) — не просто женщина или любая девушка
(об этом он догадался бы по стуку каблучков)
Riddles

The Wise Mandarin

Once upon a time in China, there lived a very wise
mandarin. He was very popular with the people of China,
and, thus, envied and hated by other Chinese nobles.
They schemed and plotted against the mandarin until he
fell into disfavour with the Emperor and, ﬁnally, landed
in prison. He was to be tried by a jury of his peers,1
who dreamed of seeing him dead. Of course, nobody
thought of a fair trial. With the mandarin’s worst enemies
as judges, there could be no fair trial. It was not diﬃcult
for them to pass a death sentence, but the conspirators
feared that such severe sentence might trigger an
upsurge of public discontent. Therefore, they thought of
another clever scheme.
They announced that the accused would be given a
chance to choose his own fate. “Despite the fact,” read
the announcement, “that the defense has not been
able to disprove the accusations brought against the
defendant, the judges have agreed to let Destiny decide
the nobleman’s fate. On the day of the trial, two boxes
shall be brought into the courtroom. One of them will
contain a rolled up piece of paper with the word ‘life’
written on it, the other will hold a similar piece of paper
with the word ‘death’. The defendant shall have the right
to pick one of the notes and, thus, decide his own fate.”
This is how the matter looked on the outside. In fact,
the cunning judges were going to write the word “death”
on both pieces of paper.
1
He was to be tried by a jury of his peers — его должен был судить суд
присяжных, состоявший из людей, равных ему по положению в обществе

Загадки и ребусы

Luckily, the defense attorney got wind of the true
intentions of the judges. The only thing he could do
was to call their bluﬀ during the trial, but doing so would
mean1 signing his own death warrant. So, he only told the
defendant of what he had found out.
The situation seemed desperate. But, like I said, the
mandarin was a very clever man. He spent the entire
night sleepless, thinking, and when morning came, he
knew what he had to do to save his life.
The courtroom went silent2 when the mandarin
approached the two boxes. Without hesitation, he dipped
his hand3 into one of them, took out a rolled up piece of
paper and—

What do you think he did?

The Three Shoemakers

Three shoemakers lived and worked on the same
street. One of them advertised himself as the best
shoemaker in town. The sign over the second shop
advertised the second man as the best shoemaker in
the world. The third man outdid the ﬁrst two. How did he
manage to do that?

How did he advertise himself?
1
but doing so would mean — но поступить подобный образом означало бы
2
courtroom went silent — в зале суда наступила тишина
3
dip — здесь: сунуть руку

Riddles

Following
Instructions

An editor had a notice stuck up above his desk that
read: “Accuracy! Accuracy! Accuracy!”, and this notice
he always pointed out to the new reporters.
One day the youngest member of the staﬀ came in
with his report of a public meeting. The editor read it
through, and came to the sentence: “Three thousand
nine hundred and ninety-nine eyes were ﬁxed upon the
speaker.”
“What do you mean by making a silly blunder like
that?” he demanded angrily.1
“But it’s not a blunder,” protested the youngster.

If it wasn’t a blunder, what was it?

What do you mean by making a silly blunder like that? — здесь: Как вам
не стыдно допускать такую глупую ошибку?

100

Загадки и ребусы

The Man and
the Monkeys

One day, a man who made caps went to the market
to sell them. The day was very hot and he soon got tired.
He entered the forest and sat down under a large tree to
rest.
He put on one of the caps and closed his eyes. All the
other caps he had placed on the ground under the tree.
Soon thereafter,1 he fell asleep. When he awakened,
he saw that the caps were gone.2 “That’s weird,” he
thought to himself. “Who could have taken them?”
He looked up. And what did he see? Up in the tree, he
saw a bunch of monkeys, and each monkey had one of
his caps on its head!
“Give me back my caps!” the man yelled.
But the monkeys only laughed and made faces at him.
“You think it’s funny,” said the man. “Well, I don’t.”
Again, the monkeys only laughed.
The man sat down to think. “If I don’t think of some
trick, I will never get my caps back,” he said to himself.
After a while, he knew what he had to do.

What do you think he did?

1
2

soon thereater — вскоре после этого
were gone — исчезли
Riddles

101

The Good Customer

One day, a fat man entered a meat shop and said,
“Please, cut 13 pounds oﬀ that beautiful piece of
meat!”
The butcher cut oﬀ a big piece.
“15 pounds. Can I leave it like this?”1
“No,” answered the customer. “Didn’t you hear me? I
said, 13 pounds, not 15!”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Sir! Mistakes will happen,”2
said the butcher apologetically, and carefully cut oﬀ
another two pounds.
“Now, it is exactly 13 pounds,” he said, very pleased
with himself.
He took out a pencil and began to count.
“One pound costs 5 dollars and twenty cents. So 13
pounds will cost—”
But the customer interrupted him.
“Skip it!3 I don’t want to know the price.”
The butcher looked at him in surprise.
“What do you mean, you don’t want to know the
price?”4
“I’m not going to buy this meat. What shall I do with so
much meat?”
This time, the butcher was so surprised that he
dropped his pencil.
1

Can I leave it like this? — Можно так оставить?
Mistakes will happen. — Ошибки случаются.
3
Skip it! — Оставьте это!; Бросьте это дело!
4
What do you mean, you don’t want to know the price? — То есть как это
вы не хотите знать цену?

102

Загадки и ребусы

“Well1, I don’t know what to say! Is it some kind of a
joke?” he said, having ﬁnally come to his senses.
“I think, I owe you an explanation,” the customer said.
“You see, I was in Baden-Baden2 and lost 13 pounds. I—”

Finish the sentence. Why did the man come
to the shop?

1
2

Здесь well — междометие со значением крайнего изумления: Ну и ну!
Baden-Baden — Баден-Баден, курорт на юге Германии
Riddles

103

A Strange Order

During the reign of the Empress Anna of Russia,
soldiers were sent to remove all the trees along the road
Moscow-St. Petersburg.

What made the Empress give this strange
order? This rebus may help you work out
the right answer:

104

Загадки и ребусы

The King and
The Thief

A clever thief was charged with treason against the
king and sentenced to death. But the king decided to be
a little lenient so he let the thief choose his own way to
die.

What way should the thief choose?

Riddles

105

The Ghost

“I’m sure the thing is still here,” John Sherlock W. said
to Maggie, his young and beautiful assistant.
The two had climbed down into the basement of an
old theater, in search for some clues.
Suddenly, they heard a rattling sound, and a second
later, a frightening ﬁgure of a ghost appeared right in
front of them.
“How dare you to disturb my peace?” cried the ghost.
“If you like this place so much, you’re welcome to stay
here with me.1 What’s the matter? You don’t wish to keep
me company? Consider yourselves lucky.2 Having found
my chains has put me in a very good mood.3 Just solve
my riddle, and I will let you go free. Now, pay attention.4
The man who invented it, doesn’t want it. The man who
bought it, doesn’t need it. The man who needs it, doesn’t
know it. What is it?”
“I told you not to touch anything in the basement of
this old theater,” Maggie said in a frightened whisper.
“Now we’ll have to stay here forever. This terrible ghost
will never let us out!”
“Keep your hair down,”5 answered John Sherlock W.
“We’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
1

you’re welcome to stay here with me — можете остаться здесь со мной
consider yourselves lucky — считайте, что вам повезло
3
Having found my chains has put me in a very good mood. — Я нашел свои
цепи, и это привело меня в хорошее расположение духа.
4
Now, pay attention. — Итак, слушайте внимательно.
5
Keep your hair down! — Успокойся!

106

Загадки и ребусы

“Do you mean you know the answer to this riddle?”
“I do. I’ve heard this riddle before. Haven’t you?”
“No.”

And what about you? Do you know the answer
to this riddle? If you don’t, you will
find it inside this phrase:
COFFEE IN A CUP

Riddles

107

The King and
the Painter

Once upon a time, there was a prince who had a
strong desire to travel.
“Please, let me go, Father,” he said one day to his
father, the King. “I want to see the world.”
“I quite understand your desire to travel,” the King
answered. “I also wanted to see the world when I was
your age. But you have chosen the wrong time, my boy.
The political situation is very unstable. Our neighbours
may declare war upon us any day now.”
The King turned out to be right.1 Before the month
was over, the King’s neighbours declared war upon his
kingdom, and the King went oﬀ to the battleﬁeld, leaving
his son to rule over the country. He never came back.
Thus, the young prince became King. The aﬀairs of the
state put great demands on his time, and the young King
had to forget about his teenage dreams.
Years went by. The King married, and now had a grown
son of his own.
One day, a wandering painter came to the King’s
palace, and oﬀered to make a portrait of the King. The
King agreed. For several days, he sat for the painter.2
The painter didn’t ﬂatter the King, painting him the
way he was3 — not very handsome, and very sad. Here is
a black-and-white copy of that portrait.
The King liked the portrait and oﬀered the painter to
stay in the palace as the court painter.
1
2
3

he King turned out to be right. — Король оказался прав.
sit for a painter — позировать художнику
the way he was — таким, каким он был

108

Загадки и ребусы

“His Majesty is very kind,”1 the painter replied. “But —
alas! — I cannot accept His Majesty’s oﬀer. I wasn’t born
for the court life. I’m used to the life of a strolling artist. I
like to wander about in the world, sleep under the sky, and
eat simple food. I’m afraid that if I accept His Majesty’s
oﬀer, I may lose my talent.”
The King felt a sudden pang of sorrow.2 He remembered his own youthful desire to travel. Back then,3 he
couldn’t realize his dream due to circumstances beyond
his control.4 But now… Now, nothing was holding him
back. His wife was dead, his son was a grown man.
“Wait!” he said to the painter, who, having collected
his things, was heading for the door. “When you’re ready
to leave, please come to say goodbye to me. Perhaps,
you’re going to have a travelling companion.”
1

His Majesty = Your Majesty, Ваше Величество
he King felt a sudden pang of sorrow. — У короля вдруг сердце защемило от тоски.
3
back then — тогда, в ту пору
4
due to circumstances beyond his control — по независящим от него обстоятельствам

Riddles

109

“I will,”1 said the painter, giving the King a good long
look.”I won’t leave without saying goodbye.”
A few days later, two wanderers left the town through
the Southern gates. One of them was the painter, the
other was the King. No one recognized him — too many
people roamed the roads of the country in those days.

It is obvious that the King had disguised
himself. In what disguise did he leave
the town?

The Phone Call

An engineer was on a business trip in a small town.
Upon arrival, he checked into a hotel. All day long, he
was very busy. In the evening, he returned to the hotel
and went straight to bed because he was very tired and
the time diﬀerence was beginning to tell on him.2 But he
couldn’t fall asleep. He tossed and turned half the night,
then got up, picked up the phone, dialed a number,
waited for some time, then put the receiver down without
saying anything. After that, he returned to bed and soon
was fast asleep.

Whom did he call?

1
2

I will. — здесь: Я непременно зайду.
Здесь tell on sb — сказываться на ком-л.

110

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The Rare Bird

“It’s a very rare bird,” assured the shop keeper. “It
repeats every word it hears.” “OK,” said the customer.
“You have convinced me. I think I’ll buy it. At least, I’ll have
someone to talk to.” A week later, the customer returned
the bird. She was furious. “You’re a liar! You actually made
me believe that this bird repeats every word it hears. I’ve
had it for a whole week. It hasn’t spoken a single word!”
But the shopkeeper refused a refund, insisting that he
was accurate in what he had said.1

Why didn’t the parrot speak?

The Clever Dealer

A woman bought from a secondhand art dealer2
a painting, supposedly made by Ilya Repin for only ten
roubles, and showed it to the famous artist. When Repin
saw the painting, he laughed and said that it was a forgery.
The indignant woman returned the painting to the dealer.
The next day, the dealer sold it for 100 roubles.

How come?3
1
Здесь accurate означает «правильный, верный, точный»: he was
accurate in what he had said — он все сказал правильно; он выразился
точно
2
secondhand art dealer — владелец комиссионного магазина, торгующий произведениями искусства
3
How come? — Как такое могло случиться?

Riddles

111

The Vase

A poor student was in love with a beautiful girl. All went
very well until one day she invited him to her birthday
party.
“All my family will be present. I want you to come and
meet them,” she said.
The young man promised to come and went to look for
a present. He took out his wallet and counted the money.
Ten dollars. That was by far not enough.
“I’d better call her and pretend that I have suddenly
been taken ill,” he thought.
Just then, his eyes fell on a beautiful vase. It was on
display in the window of what looked like a very expensive
shop. Suddenly, he had an idea. He boldly entered the
shop.
“You wouldn’t have a broken vase like the one in the
window, would you?”1 he asked the shop assistant.
“Funny that you should ask,”2 answered the shop
assistant, looking at the young man curiously. “The thing
is that3 one very important customer broke one today
and we couldn’t charge him for the damage.”
“How much would you charge me if I bought the
broken pieces from you?”
“How much can you pay?”
“Ten dollars.”
“Deal!”
“Will you please wrap it up beautifully?”
1

You wouldn’t have a broken vase like the one in the window, would you? —
У вас случайно не найдется разбитой вазы — такой, как в витрине?
2
Funny that you should ask. — Странно, что вы об этом спрашиваете.
3
the thing is that — дело в том, что

112

Загадки и ребусы

“Sure.”
In the evening the young man, dressed up in his
Sunday best,1 was ringing at the door of the girl’s house.
He muttered his congratulations and held out his present.
“Careful,” he said. “It is very brittle.”
But before the girl could take the present, the young
man stumbled and let the parcel drop. It fell on the ﬂoor
with a muﬄed clinking sound.
Everyone gasped. The girl was close to tears. The
young man gave a sigh of relief. His little plan had worked!
But his joy didn’t last long. The moment the girl began
to unwrap the present, he felt the blood drain from his
face.2

What happened?

What Did He Buy?

A man went to the hardware store to buy items for his
house.
1 would cost $253
12 would cost $50
122 would cost $75

When he left the store he had spent $75.
What did he buy?
1

dressed up in his Sunday best — одетый в свой выходной костюм
he felt the blood drain from his face — он почувствовал, как кровь отливает у него от лица
3
1 would cost $.25—1 (предмет) обошелся бы ему в 25 долларов

Riddles

113

Camel Race

An Arab sheikh tells his two sons to race their camels
to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The
one whose camel is slower will win. The brothers, after
wandering aimlessly for days, ask a wise man for advice.
After hearing the advice they jump on the camels and
race as fast as they can to the city.

What did the wise man say?

114

Загадки и ребусы

The Three Frogs

Three frogs were sitting on a log. One
decided to jump off. How many were left?

The Advertisement

At the end of the 19th century, a British newspaper
published the following advertisement: “A twenty-yearold heiress to a fortune of two million pounds wishes to
make acquaintance of a decent young man with an eye
to potential marriage.”
The advertiser received thirty thousand letters from all
over the world.

Solve this rebus and you will find out
who placed the advertisement and for what
purpose.

Riddles

115

New Profession

In the middle of the 19th century, the once-powerful
class of Japanese warriors, the Samurai, was abolished.
The wealthy Samurai became landlords, and the poor
had to look around for peaceful civil professions. Many
Samurai chose to become—

What
profession did they choose? This
W
rebus may help you work out the right
answer:

116

Загадки и ребусы

A Custom

In Holland, people used to tie1 a frog to the roofs of
their houses. Why would they do that?

This rebus may help you work out the
right answer:

used to tie — имели обыкновение привязывать (Конструкция sb used
to do sth описывает обычные действия или состояния, имевшие место в прошлом, но не дошедшие до наших дней.)
Riddles

117

Non-Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time, there was a King who refused to
marry any of the most eligible bachelorettes.1 “If only I
could meet a girl I could love!” he said to his ministers,
who insisted on his marriage. And then, it happened.
One day, as the King was hunting in the woods, he met
a beautiful girl, the daughter of the forest ranger, and fell
in love with her. Without thinking twice, he oﬀered the girl
his hand, his heart, and his crown.
The day of the wedding was set. Many noble men
and women came to wish happiness to the newlyweds,
but the most honorable seats at the wedding table were
reserved for the seven fairies of the country. Each fairy
was to give the young couple a gift, as was the custom of
fairies in those days.
The feast was in full swing2 when the door of the dining
room opened and in came an old fairy whom they had not
invited, because she had not left the tower where she
lived for over ﬁfty years, and she was believed to be dead.
The old fairy felt insulted for not having been invited.
She pushed aside the plate of ﬁnest porcelain and the
wine cup of pure gold the servants had placed in front
of her, and, without looking at anyone, muttered some
threats between her teeth. Luckily, the youngest fairy,
who was sitting by her, overheard her grumbling; and,
suspecting that she might present the groom and the
bride with an unlucky gift, decided to reserve her own
1

any of the most eligible bachelorettes — ни на одной из наиболее подходящих барышень на выданье
2
be in full swing — быть в полном разгаре

118

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wish, so that she could use it to undo any evil that the old
fairy might inﬂict by way of her magic spell.1
After the splendid dinner, the guests retired into the
garden. There, an orchestra waited for them inside the
dance pavilion. But, just as the musicians started to play
and the dancers set foot on the dance ﬂoor,2 the old fairy
stepped forward, waved her magic wand, and uttered
her terrible curse. She had hardly ﬁnished, when all the
ladies, including the Queen, suddenly turned into ﬂowers.
Their partners froze, unable to grasp what had
happened. The King turned pale. Without saying a word,
he left his guests and wandered oﬀ down the garden path.
After a while, the young fairy caught up with him.
“Don’t despair, Your Majesty,” she said kindly. “It is
true, I have no power to undo entirely what the old fairy
has done.3 You won’t be able to be together with your
wife during the day, but you can be together by night. It is
in my power to make the Queen turn into her own human
self at night.4 Then, by morning she will have to turn back
into a ﬂower. But you must order to plant all the ﬂowers
into the ground, and you must order so immediately. If
you let the ﬂowers wilt, all the ladies will die.”
The King did as he was told. He returned to the palace
and ordered his servants to make a ﬂowerbed under the
window of his bedroom.
Everything happened as the young fairy had promised.
Every night, by midnight, the Queen would turn into a
woman and they would spend the night together.5
1
to undo any evil that the old fairy might inlict by way of her magic spell —
чтобы не дать осуществиться тому злу, которое старая фея могла
причинить своим волшебством
2
set foot on the dance loor — ступили на танцплощадку
3
I have no power to undo entirely what the old fairy has done. — Не в моей
власти свести на нет то, что сделала старая фея.
4
turn into her own human self — принять свой человеческий облик
5
Здесь глагол would указывает на многократность действия.

Riddles

119

One morning, the Queen said, “Last night,1 I had a
very strange dream. In that dream, the young fairy had
come to me and said that, if you were to go into the
garden in the early morning hours, and recognized me
among other ﬂowers, the evil spell would break2 and all
the ladies would regain their human form.”
When the Queen had left, the King sat down to think
her words over. How could he recognize his wife among
the ﬂowers which are similar as peas in a pod? He thought
and thought, but couldn’t think of anything.
He went into the garden. And, guess what happened!
The moment he approached the ﬂowerbed, he recognized
his wife!

How did he do that? How did he recognize
his wife among the flowers which were
similar as peas in a pod?

last night — здесь: сегодня ночью (то есть той ночью, которая только что закончилась)
2
the evil spell would break — злые чары развеются

120

Загадки и ребусы

In the Restaurant

“Waiter,” said the customer. “I think I have drunk too
much. Bring me something to make me sober.”
“Just a second,”1 said the waiter.
He was back in less than a minute.
“Here you are, sir,”2 he said putting something on the
table in front of the customer.
“What is that?” asked the customer.
“The thing that will make you sober,” answered the
waiter.

What was that thing?

1
2

Just a second. — Секундочку.
Here you are. — Вот, пожалуйста.
Riddles

121

The Diamond Ring

Many years ago a young Englishman fell in love with
a pretty girl and wanted to marry her. About two months
before their marriage, the young man who served in
London was sent to New York on some very important
business.
He wanted to come back in two weeks and promised
his sweetheart to write to her. Time passed quickly, and it
took him about two months1 to do his work.
At last he was free and was going home. Before
leaving for London, he bought a beautiful diamond ring
for his sweetheart. On his way to London, he was looking
through a newspaper and saw an announcement of his
sweetheart’s marriage to another man. He got very angry
and threw the diamond ring overboard.
Several days later he was having dinner at a restaurant.
While he was eating ﬁsh, he bit on something hard.

What do you think it was?

it took him about two months — у него ушло около двух месяцев

122

Загадки и ребусы

The Dangerous
Experiment

A Scottish chemistry teacher is doing an experiment
for his class. He takes a pound coin out of his wallet,
drops it in a beaker of acid and asks, “Now, class, will this
pound coin be dissolved by the acid?”
One pupil puts his hand up. “No, Sir, it deﬁnitely will
not!”
The teacher smiles, “That’s right, lad. Well done!1
Now, can you explain why?”
The boy smiles back, “Well, if the acid was going to
dissolve your coin, you would—”

Finish the sentence.

Well done! — Молодец!
Riddles

123

How He Saved His Life

The French King Louis XI had an Italian astrologer by
the name of Martius Galeotti. One day, the King asked
him:
“You say that the stars tell you everything. Does that
mean that you know the hour of your own death? Do you
know when you you’re going to die?”1
“What shall I answer him?” thought the astrologer. “If
I say that I shall live long, the King will have me killed2 just
to prove that the stars do not tell the truth.”
Then he remembered that the King himself feared
death, so he decided to exploit this fact.

What do you think he said?

when you are going to die — когда ты умрешь (здесь конструкция be
going to означает, что делается предположение или предсказание
относительно будущего)
2
will have me killed — велит меня убить

124

Загадки и ребусы

The Letter-Box Key

An Englishman had a very good housekeeper. When
he left for his summer holidays, he asked her to post him
all letters that she would receive during his absence.
During July he received no letters. So he telephoned his
home and asked his housekeeper what had happened.
She explained that he had forgotten to leave her the
letter-box key. He apologized and promised to post her
the key.
During August he still received no letters though the
housekeeper had told him that there were many letters
in the letter-box. So, when he returned home, he spoke
angrily to his housekeeper.

Was he right? If not, why?

Riddles

125

Hidden Money

John Sherlock W. was very smart and observant
even as a schoolboy. Once, one of his classmates said
that there was a 100 dollar bill hidden between pages
75 and 76 of a book in the library. Everyone rushed to
the library — everyone but1 little Johnny Sherlock, who
chose not to waste time looking for it.

Why?

Sister Hen and
the Crocodile

One day, a fat mother Hen came to the river to drink
some water. She did not know that the river was the home
of the Crocodile, the biggest and hungriest Crocodile in
all Africa.
The Crocodile was sunning himself on the river bank
behind some tall reeds. He saw the Hen and said,
“Oho! Here comes my breakfast!”
And before the poor Hen knew what was really
happening she found herself in the very jaws of the
terrible Crocodile.2
The Hen was frightened almost to death.
“O brother, don’t!” she gasped.
1

everyone but — все кроме
in the very jaws of the terrible Crocodile — прямо в пасти ужасного крокодила (Здесь very выполняет роль усилителя.)

126

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Now, the Crocodile was so surprised at hearing the
Hen call him brother that he kept his jaws wide open and
forgot to swallow his dinner. He kept them open for some
time, gaping foolishly, wondering what the Hen could
mean, and how he could possibly be her brother. And by
the time he had remembered how hungry he was, there
was nothing for him to eat. For the Hen had skipped away
just as fast as her feet would take her.
“Pouf!”1 snorted the Crocodile. “Her brother, indeed!2
I am not her brother, and she knows it very well. What a
fool I was to let her go! Just wait till I catch her again and
we will see. I will brother her!”3
After a few days, the stupid Hen came again. The
Crocodile saw the hen and thought, “Here comes the
hen. This time she will not escape me.” And he came at
her to swallow her at once.
But again the Hen squawked, “O brother, don’t!”
Again the Crocodile paused, thunderstruck by this
extraordinary word. “What can she mean, really?” he
thought. “Why does the hen say that I’m her brother?
How can I be her brother? She lives in a town on the land,
and I live in my kingdom of mud and water. How” — but
while he had been thinking of these whys and hows, once
more the Hen had managed to escape, and was pelting
back to her barnyard as fast as she could go.
Then indeed the Crocodile was angry.4 He determined
to go and see his friend Mbambi, the great Lizard. He
would tell him what it all meant.
1

Рouf! [pu:f] — возглас удивления, неожиданности
Her brother, indeed! — Ее брат! Как бы не так!
3
I will brother her! — Уж я покажу ей, какой я ей брат!
4
hen indeed the Crocodile was angry. — И вот тогда крокодил рассердился не на шутку.
2

Riddles

127

“Oh, Mbambi!” said the crocodile, “I am in great
trouble.”
“What can it be, dear friend, that is troubling you this
day?” the wise lizard said amiably. “Tell me your trouble
and perhaps I can advise you.”
“Almost every day a nice fat Hen, — Oh, Mbambi! so
delightfully fat and tempting! — comes to my river. Well,
why don’t I make her my dinner? you ask. Now listen:
each time, just as I am about to catch her and carry her to
my home she startles me by calling me ‘Brother.’ Did you
ever hear of anything so maddening? Twice I have let her
escape because of the word. I can’t eat my sister, can I?
But I can’t stand it any longer, either.1 Why would she call
me her brother, anyway?”2
“Because you are her brother,” answered the Lizard.
“I am?” asked the crocodile. “But how can that be?”

Indeed, how can that be? What is it that
the crocodile and the hen have in common?3

1
But I can’t stand it any longer, either. — Но и выносить это больше я
тоже не могу. (В сочетании с can глагол stand приобретает значение
«выносить, терпеть что-л. или кого-л.»)
2
anyway — здесь это слово служит для усиления вопроса: вообще,
с какой стати
3
have sth in common — иметь что-то общее

128

Загадки и ребусы

A Telephone
Conversation

“Yeah.”1
“Is this 999 99 99?”
“Yes. What can I do for you?”
“Could you please call nine-one-one for me?”
“Why don’t you call it yourself?”
“I can’t. I—”

What happened to the gentleman who had
dialed 999 99 99?
H i n t: This conversation happened some
twenty years ago.

yeah [je ] — да (разговорное)

III
Шуточные загадки

130

Шуточные загадки

III
Humorous Puzzles

Humorous Puzzles

131

The Two Cows

One day, the teacher said to her class:
“Two cows were walking down a very narrow street,
and locked horns. One of them tried to pass the other
on the right,1 while the second attempted to go past the
other on the left. Which of them could say that it was the
other cow’s fault?”
Nick raised his hand: “The ﬁrst one.”
“The second one,” oﬀered2 Bobby.
“I don’t think so,” said little Johnny Sherlock,
suppressing a laugh.
“What do you think, Johnny?” the teacher asked.
“I think that both Nick and Bob are wrong.”
“Why is that?” inquired the teacher.

Why, indeed? Why did Johnny think that
Nick and Bob were wrong?

1
2

pass the other on the right — обойти другую справа
ofer — здесь: выдвинуть свое предположение

132

Шуточные загадки

He Stuck to the Truth

“Mother,” Johnny asked after his birthday party, “may
I have a piece of cake, just a small one, please?”
“No,” his mother replied, “you’ve had quite enough
already.”1
“Well, can I sleep with a bit under my pillow?” asked
the boy.
“Very well, here you are,2 and remember to keep it
under your pillow. Now, oﬀ to bed you go.”3
When she came into Johnny’s room some time later,
she saw—

What did she see?

you’ve had quite enough already — здесь: хватит с тебя, ты уже достаточно съел
2
here you are — вот держи
3
Now, of to bed you go. — А теперь — марш в постель!
Humorous Puzzles

133

He Hadn't Thought
of That

A doctor was aroused in the middle of the night by a
phone call from a man to whose family he had not had
occasion to render medical services for some time.1
“Doctor,” said the excited man, “please come over right
away. My wife is in great pain and I’m sure it’s appendicitis.”
The doctor had been sleepily mulling over the medical
history of the family and said, “Well, now, it probably
isn’t anything like that. I’ll come around ﬁrst thing in the
morning.2 Don’t worry. Probably just indigestion.”
“But doctor, you’ve got to come. I’m positive it’s
appendicitis,” protested the alarmed husband.
“Oh come, Mr. Johnson,” the doctor said, somewhat
irritably, “I took out your wife’s appendix almost two years
ago. You know as well as I do that she hasn’t got another one.”
“That’s all right,” said the husband, “but —”

But what? Finish the sentence.

He Wanted to Know
His Name

A man has fallen into the hand of cannibals. Now he
is standing, tied to a pole, near a large ﬁre. A cannibal
approaches him and says, “What is your name?”
1

to whose family he had not had occasion to render medical services for
some time — семье которого он уже некоторое время не оказывал медицинские услуги, поскольку в них не было надобности
2
irst thing in the morning — прямо с утра

134

Шуточные загадки

“What do you need my name for?” asks the man,
hopeful. Maybe they won’t eat me, after all, if they want
to know my name, he thinks.
His heart sinks1 when he hears the answer.

What did the cannibals want his name for?

A Lucky Explorer

AFRICAN EXPLORER: One ﬁne day, not very long ago,
I went out for a walk, unarmed, when I suddenly found
myself face to face with a large tiger.2
FRIEND: Goodness gracious!3 What did you do?
AFRICAN EXPLORER: I said to myself, “What will be,
will be,”4 and looked the tiger straight in the eyes. Then I
turned ’round,5 and went home.
FRIEND: And didn’t the tiger rush at you?
AFRICAN EXPLORER: He couldn’t.
FRIEND: Why not?

Why, indeed? Why couldn’t
attack the African explorer?

the

tiger

his heart sinks — он впадает в отчаяние
Слово large часто используется вместо big, когда речь идет о животных.
3
Goodness gracious! — Боже мой!; Силы небесные!
4
What will be, will be. — Будь что будет.
5
’round = around
2

Humorous Puzzles

135

A Movie Actress
and Her Servant

A movie actress had just slipped on her dress when
her Chinese servant opened the door of her room and
came in unannounced. The sudden entrance disturbed
the young woman.1 What if he had come in half a minute
before, when she had on little more than her underwear?2
She must reprimand him so that he would not repeat the
oﬀense.
“Li,” she said, “don’t you know that you should knock
on the door before coming into my room? I might be
undressed.”
“Don’t be afraid, Ma’am,” the servant replied, “before
I come inside, I—”

Finish the sentence. What does the
servant do before going inside? This
rebus may help you find the right answer.

1
Здесь глагол disturb употребляется в значении «вызвать недовольство».
2
when she had on little more than her underwear — когда на ней не было
почти ничего, кроме нижнего белья

136

Шуточные загадки

When Did It Happen?

Дайте такой ответ, который обратил бы историю
в шутку.
It was the end of December. Christmas was approaching, and the judge was in a very good mood.
“What are the charges brought against you?” he
asked of the prisoner.
“They accuse me of having done my Christmas
shopping far too early,”1 answered the prisoner.
“But it is not a crime,” said the judge. “When exactly
did it happen?”

When, indeed?

Cannibal

TEACHER: Frank, what is a cannibal?
FRANK: I don’t know, Sir.
TEACHER: Well, if you ate your father and mother,
what would you be?

What would a cannibal be, indeed, if he
ate his father and mother?

far too early — слишком рано
Humorous Puzzles

137

Riding a Camel

Once upon a time, there was a Frenchman who
dreamed of seeing the desert and riding a camel. One
day, he took a three-month leave, and boarded a plane for
Africa. The journey took several hours. Finally, the plane
landed at a small airport, not far from the Sahara Desert.
There was a market near the airport, where the
Frenchman found a man selling camels.
“It is very simple to ride a camel,” the Arab explained.
“Just say OUF, and the animal will set oﬀ. If you want it to
go faster, say OUF, OUF. If you want to go at full gallop,
say OUF, OUF, OUF. In order to stop, say AMEN.”
The Frenchman thanked the Arab, mounted the
camel, said OUF, and set oﬀ to explore the desert. He
soon found that it was, indeed, not very diﬃcult to ride
a camel, and he made the animal run faster and faster.
After a while, the tired Frenchman was rocked to
sleep.1 Suddenly, he woke up and saw that the camel
was running at breakneck pace towards a precipice. To
his horror, the Frenchman realized that he had forgotten
how to stop the camel. It was something starting with “a,”
but what? He tried all the words that entered his mind.
“Alleluia!”
“Abracadabra!”
“Amen!” he cried at last, and the camel stopped just in
time to save them both from the deadly fall.

And still, a few seconds later the camel
and his rider found their death at the
bottom of the abyss. What happened?
1

the Frenchman was rocked to sleep — от качки француз уснул

138

Шуточные загадки

The Investor

“I have some good news and some bad news for you,”
the owner of an art gallery said to a painter, whose works
were at the exhibition in his gallery.
“What is the good news?” the painter asked.
“The good news is that one of the investors has shown
great interest in your works. He asked me if they would go
up in price after your death.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said that they would double in price after you’re
gone,1 and he bought all your paintings.”
“All eighteen of them? That’s good news, indeed. And
what’s the bad news?”
“The bad news is the identity of the buyer.”

Who showed so much interest in the works
of the painter?

ater you’re gone — здесь: после вашей смерти
Humorous Puzzles

139

History

“Johnny, can you tell us how many wars Spain fought
in the ﬁfteenth century?” asked the teacher.
“Six,” prompted Johnny’s pal Jimmy in a very quiet
whisper.
“Six, Sir,” answered Johnny loudly.
“Very well. Enumerate them,” said the teacher.
Now,1 that was much more diﬃcult, but Johnny was
a bright boy, though a bit lazy when it came to studying.2
He thought for a second and then gave his answer. It was
not the answer the teacher had expected, but it was not
altogether wrong, either.3

What did Johnny say?

A Difficult Question

“If there were four ﬂies on the table and I killed one,
how many would be left?” asked the teacher.
Several children raised their hands, but only Mary
gave the right answer.

What was that answer?
1

now — здесь это слово используется не в своем значении «теперь»,
а как союз, связующий между собой два предложения в целях усиления:
Это уже было намного сложнее.
2
when it came to studying — когда дело доходило до учебы
3
but it was not altogether wrong, either — но и совсем неправильным он
тоже не был

140

Шуточные загадки

Swimming Before
Breakfast

Jimmy giggled when the teacher read the story of a
man who swam a river three times before breakfast.
“You do not doubt that a trained swimmer could do
that, do you?” asked the teacher.
“No, Sir,” replied Jimmy.
“Then why are you laughing?”

Why, indeed? Why was Jimmy laughing when
the teacher read the story of a man who
swam a river three times?

Humorous Puzzles

141

Who Finished
the Cola?

The Dragon, the wicked witch, a well-behaved boy
and a mischievous boy were travelling in the same train
compartment. It was very hot, and the passengers were
drinking cola. There was only one can left when the train
entered a tunnel. It became very dark. When the train left
the tunnel, the can was gone.

Who drank it?

Killing Flies

A husband was keeping busy killing ﬂies.1
“I have killed two males and two females,” he said to
his wife.
The woman was surprised.
“How can you tell which of them2 are males and which
females?” she asked.

How, indeed?

was keeping busy killing lies — занимался тем, что убивал мух
How can you tell which of them — откуда ты знаешь, которые из них
(Здесь глагол tell употребляется в значении «отличить одно от другого».)
2

142

Шуточные загадки

Acting from
Experience

A young man entered a meat shop and asked the
butcher:
“Is your meat tender?”
“As tender as a girl’s heart”, answered the butcher.
“In that case, give me a pound of—”

What did the young man ask for? This rebus
may help you find the right answer.

Humorous Puzzles

143

The Magic Bottle

There once lived an old ﬁsherman near the shore of
the deep blue sea. Well, one day he went ﬁshing, as he
always did. He cast his net in the sea, but the net brought
up nothing but1 mud. Again, he cast his net in the sea,
and this time, the net caught nothing but seaweed. When
he cast his net for the third time, one ﬁsh was all that he
landed. It was no ordinary ﬁsh, though, but a goldﬁsh.
And the goldﬁsh began to implore him in a human
voice:
“Old man,” said the ﬁsh, “do not kill me. I beg you,
throw me back into the blue waters. For that, I shall repay
you with the most royal ransom; I will give you whatever
you may ask.”
The old man was neither astonished nor frightened,2
for he, too, had read the story about the ﬁsherman and
the golden ﬁsh when he was a child.
“What can you oﬀer me?” he asked the ﬁsh.
“I can get you a magic bottle from the bottom of the
sea,” the golden ﬁsh said. “There is a genie inside the
bottle. Many years ago, he fell into disfavour with the
great King Solomon, and the King put him inside the
bottle. The genie must obey the man who should release
him from conﬁnement, if only for a short while.”3
“And how am I going to release the genie?”
“All you need to do is rub the bottle.”
1

brought up nothing but — не вытащила на берег ничего кроме
the old man was neither astonished nor frightened — старик не удивился
и не испугался
3
if only for a short while — пусть даже ненадолго

144

Шуточные загадки

”Okay,” said the ﬁsherman. “Go fetch the bottle.”
He untangled the golden ﬁsh, and it disappeared in
the blue sea. After a while, it surfaced again, and said,
“Pull up the net.”
The ﬁsherman pulled up the net, and saw a bottle
covered with seaweed, and rather heavy. He sat down
on the sand and began to rub the bottle. He rubbed and
rubbed, but no genie appeared.

“The cunning golden ﬁsh must have cheated me,” the
ﬁsherman said to himself. “And I, like an old fool that I am,
believed her!”
And he threw the bottle into the sea.
But the golden ﬁsh had been telling the truth. The
bottle was magic. Another man found it and now has all
he wants.

What happened? Why couldn’t the fisherman
release the genie?
Humorous Puzzles

145

Home Alone

A man had come to see his fellow worker. The door
was opened by his ten-year-old son.
“Hi there, little one,”1 said the man. “Are your parents
at home?”
“Take a guess,”2 answered the boy.
“Oh! How stupid of me!” said the man, uncertain
whether he should laugh or reprimand the boy.3 “Of
course, you’re alone!”

How did he know the boy was alone?

He Should Have Been
More Specific4

One day, a doctor happened to listen in5 on a story
about an English sailor who broke his leg by falling from
a mast.
“Well,” said the teller of the story, “I dressed it6 without
nothing but tar and oakum, and within three days I was
able to walk just as well as before the accident.”
1

Hi there, little one! — Привет, малыш!
Take a guess! — Угадайте!
3
uncertain whether he should laugh or reprimand the boy — не зная, рассмеяться или пожурить мальчика
4
should have been more speciic — следовало выражаться поточнее
5
Здесь глагол happen указывает на непреднамеренность действия:
happened to listen in — случайно подслушал
6
Здесь глагол dress употребляется в значении «перевязывать (рану)».
2

146

Шуточные загадки

“Absolutely impossible!” exclaimed the doctor.
Whereupon the narrator cleared his throat and said,
“Oh, I forgot to mention something.”

What was
mention?

the

narrator

failed

Unsuitable Behavior

Every day, an ESL teacher1 was seen coming out of
the student restroom with a marker in his hand.
Finally, the Headmaster, intrigued, entered the
restroom to ﬁnd out what the teacher had been doing
there with the marker, and saw the restroom walls
covered with graﬃti. He called the teacher to his oﬃce
and reprimanded him for unsuitable behavior.
“I didn’t write those things,” the teacher said.
“Then what were you doing in there with the marker?”
the Headmaster asked.
The teacher explained.

What do you think he was doing in the
student restroom?

ESL — английский как второй язык (English as a Second Language)
Humorous Puzzles

147

Double Duty

Any oﬃcial who can perform double duty is a useful
man indeed.1
The chief of police in Dinksville was also Dinksville’s
veterinary surgeon. Once a woman rang up his home.
“Do you want my husband as a veterinary or chief of
police?” asked the chief’s wife.
“Both!” came the answer.

What could have happened? Do you have any
ideas?

What Is His
Peculiarity?

A man who stuttered was asked why he did so.
“It’s my p-p-p-peculiarity,” he answered. “Everybody
has s-s-s-some p-p-p-peculiarity.”
“I don’t have any,” said the questioner.
“Don’t you s-s-s-stir your t-t-t-tea with your r-r-r-right
hand?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Th-that’s your p-p-p-peculiarity. Most p-p-p-people
__________.”

Finish the sentence. What do most people do?
1

perform double duty — совмещать две должности

148

Шуточные загадки

His New Occupation

A not very successful writer was telling his friends
about his new occupation:
“Now I’m completely satisﬁed. I know that hundreds
of people will read me with great attention.”
“Are you working on another novel?” asked one of the
listeners.
“No,” answered the writer. “I write—

Finish his sentence. What does he write
now?

Humorous Puzzles

149

Her Opinion Of Him

Once there was a very brave lion-tamer who was not
afraid of the most vicious lions in the menagerie. But he
had a wife who did not like him to stay out late, and one
night he did stay out late.1 When he realized that it was
midnight, he was panic-stricken. He didn’t dare go home,
so he went to the menagerie, crawled into the lions’ cage,
and went to sleep with his head resting2 on the largest
lion.
The next morning his wife began to hunt for him, and
she looked all over town. Finally she came to the menagerie
and saw her husband in the lions’ cage. A look of contempt
came over her face, and she snarled: “You—!”

Solve this rebus to find out what she said:

one night he did stay out late — однажды ночью он действительно задержался допоздна (Здесь глагол did употребляется в качестве усилителя.)
2
with his head resting — положив голову

150

Шуточные загадки

Where Did He Go?

A young man entered a barber’s shop, and asked the
barber:
“How soon can you cut my hair?”1
The barber looked at the crowd of people waiting for
their turn, and said:
“Come back in about two hours.”
The young man went away. He didn’t come back.
Two days later, the same young man turned up again,
and asked the barber:
“How soon can you cut my hair?”
“In about two hours,” answered the barber, whose
shop seemed to be always crowded.
The young man went away, and didn’t come back.
The same thing happened again and again. The young
man popped his head in the door,2 asked his question,
and disappeared.
One day, the barber was ﬁnishing shaving a client who
happened to be his friend, when the young man popped
his head in the door.
“Could you follow that fellow and tell me where he
goes from here?” the intrigued barber asked of his friend.
The friend went away. About ﬁfteen minutes later, he
came back.
“Well?”3 said the barber.
The friend told him what he found out.
1
How soon can you cut my hair? — Когда (букв.: как скоро) вы сможете
меня постричь?
2
popped his head in the door — просунул голову в дверь
3
Well? — здесь это выражение нетерпения: «Ну?»

Humorous Puzzles

151

What did he find out? Where did the young
man go?

What was his problem?

“You’ve got to help me, doctor,” the patient complained. “Wherever I touch my body, it hurts.”1
“Impossible!” the doctor said. “Show me.”
The man touched his wrist and screamed in pain.
Then, he touched his elbow, and screamed even louder.
Wherever he touched, it made him scream.
“Well, well,” the doctor said, rubbing his hands in
satisfaction. “I think I know what’s wrong with you.”

What was the doctor’s diagnosis?
1

wherever I touch my body, it hurts — где ни прикоснусь к своему телу,
больно

152

Шуточные загадки

Invitation to Dinner

“Sweetheart,” a husband said to his wife. “I have
invited one of my fellow workers to dinner tonight.”
“What? Are you mad or something?1 Look around! The
place is a mess. We don’t have a single clean tablecloth.
Besides, I had no time to do any shopping today. And I’m
deﬁnitely not going to spend the evening in the kitchen,
cooking.”
“I know, dear, I know.”
“But then, why did you invite him?”
“Because the poor fellow2—”

Finish the sentence. Why do you think the
husband invited his friend to dinner?

1
2

Are you mad or something? — Ты что, с ума сошел?
poor fellow — бедняга

IV
Детективные загадки

154

Детективные загадки

IV
Detective Puzzles

Detective Puzzles

155

Smuggle

One evening in November, a very pleasant company
assembled in the house of Oﬃcer Campbell.
“Perhaps we can persuade our host to tell us one of
his interesting stories,” said one of the guests.
Oﬃcer Campbell was, indeed, a good storyteller, and
they never had to ask him twice.
“It was my second year with Customs1 when I ﬁrst laid
eyes on that man,” Campbell began. “He arrived around
lunchtime, carrying two large sacks on his bicycle. The
sacks made me suspicious.
“ ‘What is there in the sacks?’ I asked.
“ ‘Just sand,’ answered the man.
“ ‘You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?’
I replied.
“I was sure that the man was making fun of me. How
stupid did he think people could get, anyway?2
“So, I ordered my men to take the sacks oﬀ the bicycle
and empty them. Guess what they found there? Nothing!
That is,3 nothing but sand. There was nothing but sand
in the sacks! I had no choice but to let him pass.4 He left,
taking his two bags of sand with him.
1
it was my second year with Customs — я работал на таможне второй
год
2
How stupid did he think people could get, anyway? — Интересно, насколько глупыми, по его мнению, могут быть люди? (Здесь слово
anyway используется в качестве эмоционального усилителя.)
3
that is — то есть
4
I had no choice but to let him pass. — Мне ничего не оставалось, как
пропустить его.

156

Детективные загадки

“Next day, he came again. And again, there were
two large sacks on his bicycle. Then, he came again and
again. From time to time, I examined the sacks, but there
was always only sand there.
“One day, I took some of that sand and sent it to the
laboratory for analysis. The chemist examined the sand,
but didn’t ﬁnd anything suspicious. I was furious because,
despite my eﬀort, I had nothing. And I was growing
curious, too!1 At night, I often lay awake, thinking, but I
couldn’t think of anything remotely plausible.
“Several months had passed. One night, I ran into the
man in the street and invited him to a glass of beer. To my
surprise, he accepted the oﬀer.
“I didn’t beat about the bush.
“‘Tell me,’ I said, ‘what do you smuggle across the
border? I promise, I won’t report on you.’
“For a while, he didn’t say anything, keeping me on
tenterhooks.2
“‘Will you really not report on me?’ he asked at last.
“‘You have my word.’
“He moved closer and whispered into my ear...”

What did the man say? What was it that he
smuggled across the border?

1
And I was growing curious, too! — Кроме того, меня начинало одолевать любопытство!
2
keep sb on tenterhooks — держать кого-л. в состоянии неизвестности или беспокойства, мучить неизвестностью

Detective Puzzles

157

The Emerald Necklace

Many years ago, there was a dancer, who performed
under the stage name Zubeida in one of the London music
halls. Her best act was called “Aladdin and the Cave of
Miracles”. She appeared on the stage in a beautiful
costume strewn with false gems.
She was not very talented, but the male audience
liked her very much. In any case, one oriental prince was
totally carried away by her beauty.1 One day, he gave her
a very beautiful emerald necklace.
Their romance didn’t last very long, though. After a
while, the prince switched to a movie actress.
Zubeida never parted with her necklace until one day
it was stolen from her dressing room. The police thought
that she had staged the theft herself — such things
occasionally happen. But this time, they were wrong.
The necklace had really been stolen, though the thief has
never been found and the necklace itself never surfaced
again.
The thing is that Zubeida was a very clever woman.
She suspected that the necklace could be stolen from
her and took the necessary precautions. She decided to
hide the emeralds.

What did she do?

was totally carried away by her beauty — совершенно сражен ее красотой

158

Детективные загадки

A Railroad Incident

FIRST PASSENGER: I assure you, Inspector, I took
that suitcase in a ﬁt of absentmindedness.1 I simply
mistook it for mine.
INSPECTOR: You’ve made your point.2 Now, calm
down. I would like to hear what the victim has got to say.
SECOND PASSENGER: This gentleman and I were
travelling in one compartment. I arrived at the station at the
last minute, and by the time I entered the compartment,
all of the baggage racks had been taken. There was just a
little empty space above the gentleman’s seat, so I put my
suitcase there. On the way, we came into conversation.
I told him that I was going to see my son and that I was
bringing him an album with a highly valuable collection of
1

in a it of absentmindedness — по рассеянности (букв.: в приступе рассеянности)
2
You’ve made your point. — Вы изложили свою версию случившегося.
(Здесь point — убедительный аргумент или точка зрения.)
Detective Puzzles

159

stamps which I had been collecting all my life. Then, I fell
asleep and only woke up when the train had reached its
destination. It was not until I got dressed and reached for
my suitcase that I noticed that it had been misplaced.1
I opened it and saw that it was full of cotton toys. I’m so
glad they have caught the crook!2
FIRST PASSENGER: How dare you to accuse me of
theft! Open your eyes! Our suitcases look absolutely
identical! I simply mistook yours for mine.
INSPECTOR: And still, I will ask you to follow me to the
police station.

What made the Inspector think that the
passenger couldn’t have taken the suitcase by mistake?

Nocturnal Visitor

When inspector Rellik and sergeant Smart arrived at
the crime scene, Mr. Almus Harding was still alive. His
neighbour, who was an insomniac, had noticed the smell
of gas coming from Mr. Harding’s apartment and called
the police.
“The murderer made a mistake,” said the inspector,
pointing to a glove lying on a chair.
1
It was not until I got dressed and reached for my suitcase that I noticed
that it had been misplaced. — Лишь когда я уже оделся и потянулся за
чемоданом, я заметил, что его переставили.
2
I’m so glad they have caught the crook! — Я так рад, что вора поймали!
(Здесь they указывает на людей, ответственных за поимку преступника. Переводить такое неопределенно-личное they через «они» будет
неверно.)

160

Детективные загадки

The glove didn’t belong to the owner of the apartment.
The victim was able to tell them that much1 before he was
taken to hospital.
“The fellow got into the apartment, opened the gas
tap, then left in a hurry, leaving the glove behind. He may
come back for it later in order to cover his tracks. He
cannot know that his attempt to kill Harding has failed,”
the sergeant speculated.
The detectives turned oﬀ the lights in the apartment
and settled down in the kitchen to wait for the night visitor.
Their patience was rewarded about an hour later,
when the door of the apartment opened with a gentle
squeak. The sound of approaching footsteps reached
their ears. They heard the visitor strike a match to light
the way.
“Hands up!” cried out the sergeant as the visitor
entered the kitchen.
“You can turn on the light,” said the inspector. “We
presume, you have come for the forgotten glove.”
The stranger did not deny this, but insisted that he had
never intended to kill Almus Harding. The sergeant was
about to read the suspect his rights, when the inspector
stopped him. He took the sergeant aside and said, “This
nocturnal visit is really very suspicious, but I don’t think
that this man intended to kill Harding.”

What made the inspector come to this
conclusion?

1
the victim was able to tell them that much — у жертвы хватило сил рассказать им об этом (hat much — букв.: «ровно столько», то есть на
большее у него не хватило сил.)

Detective Puzzles

161

The Case of the Broke
Businessman

Winthrop Cooper was found sitting, leaning against
one end of a stone bench, facing the sea. His face was
covered with crusts of dry blood from a gunshot wound.
There was blood on his white collar and his polka-dotted
tie. The murder weapon was found lying on the ground
near the bench.
“The garbage collector found the body in the morning,
about eight o’clock,” said inspector Winters to John
Sherlock W. “The death occurred sometime between
midnight and two o’clock.”
“Are you sure it was a suicide?”
“From what I’ve been told, Cooper was almost broke
and felt very depressed about the future. Last night, he
attended some formal reception. After the reception,
the whole party1 came here in several cars to continue

здесь party — участники официального приема

162

Детективные загадки

the banquet in the seaside restaurant. About eleven,
Cooper excused himself and went out. After a while, a
thunderstorm hit, and his friends became concerned
as to his whereabouts,1 because Copper had not come
back. The thunderstorm turned into a steady rain that
didn’t stop until dawn. At two o’clock, the company
parted. Cooper had not still returned, and they decided
that he had gone home. It was not the ﬁrst time that he
had taken French leave2 in the last several weeks, but
nobody thought that he would commit suicide.”
“He didn’t commit suicide,” said John Sherlock.

What made John Sherlock W. come to this
conclusion?

became concerned as to his whereabouts — стали беспокоиться, не
зная, куда он мог запропаститься
2
take French leave — «уйти по-английски», то есть не прощаясь
Detective Puzzles

163

The Best Among Equals

It was decided to end the traditional Congress of
Criminologists with a surprise. The best detectives from
twelve countries were to measure swords with each other.
In the evening, the Congress participants gathered in the
lounge of the hotel, and Sherlock Holmes announced
the conditions of the contest: as soon as the detectives
hear a shot and a cry, they are to hurry to the scene of
the crime, ﬁnd out what happened, and apprehend the
perpetrator. They were not allowed to use any technical
devices or appliances. The one who ﬁrst detected the
“crime” would be considered the winner.
It was almost midnight, but nothing was happening.
“This long waiting is starting to get on my nerves,”
said Dr. Watson.
Inspector Higgins rose and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” asked Watson.
“I need to prepare for the operation,” answered
Higgins.
He entered the adjacent room and, without turning
on the light, made himself comfortable in one of the
armchairs. Watson only shrugged his shoulders.
After a few minutes they heard a shot. Inspector
Higgins ran into the park. He was the ﬁrst to discover
the “victim” and track down the “criminal.” Sherlock
Holmes announced the winner and presented him with
the winner’s award — the Golden Pipe.
“Will you please share your secret with my friend
Watson?” said the great criminologist, smiling. “What
advantage did you have over other participants of the
contest?”

164

Детективные загадки

Indeed, why was the inspector in more
favorable position in relation to1
others?

in relation to — здесь: по сравнению с
Detective Puzzles

165

The Mysterious Case
of Poisoning

A rich bachelor was found dead on the ﬂoor of his
study. There was no doubt as to the cause of death.1
The man had taken poison with the cocktail he must have
made himself because his only servant had a day oﬀ.
Traces of poison were found only in the cocktail glass.
There were no such traces in the shaker. Everything
pointed to suicide, but inspector Smith had his doubts.
According to those who knew him, the dead man had
been a successful businessman, full of vigor and the joy
of life. Just days before his death, he had closed a very
proﬁtable business deal. Thus, it seemed like a strange
time to oﬀ himself.2 And still, he took his own life without
leaving so much as a suicide note.3 “Could he have been
murdered?” the inspector thought to himself. However, if
that was the case,4 there remained a big question of how.
The inspector had to admit that he was baﬄed.
Finally, he decided to bring in5 his old friend,
John Sherlock W., to help him investigate the bizarre
circumstances.
“The ﬁrst question that needs answering is how
the poison got into the cocktail glass without entering
the shaker,” said John Sherlock W. “If we answer this
question, we shall have our killer.”
1

here was no doubt as to the cause of death. — Причина его смерти не
вызывала сомнений.
2
to of oneself — покончить жизнь самоубийством (разг.)
3
without leaving so much as a suicide note — даже не оставив предсмертной записки
4
if that was the case — если дело обстояло именно так
5
bring in — здесь: обратиться за помощью к кому-л.

166

Детективные загадки

“There was only one way for the murderer to have
killed his victim and made it look like suicide,” he said the
following day, after having given the case a good deal of
thought, “and, I believe, I know what happened.”

Do you?

Detective Puzzles

167

The Three Paintings

One summer evening, John Sherlock W. went to visit
one of his old friends, Henry Blackstone, whom he hadn’t
seen in over four years.
Blackstone, who was a great art collector, had
amassed quite a large collection of paintings. After
dinner, he took his friend on a tour of the house to show
oﬀ his latest acquisitions.
“I have one new Cézanne, one new Picasso, and a
new van Eyck,”1 he said. “Here they are. What do you
think? They are beautiful, aren’t they?”

Paul Cézanne, French artist (1839—1906); Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter
(1881—1973), Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter (about 1390—1441).

168

Детективные загадки

“They certainly are,” said John Sherlock. “Even the
fake one.”
“What do you mean, the fake one?”
“I mean that you have been duped. One of these
paintings is not genuine.”

John Sherlock W. was right. Blackstone
had been cheated. One of the paintings
was a forgery. Which one?

Detective Puzzles

169

Theft in the Hotel

The San Francisco police received a tip that a gangster
was planning to rob the wife of a Greek millionaire of her
jewels. Mrs. Antonopoulos was occupying a luxurious
suite at one of the ﬁrst-rate hotels. She refused to part
with her jewels and kept them in her suite which had a
safe. The police suspected that the thief had also booked
a room in the same hotel.
A plainclothes detective had spent several days and
nights inside the suite hoping to catch the thief, but
nothing had happened so far.1 Either the criminal was
in no hurry or2 the tip was false. Mrs. Antonopoulos was
beginning to grow weary of his presence when something
peculiar happened.
In the evening, there was a knock on the door. The
detective put his ﬁnger to his lips, giving the woman a
sign to keep quiet. After a while, the door opened, and
a tall man in an evening suit appeared in the doorway.
Upon seeing Mrs. Antonopoulos, he stopped, looking
embarrassed.
“I’m terribly sorry,” said the man apologetically. “I was
quite sure this was my room. All these doors look alike.”
“It’s all right,” said Mrs. Antonopoulos. “Mistakes will
happen.”3
The man was about to close the door, but was
promptly stopped by the detective.
1

so far — пока, до сих пор
either … or — или … или, либо… либо
3
It’s all right. Mistakes will happen. — Ничего страшного. С кем не бывает? (Более буквально: Ошибки случаются.)

170

Детективные загадки

“Just a minute,” said the detective coming out of his
corner. “I think that Commissar Collins may want to ask
you a few questions.”

He knew that the man was lying. What made
him so sure?

Detective Puzzles

171

Theft in the Museum

Inspector Rellik didn’t feel particularly hungry, but
he ordered some salad, just to kill time. After a while, he
called the waiter over and complained:
“Waiter, what is this stuﬀ?”
“That is a bean salad, Sir,” replied the waiter.
“I know what it’s been, but what is it now?”
“Bean salad with dressing, Sir. Like you ordered.”1
“Take it away.”
“Yes, Sir. Shall I get you anything else?2 Maybe a cup
of tea? Or coﬀee?”
“Which would you recommend?”
“I would recommend another restaurant, Sir.”
“Good advice, but, unfortunately, I cannot take it. I’m
meeting someone here.”
“Too bad, Sir!”
“Well, I think, I’ll risk it. Bring me a cappuccino.”
Just then, Sergeant Smart entered the restaurant.
“Wait! Make that two.”3
“Yes, Sir,” the waiter called back4, and left.
“What kept you so long, Sergeant?” Rellik asked of his
colleague.
“A theft, Sir. There’s been a theft at the Museum of
Modern Music.”
“Fans again? What have they stolen this time?”

1
2
3
4

Like you ordered. — Как вы заказывали.
get — здесь: приносить
Make that two. — Принесите два (капучино).
call back — отозваться

172

Детективные загадки

“A pair of shoes. Used to be worn by some pop star.1
Demonicо or something. I’m not very good at2 fancy
names.”
“Delmonico.”
“Whatever!3 Anyway,4 the Museum director is very
upset. Says, the shoes were his main attraction.”
“When did it happen?”
“This morning. Sometime between eleven and twelve
o’clock. For some reason, the alarm did not work, and
the thief managed to get away. The only thing we have
are these photos.”
Sergeant Smart placed two photographs on the table.
“These were taken by the surveillance camera at the
entrance. They show a group of fans who entered the
exhibition hall about the time of the theft.”

Used to be worn by some pop star. — Когда-то их носила какая-то попзвезда. (Конструкция used to do sth описывает обычные или характерные для кого-л. действия или состояния, имевшие место в прошлом.)
2
I’m not very good at — здесь: я плохо запоминаю
3
Whatever! — Какая разница!
4
anyway — как бы то ни было
Detective Puzzles

173

“This picture,” the Sergeant pointed his ﬁnger at the
left photograph, “shows ﬁve young people entering the
museum. On the other one, they can be seen leaving the
museum. Ergo, one of them must have taken the shoes.
But who? And how? They had left their backpacks in the
cloakroom. As for the shoes,1 they have very thick soles.
So I have been told. That Demonical, or whatever his
name is,2 must have been quite short and wore platform
shoes. You can’t just put such shoes in your pocket and
walk away.3 I have summoned all ﬁve to the police station.
Would you like to question them?”
“Yes. But only one of them. There was no need to
summon them all.”
“Which one do you have in mind?”4
“Why don’t you buy yourself a pair of glasses, Smart?”
“I have very good eyesight, Sir,” said Sergeant Smart
with a grimace as though Rellik had mortally oﬀended
him.
“Obviously, not good enough.”

The inspector could tell5 at a glance
which of the young people took the shoes.
Can you?

1
2
3
4
5

as for the shoes — что касается туфель
or whatever his name is — или как его там
walk away — здесь: уйти, прихватив с собой краденое
Which one do you have in mind? — Кого из них вы имеете в виду?
tell — здесь: определить

174

Детективные загадки

The Collection

For some time, one of the villas on the outskirts of the
town had been occupied by a certain Alfredo di Canio.
His engaging appearance and aristocratic manners soon
won him the favour of the most powerful people in town.
Taking advantage of his popularity, Don Alfredo began to
borrow money from every man in sight.1 When his debts
had reached several million, he was visited by inspector
Higgins.
The host received the inspector with open arms. He
took him on a tour of the house, showing oﬀ his large
collection of stuﬀed animals and other curiosities. The
walls of the villa were covered with leopard and lion skins,
weapons and masks.
“I have gathered this entire collection in the basin
of the Amazon river in South America,” explained Don
Alfredo. “I even managed to acquire two ancient totem
poles.”
Inspector Higgins eyed the exotic souvenirs with great
interest, then said goodbye to the hospitable Don Alfredo
and went straight to the police station.
“The man is a liar,” he said to his colleagues. “It is
doubtful that any of the respectable citizens will ever get
their money back.”

What made the inspector come to this most
frustrating conclusion?

from every man in sight — у каждого, кто попадался ему на глаза
Detective Puzzles

175

The Suicide Room

“This castle is six hundred years old,” said Sir Samuel
Burchﬁeld to John Sherlock W., who had accepted the
invitation to stay for the weekend. “It has many secret
passages and rooms which have been used for special
purposes. Very special purposes, indeed…”
“This room, for example, is called the suicide room,”
the host continued, opening one of the massive doors.
John Sherlock was about to step inside, but the host
ﬂung out his arm suddenly, holding him back.1
“Don’t! Stay where you are!”
John Sherlock looked down. The room had four walls,
but it had no ﬂoor!
“There is a ﬂoor, alright,”2 said the host, “but it is a
hundred feet below. This room was used to punish
disloyal vassals or to ﬁnd out their secrets. Later, when
the wife of the ﬁrst Duke of Burchﬁeld died of plague, a
young servant, who was madly in love with the beautiful
woman, committed suicide by jumping down. His death
gave rise to a terrible legend. According to the legend,
a young man will commit suicide in this room during the
reign of every fourth duke.”
Sir Samuel closed the heavy door.
“Unfortunately for me, I’m the fourth duke. The fourth
since the last suicide,” he said in a tragic tone. “But I have

lung out his arm suddenly, holding him back — неожиданно протянул
руку, удерживая его
2
here is a loor, alright. — Здесь, конечно же, есть пол. (Здесь alright —
разговорный вариант all right со значением «конечно, несомненно».)

176

Детективные загадки

invited a bricklayer to brick up the doorway. He will be
here tomorrow.”
John Sherlock’s room was down the same corridor,
not far from the “suicide room”. He was about to turn in1
when he heard a long scream followed by a thud. Seized
by a sudden suspicion, he dashed out of his room. In the
corridor, he ran into Sir Samuel who was hurrying towards
the “suicide room”. In his hand the Duke clutched a
ﬂashlight. From what John Sherlock could see of his
face, Sir Samuel shared his suspicions. Together, they
opened the heavy door. Sir Samuel shone the ﬂashlight
on a motionless ﬁgure lying spreadeagled a hundred feet
below.
“Ritchie,” he said, “my wife’s attorney. But why on
earth would he commit suicide?”2
“He didn’t commit suicide,” said John Sherlock. “He
was pushed!”

How did John Sherlock W. know what had
happened?

he was about to turn in — он уже приготовился лечь спать
But why on earth would he commit suicide? — Но за каким дьяволом ему
понадобилось совершать самоубийство? (Сочетание on earth и глагол would здесь усиливают недоумение.)

Detective Puzzles

177

The Case
of the Stolen Laundry

It was a freezing-cold December afternoon, but
inspector Higgins decided not to skip the after lunch
stroll he used to take every Sunday. Downstairs, he ran
into his next-door neighbour, Mrs. Hopkins, who was
quarrelling with Mrs. Johnes. The inspector wanted to
slip out unnoticed, but was stopped by Mrs. Hopkins.
“She called me an old frump!” Mrs. Hopkins
complained to the detective.
“And who called me an old hag? A Martian?” snapped
back Mrs. Johnes.
“You’ve got to arrest her, inspector. She is a thief! We
have been blind all this time not to recognize her for what
she really is!” cried Mrs. Hopkins.
“Arrest me? You are the one who ought to be arrested!
For slander!” retorted Mrs. Johnes.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened, ladies?” said
Higgins, interrupting.
“I was coming back from the shop,” explained Mrs.
Johnes, “when this… this shabby old cat jumped all over
me, shouting for everyone to hear that I have stolen her
sheets! Faugh!1 I wouldn’t be seen dead sleeping on that
junk, let alone steal it!”2
“Junk! If there is a piece of junk in this house, it is
you! My linen was as good as new!3 I only bought it three
months ago,” cried Mrs. Hopkins.
1

Faugh! — Тьфу!
I wouldn’t be seen dead sleeping on that junk, let alone steal it! — Да я
скорее умру, чем стану спать на таком старье, не то что красть его!
3
as good as new — почти совсем новое

178

Детективные загадки

“Thirty years ago, more like.”1
“Take it easy2, ladies,” said Higgins in a conciliatory
tone. “What happened to your linen, Mrs. Hopkins?”
“After breakfast, I did the laundry and hung it outside
to dry,” said Mrs. Hopkins. “After a while, I looked out of
the window and saw this woman take it oﬀ the rope and
stuﬀ it into her bag!”
“Don’t listen to her, inspector! She is lying,” cried Mrs.
Johnes. “She is a liar if ever there was one!3 I wouldn’t
have touched her linen with ﬁre irons! You can search my
apartment if you want.”
“Calm down, Mrs. Johnes,” said the inspector. “I’m
sure you didn’t do it. And you, Mrs. Hopkins, will have to
apologize to your neighbour, for she didn’t steal your linen.”
“If it wasn’t her, who was it?”
“I can’t answer this question right now. But we shall
ﬁnd out what happened.”

What made inspector Higgins doubt the
words of the quarrelsome Mrs. Hopkins?

1
2
3

more like — скорее
Take it easy! — Не кипятитесь!
She is a liar if ever there was one! — Она лгунья, каких свет не видывал!
Detective Puzzles

179

Dr. Watson’s Story

On that wet and dull December evening, Sherlock
Holmes was in one of his darker moods, as often
happened at the end of a case. He had hardly spoken
a word the whole afternoon; he just sat in his favorite
armchair, smoking his pipe and gazing into space.
Suddenly, he sat up and listened.1 Downstairs,
someone was knocking on the door. After a short while,
we heard our landlady, Mrs. Hudson, come up the stairs.
“A telegram for you, Mr. Holmes,” she said.
“From Inspector Gregson!” shouted Holmes, looking
at the signature. “Aha! It looks like he has come across
some insoluble problem! He writes here that he needs my
advice. Are you coming with me, Watson?”
“Of course I am,” I said. “Where are we going?”
“To ‘The Pharaoh’.”
Fifteen minutes later, a cab was taking us to one of the
most fashionable London clubs.
Gregson met us at the door to the club.
“Mr. Holmes! Dr. Watson!” he exclaimed, “I’m so glad
you have come!”
“What has happened?” asked Holmes.
“A murder. Unfortunately, the dead body has already
been taken away, but this presents no problems. Neither
does the murder weapon2 — we have found it. To be
more precise, we didn’t even have to look for it. It was
sticking out of the dead man’s chest. Here it is.”
The Inspector handed Holmes a dagger with a narrow
blade.
1

sat up and listened — выпрямился и прислушался
neither does the murder weapon — орудие убийства также не представляет собой никакой проблемы
2

180

Детективные загадки

“That’s quite an interesting weapon,” Holmes
commented, studying the dagger curiously. “It resembles
the Italian stiletto of the kind used by duelists.”
“Quite right,” Gregson agreed. “Stilettos of this kind
were very popular with assassins. They could be easily
concealed inside a sleeve or jacket. And, as you have
mentioned, they were also used by duelists. They were
considered left-hand weapons, which is even more
important in our case, because the blow had been dealt
with a left hand. Please, follow me, gentlemen. I will show
you where it happened.”
Gregson opened the door to a spacious room. It was
scantily lit only by the burning ﬁrewood and three candles
that stood atop the bridge table in the middle.
“This is the bridge room,” the inspector explained. “At
the time of the murder, there were only ﬁve people in the
room. Four of them were playing bridge, the ﬁfth seemed
to be the odd man out.1 He must have arrived when all
the seats at the bridge table had been taken, and settled
himself to wait for his turn in front of the ﬁreplace. It was
he who was later found with the dagger in his chest.”
“Is this the only place in the club where one can play
bridge?” Holmes asked.
“No. There is a bridge table in the smoking room, but,
apparently, the gentleman couldn’t stand the smell of
tobacco.
“Apparently.”
“Since there are only four suspects, it won’t be too
diﬃcult to ﬁnd out which of them is left-handed,” I said.
“Well,2 it is and it isn’t so,” Gregson answered. “I have
put them to the test twice, and they all turned out to be
1

odd man out — игрок, оставшийся без пары
Здесь well — междометие со значением неуверенности: Ну как вам
сказать? Это так, да не так.

Detective Puzzles

181

right-handed! First, I asked them to sign their statements
taken by Sergeant Smith, and all four took the pen in the
right hand. Then, I asked to bring us all a cup of coﬀee in
the hope that he may somehow betray himself. But no.
Each of the suspects reached for his cup with his right
hand.”
“Your murderer is a man of great self-control,” Holmes
said. “He was running a great risk by committing a murder
in front of three witnesses. One of the players could have
turned around and caught him in the act.1 For a man like
that, evading your traps must have been child’s play.”
“That’s why I have asked you to come, Mr. Holmes.
I thought, you might suggest something.”
“Tell me more about what happened here tonight.
Who entered the room, apart from the players?”
“Only the waiter. He brought a tray with drinks and put
it on the little table behind the armchair near the ﬁreplace.
It was the only time that he entered the room.”
“Which means that the players poured out their drinks
themselves. To do that, they had to leave their seats.”
“Which they did. During the evening, each of them left
the table to pour himself a glass of wine, and passed the
armchair with the odd man out.”
“Did anyone speak to him?”
“No. He sat very quietly, and everyone thought that
he was asleep. Besides, all the ﬁve didn’t seem to know
each other, so there was no reason to make conversation.
At least, that’s what they say. But one of them is lying,
otherwise we would have one murder fewer. One of the
players knew the latecomer, and had been expecting
him.”
“Who found the dead body?”
1

catch sb in the act — застать на месте преступления

182

Детективные загадки

“Mr. French from the banking house ‘French and
Sons’. After two robbers, he rose saying that it was time
for him to go. ‘I’ll go and ask that gentleman if he cares
to replace me,’ he said, and headed for the armchair.
A second later, they heard him let out a muﬄed cry.
French stood there, pointing at the quiet ﬁgure in the
armchair. The head of the sitting man was resting upon
his chest, almost touching the handle of the dagger.
“Where are these gentlemen now?”
“In the adjoining room.”
“Let us take a look at them.”

We all entered the adjoining room and saw four
gentlemen sitting close to each other on a long Oriental
sofa.
“Whom would you like to talk to ﬁrst?” Gregson asked.
“I don’t need to talk to them to identify the murderer,”
Holmes said. “I have already found him out for you.”

Which of the four suspects did Sherlock
Holmes have in mind?
Detective Puzzles

183

The Banker’s Story

On Tuesday morning two bank robbers kidnapped the
assistant manager of the city bank, Mr. Adam Pennyroll.
When inspector Higgins arrived at the victim’s house, Mr.
Pennyroll was explaining to a police sergeant how he had
been kidnapped by bank robbers.
“They forced me to open up the safe and give them
the money. Then they made me drive towards my home
from the bank. They intended to get my wife’s jewelry
too,” explained Mr. Pennyroll.
“Tell us how you managed to escape, Mr. Pennyroll,”
said Higgins.
“We were driving towards my house from the bank.
One of the kidnappers had dumped1 the money out of
the bank bag into a paper sack. Then he threw the bank
bag out of the window. Two blocks later, we stopped for a
red light. The kidnapper was looking down at the money,
and I saw my chance. I opened my door, jumped out of
the car, and ran. I ran up to the nearest house, and they
let me in. Luckily, the kidnappers did not follow me. They
just drove oﬀ.”
“Let’s follow your route back to the bank and see if we
can ﬁnd any clues,” said Stanwick.
They left the house in inspector Higgins’s car. Soon
Pennyroll shouted, “There it is! There’s the money bag!”
They stopped and picked up the empty bank bag and
continued on towards the bank. In a few minutes they
came to a light. “This is where I escaped,” said Pennyroll.
1

dump — здесь: небрежно переложить, побросать

184

Детективные загадки

After getting back to the bank, Higgins said, “I have a
problem with your story.”

What did he notice?

The Witch Trial

The courtroom buzzed like a beehive. The citizens
of Paris, having put aside their superstitious fears, had
gathered to watch the witch trial. Many of them were
attracted by the rumour that the judges were going to
demand that the witch demonstrate her skills, for which
reason the hearing had been set for 9 p. m. on the night
of the full moon. In those far-away days of the year 1730,
people believed that witches chose to exercise their
magical powers at night, especially when there was a full
moon.
As if by magic, the buzzing died down as the sound of
the gong announced the beginning of the trial.
Detective Puzzles

185

“The People of Paris vs. Marie Colbert, a witch,”
announced the courtroom clerk.1
Marie Colbert was indicted on several counts:
consorting with the devil, having bewitched her
husband with the help of magic ointments and balms,
and having ﬁnally killed the unsuspecting man by way of
witchcraft — that is, with the help of same magic balms
and ointments.
“The prosecution can present several witnesses to
prove the charges,” said the prosecutor. “Apart from
that, we are in possession of a piece of evidence that
leaves no doubt as to the guilt of the accused woman.”
“Are you ready to produce this piece of evidence to
the Court?” asked the Chief Justice.
“Certainly, Your Honour.2 It is a recipe for a magic
ointment found in the house of the accused. With the
Court’s permission, I shall read it aloud.”
“We are all ears, Counsel,” said the Chief Justice.3
The prosecutor picked up a piece of paper from the
table, and read out the recipe which cannot be repeated
here word for word; all we can say is that it contained the
blood of the black snake, the fat of the black cat, and the
eggs of an owl found at midnight.
“The accused denies having seen this recipe,”4 the
prosecutor continued, “but we know from a reliable
1

“he People of Paris vs. (= versus) Marie Colbert, a witch,” — announced
the courtroom clerk. — «Народ Парижа против Марии Кольбер, колдуньи», — объявил секретарь суда.
2
Your Honour — Ваша честь (обращение к судье)
3
We are all ears, Counsel. — Мы вас внимательно слушаем, советник.
(Обращение к адвокату или прокурору.)
4
the accused denies having seen this recipe — обвиняемая отрицает,
что когда-либо видела этот рецепт

186

Детективные загадки

source that she not only knew about its existence, but
used it to make a magic ﬂying ointment.”1
“Has anyone seen her ﬂy?”
“Yes, Your Honour. I have a witness who saw her rise
into the air.”
The prosecutor gestured to one of the spectators in
the ﬁrst row. A short man resembling a beer barrel rose
from his seat and stumped into the witness box. As it soon
turned out, his inner world was very much in harmony
with this physical appearance.2
“What is your name?” the Chief Justice addressed the
witness.
“My name is Bonﬁls,” said the beer barrel, bowing
slightly in the direction of the judges.
“Tell us, Monsieur Bonﬁls, do you know the accused
woman?”
“Of course I do! I know her very well. We are
neighbours.”
“Where, exactly, do you live?”
“Right in front of the house of the late3 Monsieur
Colbert, God rest his soul. With him, I have lost my best
booze companion.”
“Does it mean you can see the front side of your late
neighbour’s house?” the Chief Justice asked, ignoring
the second remark.
“Yes, Your Honour.”
“Would you, please, tell the Court what you did two
weeks ago, on Saturday, at around midnight?”
1
magic lying ointment — волшебная мазь, которая позволяет колдунье подняться в воздух
2
As it soon turned out, his inner world was very much in harmony with
this physical appearance. — Как вскоре выяснилось, его духовный мир находился в полной гармонии с его внешним обликом.
3
late — здесь: покойный

Detective Puzzles

187

“On Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Two weeks ago?”
“Yes. Where were you on that night?”
“At home, of course. I’m always home by midnight.
Most bars close at eleven.”
“Do you remember what you were doing?”
“What I was doing? What can a single man do at
midnight?”
“Weren’t you sitting by the open window?” prompted
the prosecutor.
“That’s right! I was sitting by the window.”
“What did you see?”
“Well, like I said, I was sitting by the window and
admiring the full moon. Suddenly, the head of my
neighbour, Madame Colbert, peered up. Right out of the
chimney. And then — believe it or not — Madame Colbert
herself, absolutely naked. In her birthday suit, as they
say.1 All she had with her was a broom.
At these words, the defense lawyer began to ﬁdget in
his seat, but no one seemed to notice. All eyes were ﬁxed
on the witness, who continued:
“She climbed out onto the roof, straddled her broom,
and ﬂew away.”
“In what direction did she go?” asked the prosecutor.
“In the direction of the cemetery, of course. Then I
noticed a second witch joining her.”
“You must have seen double after the three bottles of
cheap wine,” a voice from the audience cut in.
The Chief Justice raised his gavel and banged it on
the table.
1

In her birthday suit, as they say. — Как говорится, в чем мама родила.

188

Детективные загадки

“One more remark like that, and I will have the
courtroom cleared,”1 he said angrily.
The defense lawyer took the opportunity and rose
from his chair. This time, the Chief Justice condescended
to notice him.
“You want to say something, Counsel?”
“Yes, Your Honour. I daresay2 that this witness is lying.”
“Lying?”
“Yes. His whole testimony is nothing but a lie, and the
Defense can prove it.”

How was the defense lawyer going to prove
that the witness was lying? What did he
notice no one else did?

1
2

and I will have the courtroom cleared — и я велю очистить зал
I daresay — осмелюсь заметить
Detective Puzzles

189

Death Comes
to the Squire

In a small English town a long time ago, this story was
told:
It was a hot summer Sunday. The squire and his wife
were in church when the squire fell asleep.
He dreamed that he was a French nobleman at the time
of the Revolution. He had been condemned to death, and
he was waiting on the scaﬀold for the guillotine to fall.1
Just then2 his wife, noticing that he was asleep, tapped
him sharply on the back of his neck with her fan. The
shock was so great — in view of what he was dreaming —
that the squire immediately slumped over,3 dead.

The investigating officer didn’t believe
this story when it was told to him by the
wife of the deceased. Do you believe it?
If not, why?

The Advertisement

Not long ago, a certain newspaper published the
following advertisement.
YOU ARE ALMOST BALD? NO PROBLEM!
AFTER ONLY ONE HOUR WITH THE LEGENDARY
DOCTOR CROOK, YOUR HAIR WILL BE BETTER THAN HIS!
1

he was waiting on the scafold for the guillotine to fall — и вот он уже на
эшафоте, ждет, когда опустится нож гильотины
2
just then — в этот самый момент
3
slumped over — здесь: сполз со стула

190

Детективные загадки

The newspaper also sported1 a photo of the good
doctor. Here it is.

The doctor was not lying. After only one session,
the hair of any patient was really better than that of the
doctor, who, mind you,2 was not a magician. He was
someone else.

What was doctor Crook?

1
sport — здесь: поместить (как правило, речь идет о чем-то, что
имеет целью произвести впечатление)
2
mind you — заметьте

Detective Puzzles

191

The Mistake

Monsieur Francis Perec, a multimillionaire and a
known collector of curiosities, was slowly turning over
the pages of his famous album of stamps, when a gentle
knock on the door interrupted this most pleasing activity.
“Come in, Mortimer,” said Monsieur Perec, without
taking his eyes oﬀ the album.
The butler came into the room.
“I’m very sorry to disturb you, Monsieur, but there is
a gentleman at the door, asking for you. I thought you
might want to speak with him.”
“What is so special about him?”1
“His name, Monsieur. He said it was Paul Gauguin.”
The millionaire glanced at the self-portrait of the great
artist that adorned one of the walls of his study.
“In that case, let him in,” he said, as he shut the album
and put it away in the desk drawer.
“Monsieur Paul Gauguin,” the butler announced the
late visitor.
It was a young man of about 35, dressed with great
taste. The collector’s sharp eyes lingered a moment on
the expensive cuﬀ links and the matching diamond tie
pin. “He certainly doesn’t look like someone who has
come to ask for money,” thought the millionaire to himself
with great relief. He was tired of daydreamers who always
seemed to have more ideas than money.
“Good evening,” the young man said with a slight bow.
“My name is Paul Gauguin.”
1

What is so special about him? — Что в нем такого особенного?

192

Детективные загадки

“Gauguin like ‘Gauguin’?”
“Yes. I’m a namesake of the great artist, and his direct
descendant. To be more exact, the great Paul Gauguin
was my great-grandfather,” the visitor answered
modestly.
Again, Monsieur Perec involuntarily raised his eyes
to the portrait. The late visitor wasn’t an exact copy
of the great master, but there was some undeniable
resemblance between the two.
“Please, take a seat, Monsieur Gauguin,” the collector
said, pointing to the visitor chair. “What brings you to
me?”
“I hear, some time ago you acquired a letter written
by my great-grandfather. At a fabulous price of 350
thousand dollars.”
“I believe, it is no secret. I, indeed, acquired one of the
letters written by the great Paul Gauguin some six months
ago.”
“I have come to oﬀer you another letter written by
the same hand. The one that was believed to have been
lost.”1
The collector didn’t say anything. Perhaps, he was
afraid that his voice might betray his excitement. There
was only one letter that had been thought lost — the
farewell letter the great painter had written to his wife. If
this was the letter the visitor spoke of… Monsieur Perec
couldn’t believe his luck.
“Unfortunately, my famous great-grandfather was
not a model husband,” continued the visitor. “When
he decided to devote himself entirely to painting, he
1

he one that was believed to have been lost. — То, что считалось утерянным.
Detective Puzzles

193

abandoned my great-grandmother with ﬁve children, and
left for the island of Martinique. From there, he wrote his
last letter to her, begging her to forgive him. As you may
well know, the letter was never found although there is no
doubt about its existence.”
The collector nodded in agreement. He had also
heard of it.
“Well,” the visitor said, lowering his voice almost to
a whisper. “I have found that letter! Not so long ago, I
inherited the house of my ancestors in Copenhagen. It
has a large library on the ﬁrst ﬂoor. There, I came across
an old prayer book that must have belonged to my greatgrandmother. I was about to return it to the shelf when
an old letter fell out of it. Would you care to take a look
at it?”1
The host held out his hand, and the visitor noticed that
it was trembling.
“Please, be careful,” he said. “The document is very
old. Let me unfold it for you.”
The collector glued his eyes to the letter. There was
no doubt: it was the hand of the great Gauguin! He knew
it too well to make a mistake.
The collector’s hand reached for the magnifying
glass. For several minutes, there was silence.
“And what is this blurred stain?” the collector spoke
at last.
“I can’t say for sure. I suppose, it is a trace left by a
tear.”
“How much do you want for this document?” the
millionaire asked after a while.
1

Would you care to take a look at it? — Не желаете ли взглянуть на него?

194

Детективные загадки

“One million American dollars,” the visitor answered
without so much as a wince.1
It was a large sum of money, but the collector knew
some people who would pay more.
“Good,” he said. “But you must understand that
this money will be paid to you only after a thorough
examination by an expert.”
“Certainly,” the visitor replied. “I will leave the letter
with you. I’m staying at ‘SAVOY’. You will ﬁnd me there
whenever you should want to get in touch with me.”
The visitor left and, a minute later, he was already
walking along the busy streets of the evening Paris. He
was, indeed, heading for “SAVOY” where he had booked a
single room. If he had to wait too long, even the cheapest
room in “SAVOY” could make a hole in his budget, but he
had little choice if he wanted to keep up the pretence.2
The examination by the expert didn’t seem to concern
1

without so much as a wince — здесь: не дрогнув
keep up the pretence — здесь: продолжать пускать пыль в глаза; продолжать разыгрывать комедию

Detective Puzzles

195

him, for he knew well that his letter would stand up to any
test.1
Now, the time has come for the reader to make a
closer acquaintance of our hero who had introduced
himself to the millionaire as Paul Gauguin. The name was,
of course, ﬁctitious. He had borrowed it from the great
artist only for a short while. But just the family name,
because, strange as it may seem,2 our Paul and the great
Paul Gauguin shared the same ﬁrst name.3
Paul earned a good living by making use of his brains,
inventing and pulling oﬀ one conﬁdence scheme4 after
another. He had enjoyed a good education, which came in
quite handy in his business. He was a graduate of the French
Academy of Arts, and for some time, he had even tried to
earn an honest living, restoring paintings for museums. But
he soon realized that there was a far better way to utilize his
talents, and he quickly “re-qualiﬁed” himself.
Some six months before his visit to Monsieur Francis
Perec, he, indeed, inherited a small house, following the
death of his old aunt.5 The house was about two hundred
years old, and it was badly in need of repair. At the risk
of his life, Paul one day climbed the stairs to the attic.
There, among the piles of old junk and lumber, he found a
folder6 full of envelopes and letter paper that was at least
1

stand up to any test — выдержать любую проверку
strange as it may seem — как это ни странно
3
our Paul and the great Paul Gauguin shared the same irst name — наш
Поль и великий Поль Гоген звались одним и тем же именем
4
conidence scheme — мошенничество, основанное на злоупотреблении доверием
5
following the death of his old aunt — после смерти своей старой тетушки
6
folder — здесь: бювар, настольная папка для конвертов и почтовой
бумаги

196

Детективные загадки

a hundred years old. The envelopes and the paper had
turned yellow with age. It was then that1 he was visited
by the great idea to carry out the forgery of the century.
At ﬁrst, it was just an idea. It was not until he had learned
that one of Paul Gauguin’s letters had been sold for 350
thousand dollars that the idea turned into a plan.2
Among other sciences, Paul had studied chemistry.
So, it was not very diﬃcult for him to discolor the ink, so
that it, too, would look old and faded. The most diﬃcult
thing was to imitate the painter’s handwriting. Paul had
trained for several months before he was satisﬁed with
the result. Even the tear left on the paper was genuine,
which was later corroborated by the examiner.
But let us return to our story.
Some two weeks later, Paul received a letter from
Monsieur Perec. It read:
“Dear Monsieur Gauguin,
“I have the pleasure to tell you that your letter has
been examined by an expert and was found genuine.
I hope, it won’t cause you much trouble3 to visit me again
at my house to sign the purchase agreement. You may
come at any time suitable to you.
“Yours sincerely,4
“Francis Perec.
1

it was then that — именно тогда
It was not until he had learned that one of Paul Gauguin’s letters had been
sold for 350 thousand dollars that the idea turned into a plan. — В настоящий план его гениальная мысль превратилась лишь после того, как
он узнал, что одно из писем Поля Гогена было продано за 350 тысяч
долларов.
3
it won’t cause you much trouble — вас не затруднит
4
Yours sincerely — искренне ваш (Устойчивая фраза в конце письма.)

Detective Puzzles

197

“P.S.1 I should be very much obliged if you notiﬁed me
in advance of the time of your visit, so that I may warn the
Notary Public.”
Paul kissed the letter and pressed it to his chest.
Although he had been sure of the outcome, he still felt a
little uneasy.
He sat down and wrote:
“Dear Monsieur Perec,
“I will be happy to sign the purchase agreement at
noon this Friday.
“Yours sincerely,
“Paul Gauguin.”
Two days later, he was arrested and charged with
fraud.

How come?

P.S. — постскриптум, приписка в письме после подписи

Key
I. WORD AND GRAMMAR PUZZLES
1.1. Johnny spent his holidays in Turkey. Название государства «Турция» и название домашней птицы
звучат по-английски одинаково. Получается,
что Джонни провел каникулы в Турции.
1.2. Звонивший имел в виду грамматику Джонни,
вернее ее отсутствие (будь Джонни грамотен,
он сказал бы: “hey were, but they are not now.”),
а Джонни подумал, что его спрашивают о бабушке — grandma. Эти слова действительно
звучат очень похоже, особенно когда — и такое произношение считается более правильным — слово grandma произносится как
['grænm :].
1.3. Вам достаточно было вставить предлог for:

GROOM: For how long do you want it?
Без предлога for вопрос конюха неоднозначен.
Конюх имел в виду: «На какой срок вы хотите
взять лошадь?», а покупатель понял вопрос
как «Какой длины вы хотите лошадь?»
1.4. Услышав, что маленький Джонни потерял
папу, полицейский спросил: “What is he like?”
(Как он выглядит?). Джонни понял его слова
по-своему, а именно как What does he like? (Что
он любит?), и соответственно ответил: «Пиво
и женщин!»
1.5. У девочки проблемы с неправильными глаголами, да и с временами тоже. Она должна была
Key

199

сказать: “Because you have forgotten everything you

ever knew.”
1.6. Nine. Умерли все овцы, за исключением девяти. Иными словами, в живых осталось девять
овец. “All but nine” означает «все, кроме девяти». Заметьте: помимо основного значения
«но», у слова but есть и другие значения, в том
числе значение «кроме, за исключением».
1.7. Здесь все дело в том, когда именно два сотрудника покинули офис. Джек ушел где-то
в районе 17:15, самое позднее в 17:15; иными
словами, в 17:15 его уже в офисе не было. На
это указывает предлог by, который означает,
что некоторое событие произошло до указанного времени. Что же касается Ника, то в 17:15
он все еще находился в офисе. Он ушел только
в 17:15. Предлог until указывает на то, некоторое событие произошло в означенное время
или после означенного времени. С точки зрения трудовой дисциплины эта разница несущественна, но вот для полицейского, расследующего ограбление, она оказалась важной.
1.8. Доктор сказал: «Этот парень не находится под
воздействием алкоголя. Его одурманили наркотиками». При этом он употребил глагол drug
(drugged, drugged) — «подмешивать наркотики
в пищу». Полицейский, который был не очень
грамотным человеком (и не выучил в школе
три формы неправильных глаголов!), решил,
что drug — это форма глагола drag (здесь: «тащить волоком»), который в его представлении
был неправильным (drag, drug, drugged), и ответил: «Я думаю, вы правы, доктор. Я волок его
всю дорогу до станции». На самом деле гла-

200

Ключи

гол drag — «правильный» глагол: drag, dragged,
dragged. На то, что полицейский не был шибко
грамотным человеком, указывает, помимо его
произношения, также употребление глагола
think в Present Continuous в значении «думать,
полагать, придерживаться определенного
мнения». Грамматически верно здесь было бы
I think that you’re right. Глагол think употребляется в продолженном времени, когда означает
процесс: “What are you thinking about?” — «О чем
ты думаешь?»
1.9. here was something wrong with his old alarm clock.

He wanted to see what he could do to make it go. He
removed the hands and the face, cleaned and oiled
them. У человека сломался будильник. Он хо-

1.10.

1.11.

1.12.
1.13.

1.14.

тел посмотреть, как его починить. Он снял
стрелки (the hands) и циферблат (the face), почистил и смазал их, а потом собрал.
Увидев, что женщина ведет машину и одновременно вяжет, полицейский крикнул: Pull over!
Он велел ей съехать на обочину и остановиться. Женщина решила, что он интересуется, не
вяжет ли она свитер (pullover), и ответила, что
вяжет носки.
Funny «смешной» и funny «странный». Каннибал спросил приятеля: «Тебе не кажется, что
этот клоун немного странный на вкус?»
One, two, three, four, ive, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Здесь пришли в столкновение два значения
слова toast [ t st]: 1. пить или провозглашать
тост за чье-л. здоровье; 2. подрумянивать на
огне; поджаривать.
Здесь обыгрываются два слова — существительное ine — «штраф» и прилагательное
Key

201

ine — «хороший; пригодный». Надпись возле
пожарного депо гласит: «Штраф за парковку».
Полицейский спрашивает женщину-водителя:
«Почему вы припарковались возле пожарного
депо?» На что женщина отвечает: «А что такого? Здесь написано: «Хорошее место для парковки».
1.15. he girl’s name was Mary: ARMY → MARY. Здесь
мы имеем дело с анаграммой — словом, образованным на основе другого слова путем
перестановки букв.
1.16. Недоразумение основано на одинаковом звучании слов hole «дыра» (или «нора», берлога»)
и whole («весь, целый») в составе словосочетания as a whole — «в целом». Хозяйка спросила:
«Как вам комната в целом?» На что посетитель
ответил: «Как дыра она превосходна, но как
комната — не очень».
Вот как эта шутка должна была звучать изначально:

LANDLADY: How do you like the room as a whole?
VISITOR: As a hole it’s ine; as a room, not so good.
1.17. Он имел в виду альпинистов — mountaineers
[ maunt 'n z]. Загадка основана на фонетическом сходстве слов mountain ears
и mountaineers.
1.18. he message read: TONIGHT. (Read the irst letter of
every word.)
1.19. He wrote, “Air” (FAIRY → AIR). Он написал слово
«воздух». Воздух не облагался налогом.
1.20. It is the word “unquestionably.”
1.21. Профессор стал жертвой двусмысленности
слова appendix. В книге appendix — это «прило-

202

Ключи

жение». Для хирурга же это в первую очередь
«аппендикс», «червеобразный отросток», и он
сделал с ним то, что привык делать с аппендиксом: он его удалил.
1.22. he word “wrong.” Слово wrong всегда пишется
wrong.
1.23. John Sherlock’s suspicion fell on the gentleman who

called himself John Falcon from Casablanca. John
Sherlock, who had many Russian friends, knew
that “Sokol” was the Russian word for Falcon. Ivan
Sokolof had become John Falcon.
1.24. TEACHER. Переставьте буквы в слове
CHEATER, и получится TEACHER.
1.25. Разумеется, лифт здесь совершенно ни при
чем. Здесь это слово означает не подъемный
механизм (американцы предпочитают в этом
случае слово elevator), а услугу, состоящую
в том, что какого-либо пешехода подвозят на
короткое расстояние. Give sb a lit — подвезти,
подбросить кого-либо (до дома и т. п.).
1.26. It does. he letter points at some American senator.
he writer used an anagram: TREASON → SENATOR.
1.27. В первом предложении слово accident употребляется так, словно оно означает «авария, несчастный случай», и именно так его понимает
собеседник. Потом оказывается, что говорящий имел в виду, что это был не несчастный
случай, а случайность, то есть другое значение слова accident.
1.28. Давая телеграмму, бизнесмен перепутал два
слова. Он имел в виду слово berth — «полка», а написал birth — «роды», и у него вместо
«Опоздаю на один день. Только что отдал свою
Key

203

полку пожилой даме» получилось: «Опоздаю
на один день. Только что родил старушку».
1.29. he man was a cobbler (сапожник). (COWBOY +

REVOLVER)
1.30. he sun rose and the wind blue. Солнце следовало
раскрасить в красновато-розовый цвет, а ветер — в голубой. Загадка основана на схожести в звучании двух разных слов. Rose — это
не только «розовый», но и прошедшее время
глагола rise — «всходить (о солнце)»; прилагательное blue звучит так же, как и форма прошедшего времени blew глагола blow.
1.31. Здесь обыгрываются два значения слова rich:
1. богатый; 2. жирный, содержащий большое
количество жира, тяжелый (о пище). Ср.: he
food was a little too rich for me. — Еда была для
меня слишком жирной.
1.32. Monsieur Gilbert wrote, “In their language Look out!
can sometimes mean Don’t look out!” — На их языке «Выгляни!» иногда означает «Не выглядывай!». Дело в том, что фразовый глагол look
out, помимо буквального значения, может служить предупреждением об опасности, главным образом в побудительных предложениях.
Действительно, рабочие, сбрасывая с крыши
обломки черепицы, время от времени предупреждали прохожих об опасности, крича: Look
out!, что означает «Берегись!».
1.33. John Sherlock W. noticed that there were several

letters missing in the alphabet written by the boy,
notably the letters E, F, G, I, N, R. But they didn’t mean
anything in that very order.1 he detective rearranged
1

in that very order — в таком порядке, в такой последовательности
(Здесь слово very играет роль усилителя: именно в этом порядке.)

204

Ключи

the letters and received the word FINGER. he robber
had one inger missing. Джон Шерлок Дабл-Ю обнаружил, что в алфавите недостает нескольких букв, а именно букв E, F, G, I, N, R. Однако
в этом порядке они не имели никакого смысла. Тогда он попробовал поменять буквы местами, и получил слово FINGER. У бандита не
хватало пальца на одной руке!
1.34. Cofee break — перерыв на кофе. Слово cofee
разорвано на две части, или, иначе, между его
двумя частями есть интервал или разрыв —
a break.
1.35. Yesterday, today and tomorrow.
1.36. Если мы поставим точку с запятой после слова
talked и запятую после слова ater, то значение
предложения становится абсолютно ясным:

King Charles the First walked and talked; half an hour
ater, his head was cut of. — Король Карл Первый
ходил и говорил; через полчаса ему отрубили
голову.
Без этих знаков препинания предложение звучало так: «Король Карл Первый ходил и говорил через полчаса после того, как ему отрубили голову».
1.37. Look at this picture:

Key

205

Penny-farthing was a bicycle (BELL «колокольчик»
+ ICYCLE «сосулька»). he bicycle had one big and
one small wheel. It, indeed, looked like a penny and
farthing.
1.38. he man’s horse was called Friday. Пятницей звали
лошадь этого человека.
1.39. Count the number of letters in every word, and you

will get the number: 422—962—352.
1.40. bill — счет (в ресторане) и bill — клюв.
1.41. Remove SIX LETTERS and you will get BANANAS.

Уберите буквы S, I, X, L, E, T, T, E, R, S (SIX
LETTERS), и останется BANANAS. Отравитель
знал, что Джон Шерлок любит бананы.
1.42. В записке, посланной дамой, говорилось: «Человек отправляется в море; его жена желает,
чтобы прихожане за него помолились». В следующее воскресенье священник выдал: «Человек отправляется навестить свою жену и желает, чтобы прихожане за него помолились».
Он, как это часто бывает, перепутал слова sea
и see, и, соответственно, неправильно расставил паузы.
1.43. Being too preoccupied with his studies, George failed

to reread his letter1 and didn’t notice that he had
skipped a semicolon ater the word “twenty”. his is
what he intended to write:
“I miss you very much. I count the days till I may
hold your hands and kiss your beautiful long nails,
all twenty; ive upon each hand and as many on your
graceful feet.”
Будучи слишком занят учебой, Джордж не перечитал письмо и не заметил, что пропустил

failed to reread the letter — не перечитал письмо

206

Ключи

точку с запятой после слова “twenty”. Вот что
он хотел написать:
«Я очень скучаю по тебе. Я считаю дни, когда
смогу взять твои руки в свои и целовать твои
красивые длинные ногти — все двадцать: пять
на каждой руке и столько же на твоих изящных
ножках».
На самом же деле у него получилось вот что:
«Я очень скучаю по тебе. Я считаю дни, когда
смогу взять твои руки в свои и целовать твои
красивые длинные ногти — все двадцать пять
на каждой руке и столько же на твоих изящных
ножках».
1.44. Вот как это следовало сделать:

HE: How old are you?
SHE: Sixteen.
HE: Excuse me?
SHE: I said twice, sixteen.
HE: Oh, you said, twice sixteen, that’s better.
ОНА: Я два раза сказала: 16.
ОН: А, ты сказала, два раза по 16. Так-то лучше.
1.45. Пациенту не понравилось слово Oops! Это
междометие используется как признание
собственной неловкости. Его произносят,
уронив что-либо, нечаянно толкнув кого-либо
и т.п. Поэтому у пациента были все основания
испугаться, когда это восклицание слетело
с уст доктора. Все остальные восклицания
также вполне возможны во время операции,
но они не должны были вызвать беспокойство
у пациента. В частности, Gosh! чаще выражает позитивные эмоции — удивление, восторг,
радость: Oh gosh, that’s beautiful! Ouch! соответKey

207

1.46.

1.47.

1.48.

1.49.

1.50.
1.51.

ствует русскому «Ой!». Доктор мог произнести это слово, порезавшись или уколовшись.
Вытирая пот со лба после трудной операции,
он сказал бы Whew! [fju:] — «Уф!»
Писатель написал: “Mine is all right.” (По созвучию с глаголом write.) Sew, sew в ответе портного созвучно с so-so — «так себе».
He brought his company. Он пришел с ротой солдат. Company — это не только «компания», но
и «военная рота».
Очевидно, имелось в виду: With her marriage,
she got a new name and address. — Выйдя замуж,
она сменила фамилию и адрес.
Ученый профессор знал бы, как пишутся слова
forty «сорок», father «отец», government «правительство» и mayor «мэр». Последняя ошибка
превратила его из личного советника мэра
(mayor) в личного советника кобылы (mare). Он
бы также знал, что следует говорить не more
one cofee, а one more cofee. Определенную роль
в изобличении мошенника сыграла и его «говорящая» фамилия Trickster, что в переводе
означает «обманщик, ловкач». Именно она заставила Джона Шерлока повнимательнее прочитать остальной текст на табличке.
Bark — «кора дерева» и bark — «лаять».
“No,” said the reporter. “he East River.” Шутка основана на двух значениях глагола run — «идти»
(о часах) и «течь» (о реке).

1.52. Mr. Jewell was expecting jewels. he sender decided

to cheat his partner and put a live mouse in the box
instead of the jewels in the hope that it would gnaw its
way to freedom. According to his plan, the recipient
would receive an empty box with a hole in it, think
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Ключи

that the box was damaged in transit, and make the
post remunerate him for the loss. But the clever plan
didn’t work out. For some reason, the mouse died.
Ответ на второй вопрос кроется в фамилии
получателя посылки. Господин Джуэлл ожидал драгоценные камни. Отправитель решил
обмануть своего партнера, положив в коробку живую мышь вместо камней в надежде, что
мышь прогрызет путь на свободу. Согласно
его плану, Джуэлл получит пустую коробку
с дыркой, решит, что коробка была повреждена при пересылке и потребует от почтового
ведомства компенсировать потерю. Однако
его хитроумный план не сработал. По какой-то
причине мышь умерла.
1.53. Miss — «прогуливать (школу)» и «скучать по кому-либо или чему-либо».
1.54. He said, “Melon, open the door!” Все, что ему нужно было сделать, — это переставить буквы
в слове lemon, чтобы получилось другое слово.
Новым паролем было слово «дыня».
1.55. “He was a shopliter in Civvy Street, ater all,” said the
Sergeant. — «На гражданке он был магазинным
вором». Шутка построена на игре слов. Фразовый глагол pick up означает «схватывать на
лету», то есть «учиться всему очень быстро»;
но его основное значение — «поднимать,
подбирать», например, вещи с пола. В этом
последнем значении он выступает синонимом глагола lit, который также неоднозначен
и имеет среди своих многочисленных значений значение «красть».
1.56. he dog can jump over his dog house. Ключ к этой
загадке кроется в слове his: собака может пеKey

209

репрыгнуть через свой домик, то есть через
собачью конуру, а не через его (хозяина) дом.
1.57. Учитель велел классу нарисовать (draw) лошадь и телегу. Мальчик нарисовал лошадь.
На вопрос учителя, что это значит, он ответил:
«Лошадь может тащить (draw) телегу».
1.58. Вот как вы должны были заполнить пробелы:

“I’ve been expecting a package of medicine for a week
back and it hasn’t come yet.”
“For a weak back?” asked the postmaster. “What do
you take for it? I have a weak back myself.”
Здесь есть еще один момент. Поскольку почтмейстер перевел все в медицинскую область,
женщина далее понимает слово complaint не
как «жалоба, недовольство», а как «жалоба»
в медицинском смысле этого слова — «болезнь, недуг».
1.59. Heat — because you can catch cold easily. Здесь все
дело в игре слов, построенной на многозначности слова cold, которое означает как «холод» (в противоположность теплу — heat), так
и «простуду». Catch (a) cold — подхватить простуду.
1.60. Сначала (And you would rather talk to a gentleman? — И вы бы предпочли говорить с джентльменом?) молодая женщина употребляет слово
gentleman в значении «мужчина», иными словами, как более вежливый синоним слова man,
далее (so would I) значение слова меняется на
«хорошо воспитанный человек».
1.61. he act collector was, apparently, afraid that the

murderer may return and see his message. So he
wrote something that didn’t make much sense at irst
glance. He made an anagram: LEADER → DEALER.
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Ключи

1.62. Он сказал: «Ах, моя дорогая, вы можете измениться только в лучшую сторону». Он сказал
это без всякой задней мысли, совершенно не
желая ее обидеть. Но она обиделась, потому
что, если она могла измениться только в лучшую сторону, то получается, что до этого она
выглядела хуже некуда.
1.63. Ангел любил повторять: hings are not always
what they seem. — Вещи не всегда такие, какими
кажутся.
1.64. Kill two birds with one stone — убить двух зайцев
одним выстрелом (буквально: убить двух птиц
одним камнем).
1.65. Mr. Jones’s friend was a lady and her name was Anne!
1.66. Если поменять местами буквы в словах “new
door”, получится “one word”.
1.67. His name was Jack. he man cried, “Hi, Jack!”, but

the airport police thought he was going to hijack
['ha æk] the plane — угнать самолет.
1.68. Здесь зашифрована фраза Excuse me. (X + Qs
[kju:z] + ME.)
1.69. Не имеют смысла второе и последнее предложения: во втором предложении наборщик
перепутал слова bold и bald, которые похожи
(хотя и не идентичны) по звучанию и по написанию. Первое означает «смелый», второе —
«лысый». Если бы он был смелым, то отчего
же его тогда не любили женщины? Кроме того,
наборщик вместо pale («бледный») набрал его
омофон pail — «ведро». (Омофоны — слова,
которые пишутся по-разному, но звучат одинаково.) В предпоследнем предложении это
же слово написано правильно; если вы внимательно читали, то не могли не заметить подKey

211

сказку. В последнем предложении, как вы,
несомненно, догадались, должно было стоять
слово soup («суп»). Вряд ли мать хотела, чтобы
ее сын ел мыло — soap.
1.70. Студент имел ввиду слово convolutions — «мозговые извилины». Подумаешь, немного перепутал!
1.71. here was tobacco (ACROBAT → TOBACCO «табак») in the handkerchief. he lion never meant1 to

kill his master. He simply sneezed. As De Ville was
passing Wallace, he waved his handkerchief and
dropped2 some snuf on Wallace’s hair.
1.72. Это забавное стихотворение основано на одинаковом звучании двух слов — fare — «плата за
проезд» и fair — «красивый, прекрасный». Кондуктор сказал: «Оплачивайте проезд» (букв.:
ваша плата за проезд), девушка же подумала, что он восхищается ее красотой: “You are
fair.” — «Вы прекрасны».
1.73. he commissar thought that the note might have

been encrypted. It didn’t take him long to break the
code. He read every ith word, and there was the real
message right in front of him:
“his is sort of MY inal goodbye to my HUSBAND
who always was and IS my love, but I, PLANNING to
mend things, could KILL his great love for ME.”
It added up to3 “My husband is planning to kill me.”
1.74. Француз хотел сказать: «Я не хочу посягать
на ваше время», но перепутал слово encroach
(«посягать, покушаться на чужое») со сходным
1
2
3

the lion never meant — лев вовсе не собирался
drop — здесь: намеренно просыпать
add up to — сводиться к чему-л.

212

Ключи

1.75.

1.76.

1.77.

1.78.

по звучанию словом cockroach, которое означает «таракан». Когда его поправили, он решил, что слово cockroach меняет форму в зависимости от рода существительного, что было
неверно, поскольку в английском языке вообще нет грамматической категории рода, и глагол не меняет своей формы в зависимости от
грамматического рода существительного, как
это происходит в русском языке. Ср: Он пришел, она пришла, письмо пришло.
В алфавите не хватает буквы U. Перечислив все буквы, кроме U, автор хотел сказать:
“Missing you (U).” — Скучаю по тебе; Мне не
хватает тебя.
Шутка построена на многозначности глагола
disagree [ d s gri:], который, помимо значения
«не соглашаться с кем-либо, расходиться во
взглядах, противоречить кому-либо», также
может означать «быть противопоказанным кому-либо». Именно в этом последнем значении
доктор употребляет это слово в первом случае. Давая совет своим пациентам, он обычно говорит: «Не принимайте ничего, что вам
противопоказано». На этот раз он дал такой же
совет себе самому: решил не брать с собой то,
что ему противопоказано, — сварливую жену,
которая всегда ему перечила.
All the passengers are married. В загадке слово
single употребляется в значении «один; единственный», а в отгадке — в значении «холостой; незамужняя».
Because she just 8 + 8 (ate and ate). Потому что она
все ела и ела.
Key

213

1.79. “he man is a swindler. He doesn’t even hide the

fact,” said the inspector. “Look at his name. Read it
backward. What have you got? Charlatan!”
“Indeed,” agreed the sergeant. “But it may just be a
simple coincidence. I wouldn’t jump to such hasty
conclusions if I were you, Inspector.”
“You mean, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones?”
“Exactly. Look at your own name. Read backwards, it
means ‘killer’!”
“Okay, okay,” said the inspector, conciliatory. “he
name is not so important. What matters more is the
fact that he always unfolded the note ater having
‘read’ it with his ingers.”
“To make sure that he had read it correctly.”
“I don’t think so. I think, it gives us a clue. If we add to
this that he and the blonde work together, everything
becomes as clear as daylight.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Sergeant Smart. “He did
read the notes with his eyes — so what? It happened
ater he had read them with his ingers.”
“he thing is1 that he didn’t! He didn’t read the notes
with his ingers before he read them with the eyes!
When he felt the irst note with his ingers, he was
not reading it. It was all pretence, make-believe. He
just repeated a prepared phrase, ‘I don’t believe this
nonsense.’ Ater that, the blonde admitted to having
written it. Remember? hen the magician unrolled
the note, apparently to make sure that he had not
made a mistake. But in fact, it was your note! He
read it and memorized. hen he dipped for another
1

the thing is — дело в том, что

214

Ключи

note, pretended to inger-read your phrase about the
blondes, then unrolled the paper as if to make sure
that he was right, and read it. And so on.1 he last
note he took out of the hat, was the one written by the
blonde. It could have been folded in the middle, for
example.
“Yeah, a very clever trick,” said the sergeant. “But I will
not accept your explanation unless2 I am absolutely
sure that the blonde and the magician are in on it.”3
“Look over there,” said the inspector with a smile.
he sergeant followed his gaze and saw the magician
talking with the blonde. he two acted as if they knew
each other very well.
“Well, it looks like you’re right, ater all,” said the
sergeant opening his wallet and taking out a hundred
dollar bill. “Next time, I will think twice before I trust
a blond woman.”
“Or a magician,” prompted the inspector.
“Or a magician,” echoed the sergeant bleakly.
II. RIDDLES
2.1. he man didn’t use the mattock, it became overgrown
with hair and turned into a tail (NAIL «гвоздь»
→ TAIL «хвост»), and the man himself became a
monkey (MONEY «деньги» → MONKEY «обезьяна»). Человек не пользовался мотыгой, она заросла волосами и превратилась в хвост, а сам
человек превратился в обезьяну.
1

And so on. — И так далее.
I will not accept your explanation unless — я не приму ваше объяснение,
разве что
3
be in on sth — здесь: действуют сообща, в сговоре
2

Key

215

2.2. he Countess asked the servant to buy a box of paints
(FAINT «падать в обморок» → PAINT «краска»).

She then changed the colour of the soldiers’ uniforms.
Now the Germans were begging the Russian army for
mercy. Графиня попросила слугу купить коробку красок, после чего она перекрасила мундиры солдат. Теперь немцы молили русскую армию о пощаде.
2.3. He kept eating bananas, and the monkey couldn’t
think straight. Он, не переставая, ел бананы,
и обезьяна не могла сосредоточиться на игре.
2.4. he third room, since the lions would be dead. Третья комната, поскольку львы были бы мертвы,
ведь они не ели целых три года.
2.5. “Because I have never seen one before and wanted to
know what they were like.” «Потому что я никогда
не видел раньше слона и хотел знать, как они
выглядят», — ответил человек.
2.6. Your age — твой возраст.
2.7. “If it had been Maggie, Mother would be scolding her
now,” explained the boy. «Если бы это была Мэгги,
мама бы еe сейчас ругала», — объяснил мальчик.
2.8. he suspect was told to hold the donkey’s tail. What

he was not told was that the donkey’s tail was covered
with soot! So, those who feared the donkey’s telltale
bray, dared not to touch the donkey’s tail. hey would
emerge from the darkened room with clean hands,
followed by a guilty verdict. Only those with soot on
their hands were considered to have had nothing to
hide and, thus, obviously innocent. Подозреваемым велели держаться за хвост осла. При
этом от них скрывали, что хвост был вымазан
сажей. Поэтому те, кто боялся, что ослиный

216

Ключи

крик может их выдать, не отваживались взять
осла за хвост. Они выходили из затемненной
комнаты с чистым руками, вслед за чем следовал вердикт о виновности. Считалось, что
только тем, у которых на руках были следы
сажи, было нечего скрывать и, следовательно,
они были невиновны.
2.9. he embarrassed guests hid their heads under the

blanket. It was only now that they realized that
they had spent the night in the large window of the
furniture shop. Сконфуженные гости спрятали
головы под одеялом. Только теперь они догадались, что провели ночь в большой витрине
мебельного магазина.
2.10. All other girls were eager to marry the king’s son and

couldn’t wait for the kettle to boil. Each of them kept
liting the lid of the kettle1 to check if the water was
boiling. he girl who didn’t want to marry the prince
was the only one who didn’t do that. herefore, the
water in her kettle boiled sooner.
2.11. 1. Because it only follows you when the sun shines.
2. Because a man’s hair is twenty years older than his
moustache. 3. Counterfeit money.
2.12. Since there are only two barbers in town, it is safe to
assume that the barbers would cut each other’s hair.
his being the case, Captain Frank should sit down
in the chair of the barber who has the awful haircut.
Поскольку в городе всего два парикмахера, то
будет резонно предположить, что парикмахеры стригут друг друга. В такой ситуации капитан Фрэнк должен сесть в кресло к парикмахеру с ужасной стрижкой.
1

kept liting the lid of the kettle — то и дело поднимала крышку чайника
Key

217

2.13. he old man couldn’t see the girl, but he saw two

2.14.
2.15.

2.16.
2.17.

young men. heir expressions told him that there
must be a beautiful girl not far away.
“I cannot see the girl, but I can see the young men’s
eyes,” the old man said to his less observant friend.
he captain had a whole crew of good-for-nothing
sailors. He wished there were only ten.
he mandarin put the piece of paper in his mouth
and swallowed it! “My destiny is now inside me,” he
said, looking at the stunned faces of the judges. “If you
want to know what it is, you can take the remaining
paper and look what is written on it. If it says ‘life’,
I’m ready to die; if it says ‘death’, I’ll go back to my
normal life.” he judges saw that their clever plan had
failed, but there was nothing they could do without
giving themselves away.1 One of them took out the
remaining piece of paper, unrolled it and read in a
trembling voice: “Death!” he word was greeted with
a thunderous applause, because this time it meant
“life.”
he sign over his shop said, “he best shoemaker on
this street.”
“But it’s not a blunder,” protested the youngster.
“here was a one-eyed man in the audience!” На докладчика действительно смотрели три тысячи
девятьсот девяносто девять глаз. Один из слушателей был одноглазым!

2.18. he man took of his cap and threw it on the ground.

he monkeys did the same. hey also took of the caps
and threw them on the ground. he man picked them
up and continued his journey.
1

without giving themselves away — не выдав себя

218

Ключи

2.19. he man said, “You see, I was in Baden-Baden and lost
13 pounds.1 I just wanted to see how much that is.”
2.20. he forests along the road were full of robbers
(RUBBER «резинка, ластик» → ROBBER «грабитель»). he robbers hid behind the trees and attacked

the passing carriages.
2.21. He chose to die of old age. Он предпочел умереть
от старости.
2.22. Coin — гроб.
2.23. Turn over the painting and you will see. he King let

the town disguised as a strolling comedian.
2.24. He called the man in the adjacent room who was

snoring loudly.
2.25. he bird was deaf.
2.26. When Repin saw the painting, he laughed, took a pen

and wrote in the lower let corner of the painting,
“his is not Repin” — and signed his name (и подписался). Now the painting bore the signature of the
great artist and had grown in price! Теперь на картине была подпись великого художника, и она
выросла в цене.
2.27. he shop assistant had wrapped every fragment of the
broken vase separately.
2.28. He bought house numbers. 1, 12 и 122 — это номера домов. Заплатив 75 долларов, человек купил табличку с номером дома. Он жил в доме
номер 122.
2.29. he wise man told them to switch camels (обменяться верблюдами).
2.30. If you said two, you were wrong. One just decided to
jump of but did not jump.
2.31. he advertisement was placed by two clever stamp
collectors (STUMP «пень» → STAMP «марка»).
1

lost 13 pounds — похудел на 13 фунтов
Key

219

2.32. he Samurai switched from knives and swords to
scissors and razors, and became barbers! (BAR «бар»
+ BEAR «медведь») Самураи сменили кинжалы
и мечи на ножницы и бритвы и стали брадобреями.
2.33. hey wanted to attract a stork (FORK «вилка» →
STORK «аист»).
2.34. Since the Queen spent all the night at home, and not

in the lowerbed, she was not covered with dew like all
the other lowers.
2.35. he bill.
2.36. If you thought it was the diamond ring, you thought
wrong. It was only a ish bone.
2.37. he boy smiles back, “Well, if the acid was going to
dissolve your coin, you would have used a penny.”
«Если бы кислота могла растворить вашу монету, вы бы воспользовались монеткой в один
пенни», сказал студент. (О скупости шотландцев ходят легенды.)
2.38. “Know then, oh King,” said Martius, “that my death will

take place twenty-four hours before Your Majesty’s.”
2.39. Of course not. He posted the letter-box key, and so the

envelope containing it was in the letter-box that was
locked. Он отправил ключ от почтового ящика
по почте в конверте, и конверт с ключом остался в почтовом ящике. Поскольку ящик был заперт, экономка не могла его достать.
2.40. Everyone knows that the odd number in a book is

always on the right, and the even number is always
on the let, but only little Johnny igured out at once
that the page numbers they had been given could
not be facing each other. No money could be hidden
between pages 75 and 76. herefore, the whole story
was nothing but a bluf ! Все, конечно, знают, что
220

Ключи

нечетные страницы находятся в книге справа,
а четные — слева, но только один Джонни сразу догадался, что названные страницы не могут находиться напротив друг друга, и никакие
деньги не могут быть спрятаны между страницами 75 и 76. Следовательно, вся история
с деньгами была выдумкой, блефом.
2.41. “You see,” answered the lizard, “crocodiles, lizards and

hens lay eggs. his means that the hen is your sister.”
Здесь нужно заметить, что, когда курица воскликнула “O brother, don’t!”, она вообще не имела в виду, что крокодил ее брат. Она употребила слово brother как восклицание, иными
словами, просто выразила свое удивление
и испуг. Ср. также: Oh brother! What happened
here today? — О господи! Да что произошло
здесь сегодня?
2.42. His inger got caught in the dial when he was trying to
dial 911. Его палец застрял в наборном диске,
когда он пытался набрать 911.
III. HUMOROUS PUZZLES
3.1. “Because cows cannot talk,” said Johnny.
3.2. When she came into Johnny’s room some time later,

she saw Johnny sleeping peacefully with the pillow
over his stomach.

Key

221

3.3. “hat’s all right,”1 said the husband, “but I’ve got

another wife.”
3.4. “We want it for the menu,” says the cannibal.
3.5. Because the African explorer was at the Zoo. here are
no wild tigers in Africa.
3.6. DONKEY + MOLE → KEYHOLE. Before going inside,
the servant always looked through the keyhole.
3.7. “Before the shops had opened, Your Honour,” said the
thief. «До открытия магазинов, Ваша честь», —
сказал вор.
3.8. He would be an orphan, just like any other child.
3.9. When the camel stopped on the very edge of the

precipice, the relieved Frenchman wiped the sweat
from his forehead and said, “OUF!”
3.10. His family doctor.
3.11. Johnny said, “he irst, the second, the third, the
fourth, the ith, and the sixth.”
3.12. he girl said, “One, the dead one.” Девочка сказала: «Одна. Мертвая». (Второе one — это уже
не числительное «один», а местоимение, которое употребляется во избежание повторения существительного, в данном случае слова
«муха».)
3.13. “I wasn’t laughing, Sir,” said Jimmy. “I was just

wondering why he didn’t make it four times and swim
back to the side where his clothes were.”
3.14. he mischievous boy. he others are ictional
characters who do not exist in the real world. Непослушный мальчик. Все остальные — это вымышленные персонажи, которые не существуют в реальном мире.
3.15. “Two of them were sitting on the mirror,” answered
the husband.
1

that’s all right — здесь: так-то оно так

222

Ключи

3.16. He said, “In that case, give me a pound of sausages.”

(SAUCER + CAGE).
3.17. he isherman forgot to take out the cork.
3.18. In his hand, the boy had a cigarette — for example.
3.19. he man said, “Oh, I forgot to mention that it was a

wooden leg.”
3.20. He was correcting mistakes.
3.21. “Both!” came the answer. “We can’t make our bulldog

open his mouth. here’s a burglar in it!”
3.22. “h-that’s your p-p-p-peculiarity. Most p-p-p-people

use a s-s-s-spoon!”
3.23. “No,” answered the writer. “I write the menu for a very

popular restaurant.”
3.24. Жена сочла его трусом. She snarled: “You coward!”

(COW + LEOPARD)
3.25. “He went to your place,” said the friend. Этот человек
пошел домой к парикмахеру, очевидно, чтобы
навестить его жену в отсутствие супруга.
3.26. “Your inger is broken,” said the doctor.
3.27. “Because the poor fellow wants to get married!”
IV. DETECTIVE PUZZLES
4.1. He said, “I smuggle bicycles out of the country, every

day one bicycle.”
4.2. She took the jewels out of the necklace and sewed them

onto her oriental costume. No one ever guessed there
were several real emeralds among the false gems of
her costume. hen she had some false stones inserted
into the necklace.1 his false necklace was later stolen
from her. Ater a while, the thief must have realized
1

she had some false stones inserted into the necklace — она вставила
в ожерелье несколько фальшивый камней (Здесь мы имеем дело с конструкцией had sth done, которая означает, что Зубейда вставила
камни не сама, а сходила к ювелиру.)
Key

223

that he had stolen a fake. herefore, the necklace
never showed up again.
4.3. he irst passenger’s suitcase had to be much lighter
than the suitcase containing stamps. he passenger
couldn’t have not noticed the diference. Чемодан
первого пассажира должен был быть намного легче, чем чемодан, в котором находились
марки. Пассажир не мог не заметить разницы.
4.4. A man who had let the gas tap open wouldn’t have
entered the place with a burning match.
4.5. Cooper’s face couldn’t bear any traces of blood,

because the heavy rain would have washed them
of. He must have been killed somewhere else. he
murderer had placed his body on the bench ater the
rain had stopped.
4.6. Higgins spent some time in a dark room to adjust his
eyes to the darkness.1
4.7. “he poison was in the ice cubes the victim put in his
cocktail,” said John Sherlock W. “he killer was clever
enough not to tamper with the drink;2 he wasn’t even
there at the time the victim took the poison. He added
the poison to the ice water. hen, he took a day of,
thus creating an alibi for himself. What was the name
of that servant? I’m sure that if you take a look at the
dead man’s last will, you will ind this fellow among
the beneiciaries.3 He simply couldn’t wait for his
master to die.”
1

to adjust his eyes to the darkness — дать глазам привыкнуть к темноте
2
the killer was clever enough not to tamper with the drink — убийца был
достаточно умен, чтобы не подсыпать яд в сам напиток (Здесь глагол tamper употребляется в значении «производить определенные
манипуляции с чем-л.»)
3
beneiciary — выгодоприобретатель, здесь это лицо, в пользу которого составлено завещание

224

Ключи

4.8. Van Eyck could not have made a portrait of a man

4.9.
4.10.

4.11.
4.12.

with a pipe because the famous painter lived in the
15th century, while tobacco was brought into Europe
a century later.
One doesn’t knock on the door of one’s own room.
“I have very good eyesight,” said Sergeant Smart.
“What do you want me to look at?”
“At the photographs, Sergeant! At the photographs!
Compare them and you shall see that one of the
fans had grown in height by the time he had let the
museum. He is also the one who stole the shoes.1
he clever youngster didn’t walk away with them. He
walked away in them! He had simply put them on.
I’m sure they will soon ind his own shoes lying about
somewhere in the museum.”
here are no lions in South America.
Ritchie couldn’t have closed the door behind himself.
Ричи не мог бы закрыть за собой дверь. Кто-то
его толкнул.

4.13. Like we said, it was a very cold day. In the cold, linen

gets very stif and can’t be so easily folded and stufed
into a bag.
4.14. Holmes looked at the pins decorating the ties of the
four gentlemen. He noticed that three of them had
been pinned on the right side of the tie, and only one
had been pinned on the let side, which told him that
its owner must be let-handed: when fastening the pin
to his tie, he held it in his let hand.
4.15. Heading back to the bank, they should not have
reached the money bag before they reached the
corner where Mr. Pennyroll jumped out of the car
as he supposedly did that ater they tossed the bag
1

He is also the one who stole the shoes. — Он и есть тот, кто украл
туфли.
Key

225

out. If this were true, they would have passed the
corner irst and then the money bag on the way back
to the bank. He must have made up the story about
the kidnappers. Направляясь из дома банкира
в сторону банка, они должны были сначала
проехать мимо светофора, у которого банкир
совершил свой отчаянный побег, и лишь потом
подъехать к тому месту, где бандит якобы выбросил и где полицейские позже обнаружили
банковский мешок, ведь теперь полицейские
ехали в обратном направлении. Отсюда следует, что банкир, скорее всего, сам причастен
к краже денег и выдумал историю о сторонних
грабителях.
4.16. If the hearing took place on the night of the full moon,

the witness couldn’t have admired the full moon two
weeks before the day of the trial. here is a period of
29 days from one full moon to another.
4.17. As the squire died without waking up, no one can say
what he was dreaming. Поскольку сквайр умер,
так и не проснувшись, никто не может сказать,
что ему снилось.
4.18. Doctor Crook was a charlatan, a swindler. But he

didn’t lie about the patients’ hair getting better than
his, because he himself was absolutely bald. he photo
shows him wearing a wig.
4.19. he letter to Monsieur Perec was written by the hand
of Paul Gauguin. he forger had trained for such a
long time to imitate the handwriting of the great artist
that it became his own handwriting.

A
abandon [ bænd n] покидать, оставлять
ability [ b l ti] способность
able [ e bl] способный  be able быть в состоянии,
мочь
abolish [ b l ] упразднять, отменять
about [ ba t] наречие, указывает на момент,
непосредственно предшествующий
некоторому действию  be about to do sth как
раз собираться сделать что-л.
about [ ba t] предлог 1. указывает на предмет
разговора, мыслей, чувств  about this and
that о том о сем 2. около, приблизительно
above [ b v] над
abroad [ br d] за границей
absence [ æbs( )ns] отсутствие
absent-minded [ æbs nt ma nd d] рассеянный
absentmindedness [ æbs nt ma nd dn s]
рассеянность
absolutely [ æbs lu tli] 1. абсолютно 2. непременно
abyss [ b s] пропасть, бездна
accept [ k sept] принимать (предложение, пари)
accident [ æks d nt] 1. авария, несчастный случай
2. случайность
accompany [ k mp ni] сопровождать
accordance [ k d ns] согласие, соответствие  in
accordance with в соответствии с
according to в соответствии с чем-л.; согласно чьим-л.
утверждениям
Англо-русский словарь

227

accuracy [ ækj r si] точность до мелочей
accusation [ ækj ze ( )n] обвинение  bring an
accusation against sb выдвигать обвинение
против кого-л.
accuse [ kju z] sb of sth обвинять кого-л. в чем-л.
acid [ æs d] кислота
acquaintance [ kwe nt ns] 1. знакомство  make
sb’s acquaintance познакомиться 2. знакомый
(человек)
acquire [ kwa ] приобретать
acquisition [ ækw z
n] приобретение
across [ kr s] через
act [ækt] гл. действовать
act [ækt] сущ. номер (в программе эстрадного
концерта)
action [ æk n] поступок
activity [æk t v ti] занятие
actress [ æktr s] актриса
actually [ ækt u li] фактически
add [æd] добавить  by adding добавив
address [ dres] sb обращаться кому-л.
adjacent [ d e s nt] соседний, расположенный
рядом
adjoining [ d
n }] соседний, примыкающий
admire [ d ma ] любоваться
admit [ d m t] признавать что-л.
adorn [ d n] украшать
advantage [ d v nt d ] 1. преимущество 2. выгода,
польза  take advantage of sth использовать
что-л. в своих интересах
advertise [ ædv ta z] рекламировать
advertisement [ d v t sm nt] объявление
advertiser [ ædv ta z ] лицо, давшее объявление
advice [ d va s] сущ. совет
advise [ d va z] гл. советовать, давать совет
adviser [ d va z ] советник

228

Англо-русский словарь

affair [ fe ] дело, афера
affairs [ fe z] дела, вопросы  affairs of the state
государственные дела
afraid [ fre d] испуганный, напуганный  be afraid
of sb/sth бояться кого-л. или чего-л.  I’m
afraid я боюсь, мне очень жаль, но (фраза
вежливости, используется для смягчения
неприятного сообщения)
after [ ft ] после, за (указывает на следование во
времени)  after which после чего
after all в конце концов, как-никак; однако; все же
(указывает на то, что первоначальная мысль
была иной)
afternoon [ ft nu n] время после полудня, дневное
время
again [
en] снова, вновь
age [e d ] возраст  with age от времени, от старости
agent [ e d nt] представитель компании (например,
страховой агент, экспедитор и т. д.)
ago [
] (тому) назад
agree [
ri ] 1. соглашаться, приходить к единому
мнению 2. соглашаться, дать согласие на что-л.
agreement [
ri m nt] договор
aimlessly [ e ml sli] бесцельно
air [e ] воздух
airplane [ e ple n] самолет
ajar [ d
] приоткрытый
alarm [ l m] сигнализация
alarm clock будильник
alarming [ l m }] тревожный
alas [ læs] увы
album [ ælb m] альбом
alcohol [ ælk h l] алкоголь
alert [ l t] предупреждать (об опасности); привести
в состояние боевой готовности
alias [ e li s] вымышленное имя, прозвище, кличка
Англо-русский словарь

229

alibi [ æl ba ] алиби
alike [ la k] похожий  look much alike очень похожи
друг на друга
alive [ la v] живой
all over town по всему городу
alley [ æli] узкая улица
allude [ lu d] намекать
almost [ lm st] почти
alone [ l n] один
along [ l }] вдоль
Alps [ælps] Альпы  over the Alps через Альпы
alright [ l ra t] хорошо (выражение согласия)
also [ ls ] тоже
although [ l ð ] хотя
altogether [ lt
eð ] совершенно
amass [ mæs] собрать
amazed [ me zd] в изумлении
Amazon [ æm z n] Амазонка
ambassador [æm bæs d ] посол  French
ambassador to the United States посол
Франции в Соединенных Штатах
amiably [ e mi bli] благожелательно, дружелюбно
among [ m }] среди
amount [ ma nt] размер
analysis [ næl s s] анализ
ancestor [ ænsest ] предок
ancient [ e n nt] древний
and so forth и так далее
angel [ e nd l] ангел
angrily [ æ} rili] сердито
angry [ æ} ri] рассерженный  be angry with sb
сердиться на кого-л.
announce [ na ns] объявить, обнародовать
announcement [ na nsm nt] объявление,
сообщение
annoyance [ n
ns] досада; раздражение

230

Англо-русский словарь

anonymous [ n n m s] анонимный
another [ n ð ] 1. другой 2. еще один 3. еще столько
же  another two pounds еще два фунта
answer [ ns ] гл. отвечать  answer the door
открыть дверь
answer [ ns ] сущ. ответ
antechamber [ ænti t e mb ] передняя, прихожая
anticipation [æn t s pe
n] ожидание; предвкушение
any [ eni] любой
anyway [ eni we ] как бы то ни было, во всяком случае
anywhere [ eni we ] куда угодно
apart from помимо, кроме
apartment [ p tm nt] квартира
apologetically [ p l d et kli] извиняющимся тоном
apologize [ p l d a z] извиниться
apparently [ pær ntli] по-видимому, очевидно, по
всей видимости
appear [ p ] 1. появиться 2. казаться
appearance [ p r ns] внешность
appendicitis [ pend sa t s] аппендицит, воспаление
аппендикса
appendix [ pend ks] 1. мед. аппендикс,
червеобразный отросток 2. приложение
applause [ pl z] аплодисменты, рукоплескания,
овация  thunderous applause гром
аплодисментов
approach [ pr t ] подходить, приближаться
arch [ t ] игривый, лукавый
arena [ ri n ] арена
arm [ m] рука
armed [ md] вооруженный
army [ mi] армия
around [ ra nd] около, приблизительно  at around
midnight в районе полуночи
arouse [ ra z] поднимать с постели, будить
arrange [ re nd ] устроить, организовать
Англо-русский словарь

231

arrest [ rest] арестовать
arrival [ ra v l] прибытие  upon arrival по прибытии
arrive [ ra v l] прибывать, приезжать
art collector коллекционер произведений искусства
art gallery картинная галерея
artist [ t st] художник
as [æz/ z] наречие одинаково, в равной степени, как
 as soon as как только
as [æz/ z] союз 1. когда 2. поскольку
as a matter of fact по правде сказать
as though [ð ] словно
as well также
ask [ sk] 1. спрашивать 2. просить, попросить  ask
sb for help просить помощи у кого-л.
assassin [ sæs n] (наемный) убийца
assemble [ sembl] собираться
assure [
] уверять
astrologer [ str l d ] астролог
astronaut [ æstr n t] астронавт, космонавт
astronomer [ str n m ] астроном
asymmetric [ e s metr k] асимметричный
at last наконец
at least по крайней мере
at once сразу же, тотчас же
ate → eat
athletic [æ→ let k] атлетический
atop [ t p] предлог на (поверхности)
attached [ tæt t] прикрепленный
attack [ tæk] нападать
attempt [ tempt] гл. пытаться, делать попытку
attempt [ tempt] сущ. попытка
attempted [ tempt d] неудавшийся  attempted
robbery попытка совершить ограбление
attend [ tend] посещать; присутствовать
attendant [ tend nt] служитель, смотритель  zoo
attendant смотритель в зоопарке

232

Англо-русский словарь

attention [ ten n] внимание
attic [ æt k] чердак
attorney [ t ni] 1. поверенный 2. адвокат  defense
attorney адвокат защиты
attract [ trækt] привлекать
attraction [ træk n] экспонат, привлекающий
посетителей
audience [ di ns] публика; зрители
August [
st] август
aunt [ nt] тетя
Austria-Hungary [ stri h } ri] Австро-Венгрия
author [ → ] автор
avail [ ve l] успех в достижении чего-л.  to no avail
напрасно, безрезультатно
available [ ve l bl] имеющийся в наличии
awaken [ we k n] 1. будить 2. просыпаться
award [ w d] награждать

B
bachelor [ bæt l ] холостяк
back [bæk] 1. спина 2. задняя часть  in the back of
the house в задней части дома
backpack [ bæk pæk] рюкзак
backward [ bækw d] назад, в обратном направлении
badly [ bædli] крайне, очень сильно (усилительное
слово)  badly in need of repair сильно
нуждаться в ремонте
bafﬂed [ bæfld] сбитый с толку
bag [bæ ] сумка
baggage rack багажная полка
bald [b ld] лысый
bale [be l] тюк
balm [b m] бальзам
bandit [ bænd t] бандит
bang [bæ}] ударять, бить, стучать
bank [bæ}k] 1. банк 2. берег (реки)
Англо-русский словарь

233

banker [ bæ}k ] банкир
banquet [ bæ}kw t] банкет
bar [b ] бар
barber [ b b ] парикмахер, брадобрей
barber’s shop парикмахерская
bark [b k] гл. лаять
bark [b k] сущ. кора дерева
barker [ b k ] зазывала
barnyard [ b n j d] скотный двор
barrel [ bær l] бочка, бочонок
bartender [ b (r) tend ] бармен
basement [ be sm nt] подвал
basin [ be s n] бассейн (реки)
basis [ be s s] основа, основание  on the basis на
основании чего-л., опираясь на что-л.
bath [b →] ванна  take a bath принимать ванну
battleﬁeld [ bætl fi ld] поле боя
be (was/were; been) [bi /bi] быть, находиться  be out
отсутствовать; быть вне дома  be about to do
sth как раз собираться сделать что-л.
be going to do sth собираться, намереваться (сделать
что-л.)
beaker [ bi k ] мензурка
bean [bi n] фасоль, бобы
bear [be ] (bore; born) 1. рожать 2. нести на себе, иметь
(знаки, признаки, следы)  the letter bears no
return address на письме нет обратного адреса
beard [b d] борода
bearded [ b d d] бородатый
beat [bi t] (beat; beaten 1. бить  beat about the bush
[b ] ходить вокруг да около 2. побеждать,
побивать
beautiful [ bju t f l] красивый
become [b k m] (became; become) 1. становиться
 become angry рассердиться 2. быть к лицу

234

Англо-русский словарь

become of sb случаться, происходить (чаще о плохом
событии)  What became of him? Что стало
с ним?
bedroom [ bedru m] спальня
beehive [ bi ha v] улей
beer [b ] пиво
before [b f ] до
beg [be ] молить, умолять
began → begin
begin [b
n] (began; begun) начинать; начинаться
behave [b he v] вести себя
behind [b ha nd] позади, сзади
Belgium [ beld m] Бельгия
believe [b li v] 1. верить 2. думать, полагать  she
was believed to be dead все думали, что она
умерла
belong [b l }] принадлежать
below [b l ] внизу; ниже
bench [bent ] скамья
bend [bend] (bent; bent) over sb склониться,
наклониться над кем-л.
bent → bend
beside [b sa d] рядом с
besides [b sa dz] кроме того
best [best] самый лучший
bet [bet] гл. держать пари, биться об заклад
bet [bet] сущ. пари  make a bet заключить пари
betray [b tre ] выдавать
between [b twi n] между
bewilder [b w ld ] приводить в замешательство
bewilderment [b w ld m nt] недоумение
bewitch [b w t ] околдовать
beyond [b j nd] за пределами  beyond doubt вне
всяких сомнений
bicycle [ ba s kl] велосипед
Англо-русский словарь

235

bill [b l] 1. купюра 2. счет (в ресторане)  Put it on my
bill. Запишите это на мой счет. 3. клюв
birth [ b →] роды  give birth рожать, родить
birthday [ b →de ] день рождения
bit гл. → bite
bit [b t] сущ. кусочек; частица, небольшое количество
 a bit немного  not a bit ни чуточки  bits
and pieces кусочки
bite [ba t] (bit; bitten) кусать
bizarre [b z ] причудливый, странный
blade [ble d] лезвие
blame [ble m] винить
bleakly [ bli kli] безрадостно
blemish [ blem ] физический дефект, недостаток,
изъян
blind [bla nd] слепой
blindfold [ bla n(d) f ld] завязать глаза
blood [bl d] кровь
blow [bl ] удар
bluff [bl f] блеф, обман  call sb’s bluff разоблачить
чей-либо обман
blunder [ bl nd ] ошибка
blurred [bl (r)d] расплывчатый, смазанный
boa constrictor [ b
k n str kt ] питон, удав
board [b d] всходить, подниматься на борт
boast [b st] хвастать
boat [b t] лодка, корабль
body [ b di] 1. тело 2. труп
boil [b l] кипятить
bold [b ld] смелый
boldly ['b ldli] смело
bone [b n] кость
book [b k] забронировать (билет, номер в гостинице)
booze [bu z] выпивка, спиртное  booze companion
собутыльник
border [ b d ] граница

236

Англо-русский словарь

born → bear  be born for sth быть рожденным для
чего-л.
borrow [ b r ] брать взаймы, позаимствовать
both [b →] 1. оба 2. и то, и другое
bottle [ b tl] бутылка
bottom [ b t m] дно
bought → buy
bow [ba ] гл. кланяться
bow [ba ] сущ. поклон  give a bow поклониться
box [b ks] коробка
brain [bre n] мозг; интеллект
brains [bre nz] мозги, ум
brainteaser [ bre n ti z ] головоломка
branch [br nt ] ветка
brave [bre v] смелый
brawl [br l] шумная ссора  drunken brawl пьяная
драка
bray [bre ] кричать (об осле)
break [bre k] (broke; broken) ломать
break off расторгать
break out бежать, совершать побег
bribe [bra b] давать взятку
brick up заложить (дверь и т. п.)
bricklayer [ br k le ] каменщик
bride [bra d] невеста; новобрачная
bridge [br d ] 1. мост 2. бридж (карточная игра)
bright [bra t] смышленый
brilliant [ br lj nt] блестящий; выдающийся
bring [br }] (brought; brought) 1. приносить
2. приводить
bring down опускать
brittle [ br tl] хрупкий, ломкий
broaden [ br dn] расширить
broke гл. → break
broke [br k] прил. обанкротившийся
broom [bru m] метла
Англо-русский словарь

237

brother-in-law [ br ð r nl ] шурин
brought → bring
brute [bru t] жестокий человек, «скотина»
buck [b k] доллар (разг.)
buddy [ b di] приятель
budget [ b d t] бюджет
building [ b ld }] здание
bulldog [ b l d ] бульдог
bunch [b nt ] группа, компания
burglar [ b
l ] вор-домушник, взломщик
burn [b n] (burnt; burnt) гореть
burst [b st] 1. внезапно появиться  burst into
ворваться (в помещение) 2. внезапно начинать
 burst into tears разразиться слезами,
разрыдаться
bury [ beri] хоронить
bush [b ] куст
business [ b zn s] дело  on business по делам
business ofﬁce торговая контора
business trip командировка
busy [ b zi] 1. занятый 2. оживленный (об улице)
but [b t] 1. но 2. кроме, за исключением  all but nine
все, кроме девяти
but then в таком случае
butcher [ b t ] мясник
butler [ b tl ] дворецкий
buy [ba ] (bought; bought) купить, покупать
buy sth from sb покупать что-л. у кого-л.
buyer [ ba ] покупатель
buzz [b z] гудеть, жужжать
by [ba ] предлог, во временном значении указывает
на то, что некоторое событие произошло до
указанного времени  by the time к тому
времени, когда

238

Англо-русский словарь

C
cage [ke d ] клетка
call [k l] 1. звать, вызывать 2. звонить (по телефону)
3. называть
call at (a place) явиться, прийти куда-либо
call over подозвать
call upon вызывать (на уроке)
calm [k m] спокойный
calm down успокоиться
came → come
camel [ kæm l] верблюд
can [kæn] сущ. жестяная банка
candle [ kændl] свеча
cannibal [ kæn b l] каннибал, людоед
cap [kæp] кепка
captain [ kæpt n] капитан
capture [ kæpt ] гл. захватить в плен
capture [ kæpt ] сущ. захват
care [ke ] иметь желание
carefully [ ke fli] осторожно; тщательно, внимательно
carriage [ kær d ] карета
carry [ kæri] нести; относить; везти, перевозить (напр.,
на велосипеде)
carry out осуществить, провернуть
cart [k t] телега
carve [k v] гравировать
case [ke s] случай, обстоятельство, дело  in that
case в таком случае
cash [kæ ] наличные деньги, наличность
cast [k st] бросать
castle [ k sl] замок
catch [kæt ] (caught; caught) ловить; поймать; схватить
catch up with sb догнать кого-л.
cause [k z] сущ. причина
Англо-русский словарь

239

cause [k z] гл. послужить причиной, поводом  cause
a laugh [l f] вызывать смех
cave [ke v] пещера
cellar [ sel ] подвал; погреб
cemetery [ sem tri] кладбище
centipede [ sent pi d] сороконожка
century [ sent ri] век
certain [ s t n] некий
certainly [ s t nli] конечно, несомненно, безусловно;
разумеется
chain [t e n] цепь
chair [t e ] стул  visitor chair стул для посетителей
chamber [ t e mb ] комната
chance [t
ns] гл. случаться  a monkey chanced to
see the Gods play chess обезьяне случилось
увидеть, как боги играют в шахматы
chance [t
ns] сущ. 1. шанс, возможность
2. случайность; неожиданное событие, случай
 by chance случайно
change [t e nd ] 1. менять 2. измениться
charge [t
d ] сущ. обвинение  bring charges
against sb выдвигать обвинения против кого-л.
charge sb for sth взимать с кого-л. плату за что-л.
charge sb with sth предъявить кому-л обвинение
в чем-л.
charlatan [
l t n] шарлатан
chase [t e s] прогонять
chat [t æt] непринужденно болтать, беседовать,
разговаривать
cheap [t i p] дешевый
cheat [t i t] обманывать
cheat on sb изменять кому-л.
check [t ek] гл. проверять
check [t ek] сущ. чек
check in зарегистрироваться (в отеле)
chemist [ kem st] лаборант в химической лаборатории

240

Англо-русский словарь

chemistry [ kem stri] химия
chess player шахматист
chessboard [ t es b d] шахматная доска
chest [t est] грудь
chest of drawers комод
Chicago [ k g ] Чикаго
chief [t i f] вождь
chief justice председательствующий судья
childish [ t a ld ] детский
chimney [ t mni] дымовая труба
Chinese [ t a ni z] китайский
choice [t s] выбор
choose [t u z] (chose; chosen) 1. выбирать
2. предпочитать
chose → choose
Christmas [ kr sm s] Рождество
Christmas shopping покупка подарков к Рождеству
church [t t ] церковь
cigar [s
] сигара  cigar maker производитель
сигар
circle [ s kl] круг
circumstance [ s k mst ns] обстоятельство (дела)
circus tent цирк шапито
citizen [ s t z n] гражданин
civil [ s vl] гражданский
claim [kle m] утверждать (часто о чем-то, что трудно
доказать)
clamp shut сомкнуться
classmate [ kl s me t] одноклассник
claustrophobia [ kl str f bi ] клаустрофобия
clean [kli n] гл. чистить
clergyman [ kl d m n] священник
clever [ klev ] умный; хитроумный
click [kl k] щелкать, издавать щелкающий звук
climb [kla m] взбираться, влезать, карабкаться
climb down спуститься вниз
Англо-русский словарь

241

climb out вылезать (наружу)
clinking [ kl }k }] звенящий
cloakroom [ kl k ru m] гардероб, раздевалка
close [kl s] прил. близкий  be close to tears быть
на грани слез
close [kl z] закрывать; закрываться
clothes [kl ðz] одежда
cloud [kla d] облако
clue [klu ] ключ (к разгадке тайны)
clutch [kl t ] сжимать
cockroach [ k kr t ] таракан
code [k d] шифр
coin [k n] монета
coincidence [k
ns d ns] совпадение
cola [ k l ] кола
cold [k ld] прил. холодный
cold [k ld] сущ. 1. холод 2. простуда
collapse [k læps] обрушение (здания)  on the verge
of collapse вот-вот готовый обрушиться
collapsing [k læps }] обваливающийся, рушащийся
collar [ k l ] воротник
colleague [ k li ] коллега
collect [k lekt] собирать
collector [k lekt ] коллекционер
colour [ k l ] цвет
come [k m] 1. приходить 2. доноситься (о звуке)
come across sth натолкнуться
come at sb приближаться (с недобрыми намерениями),
атаковать
come in 1. входить 2. приходить, прибывать
come in handy пригодиться; прийтись кстати
come over заезжать, заходить
come true сбываться (о мечтах)
come up подойти, приблизиться
come upon набрести на
comedian [k mi di n] комедиант, шут

242

Англо-русский словарь

comma [ k m ] запятая
Commanding Ofﬁcer командующий военной частью
comment [ k ment] комментировать
commit [k m t] 1. совершать (преступление,
самоубийство) 2. обязывать (к чему-либо)
commotion [k m
n] переполох
companion [k m pænj n] товарищ
company [ k mp ni] 1. компания, общество 2. рота
(солдат)
compare [k m pe ] сравнивать  that’s nothing
compared to это ничто в сравнении с
compartment [k m p tm nt] купе
complain [k m ple n] жаловаться
complaint [k m ple nt] 1. жалоба 2. болезнь,
заболевание, недуг
complete [k m pli t] полный, целый
completely [k m pli tli] совершенно, вполне
conceal [k n si l] скрывать; прятать
concern [k n s n] волновать, беспокоить
concerned [k n s nd] встревоженный,
обеспокоенный
conciliatory [k n s li t ri] примирительно
conclusion [k n klu ( )n] вывод  jump to
conclusions делать скоропалительные выводы
concrete [ k }kri t] конкретный
condemn [k n dem] приговаривать, выносить
приговор
condescend [ k nd send] снизойти
conduct [k n d kt] проводить
conductor [k n d kt ] кондуктор
confess [k n fes] признаваться
conﬁnement [k n fa nm nt] заточение
conﬁscate [ k nf ske t] конфисковать
congratulations [k n ræt le
nz] поздравления
congregation [ k } r e
n] паства, приход
(какой-л. церкви)
Англо-русский словарь

243

consecutive [k n sekj t v] следующий друг за другом
consider [k n s d ] считать, полагать
consist of sth состоять из
consort [k n s t] общаться; водить компанию
 consorting with the devil общение с нечистой
силой
conspirator [k n sp r t ] заговорщик
constable [ k nst b l] констебль
consult [k n s lt] консультироваться с кем-л.,
проконсультироваться у кого-л.
contain [k n te n] содержать в себе
contempt [k n tempt] презрение
content [ k ntent] содержание
contest [ k ntest] конкурс, состязание
contestant [k n test nt] участник конкурса,
состязания
continue [k n t nju ] продолжать
conversation [ k nv 'se
n] разговор, беседа
 come into conversation вступить в разговор,
разговориться  in the course of conversation
в ходе беседы
convince [k n v ns] убеждать
convulsion [k n v l n] конвульсия
cook [k k] варить, готовить
cork [k k] пробка
corner [ k n ] угол
correct [k rekt] гл. исправлять
correctly [k rektli] правильно
correspondent [ k r sp nd nt] корреспондент, лицо,
с которым ведется переписка
corroborate [k r b re t] подтвердить
cost [k st] стоить
costume [ k stju m] костюм
cotton [ k t n] хлопок
count [ka nt] гл. считать, сосчитать
count [ka nt] сущ. 1. пункт обвинения 2. граф

244

Англо-русский словарь

counterfeit [ ka nt f t] фальшивый
countess [ ka nt s] графиня
country [ k ntri] 1. страна 2. сельская местность,
деревня
couple [ k pl] пара
courage [ k r d ] смелость
course [k s] ход, течение  in the course of
conversation в ходе беседы
court [k t] прил. придворный
court [k t] сущ. 1. двор (короля) 2. суд
courtroom [ k t ru m] зал суда
cover [ k v ] 1. покрывать 2. маскировать, прятать
 cover one’s tracks заметать следы,
уничтожать то, что может служить уликой
cow [ka ] корова
crash [kræ ] с грохотом разбиваться
crawl [kr l] ползать, ползти
crazy [ kre zi] сумасшедший, выживший из ума
create [kri e t] создавать
creature [ kri t ] тварь
crew [kru ] команда (корабля)
crime [kra m] преступление  crime scene [si n]
место преступления
criminal [ kr m n l] преступник
crocodile [ kr k da l] крокодил
crook [kr k] жулик, мошенник, плут
cross [kr s] пересекать; переходить (улицу)
crossword puzzle кроссворд
crowd [kra d] толпа
crowded [ kra d d] переполненный; набитый битком
crown [kra n] корона
crust [kr st] корка
cry [kra ] плакать
cry out выкрикнуть; воскликнуть
cube [kju b] кубик
cuff links запонки
Англо-русский словарь

245

cunning [ k n }] хитрый
cure [kj ] oneself излечиться
curiosity [ kj ri s ti] диковина, редкость
curious [ kj ri s] любопытный  become curious
проявить любопытство, заинтересоваться
curiously [ kj ri sli] с интересом, с любопытством
curse [k s] 1. бранное слово 2. проклятье
curtain [ k t n] занавеска
custom [ k st m] 1. привычка, обыкновение
(конкретного человека)  according to his
custom по своему обыкновению 2. обычай
customer [ k st m ] клиент, покупатель
customs [ k st mz] таможня  customs duty
таможенная пошлина
cut [k t] (cut; cut) стричь
cut in вмешаться (в разговор)
cut off отрезать
cut off отрубать

D
dad [dæd] папа
dagger [ dæ ] кинжал
damage [ dæm d ] гл. повредить
damage [ dæm d ] сущ. ущерб
dangerous [ de nd r s] опасный
dare [de ] сметь, осмеливаться; отваживаться
dark [d k] угрюмый, мрачный
dash [dæ ] бросаться, мчаться
daughter [ d t ] дочь
dawn [d n] рассвет
day [de ] день  a day off выходной  for days на
протяжении многих дней
daydreamer [ de dri m ] мечтатель; прожектер
dead [ded] мертвый  stop dead in his tracks
замереть на месте  the dead мертвецы
deadly [ dedli] смертельный

246

Англо-русский словарь

deaf [def] глухой
deal [di l] (dealt; dealt) иметь дело; наносить (об ударе)
deal [di l] сущ. сделка  close a business deal
заключить сделку  Deal! Договорились!; По
рукам!
dealer [ di l ] дилер; торговец
dealt → deal
death [de→] смерть
debt [det] долг
deceased [d si st] покойный, умерший
decent [ di s nt] приличный; благопристойный
decide [d sa d] решать, принимать решение
decipher [d sa f ] расшифровать
declare [d kle ] объявить (войну)
decorate [ dek re t] украшать
deep [di p] глубокий
deeply [ di pli] глубоко
defendant [d fend nt] обвиняемый, подсудимый
defense [d fens] защита (в т. ч. сторона в суде)
deﬁnitely [ def n tli] определенно
degree [d ri ] градус
delightfully [d la tf li] восхитительно,
deliver [d l v ] доставлять  deliver by hand
доставлять курьером (из рук в руки)
demand [d m nd] 1. требовать 2. спрашивать,
вопрошать
demands запросы, требования  put great demands
on sb’s time отнимать у кого-л. много времени
deny [d na ] отрицать
depict [d p kt] изображать
depressed [d prest] подавленный, угнетенный
descendant [d send nt] потомок  direct
descendant потомок по прямой линии
describe [d skra b] описывать
desert [ dez t] пустыня
deserted [d z t d] безлюдный
Англо-русский словарь

247

desirable [d za r bl] желанный
desire [d za ] сущ. желание
desire [d za ] гл. желать
desk [desk] письменный стол
desk drawer [desk dr
] ящик письменного стола
despair [d spe ] отчаиваться
desperate [ desp r t] 1. безнадежный 2. отчаявшийся
despite [d spa t] несмотря на
destination [ dest ne
n] место назначения, пункт
назначения
destiny [ dest ni] судьба, рок
detect [d tekt] расследовать, раскрывать
(преступление)
detective [d tekt v] детектив, сыщик
determine [d t m n] решить
determined [d t m nd] полный решимости
devoid [d v d] of sth лишенный, не имеющий чеголибо
devote [d v t] oneself to sth посвятить себя чему-л.
dew [dju ] роса
diagnosis [ da
n s s] диагноз
dial [ da l] набирать (номер телефона)
diamond [ da m nd] бриллиант
diary [ da ri] дневник, ежедневник
die [da ] умирать  let sb die позволить кому-л.
умереть
die down стихать, затухать
difference [ d fr ns] разница, различие
different [ d fr nt] другой
difﬁcult [ d f k lt] трудный
dining room [ da n } ru m] столовая
dinner [ d n ] 1. обед 2. ужин
direction [d rek n] направление
disagree [ d s
ri ] 1. не соглашаться с кем-л.,
расходиться во взглядах, противоречить
кому-л. 2. быть противопоказанным кому-л.

248

Англо-русский словарь

disappear [ d s p ] исчезать
discolor [d s k l ] обесцвечивать
discontent [ d sk n tent] недовольство
disfavour [d s fe v ] немилость  fall into disfavour
with sb впасть в немилость у кого-л.
disguise [d s a z] сущ. одежда для маскировки;
маска, измененная внешность
disguise oneself [d s a z] переодеться, изменить
облик
disgusting [d s
st }] отвратительный
dish [d ] блюдо
dishes ['d z] посуда
dishonest [d s n st] нечестный; мошеннический
disillusionment [ d s lu
nm nt] разочарование,
крушение иллюзий  meet with a
disillusionment испытать разочарование
disloyal [d s l
l] неверный, предательский,
нелояльный
dismount [d s ma nt] спешиться
display [d sple ] показ, демонстрация  be on display
быть выставленным
disprove [d s pru v] опровергать
dissolve [d z lv] растворять
distant [ d st nt] далекий
distinguishing [d st } w }] отличительный,
характерный  distinguishing mark особая
примета
disturb [d st b] беспокоить, нарушать (покой)
disturbed [d st bd] взволнованный, встревоженный
divide [d va d] делить
do [du ] 1. делать 2. заниматься чем-л.
профессионально
dollar bill долларовая купюра
done → do
donkey [ d }ki] осел
doorway [ d we ] дверной проем
Англо-русский словарь

249

double [ d bl] удвоиться
double back идти обратно
doubt [da t] сущ. сомнение  no doubt несомненно
 beyond doubt вне всяких сомнений
doubt [da t] гл. сомневаться
doubtful [ da tf l] сомнительно
downstairs [ da n ste z] внизу, в нижнем этаже
(здания)
downtown [ da n ta n] расположенный в центре
города
dozen [ d z n] дюжина
dragon [ dræ n] дракон
drain [dre n] осушить (бокал)
draw [dr ] (drew; drawn) 1. рисовать 2. тащить,
волочить; тянуть; вытащить
draw back отодвигать
drawer [ dr
] выдвижной ящик  chest of drawers
комод
drawing [ dr }] рисунок
dreadful [ dredf l] страшный, ужасный;
отвратительный, отталкивающий
dream [dri m] 1. сон 2. мечта
dream of sth мечтать о чем-л., спать и видеть
dress [dres] гл. одеваться
dress [dres] сущ. платье
dressing [ dres }] соус, заправка для салата
dressing room гримерная
drew [dru ] → draw
drink [dr }k] (drank; drunk) пить
drive [dra v] (drove; driven) вести машину
drive sb crazy сводить с ума
drive up подъехать  driving up beside her
поравнявшись с ней
driven → drive
driver [ dra v ] водитель
drop [dr p] ронять

250

Англо-русский словарь

drug [dr ] sb подмешивать наркотики, яд (в пищу
с целью отравления), одурманивать к-л
наркотиками
drunk → drink
drunkenness [ dr }k n s] пребывание в состоянии
алкогольного опьянения
dry [dra ] гл. сушить; сохнуть
dry [dra ] прил. 1. сухой 2. высохший, засохший
duck [d k] утка
duelist [ dju l st] дуэлянт
duke [dju k] герцог
dull [d l] пасмурный, хмурый
dungeon [ d nd ( )n] подземная тюрьма; темница
dupe [dju p] обманывать, одурачивать, надувать
during [ dj r }] во время
dust [d s] пыль
dwelling [ dwel }] (жилой) дом

E
each [i t ] каждый (в отличие от every, указывает на
то, что каждый предмет рассматривается
отдельно)
eager [ i
] страстно желающий, жаждущий
eagerly [ i
li] горячо, пылко; охотно
ear [ ] ухо
early [ li] нареч. рано
early [ li] прил. ранний
earn [ n] зарабатывать earn a living by doing sth
зарабатывать на жизнь, занимаясь чем-л.
earth [ →] земля
easily [ i z li] без труда, легко
eat [ i t] (ate; eaten) есть, принимать пищу
echo [ ek ] отозваться эхом
edge [ed ] край, кромка
editor [ ed t ] редактор
effects [ fekts] последствия
Англо-русский словарь

251

effort [ ef t] усилия
egg [e ] яйцо  lay eggs откладывать яйца
Egypt [ i d pt] Египет
either [ a ð ] 1. тоже (в отрицательных предложениях)
2. один из двух  it is impossible for either of
us невозможно ни для одного из нас
elbow [ elb ] локоть
elder [ eld ] старший
elephant [ el f nt] слон
embark [ m b k] сесть (в трамвай, самолет и т. д.)
embarrassed [ m bær st] смущенный; сконфуженный
emerald [ em r ld] изумруд
emerge [ m d ] появляться, выходить
emperor [ emp r ] император
employ [ m pl ] иметь в штате
employee [ empl i ] сотрудник, служащий
empress [ empr s] императрица
empty [ empti] прил. пустой
empty [ empti] гл. высыпать или вылить содержимое;
опорожнять
encode [ n k d] зашифровать
encroach [ n kr t ] посягать
encrypted [ n kr pt d] закодированный,
зашифрованный
enemy [ en mi] враг, неприятель
engagement [ n e d m nt] помолвка
engaging [ n e d }] привлекательный, обаятельный
engineer [ end n ] инженер
enjoy [ n d
] владеть, иметь, обладать  enjoy a
good education получить хорошее образование
enough [ n f] достаточно
enter [ ent ] входить  enter sb’s mind приходить
в голову
entire [ n ta ] весь
entirely [ n ta li] полностью

252

Англо-русский словарь

entrance [ entr ns] 1. вход 2. появление; выход на
сцену
entrance fee плата за вход
enumerate [ nju m re t] перечислить
envelope [ env l p] конверт
envy [ envi] завидовать
ergo [
] следовательно
escape [ ske p] 1. бежать, ускользнуть от кого-л.
2. ускользнуть от чьего-л. внимания
escort [ sk t] сопровождать, провожать
essay [ ese ] on sth сочинение на определенную тему
European [ j r pi n] европейский
evade [ ve d] избегать чего-л.
even [ i v n] нареч. даже
even [ i v n] прил. четный
evening [ i vn }] вечер  one evening однажды
вечером
event [ vent] событие; происшествие, случай
ever [ ev ] когда-то; когда-либо
everyone [ evri w n] все, каждый
evidence [ ev d ns] доказательство, улика
exact [ zækt] точный
exactly [ zæktli] ровно; точно  when exactly когда
именно  who exactly кто именно
examination [ zæm ne
n] осмотр, обследование;
исследование, изучение
examine [ zæm n] 1. экзаменовать 2. осматривать;
обследовать
examiner [ zæm n ] эксперт
example [ z mpl] пример  for example например
except [ k sept] за исключением
excited [ k sa t d] взволнованный
excitement [ k sa tm nt] волнение
exclaim [ k skle m] восклицать
excuse oneself [ k skju z] извиниться
exercise [ eks sa z] гл. осуществлять, применять
Англо-русский словарь

253

exercise book тетрадь
exhibition [ eks b
n] выставка  exhibition hall
выставочный зал
existence [ z st ns] существование
exit [ eks t] выход
expect [ k spekt] ожидать
expense [ k spens] расход, издержки  at the
expense of за счет кого-л.
expensive [ k spens v] дорогой
experience [ k sp ri ns] опыт  from experience
на основании опыта
expert [ eksp t] эксперт
explain [ k sple n] объяснять
explanation [ ekspl ne
n] объяснение
exploit [ k spl t] использовать
explore [ k spl ] исследовать
explorer [ k spl r ] исследователь  African explorer
исследователь Африки
expose [ k sp z] разоблачить
express [ k spres] выразить
expression [ k spre n] выражение лица
extraordinary [ k str d n ri] необычный, странный
eye [a ] глаз  with an eye to с намерением, с целью
eyesight [ a sa t] зрение

F
fabulous [ fæbj l s] сказочный, баснословный
face [fe s] гл. находиться, стоять, сидеть лицом
к чему-л.
face [fe s] сущ. 1. лицо  make faces корчить рожи,
гримасничать 2. циферблат
fact [fækt] факт  in fact на самом деле
fail [fe l] 1. не удаваться; провалиться; потерпеть
неудачу 2. не сделать что-л.
fair [fe ] 1. справедливый, честный 2. красивый,
прекрасный

254

Англо-русский словарь

fairy [ fe ri] фея
fake [fe k] прил. фальшивый
fake [fe k] сущ. фальшивка
fall [f l] сущ. падение
fall [f l] (fell; fallen) падать
fall asleep заснуть; уснуть
fall in love with sb влюбиться в кого-л.
fall into place вставать на свое место (о кусочках
головоломки)
fall out выпасть
fall victim to sth пасть жертвой чего-л.
false [f ls] 1. фальшивый 2. неверный, ложный
falteringly [ f lt r }li] запинаясь
familiar [f m li ] знакомый
famous [ fe m s] знаменитый; известный
fan [ fæn] 1. веер 2. фанат
fancy names [ fænsi] выдуманные (причудливые)
имена
far [f ] наречие 1. далеко  not far away недалеко
 by far явно  so far пока, до сих пор
2. слишком  far too skillful слишком искусный
 far too early слишком рано
far [f ] прил. далекий
fare [fe ] плата за проезд
farewell [ fe wel] прощание
farmer [ f m ] фермер
farther [ f ð ] дальше
farthing [ f ð }] фартинг (монета достоинством
1/4 пенни)
fashionable [ fæ n b l] модный
fast [f st] быстро
fasten [ f s n] прикреплять
fat [fæt] прил. толстый, жирный
fat [fæt] сущ. жир
fate [fe t] судьба
fault [f lt] вина
Англо-русский словарь

255

favour [ fe v ] благосклонность  win sb’s favour
завоевать чью-л. благосклонность
fear [f ] гл. бояться, страшиться; опасаться
fear [f ] сущ. страх
feast [fi st] пир
feather [ feð ] перо
feature [ fi t ] черта
feel [fi l] (felt; felt) 1. чувствовать, ощущать
2. чувствовать себя  feel as if чувствовать
себя так, словно 3. ощупывать, прощупывать
(проверяя что-л.)
feet [fi t] мн. число от foot нога, ступня
fell → fall
fellow [ fel ] парень
fellow worker коллега, сослуживец
felt → feel
female [ fi me l] особь женского пола
fence [fens] забор
fetch [fet ] приносить, сходить за чем-либо
few [fju ] мало  a few несколько
ﬁancé [fi nse ] жених
ﬁctitious [f k t
s] фиктивный, вымышленный
ﬁdget [ f d t] ерзать
ﬁfth grader пятиклассник
ﬁght [fa t] (fought; fought) сражаться, воевать
ﬁgure [ f
] фигура
ﬁll [f l] наполнять
ﬁll out заполнять (формуляр)
ﬁnal [ fa n l] последний
ﬁnal exams выпускные экзамены
ﬁnally [ fa n li] в конце концов; наконец
ﬁnd [fa nd] (found; found) находить, обнаруживать
ﬁnd oneself оказаться
ﬁnd out выяснить, узнать, разузнать; обнаружить;
раскрыть (обман, тайну)
ﬁne [fa n] прил. превосходный

256

Англо-русский словарь

ﬁne [fa n] сущ. штраф
ﬁnger [ f } ] палец
ﬁngertip [ f }
t p] кончик пальца
ﬁnish [ f n ] 1. заканчивать 2. выпить, «прикончить»
ﬁre [ fa ] 1. огонь 2. костер
ﬁre iron каминные щипцы
ﬁrehouse [ fa ha s] пожарное депо
ﬁreplace [ fa ple s] камин
ﬁrewood [ fa w d] 1. дрова, растопка 2. хворост
ﬁrm [f m] прил. твердый (о намерении)
ﬁrm [f m] сущ. фирма
ﬁrst-rate перворазрядный
ﬁsh [f ] гл. выудить
ﬁsh [f ] сущ. рыба
ﬁsherman [ f
m n] рыбак
ﬁt [f t] приступ; порыв; настроение, эмоциональное
состояние
ﬁx [f ks] устремлять (взгляд); уставиться
ﬁxed [f kst] прикованный (о взгляде)
ﬂashlight [ flæ la t] фонарь
ﬂatter [ flæt ] льстить
ﬂew → ﬂy
ﬂoor [fl ] 1. пол 2. этаж
ﬂoor mat циновка, коврик
ﬂower [ fla ] цветок
ﬂowerbed [ fla bed] клумба
ﬂy [fla ] сущ. муха
ﬂy [fla ] (ﬂew; ﬂown) летать
ﬂy away улететь
fold [f ld] сущ. сгиб, изгиб, складка
fold [f ld] гл. складывать, сворачивать
folding chair складной стул
follow [ f l ] 1. следовать (совету, инструкциям)
2. следовать, следить за кем-л.
following [ f l
}] 1. следующий 2. следующего
содержания
Англо-русский словарь

257

fond [f nd] прил. увлекающийся чем-л.
food [fu d] еда, пища
fool [fu l] дурак
foolishly [ fu l li] по-глупому
foot [f t] фут (мера длины)
footsteps [ f t steps] шаги
for [f ] предлог 1. во временном значении указывает
на продолжительность действия: for an hour
на час 2. указывает на причину действия: for
drunkenness за пьянство
for [f ] союз 1. указывает на причину: потому что
forehead [ f r d] лоб
foreleg [ f le ] передняя нога
forest ranger лесничий
forever [f r ev ] навсегда
forged [f d d] поддельный
forger [ f d ] фальсификатор
forgery [ f d ri] фальсификация, подделка
forget [f
et] (forgot, forgotten) забывать
forget → forget
forgive [f
v] (forgave; forgiven) прощать
forgot → forget
forgotten [f
t n] забытый
form [f m] форма; формуляр
formal [ f m l] официальный
former [ f m ] прежний, старый, давний
fortress [ f tr s] крепость
fortune [ f t n] богатство, состояние
fought [f t] → ﬁght
foul [fa l] против правил, нечестный  foul play
нечестная игра; преступление  suspect foul
play заподозрить, что дело нечисто
fragment [ fræ m nt] осколок
frame [fre m] рамка
frankly [ fræ}kli] откровенно
fraud [fr d] мошенничество

258

Англо-русский словарь

free [fri ] свободный
freedom [ fri d m] свобода
freeze [ fri z] (froze; frozen) замереть, застыть
French [frent ] 1. французский 2. французский язык
Frenchman [ frent m n] француз
frequent customer завсегдатай
frightened [ fra t nd] испуганный, напуганный
frightening [ fra t n }] страшный, пугающий
frog [fr ] лягушка
from time to time время от времени
frown [fra n] хмуриться
froze → freeze
frump [fr mp] непривлекательная и неряшливо
одевающаяся женщина (используется как
бранное слово)
frustrating [ fr stre t n ] досадный, связанный
с неоправдавшимися надеждами
full [f l] полный
fun [f n] веселье  make fun of sb насмехаться,
подшучивать над кем-л.
funny [ f ni] 1. смешной, забавный 2. странный
furious [ fj ri s] разгневанный
furnished [ f n t] меблированный
furniture [ f n t ] мебель
future [ fju t ] будущее

G
gallop [ æl p] скакать галопом
game [ e m] игра
gape [ e p] широко открывать рот
garbage collector мусорщик
garden [
d n] сад
gas [ æs] 1. газ 2. газы (в кишечнике)
gasp [
sp] 1. дышать с трудом, задыхаться; ловить
ртом воздух 2. онеметь (от изумления, шока)
gates [ e ts] ворота
Англо-русский словарь

259

gather [ æð ] собирать; собираться
gave → give
gavel [ æv l] молоточек судьи
gaze [ e z] гл. уставиться  gaze into space
уставиться в пространство
gaze [ e z] сущ. пристальный взгляд
gem [d em] драгоценный камень
gender [ d end ] грамматический род
genie [ d i ni] джин
gentle [ d ent l] тихий (о стуке, скрипе)
genuine [ d enju n] подлинный, настоящий
gesticulate [d e st kj le t] жестикулировать
gesture [ d est ] жестом подать знак
get [get] (got; got) 1. получить 2. раздобыть
3. добираться до места назначения  get home
добираться до дома 4. становиться (указывает
на изменение в состоянии)  get desperate
отчаиваться  get angry рассердиться  get
hurt ушибиться, пораниться  get married
жениться; пожениться 5. have got to быть
должным
get away сбежать, прихватив украденное
get out выходить из машины
get up вставать
ghost [
st] привидение, призрак
gift [ ft] подарок
giggle [
l] хихикать
girl [
l] девочка; девушка
give oneself away выдать себя
give out выдать, произнести
give up уступить что-л. кому-л., отказаться (от чего-л.
в пользу другого человека)
glad [ læd] рад, доволен, счастлив
glance [ l ns] гл. бросить взгляд

260

Англо-русский словарь

glance [ l ns] сущ. взгляд  at a glance с первого
взгляда, сразу  at ﬁrst glance на первый
взгляд
glasses [ l s z] очки
glove [ l v] перчатка
glue [ lu ] приклеивать  glue one’s eyes to sth
впиться глазами во что-л.
gnaw [n ] грызть; прогрызать
go back возвращаться
go by проходить (мимо); идти (о времени)
go on 1. случаться, происходить 2. продолжать
3. продолжаться  as time went on по мере
того, как время шло
go out for a walk выйти на прогулку
go to sleep уснуть
go up 1. подходить, приближаться 2. расти,
увеличиваться, повышаться go up in price
подняться в цене
god [ d] бог
gold [
ld] золото
good-for-nothing ни на что не годный, никудышный,
никчемный
got → get
graceful [ re sf l] изящный, грациозный
grader [ gre d ] ученик определенного класса  ﬁrst
grader первоклассник
graduate [ ræd u t] выпускник
grammar [ ræm ] грамматика
grasp [ r sp] понять, осознать
grass snake уж
great [ re t] великий
great-grandfather [ re t ræn(d) f ð ] прадед
greedy [ ri di] жадный
Greek [ ri k] греческий
green [ ri n] зеленый
greet [ ri t] встречать, приветствовать
Англо-русский словарь

261

grey matter серое вещество
grieve [ ri v] горевать
grimace [ r m s] гримаса
groom [ ru m] 1. жених; новобрачный 2. конюх
ground [ ra nd] земля
grow up расти, взрослеть
grown [ r n] взрослый
grumble [ r mb l] ворчать
guard [
d] гл. охранять
guard [
d] сущ. охранник
guess [ges] угадать, отгадать
guest [gest] гость
guillotine [ l ti n] гильотина
guilt [ lt] вина
gun [ n] ружье
gunshot wound огнестрельная рана

H
hag [hæ ] карга
hair [he ] волосы
haircut [ he k t] стрижка  get a haircut подстричься
half [h f] половина
half an hour полчаса
hand [hænd] 1. рука 2. почерк 3. стрелка часов
hand sth to sb вручить, передать что-л. кому-л.
hand over передавать, вручать
handkerchief [ hæ}k t f] носовой платок
handle [ hændl] рукоятка (кинжала)
handsome [ hæns m] красивый
handwriting [ hænd ra t }] почерк
hang on ждать  Hang on! Подожди-ка!
hang oneself повеситься
happen [ hæp n] происходить
happen to sb случаться с кем-л.
happiness [ hæpin s] счастье
hard [h d] твердый

262

Англо-русский словарь

hardly [ h dli] едва
hardware store скобяная лавка
harmless [ h ml s] безобидно
hasty [ he sti] поспешный
hate [he t] ненавидеть
hatred [ he tr d] ненависть
have a look взглянуть
have got = have
have got to = have to
have to указывает на то, что нечто следует или
приходится сделать
head [hed] гл. направляться, двигаться
в определенном направлении
head [hed] сущ. голова
head waiter старший официант
headmaster [ hed m st ] директор школы
hear [h ] (heard; heard) слышать  I hear я слышал;
говорят, что
hearing [ h r }] слушание дела (в суде)
heart [h t] сердце
heat [hi t] тепло
heavy [ hevi] 1. тяжелый 2. проливной (о дожде)
hedge clippers садовые ножницы
heel [hi l] каблук
height [ha t] рост
heiress [ e res] наследница
help [help] гл. помогать
help [help] сущ. помощь  with the help of при помощи
hen [hen] курица
here [h ] 1. здесь 2. вот (говорят, протягивая
что-либо)
hero [ h r ] герой
hesitation [ hez te
n] колебание  without
hesitation не колеблясь
hidden [ h d n] скрытый
hidden → hide
Англо-русский словарь

263

hide [ha d] (hid; hidden) прятать
hieroglyphics [ ha r
l f ks] иероглифы
high [ha ] высокий
highly [ ha li] весьма, крайне, очень
highwayman [ ha we m n] разбойник с большой
дороги
hilarious [h le ri s] веселый, шумный
hint [h nt] подсказка
hire [ ha ] нанимать
history [ h st ri] история
hit [h t] (hit; hit) ударять
hobbyhorse [ h bi h s] хобби, любимое занятие
 ride one’s hobbyhorse предаваться
любимому занятию
hold [h ld] (held; held) 1. держать 2. содержать в себе,
вмещать
hold back удерживать
hold out протягивать
hole [h l] дыра
holidays [ h l de z] каникулы
Holland [ h l nd] Голландия
hollow [ h l ] глухой (о голосе)
home [h m] дом, жилище  at home дома
honorable [ n r b l] почетный
hope [h p] надеяться
horn [h n] рог  lock horns сцепиться рогами
horror [ h r ] ужас  to his horror к его ужасу
horse [h s] лошадь
horseman [ h sm n] всадник
hospitable [h sp t b l] гостеприимный
host [h st] хозяин дома
hour [ a ] час (60 минут)
housekeeper [ ha s ki p ] домработница; экономка
how [ha ] как
however [ha ev ] однако
huge [hju d ] огромный

264

Англо-русский словарь

human [ hju m n] прил. человеческий
human [ hju m n] человек
hundred [ h ndr d] сто
hungry [ h } ri] голодный
hunt [h nt] охотиться
hurricane [ h r k n] ураган
hurry [ h ri] сущ. спешка  in a hurry в спешке  be in
no hurry не торопиться
hurry away заторопиться прочь
husband [ h zb nd] муж, супруг
hypnotic [h p n t k] гипнотический

I
ice [a s] лед
idea [a d ] 1. идея 2. общее представление, понятие
о чем-л.  I had no idea я и понятия не имел,
что
identical [a dent k l] одинаковый, идентичный
identify [a dent fa ] гл. 1. опознавать; распознавать
2. установить личность кого-л.
identity [a dent ti] сущ. личность
idiot [ di t] идиот
if [ f] если
if anything если на то пошло
ignore игнорировать
ill [ l] больной  be suddenly taken ill внезапно
заболеть
illness [ ln s] болезнь
imitate [ m te t] имитировать; фальсифицировать,
подделывать
immediately [ mi di tli] незамедлительно, тотчас же,
сразу; мгновенно
immense [ mens] очень большой, огромный
implore [ m pl ] молить, умолять
important [ m p t nt] важный
impossible [ m p s b l] невозможно
Англо-русский словарь

265

impress [ m pres] производить впечатление
impression [ m pre ( )n] впечатление
in [ n] предлог, во временном значении указывает,
за какой срок может быть выполнено действие
in advance заранее
in front of перед
in order to для того, чтобы
incident [ ns d nt] инцидент, (неприятный) случай,
происшествие
include [ n klu d] включать
including [ n klu d }] включая
indeed [ n di d] действительно, в самом деле
indict [ n da t] предъявлять обвинение
indigestion [ nd d est n] несварение желудка;
нарушение пищеварения
indignant [ n d n nt] возмущенный
indignation [ nd ne
n] негодование, возмущение
 ﬁlled with indignation преисполненный
негодования
ingenious [ n d i ni s] хитроумный
ingot [ } t] слиток
inherit [ n her t] унаследовать
ink [ }k] чернила
innocent [ n s nt] невиновный
innocently [ n s ntli] невинно
inquire [ n kwa ] осведомляться, спрашивать
inside [ n sa d] внутри
insist [ n s st] настаивать
insoluble [ n s lj b l] неразрешимый
insomniac [ n s mni æk] человек, страдающий
бессонницей
instantaneously [ nst n te ni sli] мгновенно
instead [ n sted] вместо этого
insult [ n s lt] оскорблять  feel insulted чувствовать
себя оскорбленным
intelligent [ n tel d nt] умный

266

Англо-русский словарь

intend [ n tend] намереваться, иметь намерение
intention [ n ten ( )n] намерение
interested [ ntr st d] интересующийся;
заинтересованный
interrogation [ n ter
e ( )n] допрос
interrupt [ nt r pt] перебивать; прерывать
intrigued [ n tri d] заинтригованный
introduce [ ntr dju s] представлять кого-л. кому-л.
introduction [ ntr d k ( )n] официальное
представление (кого-л. кому-л.)
intrusion [ n tru ( )n] вторжение, неожиданный визит
invalid [ n væl d] недействительный
invent [ n vent] изобретать, придумывать
investigate [ n vest e t] расследовать
investigating ofﬁcer полицейский, расследующий дело
invitation [ nv te
n] приглашение  letter of
invitation письменное приглашение
invite [ n va t] приглашать
involved [ n v lvd] замешанный
irritably [ r t bli] раздраженно
island [ a l nd] остров
item [ a t m] (отдельный) предмет

J
jacket [ d æk t] пиджак
jail [d e l] тюрьма
Japanese [ d æp ni z] японский
jaw [d
] челюсть; пасть
jealousy [ d el si] ревность
jewel [ d u l] драгоценный камень
jewels [ d u lz] драгоценности
join [d
n] присоединяться
journey [ d
ni] путешествие
joy [d
] радость
judge [d d ] судья
juggler [ d
l ] фокусник
Англо-русский словарь

267

July [d
la ] июль
jump [d mp] прыгать
jump off спрыгнуть
jump over sth перепрыгнуть через что-л.
jumped all over sb наброситься на кого-л.
junk [d }k] хлам
jury [ d
ri] присяжные
just [d st] 1. только что 2. всего лишь 3. точно, как раз
 just behind him прямо позади него  just
then как раз в этот момент

K
keep [ki p] держать; хранить; беречь  keep under
lock and key [ki ] 1. держать запертым на
замок 2. задерживать
keep a watchful eye on sb не сводить глаз с кого-л.,
внимательно следить за кем-л.
keep doing sth не переставая делать что-л.
keep quiet about sth хранить молчание относительно
чего-л., умалчивать о чем-л.
keep sb company составить компанию кому-л.
keep sb out of trouble оградить кого-л. от
неприятностей
keep waiting заставить ждать
kettle [ ketl] чайник
key [ki ] ключ
keyhole [ ki h l] замочная скважина
kill [k l] убивать
killer [ k l ] убийца
kind [ ka nd] вид, разновидность  all kinds of
всевозможный  Is it some kind of a joke?
Это что, шутка такая?
kindly [ ka ndli] мягко; с сочувствием
kindness [ ka n(d)n s] доброта
king [k }] король, царь
kingdom [ k }d m] царство, королевство

268

Англо-русский словарь

kiss [k s] целовать
knew → know
knife [na f] нож
knit [n t] вязать
knock [n k] стук
knock down сбить (пешехода)
know [n ] (knew; known) 1. знать  he was known
to be который славился, был известен тем,
что 2. знать кого-л., быть знакомым с кем-л.
3. понимать 4. узнавать  I would hardly have
known you. Я вас едва узнал.

L
label [ le b l] 1. прикреплять этикетку 2. помечать
определенным образом
laboratory [l b r t ri] лаборатория
lad [læd] юноша, парень
laddie [ lædi] паренек
lady [ le di] леди  dear old lady старушка
lamb [læm] ягненок; овечка
land [lænd] 1. высаживать (на берег) 2. land вытащить
на берег 3. приземляться 4. попасть, угодить
 land in prison угодить в тюрьму
landlady [ læn(d) le di] хозяйка гостиницы,
меблированных комнат
landlord [ læn(d) l d] землевладелец, помещик,
сдающий землю в аренду
language [ læ} w d ] язык
last [l st] гл. длиться, продолжаться
last [l st] прил. последний
last will and testament завещание
late [le t] поздний; запоздалый  be late опаздывать
latecomer [ le t k m ] опоздавший
laugh [l f] гл. смеяться
laugh [l f] сущ. смех; смешок
Англо-русский словарь

269

laundry [ l ndri] выстиранное белье  do the laundry
стирать белье
lawyer [ l j ] юрист, адвокат  defense lawyer
адвокат защиты
lay [le ] (laid; laid) класть, положить  lay eyes on sb/
sth увидеть кого-л., что-л.  lay hands on sth
завладевать чем-л.
lazy [ le zi] ленивый
lead [li d] возглавлять
leader [ li d ] лидер
lean [li n] against sth облокотиться обо что-л.
learned [ l n d] ученый
leave [li v] (left; left) покидать
leave [li v] расходиться (по домам)
leave [li v] сущ. отпуск
leave [li v] (left; left) 1. уходить; уезжать  leave for
(a place) отправиться, направиться куда-либо
2. оставлять, покидать (комнату, офис)
 leave the table выйти из-за стола
3. оставлять (сообщение) 4. оставаться
(не занятым, в остатке)
leave behind оставить, забыть
lecturer [ lekt r ] лектор
left [left] прил. левый
left → leave
leg [leg] нога
legend [ led nd] легенда
legendary [ led nd ri] легендарный
lemon [ lem n] лимон
lenient [ li ni nt] снисходительный
leopard [ lep d] леопард
less [les] наречие менее, в меньшей степени
let [let] 1. позволять, разрешать; давать возможность
2. допускать что-л.  let sb die позволить
кому-л. умереть
let drop уронить

270

Англо-русский словарь

let go отпустить
let out выпустить
let sb go free отпускать (на свободу)
let sb in впустить кого-л. вовнутрь
let sb out выпустить кого-л. (наружу)
letter [ let ] 1. письмо 2. буква
letter-box [ let b ks] почтовый ящик
liar [ la ] лжец
library [ la br ri] библиотека
license plate [ la s ns ple t] номерной знак
(на автомобиле)
lie [la ] (lay; lain) лежать
lie [la ] (lied; lied) лгать
lie about валяться
lie awake лежать без сна
lie detector детектор лжи
life [la f] жизнь  take one’s own life покончить жизнь
самоубийством
lift [l ft] сущ. бесплатная поездка в качестве пассажира
в чьей-то машине  give sb a lift подвезти,
подбросить кого-либо (до дома и т. д.)
lift [l ft] гл. поднимать
light [la t] (lit; lit) освещать (помещение, путь)
like [la k] гл. любить
like [la k] прил. похожий  What’s he like? Как он
выглядит?  be like sb быть таким же, как кто-л.
другой
limber up [ l mb ] размять
line [la n] очередь
linen [ l n n] постельное белье
linger [ l } ] задержаться (о взгляде)
lion [ la n] лев
lion tamer укротитель львов
listener [ l s n ] слушатель
live [la v] прил. живой
lively [ la vli] живой, полный энергии
Англо-русский словарь

271

living [ l v }] средства к существованию  earn a living
by doing sth зарабатывать на жизнь, занимаясь
чем-л.
living room гостиная, общая комната
lizard [ l z d] ящерица
load [l d] заряжать
loaded [ l d d] 1. заряженный 2. нагруженный
locked [l kt] запертый
log [l g] бревно
long [l }] длинный
long ago давно
longing [ l } }] for sth сильное желание, стремление,
жажда чего-л.
long-suffering [ l } s f r }] многострадальный
look [l k] сущ. 1. взгляд  take a look at sth взглянуть
на что-л. 2. выражение лица
look [l k] гл. 1. смотреть  look at sth смотреть на
что-л. 2. выглядеть
look alike походить друг на друга, выглядеть одинаково
look around осматриваться; озираться по сторонам
 look around for sth осматриваться в поисках
чего-л.
look for sth искать что-л.
look like походить на  It looks like nonsense to me по
мне, так это какая-то абракадабра
look out 1. выглядывать 2. быть настороже  Look out!
Берегись!
look through [→ru ] просматривать
look up 1. посмотреть вверх 2. поднять голову; оторвать
взгляд от чего-л. 3. улучшаться (о делах)
loot [lu t] добыча (разбойников)
lose [lu z] (lost; lost) терять, потерять, лишиться чего-л.
loss [l s] ущерб, убыток
lost [l st] потерянный  be lost потеряться
lost → lose
lot [l t] в сочетаниях a lot of; lots of много, масса, уйма

272

Англо-русский словарь

loud [la d] громкий
loudly [ la dli] громко
love [l v] любовь  be in love with sb быть влюбленным
в кого-л.
lover [ l v ] любовник
low [l ] низкий; невысокий
lower [ l
] прил., сравнит. степень от low более
низкий
lower [ l
] гл. понижать
luck [l k] удача
luckily [ l k li] к счастью
lucky [ l ki] удачливый  He was lucky. Ему повезло
lumber [ l mb ] рухлядь, ненужные громоздкие вещи,
выброшенная мебель; хлам
luxurious [l
zj ri s] роскошный

M
maddening [ mæd n }] сводящий с ума
magic [ mæd k] сущ. волшебство  as if by magic
словно по волшебству
magic [ mæd k] прил. волшебный, магический
magician [m d
n] маг, волшебник
magnifying glass увеличительное стекло, лупа
make [me k] 1. делать  make a visit наносить
визит  make an arrest производить арест
2. заставлять, побуждать  make the clock go
починить часы (букв: заставить часы ходить)
 What makes you think so? Почему вы так
думаете? 3. думать что-л. по поводу чего-л. или
кого-л., составить себе определенное мнение
 What do you make of him? Что ты о нем
думаешь?
make away with sth уйти, прихватив с собой что-л.
make believe заставить поверить
make faces корчить рожи, гримасничать
make-believe сущ. притворство
Англо-русский словарь

273

male [me l] мужской; особь мужского пола
man [mæn] 1. мужчина 2. человек  as men [æz men]
в человеческом обличии
manage [ mæn d ] ухитриться, умудриться, суметь
сделать что-л.
mandarin [ mænd r n] мандарин (китайский чиновник)
manners [ mæn z] (хорошие) манеры  a lesson in
manners урок хороших манер
mare [me ] кобыла
mark [m k] признак, характерная черта
marker [ m k ] маркер
market [ m k t] рынок, базар
marquis [ m kw s] маркиз
marriage [ mær d ] брак, женитьба, замужество
 ask sb’s hand in marriage свататься
к кому-л., просить чьей-л. руки
marry [ mæri] жениться; выходить замуж
Martian [ m
n] марсианин
massive [ mæs v] массивный
mast [m st] мачта
master [ m st ] хозяин
masterpiece [ m st pi s] шедевр
match [mæt ] спичка  strike a match зажечь спичку
matching [ mæt }] сочетающийся
matter [ mæt ] сущ. вопрос, дело; причина, повод,
основание  as a matter of fact по правде
сказать  no matter what happened что бы ни
случилось  What's the matter? В чем дело?
 What's the matter with you? Что с тобой?
matter [ mæt ] гл. иметь значение
mattock [ mæt k] мотыга
may [me ] (might) модальный гл. 1. указывает на
вероятность действия  may try может
попытаться 2. выражает разрешение
maybe [ me bi] может быть
mayor [me ] мэр

274

Англо-русский словарь

meager [ mi
] скудный
meal [mi l] обед
mean [mi n] (meant; meant) 1. означать 2. иметь
в виду; хотеть сказать, подразумевать  What
do you mean? Что вы хотите этим сказать?,
Что вы имеете в виду? 3. иметь намерение,
намереваться  I didn’t mean to offend you.
Я не хотел вас обидеть. 4. значить что-л. для
кого-л.
meaning [ mi n }] значение
means [mi nz] средства  a person of substantial
means человек зажиточный
meant → mean
meanwhile [ mi n wa l] 1. тем временем, между тем
2. одновременно
measure [ me ] мериться силами  measure swords
скрестить шпаги
meat [mi t] мясо
meat shop мясная лавка
medicine [ med s n] лекарство
meet [mi t] (met; met) 1. встретить, повстречать
2. встречаться, видеться 3. знакомиться,
познакомиться  I’m glad to meet you. Рад
с вами познакомиться.  Pleased to meet you.
Приятно с вами познакомиться.
member [ memb ] член  members of the class
присутствующие на занятии; учащиеся
memorize [ mem ra z] запоминать
menagerie [m næd ri] зверинец
mention [ men n] упоминать  as I have mentioned
earlier как я упоминал ранее
merchant [ m t nt] купец
mercy [ m si] пощада
merely [ m li] только, просто
mess [mes] беспорядок, грязь  the place is a mess
в доме не убрано
Англо-русский словарь

275

message [ mes d ] сообщение, послание  leave a
message оставить сообщение  the message
read в послании говорилось
messenger [ mes nd ] глашатай
met → meet
middle [ m dl] середина
midnight [ m d na t] полночь
might → may
mile [ma l] миля  for miles на много миль (вокруг)
millionaire [ m lj ne ] миллионер
mind [ma nd] гл. возражать
mind [ma nd] сущ. ум  have in mind иметь в виду
mine [ma n] мой (употребляется вместо сочетания
местоимения my с существительным, которое
уже было употреблено в данном предложении)
minister [ m n st ] 1. министр 2. священник
miracle [ m r k l] чудо
mirror [ m r ] зеркало
mischievous [ m st v s] непослушный, озорной
miss [m s] 1. недоставать, не хватать; недосчитываться
 he has one ﬁnger missing у него недостает
одного пальца 2. обнаружить отсутствие чего-л.
 Is anything missing? Ничего не пропало?
3. скучать по кому-л. или чему-л. 4. прогуливать
(школу, занятия)
missing [ m s }] недостающий
mistake [m ste k] (mistook; mistaken) гл.
1. неправильно понимать, заблуждаться  be
mistaken ошибаться 2. ошибиться, приняв одно
за другое, перепутать  mistake sb/sth for sb/
sth принимать одну вещь за другую или одного
человека за другого
mistake [m ste k] сущ. ошибка  by mistake по
ошибке mistakes will happen ошибки
случаются; с кем не бывает?
misunderstand [ m s nd stænd] неправильно понять

276

Англо-русский словарь

mock [m k] насмешливый; пародийный; шуточный
 give a mock bow изобразить поклон,
притворно поклониться
model [ m d l] образцовый
modern [ m d n] современный
modestly [ m d stli] скромно
mom [m m] мама
monsieur [m sj ] месье, господин (фр.)
monster [ m nst ] чудовище, монстр, урод
month [m n→] месяц  a month later месяц спустя
monthly [ m n→li] ежемесячный
mood [mu d] настроение
moon [mu n] луна  full moon полнолуние
more [m ] больше (ср. степ. от much)
mortally [m t li] смертельно
most [m st] большинство
motionless [ m
nl s] неподвижный
motorcar легковой автомобиль
mount [ma nt] садиться (на лошадь, осла и т.д.)
mountain [ ma nt n] гора
mouse [ma s] мышь
moustache [m st
] усы
mouth [ma →] 1. рот 2. пасть
move [mu v] сущ. 1. движение  get a move on
поторапливаться, пошевеливаться 2. ход
(в игре)
move [mu v] гл. 1. двигаться  move closer
придвинуться поближе 2. передвигать;
изменять положение чего-либо
movie [ mu vi] кино
mud [m d] 1. грязь 2. ил, тина
mufﬂed [ m f ld] приглушенный; сдавленный
mull over обдумывать что-л.; прокручивать в голове
multimillionaire [ m lti m lj ne ] мультимиллионер
murder [ m d ] сущ. убийство
murder [ m d ] гл. убить
Англо-русский словарь

277

murderer [ m d r ] убийца
musician [mju z ( )n] музыкант
mutter [ m t ] бормотать; говорить тихо, невнятно
mysterious [m st ri s] таинственный

N
nail [ne l] сущ. ноготь
nail [ne l] гл. схватить, поймать; арестовать (букв.
«пригвоздить»)
naïve [na i v] наивный
naked [ ne k d] голый
name [ne m] сущ. имя  by the name of по имени
name [ne m] гл. называть
namesake [ ne m se k] тезка
nametag [ ne m tæg] бирка с фамилией; именной
жетон
napkin [ næpk n] салфетка
narrator [n re t ] рассказчик
narrow [ nær ] узкий
native [ ne t v] родной
naturally [ næt r li] естественно
nature [ ne t ] природа, характер  by nature по
своей природе
near-by соседний
nearest [ n r st] ближайший
nearly [ n li] почти
necessarily [ nes ser li] непременно, обязательно
necessary [ nes s( )ri] необходимый
neck [nek] шея  the back of the neck затылок
necklace [ nekl s] ожерелье
need [ni d] гл. 1. требоваться, быть необходимым
 we shall need to нам придется 2. нуждаться
в чем-л.
need [ni d] сущ. нужда, необходимость  be in need of
sth нуждаться в чем-л.  there was no need for
that в этом не было надобности

278

Англо-русский словарь

neighbour [ ne b ] сосед, соседка
nephew [ nefju ] племянник
net [net] сеть, невод
neutral [ nju tr l] нейтральный
never [ nev ] 1. никогда 2. так и не (обычно с глаголом
в Past Simple)
newlyweds [ nju li wedz] молодожены
news [nju z] новость
newspaper [ nju z pe p ] газета
next [nekst] следующий  next moment в следующий
момент
nice [na s] хороший, приятный, милый, славный  it is
nice of очень любезно со стороны
nickname [ n k ne m] прозвище, кличка
no one никто
noble [ n b l] прил. благородного происхождения
nobleman [ n b lm n] дворянин
nobles [ n b ls] титулованная знать
nobody but никто кроме, никого кроме
nocturnal [n k t n l] ночной
nod [n d] кивать  nod in agreement кивать в знак
согласия
none [n n] ни один из (общего числа)
nonsense [ n ns ns] абракадабра, бессмыслица;
вздор, ерунда
noon [nu n] полдень
not only … but не только… но и
notably [ n t bli] а именно
notary public нотариус
note [n t] записка
noted [ n t d] знаменитый, известный
nothing [ n → }] ничего  nothing but ничего кроме
notice [ n t s] замечать, видеть
notice [ n t s] сущ. предупреждение
notify [ n t fa ] уведомить, поставить в известность
novel [ n v l] роман
Англо-русский словарь

279

novice [ n v s] новичок
nowadays [ na
de z] в наши дни
nowhere [ n we ] нигде
number [ n mb ] 1. количество 2. номер

О
oak [ k] дуб
oakum [
k m] пакля
obey [ be ] повиноваться
object [ b d ekt] возражать
obliged [ bla d d] благодарный, признательный
observant [ b z v nt] наблюдательный
observation [ bz ve
n] наблюдение  power of
observation наблюдательность
obsession [ b se n] одержимость, страстное
увлечение, мания
obviously [ bvi sli] очевидно; явно
occasionally [ ke
n li] иногда, изредка
occupation [ kj pe
n] занятие, профессия
occupy [ kj pa ] занимать (дом, квартиру);
арендовать
occur [ k ] происходить, случаться
odd [ d] нечетный
offend [ fend] оскорблять; обижать
offense [ fens] проступок
offer [ f ] гл. 1. предлагать 2. предоставлять
offer [ f ] сущ. предложение
ofﬁcial [ f
l] чиновник
often [ f n] часто
oil [ l] гл. смазывать маслом
ointment [ ntm nt] мазь
omen [
m n] знак, предзнаменование
once-powerful [ pa f l] некогда могущественный
one tenth десятая часть
only [
nli] нареч. только; всего лишь
only [
nli] прил. единственный

280

Англо-русский словарь

open [
p n] открывать; открываться
opinion [ p nj n] мнение
opponent [ p n nt] противник
opportunity [ p tju n ti] удобный случай,
благоприятная возможность, шанс  take the
opportunity воспользоваться случаем
opposite [ p z t] противоположный
optician [ p t
n] оптик, специалист по изготовлению
очков и контактных линз
order [ d ] гл. 1. приказывать 2. заказывать (еду,
напитки в ресторане)
order [ d ] сущ. 1. приказ 2. порядок,
последовательность
ordinary [ d n ri] обыкновенный  out of the
ordinary необычный
oriental [ ri ent l] восточный
orphan [ f n] сирота
other другой  in other words другими словами  the
other night прошлой ночью
otherwise [ ð wa z] иначе, в противном случае
ought [ t] мод. гл. должен
outcome [ a t k m] исход дела
outdid → outdo
outdo [ a t du ] (outdid; outdone) перещеголять
outside [ a t sa d] нареч. снаружи, извне; вовне,
наружу  look outside выглянуть наружу  from
the outside снаружи
outside [ a t sa d] сущ. внешняя, наружная сторона
чего-л.  on the outside с виду, внешне
outskirts [ a t sk ts] окраина, предместья (города)
over [
v ] наречие, указывает на окончание,
прекращение действия  be over закончиться
overboard [
v b d] за борт
overgrow [
v r ] with sth зарастать чем-л.
overhear [
v h ] подслушать; нечаянно услышать
overheard → overhear
Англо-русский словарь

281

overlook [
v l k] the street выходить окнами на
улицу
owe [ ] быть должным
owl [ l] сова
own [ n] гл. владеть, обладать
own [ n] прил. собственный  a son of his own свой
собственный сын
owner [
n ] владелец

P
pace [pe s] скорость, темп  at breakneck pace
с головокружительной скоростью
package [ pæk d ] пакет; посылка
packed [ pækt] переполненный, битком набитый
page [pe d ] страница
pail [pe l] ведро
pain [pe n] боль  be in pain испытывать боль
paint [pe nt] сущ. краска
paint [pe nt] гл. рисовать
painter [ pe nt ] художник
painting [ pe nt }] 1. живопись 2. картина
pair [pe ] пара
pal [pæl] приятель
palace [ pæl s] дворец
pale [pe l] бледный  turn pale побледнеть
panic-stricken охваченный паникой
pant [pænt] часто тяжело дышать, запыхаться
paranormal [ pær n m l] паранормальные явления
parcel [ p s l] посылка
pardon [ p d n] помиловать
parents [ pe r nts] родители
park [p k] парковать машину
parking lot автостоянка
part [p t] гл. 1. расставаться; расходиться
(о компании) 2. расступаться; раздвинуться
(о кустах и т.д.)

282

Англо-русский словарь

part [p

t] сущ. часть  the back part of a book
последние страницы книги  take part
принимать участие
participant [p t s p nt] участник
particularly [p t kj l li] особенно
party [ p ti] вечеринка, прием
pass [p s] проходить (мимо)
pass around передавать по кругу
pass oneself off as sb выдавать себя за кого-л.
pass through [→ru ] пересекать; проходить, проезжать
через что-л.
passage [ pæs d ] коридор
passenger [ pæs nd ] пассажир
password [ p s w d] пароль
past [p st] нареч. мимо
path [p →] тропинка
patience [ pe
ns] терпение
patient [ pe
nt] пациент
pattern [ pæt n] модель поведения
pause [p z] остановиться в нерешительности
pea [pi ] горошина  similar as peas in a pod похожи
друг на друга, как две капли воды
peace [pi s] покой
peaceful [ pi sf l] мирный
peacefully [ pi sf li] мирно
peculiar [p kju li ] странный, необычный
peculiarity [p kju li ær ti] характерная особенность
peer [p ] заглядывать
peer up показываться (становиться частично видимым)
pelt [pelt] броситься, ринуться
penetrate [ pen tre t] проникать
penny [ peni] пенни (монета достоинством 1/100 фунта
стерлингов)
pensively [ pens vli] задумчиво
people [ pi p l] люди
Англо-русский словарь

283

perform [p f m] 1. делать, совершать 2. выступать
(на сцене)
perhaps [p hæps] может быть, возможно
permission [p m
n] разрешение, позволение
perplexed [p plekst] озадаченный, сбитый с толку,
растерянный
Persia [ p
] Персия
person [ p s n] человек
personal [ p s n l] личный
persuade [p swe d] убеждать, уговаривать, склонять
к чему-л.
pesky [ peski] надоедливый, досадный; ужасный,
отвратительный
phone [f n] телефон
phony [ f ni] жулик, обманщик, выдающий себя за
другое лицо
phrasal verb фразовый глагол (глагол, составляющий
единое целое с уточняющим его наречием
и нередко имеющий, подобно любому
фразеологизму, значение, которое в целом
не является суммой значений входящих в него
слов)
phrase [fre z] фраза
physician [f z
n] врач
physicist [ f z s st] физик
physiology [ f zi l d i] физиология  physiology
class урок физиологии
pick [p k] выбрать
pick up 1. поднимать, подбирать  поднять трубку
телефонного аппарата 2. схватывать на лету
picture [ p kt ] картина
pie [pa ] пирог  it is as simple as pie проще пареной
репы
piece [pi s] кусочек  piece of paper лист, клочок или
обрывок бумаги
pile [pa l] куча, груда, кипа

284

Англо-русский словарь

pillow [ p l ] под подушкой
pin [p n] гл. прикалывать; скреплять
pin [p n] сущ. булавка
pipe [pa p] трубка
pity [ p ti] печальный факт  it’s a pity жаль, что
place [ple s] сущ. 1. место 2. дом, квартира, место
проживания  take sb to his place привести
кого-л. к себе домой 3. город, селение
place гл. помещать; класть, ставить
place oneself встать
plague [ple g] чума
plainclothes detective детектив в штатском
plan out планировать
plane [ple n] самолет
plant [pl nt] сущ. растение
plant [pl nt] гл. сажать (растения)
plate [ple t] тарелка
plausible [ pl z b l] похожий на правду,
правдоподобный
pleased [pli zd] довольный
pleasing [ pli z }] приятный, доставляющий
удовольствие
pleasure [ ple ] удовольствие
plot [pl t] 1. замыслить что-л. 2. плести заговоры,
строить козни
plunge [pl nd ] вонзать
pocket [ p k t] сущ. карман
pocket [ p k t] гл. класть в карман
point [p nt] 1. показывать (пальцем) на кого-л. или
что-л. 2. указывать на что-л.
point out обращать (чье-л.) внимание на что-л.
poison [ p z n] гл. отравить
poison [ p z n] сущ. яд  take poison принять яд
poisoning [ p z n }] отравление
pole [p l] столб
police station полицейский участок
Англо-русский словарь

285

politely [p la tli] вежливо
polka-dotted [ p lk d t d] в горошек
pond [p nd] искусственный водоем, бассейн
pool [pu l] лужа
poor [p ] бедный  as poor as так же беден, как и
popular [ p pj l ] популярный  be popular with sb
пользоваться популярностью у кого-л.
porcelain [ p s l n] фарфор
possess [p zes] иметь, обладать, владеть
possession [p ze ( )n] владение, обладание  be in
possession of sth обладать чем-л.
possible [ p s b l] 1. возможно 2. возможный
possibly [ p s bli] возможно; может быть
post [p st] послать по почте
postmaster [ p st m st ] почтмейстер; начальник
почтового отделения
pot [p t] котел
potential [p ten l] возможный; потенциальный
pound [pa nd] фунт
pound [pa nd] гл. ударять
pound [pa nd] сущ. 1. фунт стерлингов 2. фунт
(453,6 г)
pour [p ] (out) наливать
power [ pa ] сила
powerful [ pa f l] влиятельный, могущественный
prank [præ}k] шутка, проказа, проделка  play a
prank on sb сыграть с кем-л. шутку, разыграть
кого-л.
prayer [pre ] молитва
prayer book молитвенник
precaution [pr k
n] мера предосторожности
precipice [ pres p s] пропасть
precise [pr sa s] точный
premeditated [pri med te t d] предумышленный
preoccupied [pri kj pa d] занятый
preparation [ prep re
n] подготовка

286

Англо-русский словарь

prepare [pr pe ] готовить; приводить в состояние
готовности; готовиться
prepared [pr pe d] заготовленный
prescription [pr skr p n] рецепт
presence [ prez ns] присутствие
present [ prez nt] сущ. подарок
present [pr zent] гл. 1. преподносить; дарить
2. представлять  present a problem
представлять собой проблему
present oneself явиться
present [ prez nt] прил. присутствующий
press [pres] прижимать
presume [pr zju m] полагать
pretence [pr tens] притворство
pretend [pr tend] притворяться
pretty [ pr ti] миловидный, хорошенький
price [pra s] цена
priest [pri st] священник
prince [pr ns] принц
prison [ pr z n] тюрьма
prisoner [ pr z n ] заключенный, арестант
private [ pra v t] частный
proceed [pr si d] 1. продолжать 2. to sth приступать
к чему-л.; приняться за что-л.
proceed to приступать к чему-л.; приняться за что-л.
produce [pr dju s] 1. предъявить 2. производить
proﬁtable [ pr f t b l] выгодный
promise [ pr m s] обещать
prompt [pr mpt] подсказывать
promptly [ pr mptli] тут же (о ком-то, действующем
без промедления)
pronounce [pr na ns] 1. произносить 2. объявить
proposition [ pr p z
n] предложение  I have
a proposition to lay before this ﬁrm. Я
намерен представлять свое предложение на
рассмотрение этой фирме.
Англо-русский словарь

287

prosecution [ pr s kju
n] обвинение (сторона
в суде)
prosecutor [ pr s kju t ] прокурор
prospective [pr spekt v] будущий; ожидаемый;
предполагаемый
protest [pr test] протестовать, возражать
prove [pru v] доказывать
public [ p bl k] сущ. публика
public [ p bl k] прил. публичный; народный
publish [ p bl ] публиковать
pull [p l] тянуть
pull off проворачивать (аферу и т.д.)
pull up подъехать и остановиться
punctuation [ p }kt u e
n] mark знак препинания
punish [ p n ] наказывать
purchase [ p t s] покупка
pure [pj ] чистый (без примесей)
purpose [ p p s] цель  on purpose намеренно,
с определенной целью  for what purpose
с какой целью
push [p ] толкать
push aside отодвинуть (от себя)
push back подтолкнуть обратно
put [p t] класть; помещать
put aside отбросить (страхи и т.д.)
put back in place вернуть на место
put on надевать
put up поднимать (руку)
puzzle [ p zl] сущ. головоломка
puzzle [ p zl] гл. ставить в тупик

Q
quarrel [ kw r l] спорить, ссориться
quarrelsome [ kw r ls m] 1. вздорный, сварливый
2. драчливый, задиристый
queen [kwi n] королева

288

Англо-русский словарь

question [ kwest n] сущ. вопрос
question [ kwest n] гл. допрашивать
questioner [ kwest n ] тот, кто спрашивает
quickly [ kw kli] быстро
quiet [ kwa t] тихий  keep quiet about sth хранить
молчание относительно чего-л., умалчивать
о чем-л.
quietly [ kwa tli] тихо
quite [kwa t] слово-усилитель вполне; очень;
довольно; совершенно; действительно  quite
sure вполне уверен

R
race [re s] гл. пускаться наперегонки
race [re s] сущ. гонки
raging [ re d }] бушующий
railroad [ re l r d] железная дорога
railway station вокзал
rain [re n] дождь  steady rain затяжной дождь
rain-spattered забрызганный дождем
raise [re z] поднимать
ransom [ ræns m] выкуп
rare [re ] редкий
rascal [ r sk l] шельмец, негодник (шутл.)
rasping [ r sp }] скрипучий (о голосе)
rather [ r ð ] 1. весьма; довольно 2. скорее, точнее
raw [r ] сырой
reach [ri t ] достигать
reach for sth потянуться (рукой) за чем-л.
reach out for sth потянуться за чем-л.
read [ri d] (read; read) читать  the message read
в послании говорилось; послание гласило
read out зачитать вслух
read through [→ru ] прочитать до конца
ready [ redi] готовый
real [ r l] настоящий
Англо-русский словарь

289

realize [ r la z] 1. понять, осознать 2. реализовать,
осуществить
rearrange [ ri re nd ] поменять местами,
переставить
reason [ ri z n] причина, основание
rebus [ ri b s] ребус
recall [r k l] вспоминать, воскрешать в памяти
receive [r si v] получать
receiver [r si v ] телефонная трубка
reception [r sep n] 1. прием (вечеринка) 2. стойка
администратора
recipe [ res pi] рецепт
recipient [r s pi nt] получатель
recognize [ rek na z] узнавать
recommend [ rek mend] советовать, рекомендовать
reduce [r dju s] уменьшить
reed [ri d] тростник
reﬂection [r flek n] 1. отражение (в зеркале)
2. размышление  upon reﬂection подумав,
поразмыслив
refund [ ri f nd] компенсация
refuse [r fju z] отказывать; отказываться
regain [r e n] обрести вновь
register [ red st ] журнал (записей)
reign [re n] правление
relative [ rel t v] родственник
release [r li s] отпускать; освобождать
reliable [r la b l] надежный, достоверный
relief [r li f] облегчение
relieved [r li vd] успокоившийся
remain [r me n] оставаться
remainder [r me nd ] оставшаяся часть
remaining [r me n }] оставшийся
remark [r m k] гл. замечать, сказать, высказываться,
прокомментировать
remark [r m k] сущ. замечание, ремарка

290

Англо-русский словарь

remember [r memb ] 1. вспоминать  remember
sb do/doing sth вспомнить, как кто-л. сделал
что-л. 2. помнить
remind [r ma nd] of sth напоминать о чем-л.
remorseful [r m sf l] полный раскаяния, мучимый
угрызениями совести
remotely [r m tli] отдаленно
remove [r mu v] убирать; удалять; ампутировать;
снимать
remunerate [r mju n re t] компенсировать
renew [r nju ] возобновить
rent [rent] брать напрокат
repair [r pe ] гл. чинить
repair [r pe ] сущ. ремонт
repay [r pe ] отплатить
repeat [r pi t] повторять
replace [r ple s] заменить; занять чье-л. место
reply [r pla ] отвечать
report [r p t] сущ. 1. отчет  business report
деловой отчет 2. репортаж
report [r p t] гл. докладывать
report on sb доносить на кого-л.
reporter [r p t ] репортер
represent [ repr zent] изображать; представлять
reprimand [ repr m nd] сделать выговор,
замечание; пожурить
requalify [r kw l fa ] oneself
переквалифицироваться
request [r kwest] сущ. просьба  give into the
request уступить просьбе
request [r kwest] гл. просить
rescue [ reskju ] спасение  come to the rescue
приходить на помощь
resemblance [r zembl ns] сходство
resemble [r zembl] походить на
reserve [r z v] приберечь; зарезервировать
Англо-русский словарь

291

residential [ rez den l] area жилой район
respectable [r spekt b l] уважаемый
rest [rest] 1. отдыхать 2. покоиться
restaurant [ rest r nt] ресторан
restore [r st ] реставрировать
restroom [ rest ru m] туалет
result [r z lt] результат
retire [r ta ] уходить, удаляться, перемещаться
куда-л.
retort [r t t] резко возражать
return [r t n] возвращать; возвращаться
revelry [ rev lri] шумное веселье; пирушка
revenge [r vend ] месть
reward [r w d] вознаграждать
ribbon [ r b n] лента
rich [r t ] 1. богатый  become rich разбогатеть
2. жирный, содержащий большое количество
жира, тяжелый (о пище)
riches [ r t z] сущ. богатство
riddle [ r d l] загадка  ask sb a riddle загадать
кому-л. загадку
ride [ra d] (rode; ridden) ехать верхом
right [ra t] прил. 1. правый 2. правильный  be right
быть правым  that’s right верно  quite right
совершенно верно
right [ra t] наречие, во временном значении указывает
на незамедлительность действия  I’ll be right
back. Я сейчас вернусь.
rightmost самый крайний
ring [r }] кольцо
ring [r }] (rang; rung) звонить
rip [r p] рвать (одним быстрым движением)
rise [ra z] (rose, risen) вставать, подниматься  rise to
one’s feet подняться на ноги
rise [ra z] сущ. начало, происхождение  give rise to
sth дать начало чему-л.

292

Англо-русский словарь

risk [r sk] сущ. риск  at the risk of his life рискуя
собственной жизнью  run a risk рисковать,
подвергать себя риску
risk [r sk] гл. рисковать  risk it рискнуть
river [ r v ] река
road [r d] дорога
roam [r m] бродить, скитаться, странствовать
rob [r b] грабить, ограбить
robber [ r b ] 1. грабитель, разбойник 2. роббер
(законченный круг игры)
robbery [ r b ri] ограбление
rock [r k] камень
roll up сворачивать
rolled up свернутый в трубочку
romance [r
mæns] роман, любовные отношения
roof [ru f] крыша
room [ru m] 1. комната 2. место, пространство  make
room for sb освободить место для кого-л.
rope [r p] веревка
rope ladder веревочная лестница
rose → rise
routine [ru ti n] заведенный порядок
row [r ] ряд  three times in a row три раза подряд
royal [ r
l] королевский
rub [r b] тереть, потирать (руки)
rudely [ ru dli] грубо
rule [ru l] править (страной)
rumour [ ru m ] слух
run [r n] (ran; run) 1. бежать 2. идти (о часах) 3. течь
(о реке)
run down задавить, сбить (машиной)
run into sb 1. натолкнуться, наткнуться на кого-л.,
случайно встретить 2. налететь на кого-л.
run over переехать кого-л., задавить
rush [r ] бросаться, мчаться, нестись, устремляться
rush at sb наброситься на кого-л.
Англо-русский словарь

293

S
sack [sæk] мешок
sackfuls of sth целые мешки чего-л.
sad [sæd] печальный
safe [se f] прил. 1. безопасный 2. находящийся
в безопасности
safe [se f] сущ. сейф
sailor [ se l ] матрос; моряк
sale [se l] продажа  up for sale на продажу
same [se m] один и тот же; тот же самый  at the
same time одновременно
sand [sænd] песок
Santa Claus [ sænt kl z] Санта-Клаус
satisfaction [ sæt s fæk n] удовлетворение
satisﬁed [ sæt sfa d] довольный, удовлетворенный
sausages [ s s d z] сосиски
save [se v] 1. спасать 2. экономить, беречь
saw → see
say [se ] (said; said) говорить, сказать, произнести  it
says here здесь написано  they say говорят,
ходят слухи
scaffold [ skæf ld] эшафот
scandalous [ skænd l s] скандальный
scantily [ skænt li] скудно
scare [ske ] внезапный испуг, страх  throw a scare
into sb нагнать страху на кого-л.
scared [ske d] испуганный, напуганный
scene [si n] место происшествия
scheme [ski m] сущ. план
scheme [ski m] гл. плести интриги
science [ sa ns] наука
Scottish [ sk t ] шотландский
scrap [skræp] клочок, обрывок
scream [skri m] пронзительно кричать, вопить
 scream in pain кричать от боли

294

Англо-русский словарь

scribble [ skr b l] писать (быстро и неразборчиво)
sea [si ] море
search [s t ] сущ. поиск
search [s t ] гл. искать, разыскивать что-л., вести
поиски
seaside [ si sa d] прибрежный
seat [ si t] место
seaweed [ si wi d] морская водоросль
second [ sek nd] второй  for a second time второй
раз
secret [ si kr t] тайный, секретный
security [s kj r ti] охрана
see [si ] (saw; seen) 1. видеть; увидеть, заметить
 see for yourself посмотри сам 2. проведать,
навестить
seem [si m] казаться  it seems кажется  he didn’t
seem to know по-видимому, он не знал
 I don’t seem to have much choice.
Не похоже, чтобы у меня был большой выбор.
seen → see
seize [si z] охватить, обуять (о страхе, подозрении)
seldom [ seld m] редко
self-control самообладание
self-portrait автопортрет
sell [sel] (sold; sold) 1. продавать 2. торговать
semicolon [ semi k l n] точка с запятой
senator [ sen t ] сенатор
send [send] (sent; sent) посылать
sender [ send ] отправитель
sense [sens] 1. чувство  come to one’s senses
приходить в себя 2. смысл  it doesn’t make
much sense to me я не вижу в нем смысла; мне
это кажется бессмыслицей  put sense into sth
внести смысл во что-л.
sent → send
Англо-русский словарь

295

sentence [ sent ns] сущ. 1. предложение 2. приговор
 pass a death sentence вынести смертный
приговор
sentence [ sent ns] выносить приговор;
приговаривать  sentence to death [de→]
приговорить к смерти
separately [ se r tli] отдельно
sergeant [ s d ( )nt] сержант
servant [ s v( )nt] слуга
serve [ s v] 1. работать, состоять на службе
2. подавать (на стол)
service [ s v s] служба
sesame [ ses mi] сезам, кунжут
session [ se ( )n] сеанс
set [set] (set; set) назначать (день, час)
set free освобождать, отпускать на свободу
set off отправляться в путь
settle [ setl] down устраиваться
several [ sev r l] несколько
severe [s v ] суровый
sew [s ] шить; пришивать
shabby [ æbi] потертый, потрепанный
shadow [ æd ] тень
shake [ e k] (shook, shaken) трясти
shaker [ e k ] шейкер, сосуд для приготовления
коктейлей
share [ e ] 1. делить 2. разделять (чьи-л. подозрения,
радость) 3. поделиться (секретом)
sharp [
p] проницательный
sharply [
pli] 1. резко 2. внезапно
shatter into pieces разбиться вдребезги
shave [ e v] брить
sheep [ i p] овца, овцы
sheet [ i t] 1. лист (бумаги) 2. простыня
sheikh [ e k] шейх
shelf [ elf] полка

296

Англо-русский словарь

shine [ a n] (shone; shone) светить
ship [ p] корабль
shock [ k] шок  it gave them quite a shock они были
просто в шоке
shoemaker [ u me k ] сапожник
shone → shine
shook → shake
shoot [ u t] (shot; shot) стрелять
shoot off отстрелить
shop assistant продавец
shop keeper владелец магазина
shop window витрина магазина
shore [ ] берег (моря)
short [ t] 1. короткий 2. небольшого роста
(о человеке), коротышка
shot → shoot
should [ d] модальный гл., указывает на то, что
следует или следовало сделать или на то, какое
из возможных действий будет правильным
shoulder [
ld ] плечо
shout [ a t] кричать
shout back крикнуть в ответ
shout out выкрикнуть
show [
] показывать; демонстрировать
show off хвастать чем-л.
show up появиться, объявиться
shrub [ r b] куст
shut [ t] (shut; shut) закрывать
sick [s k] прил. больной
side [sa d] сторона
sigh [sa ] вздох
sight [sa t] вид
sights [sa ts] достопримечательности
sign [sa n] сущ. 1. знак 2. вывеска
sign [sa n] гл. подписывать
signature [ s n t ] подпись
Англо-русский словарь

297

silence [ sa l ns] молчание; тишина
silently [ sa l ntli] молча
silk [s lk] шелк
silly [ s li] глупый
silver [ s lv ] прил. серебряный
similar [ s m l ] похожий, сходный; такой же  similar
as peas in a pod похожи друг на друга, как две
капли воды
simple [ s mpl] простой
simply [ s mpli] просто
since [s ns] нареч. с тех пор  ever since с тех самых
пор  since I last saw you со времени нашей
последней встречи
since [s ns] союз поскольку
single [ s } l] 1. один; единственный 2. холостой,
неженатый; незамужняя  stay single
оставаться незамужней
single room одноместный номер в отеле
sink in доходить до сознания
size [sa z] размер
skill [sk l] мастерство
skin [sk n] шкура
skip [sk p] пропускать
skip away ускакать (прочь)
sky [ska ] небо
slander [ sl nd ] злословие, клевета
sleeper plane самолет со спальными местами
sleepless [ sli pl s] бессонный
sleeve [ sli v] рукав
slight [sla t] легкий, небольшой
slip [sl p] давать что-л. скрытно, незаметно
slip on набросить, накинуть (что-л. на себя)
slip out выскользнуть
slither [ sl ð ] ползти (о рептилиях)
slow [sl ] медленный
smell [smel] запах

298

Англо-русский словарь

smile [sma l] улыбаться
smile back улыбаться в ответ
smoke [sm k] дым  go up in smoke не давать
никаких результатов
smuggle [ sm
l] контрабанда
snake [sne k] змея
snap [snæp] говорить резко, отрывисто
snap back огрызаться
snarl [sn l] рычать
sneak [sni k] up подкрадываться
sneer [sn ] ухмыляться
sneeze [sni z] чихать
snore [sn ] храпеть
snort [sn t] фыркать
snuff [sn f] нюхательный табак
so [s ] нареч. настолько, до такой степени
so [s ] союз поэтому; так что (= по этой причине)
so that союз чтобы
soap [s p] мыло
sober [ s b ] трезвый
sock [s k] носок
sofa [ s f ] диван
sold → sell
soldier [ s ld ] солдат
sole [ s l] подошва
solve [s lv] решать (задачу); разгадывать (загадку)
some [ s m] 1. некоторое количество; немного
2. около, приблизительно  some four hundred
years ago около 400 лет назад 3. некоторые
something [ s m→ }] что-то
somewhat [ s mw t] несколько, до некоторой степени
soon [su n] вскоре
soot [s t] сажа
sort [s t] вид, разновидность, сорт, тип  and that
sort of thing и все такое прочее
Англо-русский словарь

299

soul [s

l] душа  God rest his soul упокой, Господи,
его душу
sound [sa nd] гл. звучать
sound [sa nd] сущ. звук
source [s s] источник
southern [ s ð n] южный
souvenir [ su v n ] сувенир
space [spe s] место, пространство
spacious [ spe
s] просторный
speak [spi k] (spoke; spoken) of/about sth говорить
о чем-л.
special [ spe l] особый, специальный
speciﬁcs [sp s f ks] подробности, детали
spectator [spek te t ] зритель
speculate [ spekj le t] предполагать, строить
предположения
spell [spel] писать или произносить (слово) по буквам
spend [spend] 1. проводить (какое-то время, каникулы)
2. тратить (деньги)
spent → spend
spin [sp n] кружиться (о голове)
splendid [ splend d] великолепный
spoon [spu n] ложка
spot [sp t] гл. увидеть, заметить, распознать (как
правило, внезапно, а также нечто, что не так
просто заметить)  spot sb do/ doing sth
увидеть, заметить, как кто-то что-то делает
spread-eagled [ spred i
ld] распластанный
spy [spa ] шпион
square [skwe ] 1. квадрат 2. площадь
squawk [skw k] вопить, пронзительно кричать
squeak [skwi k] скрип
squire [ skwa ] английский помещик, эсквайр
stab [stæb] заколоть (кинжалом и т.д.)
staff [st f] штат сотрудников
stage [ste d ] гл. инсценировать
300

Англо-русский словарь

stage [ste d ] сущ. сцена
stage name сценическое имя, псевдоним
stain [ste n] пятно
stair [ste ] ступенька
stamp [stæmp] марка
stand [stænd] (stood; stood) стоять
stare [ste ] at sth пристально глядеть, уставиться на
что-л.
startle [ st t l] поразить, сильно удивить
startled [ st t ld] удивленный
state [ste t] формулировать; излагать
statement [ ste tm nt] показание (свидетеля)
station house полицейский участок
stationed [ ste
nd] расквартированный
status [ ste t s] положение в обществе
stay [ste ] гл. оставаться
stay [ste t] сущ. пребывание, нахождение
steady [ stedi] затяжной (о дожде)
steal [sti l] (stole; stolen) красть, воровать
steamer [ sti m ] пароход
step [step] гл. шагнуть  step closer подойти поближе
step aside отойти в сторону
step forward 1. выйти вперед 2. сделать шаг вперед
(чтобы предложить свою помощь)
step inside шагнуть внутрь
stick [st k] сущ. палка
stick [st k] (stuck; stuck) to sth придерживаться
(определенной версии и т.д.)
stick out торчать
stick up выставить, вывесить (информацию)
stiff [st f] жесткий, негибкий, одеревенелый
still [st l] 1. все еще, по-прежнему 2. тем не менее
stir [st ] мешать, помешивать
stock [st k] запас
stolen → steal
Англо-русский словарь

301

stomach [ st m k] 1. желудок  on an empty stomach
на пустой желудок 2. живот
stone [st n] камень
stood → stand
stop [st p] остановиться  stop dead in one’s tracks
замереть на месте
store [ st ri] магазин
story [ st ri] история
storyteller [ st ri tel ] рассказчик
straddle [ stræd l] оседлать
straight [stre t] 1. прямо 2. прямиком, немедленно,
сразу
straightaway [ stre t we ] мгновенно
strange [stre nd ] странный
stranger [ stre nd ] чужак, незнакомец, чужестранец
strangle [ stræ} l] душить
street [stri t] улица
strewn [stru n] усыпанный
stroll [str l] сущ. прогулка
stroll [str l] гл. прогуливаться
strolling [ str l }] бродячий
strong [str }] сильный
stubborn [ st b n] упрямый
stuck → stick
studies [ st diz] учеба
study [ st di] гл. изучать
study [ st di] сущ. рабочий кабинет
stuff [st f] гл. запихивать
stuff [st f] сущ. дрянь
stuffed animal чучело животного
stumble [ st mb l] спотыкаться, оступаться
stump [st mp] ковылять, тяжело ступать
stump [st mp] обрубок
stunned [st nd] удивленный
stunning [ st n }] сногсшибательно

302

Англо-русский словарь

stupid [ stju p d] глупый  How stupid of me! Как это
глупо с моей стороны!
stutter [ st t ] заикаться
subject [ s bd kt] предмет; тема урока
substantial [s b stæn l] значительный
subtle [ s t l] неуловимый, тонкий; едва различимый
suburban [s b b n] загородный
successful [s k sesf l] успешный
such [s t ] такой
sudden [ s d n] внезапный
suddenly [ s d nli] вдруг, внезапно, неожиданно,
suffer [ s f ] from sth страдать от чего-л.
suggest [s d est] советовать; наводить на мысль,
подсказывать; предлагать
suggestion [s d est n] предложение
suicide [ su sa d] самоубийство
suicide note предсмертная записка
suit [su t] сущ. костюм
suit [su t] гл. устраивать, отвечать требованиям,
подходить  it will suit me ﬁne это меня вполне
устроит; это мне вполне подойдет
suitable [ su t b( )l] подходящий
suitcase [ su t ke s] чемодан
suite [swi t] многокомнатный номер в гостинице
suitor [ su t ] поклонник
summer [ s m ] лето
summer holidays летний отпуск; летние каникулы
summon [ s m n] вызвать, собрать (у себя)
sun [s n] солнце
sun oneself греться на солнце
superstitious [ su p st
s] суеверный
suppose [s p z] думать, полагать, предполагать
supposedly [s p z dli] якобы
suppress [s pres] подавлять
sure [ ] нареч. конечно (выражение согласия)
Англо-русский словарь

303

] прил. уверенный  be sure of sth быть
уверенным в чем-л.  I can’t say for sure.
Наверняка сказать не могу.  make sure
убедиться
surface [ s f s] гл. 1. всплывать на поверхность
2. обнаруживаться, проявляться
surface [ s f s] сущ. поверхность
surgeon [ s d n] хирург
surpass [s p s] превосходить
surprise [s pra z] удивление  to my surprise
к моему удивлению
surprised [s pra zd] удивленный
surprising [s pra z }] удивительный
surprisingly [s pra z }li] на удивление
surveillance [s ve l ns] наблюдение
survey [s ve ] обводить взглядом, внимательно
осматривать
suspect [s spekt] гл. подозревать
suspect [ s spekt] сущ. подозреваемый
suspicion [s sp
n] подозрение  without raising
suspicion не вызвав подозрения
suspicious [s sp
s] подозрительный  make sb
suspicious вызвать у кого-л. подозрение,
показаться кому-л. подозрительным
swallow [ sw l ] глотать, проглотить
swam → swim
swarm [sw m] кишеть
sweat [swet] пот
sweet [ swi t] сладкий
sweetheart [ swi t h t] 1. возлюбленная 2. дорогая
(в обращении)
swim [sw m] (swam; swum) плавать
swimmer [ sw m ] пловец
swindler [ sw ndl ] жулик, мошенник
Swiss [sw s]] швейцарский
sure [

304

Англо-русский словарь

switch [sw t ] to sth переключиться на что-л.
Switzerland [ sw ts l nd] Швейцария

T
tablecloth [ te b l kl →] скатерть
tail [te l] хвост
tailcoat [ te l k t] фрак
tailor [ te l ] портной
take [te k] (took; taken) 1. брать 2. захватывать,
овладевать (с применением силы,
с помощью какой-л. уловки) 3. (при указании
места назначения) вести; брать с собой;
сопровождать; провожать; 4. воспринимать
что-л. определенным образом 5. принимать
(лекарство) 6. записывать, снимать (показания)
7. занимать, отнимать (у кого-л. некоторое
количество времени); требоваться (о времени,
затрате труда и под.) 8. принимать кого-л. за
кого-л.
take a look at sth взглянуть на что-л.
take aside отвести в сторону
take away уносить
take off снимать
take out 1. вынимать 2. удалять, вырывать (зуб и т.д.)
take place иметь место, случаться, происходить
take away sth from sb забирать, отнимать что-л.
у кого-л.
taken aback ошеломленный, захваченный врасплох
talent [ tæl nt] талант
talented [ tæl nt d] талантливый
talk [t k] говорить, беседовать
tall [t l] высокий
tamer [ te m ] дрессировщик
tamper [ tæmp ] with sth манипулировать чем-л.;
производить манипуляции с чем-л. (напр.,
подсыпать яд в еду или питье)
Англо-русский словарь

305

tap [tæp] сущ. кран
tap [tæp] гл. стучать, постучать, похлопать (как
правило, несильно и несколько раз)
tar [t ] смола
taste [te st] вкус
taster [ te st ] дегустатор
teacher [ ti t ] учитель
tear [te ] (tore, torn) рвать, отрывать  tear up рвать на
куски
tear [t ] слеза
teenage [ ti n e d ] юношеский
teeth → tooth
tell [tel] (told; told) 1. рассказывать 2. сказать, сообщить
 something tells me что-то мне подсказывает
3. велеть, приказывать 4. отличить (одно от
другого)
teller [ tel ] рассказчик
telltale [ tel te l] предательский
tempting [ tempt }] соблазнительный
tender [ tend ] нежный, мягкий
terrible [ ter b l] ужасный
test [test] испытание  pass the test пройти
испытание  put sb to test подвергать кого-л.
испытанию
testify [ test fa ] давать показания
testimony [ test m ni] свидетельское показание
thank [→æ}k] гл. благодарить
that is то есть
that’s right совершенно верно
theft [→eft] кража, воровство
then [ðen] 1. в таком случае 2. потом
theory [ → ri] теория
therefore [ ðe f ] поэтому
thick [→ k] густой
thief [→i f] вор
thin [→ n] худой

306

Англо-русский словарь

thing [→ }] вещь  have a thing for sth испытывать
слабость к чему-л.
think [→ }k] (thought; thought) думать
think back вспоминать (о прошедшем событии)
think of sth придумать что-л.
this [ð s] нареч. так, в такой мере, до такой степени,
настолько
thorny [ → ni] колючий
thorough [ → r ] тщательный
thoroughly [ → r li] тщательно
though [ð ] 1. однако 2. хотя
thought [→ t] сущ. мысль  give sth a good deal of
thought хорошо поразмыслить над чем-л.
thought гл. → think
threat [→ret] угроза
threw → throw
throat [→r t] горло  clear one’s throat прочистить
горло
through [→ru ] через, сквозь
throw [→r ] (threw; thrown) бросать  throw a scare
into sb нагнать страху на кого-л.
throw down сбрасывать вниз
thud [→ d] глухой звук, стук (от падения тяжелого
предмета)
thumb [→ m] большой палец руки
thunderous [ → nd r s] оглушительный
thunderstorm [ → nd st m] гроза
thunderstruck [ → nd str k] как громом пораженный
thus [→ s] поэтому; как следствие; тем самым
ticket window касса
tie [ta ] привязывать
tie pin булавка для галстука
tighten [ ta t n] усилить
tightly [ ta tli] плотно
tiling [ ta l }] черепица
Англо-русский словарь

307

time [ta m] 1. время  for a time на какое-то время
 from time to time время от времени  at the
same time одновременно  on time вовремя
 since that time с тех самых пор 2. раз  this
time на этот раз
tiny [ ta ni] крошечный
tip [t p] важные сведения, полученные неофициальным
путем
tired [ ta ] уставший  be tired of sb устать от кого-л.
 get tired устать
toad [t d] жаба
toast [t st] 1. пить или провозглашать тост за
чье-л. здоровье 2. подрумянивать на огне;
поджаривать
tobacco [t bæk ] табак
together [t
eð ] вместе
told → tell
tonight [t na t] сегодня ночью
too [tu ] тоже
took → take
tooth [tu →] зуб (мн. число teeth)  between the teeth
сквозь зубы
top hat цилиндр
torn → tear
toss and turn ворочаться (в постели)
totem [ t t m] тотем
totem pole тотемный столб (у североамериканских
индейцев)
touch [t t ] сущ. контакт  get in touch with sb
связаться с кем-л.
touch [t t ] гл. трогать
touched [t t t] тронутый (вниманием и т.д.)
tour [t ] экскурсия
tournament [ t n m nt] турнир
towards [t w dz] по направлению
tower [ ta ] башня

308

Англо-русский словарь

town [ta n] город  town of Marseilles город Марсель
toy [t ] игрушка
trace [tre s] след
track [træk] след  cover one’s tracks заметать
следы, уничтожать то, что может служить уликой
trafﬁc [ træf k] движение; транспорт  trafﬁc
policeman регулировщик
train [tre n] сущ. поезд  get off the train сходить
с поезда
train [tre n] гл. тренироваться
tram [træm] трамвай
trap [træp] сущ. ловушка
trap [træp] гл. поймать в ловушку
trapeze [tr pi z] трапеция  trapezeman гимнаст,
выступающий на трапеции
travel [ træv l] 1. путешествовать 2. отправиться,
поехать куда-либо 3. ехать (в качестве
пассажира) 4. двигаться, перемещаться,
распространяться
travelling businessman [ b zn smæn] коммивояжер
travelling companion попутчик
tray [tre ] поднос
treason [ tri z n] (государственная) измена,
предательство
treasure [ tre ] сокровище
treatment [ tri tm nt] обращение (с кем-либо)  for
his treatment of his friend из-за того, как он
обошелся со своим другом
tree [ tri ] дерево
tremble [ tremb l] дрожать
trembling [ trembl }] дрожащий
trial [ tra l] судебное разбирательство; суд, судебный
процесс
tribe [tra b] племя
trick [tr k] 1. уловка, ловкий прием; трюк 2. фокус
trickster [ tr kst ] обманщик; ловкач
Англо-русский словарь

309

tricky [ tr ki] коварный
trigger [ tr
] вызвать; справоцировать
triumph [ tra mf] триумф
triumphant [tra mf nt] триумфальный
triumphantly [tra mf ntli] с триумфом, победоносно
troop [tru p] отряд
trouble [ tr bl] сущ. 1. беда 2. хлопоты, труд  take
the trouble to do sth взять на себя труд; не
полениться
trouble [ tr bl] гл. вызывать беспокойство
true [tru ] прил. подлинный; правдивый, достоверный
 It’s true? Это правда?
trust [tr st] доверять
truth [tru →] правда
try [tra ] 1. пытаться, попытаться 2. судить
tube [tju b] трубочка
tug [t ] тащить, дергать с усилием
tunnel [ t n l] туннель
turn [t n] сущ. очередь
turn [t n] гл. поворачивать
turn around обернуться; развернуться на 180 градусов
turn grey седеть
turn into sth превратиться во что-л.
turn off выключать
turn on включать
turn out 1. оказываться  as it turned out later как
позже выяснилось 2. собираться на улице
 the whole village seemed to have turned out
казалось, вся деревня собралась
turn over 1. перевернуть (вверх ногами)
2. переворачивать, перелистывать
turn pale побледнеть
turn round оборачиваться
turn up появиться
twice [twa s] дважды
type [ta p] тип, вид

310

Англо-русский словарь

U
ugly [
li] некрасивый; уродливый
unable [ n e bl] не в состоянии
unannounced [ n na nst] без объявления, без
доклада
unarmed [ n md] безоружный
unchain [ n t e n] освобождать кого-л. (сняв цепи)
unconscious [ n k n s] находящийся без сознания,
в обмороке
undeniable [ nd na b l] неоспоримый,
несомненный
under [ nd ] под
understand [ nd stænd] as понять как
underwear [ nd we ] нижнее белье
undo [ n du ] отменить
undressed [ n drest] неодетый
uneasy [ n i zi] беспокойный, тревожный
unexplained [ n k sple nd] необъясненный
unfaithful [ n fe →f l] неверный, изменнический,
предательский
unfold [ n f ld] разворачивать
unfortunately [ n f t n tli] к сожалению
unhappy [ n hæpi] несчастный
uninvited [ n n va t d] незваный
unison [ ju n s n] унисон  in unison в один голос
university [ ju n v s ti] университет
unjust [ n d st] несправедливый
unless [ n les] если только не
unlikely [ n la kli] маловероятный, неправдоподобный
 each of them as unlikely as the next каждая
из них столь же невероятна, как и следующая
unlucky [ n l ki] несчастный, незадачливый
unmarried [ n mærid] не замужем, не женат
unmask [ n m sk] разоблачить, сорвать маску
с кого-л.
Англо-русский словарь

311

unnoticed [ n n t st] незамеченный
unquestionably [ n kwest n bli] бесспорно,
несомненно
unroll [ n r l] развернуть
unstable [ n ste b l] нестабильный
unsuitable [ n su t b( )l] неподобающий
unsuspecting [ ns spekt }] доверчивый, ничего не
подозревающий
untangle [ n tæ} l] распутывать
untidy [ n ta di] неопрятный, неаккуратный,
неряшливый
untie [ n ta ] развязать
until [ n t l] до тех пор пока (произойдет или не
произойдет определенное событие или не
будет осуществлено определенное действие)
unworthy [ n w ði] недостойный
unwrap [ n ræp] разворачивать
upset [ p set] расстроенный
upsurge [ p s d ] подъем, рост
use [ju z] гл. использовать
use [ju s] сущ. использование, применение  make
use of sth пользоваться чем-л.
used to оборот, используемый при описании обычных
или характерных для кого-л. действий или
состояний, которые имели место в прошлом
 used to say любил повторять  used to be
был прежде
used to sth привыкший к чему-л.
usual [ ju
l] обычный
utilize [ ju t la z] использовать
utter [ t ] произносить

V
vacant [ ve k nt] свободный
vacation [v ke
n] каникулы; отпуск
valuable [ vælj b l] ценный

312

Англо-русский словарь

vanish [ væn ] исчезать
vase [v z] ваза
vassal [ væs l] вассал
vault [v lt] склеп
venomous [ ven m s] ядовитый (о змеях)
vermin [ v m n] вредители
very [ veri] используется в качестве усилителя или
уточняющего слова самый  on the very edge
of the precipice на самом краю пропасти
vessel [ ves l] сосуд
veterinary [ vet r n ri] ветеринар
veterinary surgeon [ s d n] ветеринар
vicious [ v
s] злой
victim [ v kt m] жертва (преступления)
view [vju ] вид; пейзаж  in view of ввиду того, что;
принимая во внимание
vigor [ v
] энергия
village [ v l d ] деревня
vineyard [ v nj d] виноград
viper [ va p ] гадюка
visit [ v z t] посещать
visitor [ v z t ] гость, посетитель
voice [v s] гл. высказывать
voice [v s] сущ. голос
volunteer [ v l n t ] волонтер, доброволец
vowel [ va l] гласный звук

W
wager [ we d ] пари
wait [we t] ждать  without waiting for sth не
дожидаясь чего-л.
waiter [ we t ] официант
wake [we k] (woke; woken) просыпаться
wake up просыпаться
walk [w k] сущ. прогулка  go for a walk отправиться
на прогулку
Англо-русский словарь

313

walk [w

k] гл. 1. идти, ходить пешком 2. ходить,
бродить
walk away уйти (оставив другого человека стоять)
walk up to sb подойти к кому-л.
wall [w l] стена
wallet [ w l t] бумажник
wand [w nd] волшебная палочка
wander [ w nd ] бродить, странствовать  wandering
painter странствующий художник
wanderer [ w nd r ] странник; скиталец
want [w nt] хотеть, желать
war [w ] война
warden [ w d n] начальник тюрьмы
wardrobe [ w dr b] гардероб, шкаф
warm [ w m] теплый
warm up разминаться
warn [ w n] предупреждать
warrant [ w r nt] ордер (на арест, обыск и т.д.);
приказ  death warrant смертный приговор
warrior [ w ri ] воин
was → be
wash off смыть
waste [we st] терять даром, тратить впустую  waste
time понапрасну тратить время
waste-paper basket корзина для бумаг
watch [w t ] гл. наблюдать  watch TV смотреть
телевизор
watch [w t ] сущ. часы (наручные)
wave [we v] махать (рукой), взмахнуть (платком,
волшебной палочкой), размахивать (руками)
way [we ] 1. путь, дорога  make one’s way through
пробиться сквозь что-л. 2. способ  by way of
с помощью
way out выход (из положения)
weak [wi k] слабый
wealthy [ wel→i] богатый, зажиточный, состоятельный
314

Англо-русский словарь

weapon [ wep n] оружие
wear [we ] (wore; worn) носить (одежду)
weary [ w ri] уставший  grow weary начать
испытывать усталость
wedding [ wed }] свадьба
week [wi k] неделя
weird [w d] 1. сверхъестественный, таинственный,
жуткий 2. странный (о непонятном
и таинственном)
well-behaved [ wel b he vd] послушный (о ребенке)
well-planned [ wel plænd] хорошо спланированный
went → go
wet [wet] дождливый
whatever [w t ev ] все что; что бы ни  whatever you
may ask все, что ни попросишь
wheel [wi l] колесо
where [we ] где
whereupon [ we r p n] после чего
which [w t ] который (из вышеназванных)  out of
which из которых
while [wa l] сущ. время, период времени  after a
while через некоторое время
while [wa l] союз в то время как; пока
whisper [ w sp ] гл. шептать
whisper [ w sp ] сущ. шепот
whoever [hu ev ] кто бы ни был тот, кто
whole [h l] весь  as a whole в целом
why [wa ] почему  that is why поэтому
wicked [ w k d] злой
widow [ w d ] вдова
wife [wa f] жена
wig [w g] парик  a big wig шишка, важная персона
will [w l] 1. воля 2. завещание, часто last will
wilt [w lt] вянуть, увядать
win [w n] (won; won) победить, выиграть
wince [w ns] вздрагивать, морщиться (от боли)
Англо-русский словарь

315

wind [w nd] 1. ветер 2. отрывочные сведения о чем-л.
 get wind of sth прознать о чем-л.
window [ w nd ] окно
wine [wa n] вино
wine cup кубок
wink [w nk] at sb подмигивать кому-л.
winter [ w nt ] зима
wipe [wa p] вытирать
wire [ wa ] отправить телеграмму
wise [wa z] мудрый
wise man мудрец
wish [w ] желать  wish sb goodnight желать кому-л.
спокойной ночи
witch [w t ] ведьма, колдунья, волшебница
witchcraft [ w t kr ft] колдовство
with an eye to с намерением, с целью
without [w ð a t] без  without thinking не подумав
witness [ w tn s] гл. стать свидетелем чего-л.
witness [ w tn s] сущ. свидетель
witness box место для дачи свидетельских показаний
woke → wake
woman [ w m n] женщина
women [ w m n] множ. число от woman
won → win
wonder [ w nd ] сущ. чудо
wonder [ w nd ] гл. 1. размышлять 2. удивляться
3. иметь желание узнать что-л.  I wonder how
he is going to do it? Интересно (любопытно,
хотел бы я знать), как он собирается это
сделать.
wonderful [ w nd f ] замечательный, изумительный,
чудесный
wooden [ w d n] деревянный
woodpecker [ w d pek ] дятел
woods [w dz] лес

316

Англо-русский словарь

word [w d] слово  Upon my word! Честное слово!
 word for word слово в слово
wore → wear
work [w k] сущ. работа
work on sth работать, корпеть над чем-л.
work out решать (задачу, загадку)  work out the right
answer найти правильный ответ
workload [ w k l d] нагрузка, объем работы
workman [ w km n] рабочий
world [ w ld] мир
worried [ w rid] обеспокоенный, встревоженный,
озабоченный  be worried волноваться
worry [ w ri] беспокоиться, тревожиться, переживать
worst [ w st] самый плохой (превосходная форма
прил. bad)
would [w d] вспомогательный глагол; используется
для образования будущего в прошедшем
would like устойчивое сочетание, с которого
начинается вежливая просьба, приглашение
или предложение  I would like you to meet
my friend. Я хочу познакомить тебя со своим
другом.
would rather предпочитать
wrap up заворачивать
wrist [r st] запястье
write [ ra t] (wrote; written) писать, написать
writer [ ra t ] писатель
wrong [r }] прил. 1. неправильный 2. ошибочный,
связанный с заблуждением  be wrong быть
неправым 3. не в порядке
wrong sb гл. поступать несправедливо с кем-л.

Y
yard [j d] двор
year [j ] год
yell [jel] сущ. громкий, пронзительный крик
Англо-русский словарь

317

yell [jel] гл. кричать, вопить
yellow [ jel ] желтый  turn yellow пожелтеть
yet [jet] 1. однако, тем не менее, все же 2. пока еще
youngster [ j }st ] юноша, молодой человек
yours [j z] ваш, принадлежащий вам

Z
zoo [zu ] зоопарк
Zulu [ zu lu ] зулусский

акробат acrobat
армия army
бармен barman
блюдце saucer
вилка fork
гвоздь nail
индюк turkey
клетка cage
ковбой cowboy
колокольчик bell
корова cow
крот mole
ластик rubber
леопард leopard
лимон lemon
медведь bear
обморок faint
осел donkey
падать в обморок faint
пень stump
револьвер revolver
резинка rubber
сосулька icicle
фея fairy

Учебное издание
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