сквозь зубы

• СКВОЗЬ ЗУБЫ coll

[PrepP; Invar; adv]

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1. говорить, бормотать и т.п. сквозь зубы (to say, whisper etc sth.) very softly and indistinctly:

- under one's breath;

- through one's teeth.

     ♦ "А хорошо бы было..." - чуть слышно сквозь зубы сказал Римский (Булгаков 9). "Would be a good thing..." Rimsky muttered almost inaudibly through his teeth (9a).

2. процедить, проворчать и т.п. сквозь зубы (to utter sth., grumble) with displeasure, angrily, or antagonistically, condescendingly:

- through <with> clenched teeth;

- through <between> one's teeth;

- [in limited contexts] under one's breath.

     ♦ И говорит он не сквозь зубы, не вынужденно. Он возбужден, он проводит литературные параллели, он художественно говорит (Войнович 3). And he wasn't speaking through his teeth, he wasn't being forced. He was excited, he was drawing literary parallels, he was speaking artistically (3a).

     ♦ Её [мою сестру] нельзя было узнать... Слова цедит скозь зубы (Зиновьев 2). [context transl] She [my sister] was totally unrecognizable. She spat her words out (2a).