Part XV

1. bygones must be bygones — we cannot return the past

что было, то прошло

Old Jolyon tells June about his reconciling with her father. Now Young J. would no longer live alone in this great house; he was going to give it up, and take one in the country for his son, where they could all go and live together.

2. to be a Dutchman — is said after ​describing or ​hearing something that is very ​obviously not ​true

слово даю

Old J. thinks about finding a little flat in London for June where he could visit her. Then added that he was sure that Timothy would gossip about it.

3. to stop smth out of smb money — to take smb money

взять (вычитать) из чьих-л. денег

June tells old J. to pay B. lawsuit claim and asks him to take her money for it while O.J. understands that buying a house will be a victory over James.

4. to wrest the house from smb — to acquire or secure the house as a result of a contest

отбить дом у кого-л.

After all that has happened Old Jolyon wants Soams’ house to become his property, and he is going to take it no matter what.

5. to be a white elephant — something very expensive, but useless

нечто грандиозное, дорогое и бесполезное

Old Jolyon calls the house this way in his conversation with James. He is sure that after all that has happened nobody will live here, so it is useless, and he wants to buy it.

6. the shot went home — smth hit the target

удар попал в цель

James suggests that Old Jolyon has changed his Will in favour of his son Jolyon, and it turns out to be true.

Part XVI

1. to run amok — to go into a frenzy, to lose control over oneself

потерять над собой контроль

This idiom is referred to Bosinney by George, who condemned Soams’ actions against Irene and blamed him for Bosinney’s death. He thought that because of jealousy and the desire for vengeance Bosinney’d lost control over himself, he’d run amok and hadn’t noticed the omnibus in fog.

2. the cat won’t jump — that cock won't fight, answer's a lemon, this trick won’t work

этот номер не пройдет

Again, George is sure that it’s Soams to blame in Bosinney’s death, and he says this phrase meaning that he doesn’t believe to those who claim it was a suicide. He neither believes Soams, who says it was just an accident.

3. to lay down the law — to enforce one’s rules

командовать

Old Jolyon didn’t like women who threw their eyes and shoulders at him, as well as those who always laid down the law and talked one into thinking that they knew everything. The only type of women he liked were women like Irene — with their quiet, mysterious charm.

4. to be out of the running — no longer being considered; eliminated from a contest

отстать в гонке

Old Jolyon thinks so about himself. He is old and out of the running, that is why he likes that Irene is alone and he feels that he has nobody to fight for her attention.

5. not to care a rap — to care nothing

совершенно не беспокоиться

Old Jolyon’s tastes in music and painting and poetry have changed. He thought that it maybe was not healthy, but he didn’t care a rap as long as he could hear and see these masterpieces

.

6. to cry one’s heart’s out — to weep oneself out

выплакаться

Irene played Gluck’s “Orfeo” for Old Jolyon and she, like Orpheus, was trying to find her lost one in her memory. She burst into crying, and Old Jolyon tried to sooth her. He thought it’d be better for her to cry her heart out.