дело делать

• ДЕЛО ДЕЛАТЬ{{}}

[VP; subj: human; usu. this WO]

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1. to be engaged in work, occupy o.s. with some activity:

- X дело делает{{}}≈ X keeps (himself) busy;

- X attends to his work;

|| X-y надо дело делать{{}}≈ X should be doing something;

|| давайте дело делать{{}}≈ left get to work.

     ♦ "Чем в губернское правление-то шататься... лучше бы дело делать!"(Салтыков-Щедрин 2). "Instead of wasting his time in government departments...he should have been doing something!" (2a).

     ♦ Вышинский? Законченный негодяй. Всю жизнь был меньшевиком, понятно, в меньшевиках можно дела не делать, только краснобайствовать (Рыбаков 2). What about Vyshinsky? He was a thoroughbred scoundrel. All his life he'd been a Menshevik. That was understandable: among the Mensheviks you didn't have to do anything, other than engage in rhetoric (2a).

2. to do sth. needed, important:

- X дело делает{{}}≈ X is doing real work;

- X is doing something worthwhile (useful etc).

     ♦ "Эхе, xe! двенадцать часов! - сказал наконец Чичиков, взглянув на часы. - Что ж я так закопался? Да ещё пусть бы дело делал..." (Гоголь 3). "Oh, my, it's twelve o'clock already," said Chichikov, glancing at his watch. "Why have I been lingering over the stuff so long? Had I been doing something worthwhile, it wouldn't have been so bad..." (3c).