дай бог

• ДАЙ БОГ{{}}

[Invar; fixed WO]

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1. дай бог (кому) [usu. indep. sent or sent adv (parenth)]

⇒ used to express one's wish that sth. hoped-for be realized, come to pass:

- God grant;

- I <let's> hope to God (that...);

- [in limited contexts] please God.

     ♦ [Городничий:] Да, признаюсь, господа, я, чёрт возьми, очень хочу быть генералом. [Лука Лукич:] И дай бог получить (Гоголь 4). [Mayor:] Yes, I must admit, ladies and gentlemen, God damn it, I very much want to be a general. [L.L.:] And God grant you get it (4a).

     ♦ "...Обстоятельства против нас. Наше время кончилось. По инерции ещё, может быть, протянется год-два. Может быть, ты успеешь в членкоры проскочить. Дай бог! Но путного ничего мы уже не сделаем" (Зиновьев 2). "...The circumstances are against us. Our time is over. We might have a year or two still, because of inertia. Perhaps you'll even have time enough to make it as corresponding member: I hope to God you do! But we won't get anything useful done" (2a).

     ♦ "Нужно проверить, - стоит на своём дедушка, - если он [Терещенко] не умер от белой горячки... и, дай бог, бросил пить, то лучшего защитника не надо" (Рыбаков 1). Grandfather stood his ground. "We have to check to see if he [Tereshchenko] hasn't already died of the DTs...and if, please God, he's stopped drinking, and if he has, then we won't need a better lawyer" (1a).

2. coll [adv (intensif) or predic (subj: usu. concr or abstr)]

⇒ (used to emphasize the high degree of some quality or the intensity of some activity) incredibly (much, hard etc, as specified by the context):

- like you wouldn't believe;

- [in limited contexts] like nobody's business;

- one hell of a [NP].

     ♦ На кухне твои друзья похозяйничали дай бог: перебили половину бокалов и даже не удосужились собрать осколки. Your friends messed up the kitchen like you wouldn't believe: they smashed half the wineglasses and didn't even bother to sweep up the pieces.

     ♦ Ты с этим парнем в драку не лезь: он боксёр, удар у него дай бог! Don't get into a fight with that guy. He's a boxer and has one hell of a punch!