at the crack of dawn
o świcie, bardzo wcześnie rano, z samego rana
We got up at the crack of dawn and hiked five miles to the stream. There we had a wonderful breakfast on the grass.
Wstaliśmy o samym świcie i poszliśmy na pięciomilową wycieczkę nad strumyk. Tam zjedliśmy wspaniałe śniadanie na trawie.

at the drop of a hat
bardzo szybko, nagle, bez namysłu
Jake is very witty and talented. He can make up a funny song at the drop of a hat.

back to the drawing board
zacząć coś od nowa (po tym jak nasz pomysł się nie powiódł)
All right everyone, it is clear that this idea will not work, so let's go back to the drawing board and do it right.

bald as an eagle
polski odpowiednik:
łysy jak kolano
Are you telling me that you would never date George just because he's bald as an eagle? So what?

(to) be on the same page
dobrze się rozumieć, wiedzieć co jest do zrobienia
Let's review the whole plan to make sure we are all on the same page. I don't want any surprises when the inspector comes tomorrow.
Przejrzyjmy jeszcze raz cały plan żeby się upewnić, że wszyscy wiemy co jest do zrobienia. Nie chcę żadnych niespodzianek kiedy przyjedzie inspektor.

bored as a gourd
dosłownie: znudzony jak tykwa
I was at home, all alone, bored as a gourd, so I decided to give you a buzz. Why don't you want to talk to me? I thought you were my best friend.

busy as a beaver
bardzo czymś zajęty, pochłonięty jakimś zajęciem
If I were you, I would wait until next week to talk to Vincent. I know that he's busy as a beaver right now.

by hook or by crook
każdym możliwym sposobem (nie koniecznie uczciwym)
- If you really want to find out who robbed you, you should hire detective Robertson. He will do it by hook or by crook, but you will soon see the results.
- Jeżeli naprawdę chcesz się dowiedzieć kto cię obrabował powinieneś wynająć detektywa Robertsona. On użyje każdego możliwego sposobu, ale niedługo zobaczysz efekty.

cool as a cucumber
opanowany, nawet w trudnych okolicznościach
In spite of Jeff's insatiable ego, I must say that I like the fact that he can be as cool as a cucumber when in danger.

(to) cry like a baby
płakać jak małe dziecko
When Jason saw his brother for the first time in 12 years, he cried like a baby.

cute as a button
śliczna[y] (jak aniołek)
Have you seen Ela's new baby, yet? She's cute as a button!

dull as ditchwater (or dishwater)
odpowiednik polskiego: nudny jak flaki z olejem
My physics teacher is as dull as ditchwater. He can't explain anything in an interesting way.

everything's coming up roses
wszystko idzie zgodnie z planem
- So? Have you finally sold your car?
- Almost. I had this lady look at it yesterday, and everything was coming up roses, until she saw the mileage counter.
- I jak? Sprzedałeś w końcu samochód?
- Prawie. Wczoraj oglądała go jedna babka i wszystko szło zgodnie z planem dopóki nie zobaczyła licznika przebiegu.

far as the eye can see
daleko jak okiem sięgnąć
When we got to the edge of the ravine, there were horses, thousands of them, as far as the eye could see.

fast as lightning
szybki jak błyskawica
They told me this horse was as fast as lightning, but it doesn't look that way.

graceful as a swan
wdzięczna/y (pełna/y wdzięku) jak łabędź
What an incredible woman she was! Even while fighting cancer, she managed to be graceful as a swan.

happy as a pig in mud
szczęśliwy jak świnia w błocie (bardzo szczęśliwy/zadowolony)
I took my son to the swimming pool the other day. You should've seen him! He was happy as a pig in mud!

I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut
jestem całkowicie pewien/pewna, że; załozę się, że
I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that this team will not win a single game this season.

it all comes out in the wash
wszystko wychodzi w praniu
- I've been with this company for 8 years, and was passed up for promotion for the third time in a row. What am I doing wrong?
- I don't know why they do it to you, but don't worry, it will all come out in the wash.
- Pracuję już dla tej firmy 8 lat i po raz trzeci z rzędu ominął mnie awans. Co robię nie tak?
- Nie wiem czemu ci to robią, ale nie martw się, wszystko wyjdzie w praniu.

(to) jump the gun
zacząć coś robić zbyt wcześnie, zrobić coś w nieodpowiednim momencie
Why did you jump the gun? We could have negotiated a lot more money for this job.

(to) know the ropes
znać się na rzeczy, rozumieć dokładnie jakiś temat, zagadnienie
If you have any questions about this job, ask Tommy, he's been here for 17 years, he knows the ropes.

like father, like son
jaki ojciec, taki syn
- Mom, guess what your grandson did today.
- No idea. What?
- I gave him the choice to either watch a video or go ride the bike in the mud, and what do you think he did?
- Oh, I am sure he went riding in the mud. Like father, like son!

(to) look like a million bucks
wyglądać bombowo (szczególnie w odniesieniu do ubioru)
Wow! Look at you! You look like a million bucks! Your husband will not recognize you!

(to) make a mountain out of a mole hill
odpowiednik polskiego: robić z igły widły
If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about all the things Sonia says. It's not the first time she's making a mountain out of a mole hill.

(to) make it by the skin of one's teeth
ledwo zdążyć, skończyć na ostatnią chwilę
Do you know what happened on the way to the airport? I had a flat tire! I almost missed my flight. I made it by the skin of my teeth.
Wiesz co się stało w drodze na lotnisko? Złapałem gumę! O mało co nie spóźniłem się na samolot. Ledwo zdążyłem!

no pain, no gain
bez poświęceń nie ma sukcesu, "bez pracy nie ma kołaczy"
- Are you saying I will have to run five miles and work two hours a day to shed ten pounds in one week?
- That's exactly what I'm saying. But it's all up to you. Just remember, no pain, no gain.
- Czy chcesz mi powiedzieć, że będę musiała biegać pięć mil i ćwiczyć dwie godziny dziennie żeby zrzucić dziesięć funtów w jeden tydzień?
- Dokładnie tak. Ale wszystko zależy od ciebie. Pamiętaj tylko, bez pracy nie ma kołaczy.

nutty as a fruitcake
zwariowany, nieźle pokręcony
I had pictured Janice to be rather dull, but she turned out to be nutty as a fruitcake.

on the tip of my tongue
na końcu języka
- Do you remember the name of that marketing director who kept picking his nose in the meeting?
- Gosh, no... wait, it's on the tip of my tongue... was it Howes? No... Hobbs, it's Hobbs!
- Pamiętasz jak się nazywa ten dyrektor marketingu, który bez przerwy dłubał w nosie na spotkaniu?
- Jejku, nie... czekaj, mam go na końcu języka... Howes? Nie... Hobbs, nazywa się Hobbs.

out of the frying pan and into the fire
odpowiednik polskiego: z deszczu pod rynnę

patient as Job
cierpliwy jak Hiob
After five hours of listening to this music, even Richard, who's normally as patient as Job, lost it.
Imię tego bohatera Starego Testamentu wymawia się inaczej niż słowo job oznaczające pracę, zawód. Zaokrąglamy "o", jak w słowie "go".
Dźwiękowo można to porównać tutaj.
to lose it - stracić panowanie nad sobą

(to) put the cart before the horse
odwrócić porządek, zrobić coś w złej kolejności
Before we rebuke Adam for his selfishness, let's make sure we know all the facts. We don't want to put the cart before the horse.
Zanim napomnimy Adama za jego egoizm, lepiej poznajmy wszystkie fakty. Niedobrze by było gdybyśmy postąpili na odwrót.

quicker than a New York minute
bardzo szybko
Take the phone with you, sweetheart. If you have any car trouble, daddy or I will be there quicker than a New York minute.

rich as Creosus
bajecznie bogaty (jak Krezus)
Don't give up on Joe. Just because he is as rich as Creosus doesn't mean he's a heartless person.

(as) sick as a dog
bardzo chory
I am not eating at this restaurant again. Last time I had their pork, I was sick as a dog.

smart as a whip
bardzo bystry
I am surprised Jerry's not some kind of high profile executive. In college he was smart as a whip.

snore like a chainsaw
chrapać jak piła spalinowa
I didn't sleep at all because of you. You snore like a chainsaw. Go see a doctor or something, will you?

snug as bug (in a rug)
mówimy tak gdy ktoś czuje się lub wygląda wygodnie, przytulnie, ciepło
Look at the baby, she looks so cute when she sleeps. Snug as a bug.

take it from me
uwierz mi; wiem co mowię
If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about all the things Sonia says. It's not the first time she's making a mountain out of a mole hill.

to talk one's ear off
zagadać kogoś na śmierć
Oh, no. Here comes Emily. I hope she doesn't see me, 'cause if she does she's gonna talk my ear off again, and I don't have the time to listen to her dramatic stories right now.
O nie. Emilka się zbliża. Mam nadzieję, że mnie nie zobaczy, bo jak tak, to znowu zagada mnie na śmierć, a ja nie mam teraz czasu słuchać jej dramatycznych opowieści.

useful as a lead balloon
do niczego nie przydatny (dosłownie: użyteczny jak balon z ołowiu)
What's the big deal about this Clickandbite web site? I looked at it, and to me it's as useful as a lead balloon.

welcome as a skunk at a lawn party
bardzo niemile widziany
I will never go to that club again. I felt as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party. What a bunch of snobs!

what a zoo!
ależ brak organizacji! ale bałagan / chaos!
I went to to our brand new library yesterday, and let me tell you, what a zoo that was! They sure could use some help organizing things in there.
Wczoraj poszedłem do naszej nowej biblioteki i mówię ci, co za bałagan! Koniecznie przydałaby się im jakaś pomoc w zorganizowaniu tego wszystkiego.

white as a sheet
odpowiednik: biały jak ściana
When Jane entered the room, she looked white as a sheet. We held our breaths expecting the worst.