• В РОТ НЕ БРАТЬ coll
[VP; subj: human]
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1. в рот не брать чего to refrain totally from eating certain foods or drinking certain beverages:
- X Y-a в рот не берёт••≈ X never touches (eats, drinks, goes near) Y;
- X won't touch (eat, drink, go near) Y;
- X stays away from Y;
- X steers clear of Y;
- [in refer, to alcohol only] X won't touch a drop (of Y);
- X never lets Y pass (touch) his lips;
- X is a teetotaler.
♦ "...[Штольц] ухи терпеть не может, даже стерляжьей не ест; баранины тоже в рот не берёт" (Гончаров 1)."Не [Stolz] can't bear fish soup - not even sturgeon, and he never touches mutton" (1b).
♦ [Фёкла:] ...И такой купец трезвый, совсем не берет хмельного в рот... (Гоголь 1). [Е:] ... Such a sober man he is, too; never touches a drop... (1a).
♦ Женившись, он в рот не брал водки. Раньше-то пил много (Семенов 1). Once he was married he didn't touch a drop of vodka. Before he had been a heavy drinker (1a).
2. usu. ничего ≈ not to eat or drink anything:
- X ничего в рот не брал••≈ X hasn't touched a thing (a bite);
- X hasn't had anything (a thing) (to eat or drink);
- X hasn't had a bite to eat.