1: The love of my life [любовь всей моей жизни]
The person one wants to spend the rest of their life with and cannot imagine being without.
“George and Gracie Burns were completely devoted to each other. Gracie was the love of George’s life, and he eternally missed her.”
2: Love is blind [любовь слепа]
Love can give a person the ability to overlook another’s faults.
“Frankie’s eyes were crossed and she had bowed legs, but Bubba never saw it; love is blind.”
3: All’s fair in love and war [на любви и на войне все средства хороши]
Supposedly, in war and matters of the heart, the ends justify the means. There are few rules.
“Bob sent Betty flowers even though she is dating Bill. All’s fair in love and war.”
4: A face only a mother could love [некрасивый, неприятный]
A mother’s love does not care if the face of the child is beautiful or hideous.
“My favorite boxer has a face only a mother could love.”
5: Love-hate relationship [как кошка с собакой]
This can refer to a relationship where emotion is gone, yet the pair remains together. It can also speak of a non-romantic relationship where two people butt heads, but it generally shows a relationship with a pair who can fight like cats and dogs but genuinely care for each other.
“Wow, that Laurrie and Joe, they can sure go at it. I sometimes wonder if that’s a love-hate relationship.”
6: Love makes the world go round [любовь заставляет мир вращаться]
Life is so much better when we are all nice to each other.
“I wish the nations would stop fighting; it’s love that makes the world go round.”
7: Make love not war [любите друг друга, а не воюйте / занимайтесь любовью, а не войной]
This means precisely what it says.
“Stop fighting, you three! Make love not war!”
8: Love will find a way [любовь всегда найдет дорогу]
This refers to the indomitable spirit of love and is similar to the idiom “love conquers all.”
“Bob is moving to Florida but Betty isn’t. If they were meant to be together, love will find a way.”
9: Puppy love [детская влюблённость, юношеское увлечение]
Love between young people, usually teenagers, and not usually taken seriously.
“Oh, how cute, look at those two; could this be puppy love?”
10: Absence makes the heart grow fonder [от разлуки любовь горячей]
Our last example may sound sweet, but it has a streak of irony to it. It states that when two are parted from each other, their feelings toward each other may grow. This might also hint that negative aspects may fade from the lovers’ minds, a line of thought that has fathered other idioms that are increasingly less endearing, such as “familiarity breeds contempt” and “if you promise to go away, I promise to miss you.”