3.6 Spanish Idioms

Question 1

Translate to Spanish:

to complicate things unnecessarily

Answer 1

buscar tres pies al gato

Example: Es un simple fallo en el software – no le busque tres pies al gato. “It’s just a software glitch – don’t complicate the issue.”

Question 2

Translate to Spanish:

to be down in the dumps

Answer 2

caerse el alma a los pies

Example: Se le cayó el alma a los pies después del accidente. “She was crestfallen after the accident.”

Question 3

Translate to Spanish:

to be heaven-sent

Answer 3

caer del cielo

Example: Los amigos se escogen; no caen del cielo. “You choose your friends; they don’t just fall out of the sky.”

Question 4

Translate to Spanish:

to hear through the grape vine

Answer 4

andar de boca en boca

Example: Anda de boca en boca que el marido de Paola es un mujeriego. “I heard through the grape vine that Paolo’s husband is a skirt chaser.”

Question 5

Translate to Spanish:

to get worse and worse

Answer 5

ir de mal en peor

Example: La situación en ese país va de mal en peor. “The situation in that country is getting worse and worse”.

Question 6

Translate to Spanish:

to beat about the bush

Answer 6

andar con rodeos

Example: Por lo que respecta a este tema, no nos andemos con rodeos. “With respect to this matter let’s not mince words.”

Question 7

Translate to Spanish:

to sleep on it

Answer 7

consultar con la almohada

Example: Antes de comprometerme, debo consultarlo con la almohada. “Before I commit to anything I should sleep on it.”

Question 8

Translate to Spanish:

to tell someone like it is

Answer 8

decir cuatro verdades

Example: No cree que está gordo, pero para su propio bien le tuve que decir cuatro verdades. “He doesn’t think he’s fat, but for his own good I had to tell him like it is.”

Question 9

Translate to Spanish:

to not say a word

Answer 9

no decir ni pío

Example: No he dicho ni pío desde que llegué. “I haven’t said a word since I got here.”

Question 10

Translate to Spanish:

to sleep the sleep of the dead

Answer 10

dormir a pierna suelta

Example: Esta noche voy a dormir a pierna suelta ya que terminé toda mi tarea. “Tonight I’ll sleep soundly now that all my homework is done.”

Question 11

Translate to Spanish:

to rest on one’s laurels

Answer 11

dormirse en los laureles

Example: Desde que ganó ese premio hace diez años se está durmiendo en los laureles. “She’s been resting on her laurels since she won that award ten years ago.”

Question 12

Translate to Spanish:

to have a screw loose

Answer 12

faltarle un tornillo

Example: A esa sí que le falta un tornillo. “She’s definitely missing a few marbles…”

Question 13

Translate to Spanish:

to talk incessantly

Answer 13

hablar hasta por los codos

Example: No la invité porque habla hasta por los codos y nunca sabe cuándo irse. “I didn’t invite her because talks non-stop and never knows when to leave.”

Question 14

Translate to Spanish:

to not give a damn about

Answer 14

no importar un comino

Example: ¡No me importa un comino cuántos carros tiene si no sabe manejar! “I don’t care how many cars he has if he doesn’t know how to drive!”

Question 15

Translate to Spanish:

on the house

Answer 15

ir por cuenta de la casa

Example: Las piñas coladas van por cuenta de la casa esta noche. “The piña coladas are on the house tonight.”

Question 16

Translate to Spanish:

to run smoothly

Answer 16

ir sobre ruedas

Example: Todo parece haber ido sobre ruedas con la nueva empresa. “Everything seems to have run smoothly with the new company.”

Question 17

Translate to Spanish:

to go out of one’s mind

Answer 17

perder el juicio

Example: Cuando me dijo que me había sido infiel, perdí el juicio y le pedí el divorcio. “When he told me he had been unfaithful, I went nuts and asked for a divorce.”

Question 18

Translate to Spanish:

to be dumbfounded

Answer 18

quedarse de una pieza

Example: Cuando te diga cuánto dinero gané, te vas a quedar de una pieza. “When I tell you how much money I won, you’ll be in shock.”

Question 19

Translate to Spanish:

to burn the midnight oil

Answer 19

quemarse las pestañas

Example: Duré horas, quemándome las pestañas dando los últimos toques al proyecto. “It took me hours, and I burned the midnight oil putting the finishing touches on the project.”

Question 20

Translate to Spanish:

to mean

Answer 20

querer decir

Example: ¿Qué quiere decir esta palabra? “What does this word mean?”

Question 21

Translate to Spanish:

to get rid of

Answer 21

quitarse de encima

Example: Nunca pudo quitarse de encima esa imagen de criminal después de su encarcelación. “He was never able to shed his image of a criminal after his incarceration.”

Question 22

Translate to Spanish:

to rack one’s brain

Answer 22

romperse la cabeza

Example: Me rompí la cabeza tratando de traducir el griego. “I racked my brains trying to translate the Greek.”

Question 23

Translate to Spanish:

to know by heart

Answer 23

saber de memoria

Example: Ella sabe ese poema de memoria. “She knows that poem by heart.”

Question 24

Translate to Spanish:

to drive crazy

Answer 24

volver loco

Example: Me estás volviendo loco con tus tonterías. “You’re driving me nuts with your nonsense.”

Question 25

Translate to Spanish:

to make clear

Answer 25

sacar en claro

Example: ¿Qué podemos sacar en claro de estas discusiones? “What can we make clear from these discussions?”

Question 26

Translate to Spanish:

to be successful

Answer 26

salir adelante

Example: Hay que estudiar para salir adelante. “You must study to be successful.”

Question 27

Translate to Spanish:

to do well

Answer 27

salir bien

Example: Esperamos que todo salga bien este año. “We hope all will go well this year.”

Question 28

Translate to Spanish:

to have one’s own way

Answer 28

salirse con la suya

Example: Si ellos piensan que pueden salirse con la suya sin temor a una reacción, lo harán. “If they think that they can get away with it and don’t fear the backlash, they will.”

Question 29

Translate to Spanish:

to be obvious

Answer 29

saltar a la vista

Example: Lo primero que salta a la vista es su nariz grandota. “The first thing that jumps out at you is his great big nose.”

Question 30

Translate to Spanish:

to be one’s turn

Answer 30

tocarle a uno

Example: Esta vez te haré el favor, pero la próxima te toca a ti. “I’ll do you the favor this time, but next time it’s your turn.”

Question 31

Translate to Spanish:

to be up to something

Answer 31

traerse entre manos

Example: No sabía qué se traía entre manos, y por eso me fui antes de que me metiera en un lío. “I didn’t know what he was up to, so I left before he could get me into trouble.”

Question 32

Translate to Spanish:

to be worth its weight in gold

Answer 32

valer lo que pesa en oro

Example: Este portátil nunca me ha fallado, y vale lo que pesa en oro.“This laptop has never failed me and is worth it’s weight in gold.”

Question 33

Translate to Spanish:

to come in the nick of time

Answer 33

venir de perilla

Example: Este dinero me viene de perilla ya que la renta se debe pagar. “This money came just in the nick of time being that rent is due.”

Question 34

Translate to Spanish:

to be pessimistic

Answer 34

verlo todo negro

Example: Ese tipo lo ve todo negro desde que perdió su casa. “That guy’s been hopeless ever since he lost his house.”

Question 35

Translate to Spanish:

to regain conciousness

Answer 35

volver en sí

Example: Les di tiempo para volver en sí. “I gave them time to come to their senses.”

Question 36

Translate to Spanish:

to be just like (someone else)

Answer 36

ser otro que bien baila

Example: Carla fuma demasiado y su hermana es otra que bien baila. “Carla smokes too much, and her sister is no better.”

Question 37

Translate to Spanish:

to not have a soul

Answer 37

no tener sangre en las venas

Example: El que no llora después de haber visto esa película no tiene sangre en las venas. “Whoever doesn’t cry after seeing that movie has no soul.”