CURRICULUM VITAE
A lot of pain, a lot of light.
Goodbye forever, peaceful night!
But cold. I’m cold. A freezing dawn.
My God, I’m sorry I am born.
My childhood’s over; I’m a man!
I’ve always sneered at Peter Pan.
But life is really hard for men.
I want to be a child again!
Dear God, let others lust for fun:
I’m happy sitting in the sun…
In pain I am, but wouldn’t cry.
But—please!—don’t let me ever die!
Alexander V Demidov
3 December 1988
Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)
Idiom(s) of the day: Pull something out of the air
Variation(s): Pluck something from the air, pluck something out of the air, pick out of thin air
My category (Russian-to-English translation): Информация (Information)
Explanation(s):
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):
If you say that a suggestion or an amount is pulled out of the air or is plucked from the air, you mean that it hasn’t been considered carefully or using correct information. Other verbs are sometimes used instead of ‘pull’ or ‘pluck’.
This expression is often varied. For example, you can talk about ‘thin air’ instead of ‘air’.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
to say a name, number, etc. without thinking about it, especially in answer to a question
If you say that someone plucks a figure, name, or date out of the air, you mean that they say it without thinking much about it before they speak.
Out of nothing or from nowhere
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
to say something quickly, usually because a reply is expected, without having thought about it or made certain it is correct
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
Translation(s):
CCDI:
Приводить какие-либо данные наобум, не выверив их; брать что-либо с потолка
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
выбрать наугад; выбирать из ничего
Multitran (www.multitran.ru):
Multilex (www.multilex.ru):
Examples:
CCDI:
She pulled a figure out of the air, an amount she thought would cover months’ rent on an office.
So few buildings are coming to market that accurate valuations are becoming almost impossible to make. Numbers are simply being plucked out of the air.
I never felt tempted to pick figures out of the air.
I don’t like pulling decisions out of thin air and getting them wrong.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
I just plucked a figure out of the air and said: 'Would £1 000 seem reasonable to you?'
The teacher scolded Dick because his story was made out of thin air.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
"Where did you get those figures from?" "Oh, I just plucked them out of the air."
Is this just a figure she plucked out of the air?
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): [pull] * out of the air; [pluck]* out of the air, [pull]* from the air, no hits; [pluck] * from the air, total 1 (literal)
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): [pull] * out of the air, total 6 (4 literal); [pluck] * out of the air, total 2
Senator Nunn claimed the other day that people in Washington are just pulling figures out of the air and that there isn't a rational within which all these people coming up with various figures including the Pentagon are operating.
The whole thing is very exciting to me. When I try different things, pull something out of the air, and it works, I get really excited.
"Forgive me, Anarae," he apologized. "I plucked it out of the air."
Well, I may call and say, why don't you give us the real reason why you did this, because it looks like you did it to help your wife's Senate race and almost anybody with any brains would conclude that is the reason you did it. Because you just don't pluck this out of the air with only three grants of clemency out of 4,000 requests and, you suddenly grant clemency to 16 known terrorists who literally were making bombs, that were disseminating weapons and bullets and were convicted of conspiracy, terrorism and the possession of explosive material.
My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid): When facing a translation problem, and finding no help in your dictionaries, do you pull your solution out of the air or cry for help?
WHAT’S YOUR PLEASURE?
“We are used to being killed in scores of millions!”
Alexander V Demidov, “God Votes for Perestroika”
“And you sir? What’s your pleasure?”
A simple choice to make at leisure—
Whisky, gin, champagne?—
They offered in the airborne plane.
I’d crossed a borderline
In Yerevan to board a liner
(A cleaner world this side but otherwise no different—
They choices that one faced made all the difference).
Sipping listlessly my wine,
I brooded on the choices left behind.
A doctor had to amputate an arm
Of a baby girl and keep his calm
Full aware that but for lack of medicament
There would never have been such a predicament.
An altogether gruesome task;
Of a Westerner it would have been too much to ask.
But Soviets are incredibly tough:
They’ve been facing deadlier choices long enough.
Trapped in darkness under debris,
Longing for another daybreak
And fighting for each breath
Is not an easy way to meet your death.
But was it more pleasant
For those Ukrainian peasants
Who, robbed of their bread,
Were slowly starved to death because
They didn’t feel like setting up kolkhoz?
(How many dead? Twenty million—or so they said.)
And to be shot in the back of your head
When along a prison corridor you are being led
May seem a quicker way—with lead—to break the thread
But surely not if such an end
For years on end
You’ve been made to dread.
(How many dead? Twenty million—or so they said.)
Or, perhaps, you would prefer it more
To join the corps in many a symbolic war
Sped away to useless battles
Bled to death like butchered cattle?
(How many dead? Twenty million—or so they said.)
Again and again:
What’s your pleasure?—
It’s socialism that we treasure!
Well then… You haven’t yet paid the full measure:
You’ve already had seventy years delivered to you—
Three score is paid, ten more is due.
Alexander V Demidov
20 December 1988
Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)
Idiom(s) of the day: hot air
My category (Russian-to-English translation): Положительная или отрицательная оценка (Positive or negative evaluation)
Explanation(s):
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):
If you describe what someone says or writes as hot air, you are criticizing it for being full of false claims and promises.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
things that someone says that are intended to sound impressive but do not really mean anything or are not true
empty talk : unsubstantiated and often boastful statements
empty and usually boastful talk
Nonsense, exaggerated talk, wasted words characterized by emotion rather than intellectual content.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
empty words, nonsense
empty talk that is intended to impress
claims, promises or statements that sound impressive but have no real meaning or truth
If something that someone says is hot air, it is not sincere and will have no practical results
statements that sound impressive but are really not sincere or sensible
Empty, exaggerated talk
If you say that someone's claims or promises are just hot air, you are criticizing them because they are made mainly to impress people and have no real value or meaning.
false talk, bragging, bull, hogwash
loud and confused and empty talk; "mere rhetoric"
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk or writing
Translation(s):
CCDI:
Болтовня, чепуха, вздор; пустые обещания, угрозы и т.п.; сотрясение воздуха
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
пустая или хвастливая болтовня; похвальба
болтовня, пустые слова; вздор, чепуха, ерунда
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
пустая болтовня, хвастовство, бахвальство, болтун, болтливый
пустые разговоры, сотрясание воздуха; ерунда, болтовня
Multitran (www.multitran.ru):
напыщенная речь; ложные обещания; очковтирательство, пустозвонство, пускание пыли в глаза; вилами на воде писано;
разводить демагогию( talk a lot of hot air);
неуместный, распространяющий неверную информацию, мелющий чепуху, преувеличенный, ложный (full of hot air);
болтун, очковтиратель, пустомеля (hot-air artist, hot-air salesman, hot-air merchant)
Multilex (www.multilex.ru):
Examples:
CCDI:
In a sense, all the rhetoric about heightened cooperation can be seen as so much hot air. There are still endless disputes.
Parliament is often full of hot air, mock insults and fake hostility.
Now that the value of art, along with everything else, has tumbled, we are better placed to ignore the hot air and evaluate works for what they really are.
His justification for the merger was just hot air...
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
That guy's full of hot air — Этот парень просто трепло
I've heard enough of your hot air — Ты мне уже надоел со своей ерундой
The theory was dismissed as a lot of hot air.
used to talk a lot of hot air about medicine — A.J.Cronin
threats both ways are just hot air, big talk and face saving — Kiplinger Washington Letter
That was just a lot of hot air what Joe said.
He is full of hot air and you can't rely on what he usually says.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
They dismissed the theory as a load of hot air.
He talks a lot of hot air.
His promises turned out to be so much hot air.
Steve brags about winning the marathon, but he's full of hot air.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
His report on the company's progress was just so much hot air.
British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): hot air, total 224
There's been a lot of hot air generated over many years about grass cutting standards but it's not an idle thought when I say if anybody wants to see where the best grass cutting takes place then they should visit.
… they dismissed the ozone theory as a load of hot air.
He also proclaims that the Liberal Democrats will keep four Trident submarines. Is he going to power them on his party's hot air?
FRENCH men, proud of their prowess as lovers, may actually be all hot air, according to a study by the National Demographic Studies Institute.
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): hot air, total 657
Just a lot of hot air and not a lot of support. I
I predict the earth will cool some more (as it has for the past couple of years), and that the hot air from politicians eager to control more of our lives will increase considerably.
These two sets of fears came together in a perfect storm that was pushed forward by a surplus of hot air from talk-show hosts on radio and television.
Arguing that marriage is efficiently designed to have children raised by both biological parents, and that tampering with this design can lead to dire consequences, might appear as nothing more than theoretical hot air.
My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid): How do you clear the air of useless hot air generated by endless speculation without letting the breath of truth vanish into thin air?
Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)
Idiom(s) of the day: clear the air
My category (Russian-to-English translation): Несогласие (Disagreement)
Explanation(s):
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):
If you do something to clear the air, you deal openly with misunderstandings, problems, or jealousy, and try to get rid of them.
You can also say that the air clears, or talk about air-clearing.
Journalists sometimes talk about clear-the-air meetings or clear-the-air talks.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
defuse or clarify an angry, tense, or confused situation by frank discussion
improve a difficult or tense situation by talking about worries, doubts, etc.
remove elements of hostility, tension, confusion, or uncertainty from the mood or temper of the time; remove the confusions or ambiguities from a conception or a problem
rid a situation of tension or discord by settling misunderstandings, etc
remove angry feelings, misunderstanding, or confusion.
calm down and remove a misunderstanding
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
purify the atmosphere, clarify things
remove the bad feelings between people
also clear the atmosphere : to remove elements of hostility, tension, confusion, or uncertainty
explain, talk about a problem openly
dispel differences or negative emotions
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
eliminate dissension, ambiguity, or tension from a discussion, situation, etc.
Translation(s):
CCDI:
Разрядить атмосферу; уладить недоразумение; внести ясность.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
положить конец недоразумениям
Multitran (www.multitran.ru):
расставить все на свои места; развеять туман; выяснить отношения; внести ясность; положить конец недоразумениям; разрядить обстановку; устранить недоразумения
Examples:
CCDI:
I get angry and frustrated with Hannah’s spirited temperament, but I’m a great believer in expressing my feelings to clear the air.
Some groups in our community seem to suffer from discrimination. An independent inquiry could clear the air and sort out the problem.
After that the air cleared and we were fine, I really enjoyed working with him.
And extended air-clearing between George and Martha reveals the sham and drudgery of their lives.
He is determined to have a clear-the-air meeting with Murray this weekend and snapped yesterday: “I have to get to the bottom of this mess.”
Multilex (www.multilex.ru):
our talk ~ed the air наш разговор разрядил атмосферу;
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
‘The union statement has cleared the air, too,’ Tom continued. (K. S. Prichard, ‘Golden Miles’, ch. 41) — - Воззвание профсоюза тоже помогло разрядить атмосферу, - продолжил Том.
...the distinguished senator from Illinois had cleared the air in his usual fashion. (F. Knebel and Ch. Bailey, ‘Seven Days in May’, ‘Tuesday Morning’) — ...достопочтенный сенатор от штата Иллинойс внес, по обыкновению, полную ясность в этот вопрос.
it's time a few things were said to clear the air
the government announcement cleared the air of speculation and suspicion
The President's statement that he would run for office again cleared the air of rumors and guessing. When Bill was angry at Bob, Bob made a joke, and it cleared the air between them.
We had a big argument so I think it is time to clear the air.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
had a massive argument with Sue yesterday, but at least it has cleared the air.
had a long meeting to clear the air
His statement will clear the air. It will prevent more confusion.
The group called a meeting to finally clear the air
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:
c.I.1.c to clear the air: orig. to free from clouds, mists, or obscuring elements; now, chiefly, to purify from the sultry conditions which precede a storm; also fig.
c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 437 Þenne wyndis of treuþis shulden blowe awey þe heresyes, and cler þe eyrs of holi chirche, þat is now ful troble. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. viii. xvi. (1495) 324 By spredynge of his bemes the sonne clensith and clerith the ayre. 1885 Manch. Exam. 10 Sept. 5/4 His explicit declaration in reply to Mr. Parnell's speech‥has cleared the air.
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
The staff meeting was intended to help clear the air.
British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): [clear] the air, total 47
And same as she says, she needs a row to clear the air , so picks on him and he just ducks.
The whole day had been a great strain and although they had attempted to resolve their differences and clear the air Rachel found herself dreading the prospect of working with David Markham on a permanent basis.
After a big row which cleared the air we decided to carry on.
If he wanted to smash a telephone or hurl invective it cleared the air and nothing further would be said.
Although the definitive Regulations have still to be introduced, the Government's long awaited Statement --issued in December --concerning the training requirements of the Food Safety Act 1990, has at least partly cleared the air.
The objection that the scientific revolution saw the separation of science from both religion and magic hardly clears the air, because religious beliefs played a role in the assault on magical practices, with hard-headed Protestants putting magic and Roman Catholic rituals in much the same category.
But he thinks, in present circumstances, that a straightforward test provides the best way of clearing the air.
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): [clear] the air, total 221
Bart, don't you think it's time to clear the air?
He tells me it’s a relief to be able to clear the air about his past mistakes.
Juliet had another reason: she wanted Penelope out of the way for a couple of weeks, so that she could clear the air between herself and Eric.
Don't you want to clear the air a little on this?
It would clear the air to say,' Look, we goofed.'
…the only way to clear the air is to have a full-blown investigation.
For a long pause he kept total silence except for one sustained piano chord, as if to clear the air of misinterpretation.
Clearing the air of crisis in any global hot spot probably would push down oil prices.
It was not about flirting. It was about clearing the air.
Some cultures believe in clearing the air by talking about problems.
Marquis, who irked Piniella after his first spring start when he said he'd rather' take my services elsewhere' than go to the bullpen, cleared the air with Piniella quickly, and that wasn't an issue in the spring competition, Piniella said.
My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid) :
We need to clear the air
I’ve had enough of this affair
I’ve given you my loving care
The way you treat me isn’t fair
I’m nearly driven to despair
You think you’re all that rare?
I bet it’ll pay to look elsewhere
There's plenty more fish, so there!
GOD VOTES FOR PERESTROIKA
(On Earthquake in Armenia)
The grandest jury—Trinity—
Convened to hear the case:
The situation’s critical;
It’s time I showed my ace.
The verdict passed was clearly “Guilty as hell”.
At once the mighty fist like doomsday fell.
On a proper scale the punishment was metered out:
Three whole cities all but flattened out.
All over Earth people shuddered with dread:
A hundred thousand reported dead.
Good God, perhaps, would not have gone as far as that—
Substandard jerry building saw to that.
But still, the voice was heard amid the people screaming under rubble:
See? It doesn’t pay to sow ethnic trouble.
And should you find the rescue effort not so brisk,
Remember, God has spoken. Why run the risk
Of wooing our undoing
Since this ruin is His doing?
And anyway, what’s all this fuss about a mere tenth of a million?
We’re used to being killed in scores of millions!
I sum up for you, folks:
You’ve got to face your faults, folks.
You’ve fought too many foes,
You’ve fallen foul of Fate, folks.
Our Lord has shown His hand all too clearly.
There’s no sense really
In your paying yet more dearly
(I’ll explain it plain:
The remainder slain in vain.)
You’d be better off heeding a piece of advice:
No two ways about
Getting out
Of the vice.
So join the perestroika
To drag my Russian troika.
I hate to lose face in a race!
Alexander V Demidov
15 December 1988
Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)
Idiom(s) of the day: Be left hanging in the air
My category (Russian-to-English translation): Решение (Decisions). Начало действия и остановка (Starting and stopping). Прогресс (Progress)
Explanation(s):
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):
If you say that a question or remark is left hanging in the air, you mean that people avoid discussing it because they do not want to deal with it or the issues involved.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
To leave undecided or unsettled.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
Translation(s):
CCDI:
Повиснуть в воздухе; остаться нерешенным, невыясненным.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
Multitran (www.multitran.ru):
Multilex (www.multilex.ru):
Examples:
CCDI:
Asked how many arrest orders she had received so far from her colleagues in Spain, she walked away and left the question hanging in the air.
The presenter made intelligent points, but never challenged anybody, so we were left with a lot of questions hanging in the air.
He looked at neither of them but left his remark hanging in the air.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
Ted's mother didn't know what to do about the broken window, so his punishment was left hanging in the air until his father came home.
Whether or not they will be leaving next year was left hanging in the air at the end of the meeting.
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): [leave] hanging in the air, total 3
I mean it's really just a question as the these are mentioned as items left hanging in the air
If this so-called round is left incomplete the offender, virtual or actual, is left hanging in the air, uncertain as to his moral status in the undertakings that will follow.
About, for example, the internal problems in what was the Soviet Union, a story we began some years ago, but are now in danger of leaving hanging in the air.
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): [leave] hanging in the air, total 4
Rotation, he thought, would throw anything not firmly attached off the surface, and "animals and other weights would be left hanging in the air." [literal meaning]
Another source of spurious profundity is DeLillo's constant allusions to momentous feelings and portents -- allusions that are either left hanging in the air or are conveniently cut short by a narrative pretext.
I felt kind of foolish, with my question left hanging in the air like that.
The baseball death sentence everyone expected was handed down yesterday, and the question left hanging in the air was whether yesterday marked the end of only the 1994 season or the end of baseball as we know it.
My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid): The matter of le coq chantant raised by CerebrisLS should be addressed promptly and in depth rather than being left hanging in the air.
A PIECE OF ADVICE TO THE LEADER OF A NATION ABOUT TO NEGOTIATE ALLEGEDLY THE LAST OBSTACLE TO GET WHAT IS REALLY WANTED
(a Parable)
Suppose a hill were to obstruct to Promised Land the way,
And miracles failed to drive the hill away.
You would be likely courses three to lay:
Over, round and—right, a U-turn—back home again.
The last, forget it—they wouldn’t need a leader then.
But what I meant to say is drop the other two
And tell the folks to tunnel through!
It is a far, far better way for you.
The grounds for that are mainly two.
For one, it’s best because it’s long:
The map is hard to read and might be wrong.
Again, if all turns out according to the Prophet,
Where will you find your little extra profit?
Alexander V Demidov
6 December 1988
Check out my companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid)
Idiom(s) of the day: a hidden agenda
My category (Russian-to-English translation): Информация (Information). Понимание и знание (Understanding and knowledge). Раскрытие и сокрытие (Revealing and hiding).
Explanation(s):
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):
If you say that someone has a hidden agenda, you suspect that they are secretly trying to achieve a particular thing while they appear to be doing something else.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
a hidden motive or intention behind an overt action, policy, etc
the secret purpose behind a plan or activity that you do not tell other people about – used to show disapproval
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
true intentions that are kept secret, plans that are not revealed
a secret or ulterior motive for something
(disapproving) the secret intention behind what sb says or does
a secret reason for doing something
an ulterior motive
a secret reason for doing something, because you will get an advantage from it
An undisclosed plan, especially one with an ulterior motive
If you say that someone has a hidden agenda, you are criticizing them because you think they are secretly trying to achieve or cause a particular thing, while they appear to be doing something else.
secret plan to control the meeting or decisions
The true meaning behind words and actions, often contradicting them. The expression is believed to have emerged following discussions in British educational circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the concept of a 'hidden curriculum' in schools (going against the actual curriculum that was taught) was much talked about. In 1990, a British film about the 'shoot-to-kill' policy of security forces in Northern Ireland was given the title Hidden Agenda. The phenomenon is also sometimes referred to currently as the subtext.
an idiomatic phrase used to refer to the subtext which discretely drives a conversation, meeting or other activity
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
an often duplicitously undisclosed plan or motive
Translation(s):
CCDI:
Тайный умысел; секретные планы
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
тайные планы, скрытые мотивы (фильмы с таким названием были сняты в Великобритании и США)
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
Multitran (www.multitran.ru):
тайный план; скрытый замысел; подводные камни (hidden agendas); скрытая повестка дня; скрытые (как правило, недобрые) намерения
Multilex (www.multilex.ru):
Examples:
CCDI:
The unions fear these tactics are part of a hidden agenda to reduce pay and conditions throughout the company.
The hidden agenda of the Government’s prison privatization policy seems to have been exposed.
It was typical of his forthright determination that, while others debated wide issues and hidden agendas, he saw a wrong and tried to right it.
Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):
That's our 'hidden' agenda, plain and simple. — Вот и все наши «тайные» планы, ясные и простые. Now, with Hidden Agenda, your students can try their hands at governing a simulated country. — Теперь, с помощью «Тайного плана», ваши студенты могут попробовать себя в управлении моделью страны. (речь идёт о компьютерной обучающей игре)
when someone comes in for a physical … there is often a hidden agenda — John McPhee
Is there a hidden agenda?
Voters suspected a hidden political agenda. Was there a hidden agenda behind this decision?
Babylon (www.babylon.com):
There are fears of a hidden agenda behind this new proposal.
The prime minister denied that the new visa requirements were part of a hidden agenda to reduce immigration.
He accused foreign nations of having a hidden agenda to harm French influence...
The board has a hidden agenda. We don't know their real plans.
Those who vote Yes for the new constitution will vote ostensibly for reform in South Africa but will in effect be voting for the permanent rejection of the black majority - unless, as the Government repeatedly denies, there is a 'hidden agenda' for dramatic new reforms after the vote is won. Financial Times (5 October 1983)
A Labour government, grabbing vast new powers and dispensing patronage on a scale never seen before, will give [political correctness] impetus, official backing and legislative authority. Here indeed is the hidden agenda, which does not figure in the manifesto because much of it will be enacted by private member's bills in a parliament with a 'progressive' majority. The Sunday Telegraph (29 March 1992)
Multitran:
there is a hidden agenda— за этим что-то кроется; что-то здесь не так
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:
▸ hidden agenda n. a concealed or unexpressed intent behind the ostensible purpose of an action, statement, etc.; an ulterior aim or motive (cf. agenda n.)
1955 Jrnl. Business 28 13/1 Most groups, in other words, have ‘*hidden agendas’. These are the inter-personal feeling, the individual strivings for power or for approval, which exist but are not expressed. 1971 Psychol. Abstr. Feb. 317/2 Recent studies have shown that the ‘hidden agenda’ of schooling educates students' attitudes, values, and perceptions, and that personal/psychological education is taking place. 1987 M. Atwood Bluebeard's Egg 40 Sex was the hidden agenda at these discussions. 2001 N.Y. Times 13 May i. 20/4 There is no deviousness or hidden agenda.‥ What it is, is what it is.
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary v4.7:
British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/): hidden agenda, 76 total
To have no secrets, no abnormal fears, no hidden agenda. To be like other people: gardening at the weekend, scent of freshly-mown grass, children playing on the lawn; wife in a cotton dress, long-legged, her smile sharing with him their private memories, future secured.
Veterans mostly of conferences and corporate operations where the good time masked a definite hidden agenda, they were steering him through the introductions deftly and with an impressive display of memory.
They angrily deny any such hidden agenda in their own ranks, insisting their campaign spans the religious divide and citing non-sectarian politics as the route to breaking down traditional divisions.
But union officials believe the moves are part of a hidden agenda which will change the face of health care in the region.
Prof Day questioned the "hidden agenda" of newspapers which suggested his report indicated the AIDS threat to heterosexuals was over
health unions expressed concern over what they feared could be a "hidden agenda" of merger plans
Mr Stephens said he was uncertain if he was being told the truth by the Government over any hidden agenda on privatisation.
France is not the only one of our European partners (for "partners", says Robertson, read "competitors") to have a hidden agenda for extracting nationalistic advantage from federalism.
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), Mark Davies (http:// www.americancorpus.org/): hidden agenda, 163 total
But Adams says there may be a hidden agenda in parents' willingness to sacrifice for their kids.
Was there a hidden agenda to use Andrew Speaker's case to get more money for TB control?
McShane suspects a hidden agenda behind the growth in mainland islands.
"Bill is not a hidden agenda kind of guy," he said.
Like someone who thought his hidden agenda for refueling shuttles in space was, well, hidden.
The hidden agenda of my call was to hear if a serious "hard" scientist took these ideas seriously.
…be aware that many Web sites have a hidden agenda: selling products or proselytizing without providing hard evidence.
It is their grief and outrage over this, rather than some "neocolonialist" hidden agenda, that accounts for why so many of them have been mesmerized by the idea of humanitarian military intervention.
To unmask the hidden agenda of an official discourse now is not as grave a sin as it was before.
The American studies departments were set up by the Higher Education Council, which ostensibly was out to improve the universities, but had the hidden agenda of containing them.
My companion project: An Idiom a Day (www.twitter.com/AVDemid): The hidden agenda behind my tweeting is to show off my command of English to potential clients. What’s yours?
