Uzbekistan state world languages university d. U. Ashurova m. R. Galieva

Phraseological units, reflecting customs and traditions of the English people:

Baker’s dozen (according to the old medieval English custom, buyers when buying dozen, i.e. twelve loafs of bread, received the thirteenth loaf from the baker for free);

long in the tooth – very old (related to the custom of checking a horse’s teeth in order to identify its age while buying, because horses’ teeth unlike humans’ tend to grow with age);

put on the black cap – to impose accusatory sentence (in England when a judge announced death penalty he wore a black cap);

wooden spoonist – the last in competition (comes from the custom of giving a wooden spoon to the student who got the lowest mark for exam in mathematics in Cambridge);

nail to the counter – to expose lie or slander (related to the custom of sellers to nail the counterfeit coins to the counters);

Wet your whistle – to have a drink, especially alcoholic (came from a custom of having a whistle in the rim or handle of beer mugs in pubs; when the visitors needed a refill they blew it);

Graveyard shift – a late-night or early-morning work (related to the custom of attaching bells to coffins to avoid premature burial; someone was hired to sit outside and monitor the grave in case of a bell ring. Related to this custom are Ph.U. dead ringer and saved by the bell.

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