Idioms Flashcards by Leighton Jones

Worse things happen at sea

Collins

Más se perdió en Cuba

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There’s no accounting for taste

Collins

Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito

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Till all hours

We were chatting till all hours

Collins

Hasta las tantas

Estuvimos charlando hasta las tantas

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To be bored stiff / to death

I am as bored as an oyster

Collins

Aburrirse como una ostra

Me aburro como una ostra

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To be in no mood for fun and games

I’m in no mood for fun and games today

Collins

No estar para fiestas

Hoy no estoy para fiestas

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To go smoothly

Everything is going smoothly

Collins

ir sobre ruedas

Todo va sobre ruedas

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My dream

It’s my ultimate dream

Collins

Mi sueño dorado

Es mi sueño dorado

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To shake like a leaf

When the interview started, I was shaking like a leaf (flan)

Collins

Temblar como un flan

Cuando comenzó la entrevista, temblaba como un flan

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What’s got into him? Who rattled his cage?

Collins

Qué mosca le habrá picado?

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To swear profusely (like a trooper) / to let rip

Is this an irreversible binomial?

Collins

Miguel not heard this

Soltar ajos y cebollas

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To have a face a mile long

Lit. To have a face like a Swiss chard

Collins

Tener cara de acelga

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To pull a fast one on somebody

Lit. To give someone cat instead of hare

Collins

Dar a alguien gato por liebre

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Truth will out

Lit. Lies have short legs

Collins

Las mentiras tienen patas cortas

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Pull the other one

Lit. Tell that one to your grandmother

Collins

Cuéntaselo a tu abuela

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My other half / soul-mate

Collins

Mi media naranja

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To refuse to back down

L.t To not get down from your donkey

Collins

No apearse del burro

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You can never please everyone

It never rains to everyone’s taste

Collins

Nunca llueve a gusto de todos

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To bad mouth somebody / slag somebody off

Lit. To talk pests about someone

Collins

Hablar pestes de alguien

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To stick out like a sore thumb

Lit. To be like a guitar at a funeral

Collins

Ser como guitarra en un entierro

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To put your foot in it

Lit. To dip your leg

Collins

Meter la pata

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As red as a beetroot

Lit. As red as a tomato

Collins

Como un tomate

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I wasn’t born yesterday

To have been born yesterday

Collins

No me he caído del guindo

Haberse caído del guindo

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To be really smart (smarter than Lepe)

Lepe - 17th century bishop famed for cleverness

Collins

Ser más listo que Lepe

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To know absolutely everything

Lit. To know the bible in verse

Collins

Saber la biblia en verso

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To know (be familiar) something like the back of your hand ## Footnote Collins

Conocer algo como la palma de la mano

To get the wrong end of the stick | Lit. To take hold of the radish by the leaves Not at all common Collins

Tomar el rábano por las hojas

To be full of yourself / blow your own trumpet | Lit. To not need a grandmother (to blow your trumpet) ## Footnote Collins

No necesitar abuela

To be as bald as a coot | Lit. To have a head like a billiard ball ## Footnote Collins

Tener la cabeza como una bola de billar

To get (seek) a lot of media attention | Lit. To suck the camera ## Footnote Collins

Chupar cámara

To be as mad as a hatter | Lit. To be more mad than a goat ## Footnote Collins

Estar más loco que una cabra

As dumb as an ox | Lit. More stupid than a plough ## Footnote Collins

Más bruto que un arado

To be a bit dim / not very bright | Lit. To be of few lights ## Footnote Collins

Ser de pocas luces

To be as thick as two short planks | Lit. Not to have two fingers of forehead ## Footnote Collins

No tener dos dedos de frente

They are birds of a feather | Lit. To be wolves form one litter ## Footnote Collins

Son lobos de una camada

To be inseperable | To be fingernail and flesh ## Footnote Collins

Ser uña y carne | Possible irreversible binomial?

Let's not confuse matters / muddle things | Lit. One mustn't confuse gymnastics with magnesium ## Footnote Collins

No hay que confundir la gimnasia con la magnesia

Pigs might fly | Lit. When frogs grow hair ## Footnote Collins

Cuando las ranas críen pelo

To make a mountain out of a molehill | Lit. To drown in a glass of water ## Footnote Collins

Ahogarse en un vaso de agua | Ella se ahoga en un vaso de agua

To jump out of the frying pan into the fire / go from bad to worse | Lit. To go from Guatelmala to Guata worse ## Footnote Collins

Ir de Guatemala a Guatapeor

To be between a rock and a hard place / the devil and the deep blue sea | Lit. To be between the sword and the wall ## Footnote Collins

Estar entre la espada y la pared

To ask for the impossible | Lit. To ask an elm tree for pears ## Footnote Collins

Pedir peras al olmo

To throw a spanner in the works | Lit. To dip/insert sticks in the wheels ## Footnote Collins

Meter palos en las ruedas

It's a piece of cake / easy as pie | Lit. It is eaten bread ## Footnote Collins

Es pan comido

Life is no bed of roses | Lit. Not all the hillside is oregano ## Footnote Collins

No todo el monte es orégano

In a flash / in no time | Lit. In two kicks ## Footnote Collins

En dos patadas

To be in charge / call the shots | Lit. To cut the cod ## Footnote Collins

Cortar el bacalao | Miguel: very common; good colloquial expression.

To be in charge | Lit. To carry the (conductor's) baton ## Footnote Collins

Llevar la batuta

To the letter (exactly) | Lit. To the foot of the letter ## Footnote Collins

Al pie de la letra

To work your socks off / work like a dog | Lit. To work like a donkey ## Footnote Collins

Trabajar como un burro

To work very hard / slog away | Lit. To work like an ant ## Footnote Collins

Trabajar como una hormiga

Some do all the work, others take all the credit | Lit. Card the wool ## Footnote Collins

Unos cardan la lana y otros cobran la fama

Rome wasn't built in a day | Lit. Zamora wasn't won in a hour ## Footnote Collins

No se ganó Zamora en una hora

Let's move on to something else | Lit. To something else, butterfly ## Footnote Collins

A otra cosa, mariposa ## Footnote Miguel - known but not very common in Balearics

At the back of beyond | Lit. In the fifth hell ## Footnote Collins

En el quinto infierno | Vive en el quinto infierno

To be off like a shot / rush off / dash off (I'm sorry, I have to dash) | To go away whistling ## Footnote Collins

Irse pitando (Lo siento, me tengo que ir pitando) | He dashed off: Se fue pitando ## Footnote Miguel: muy commún

To thumb (a lift) ## Footnote Collins

Hacer dedo

Just in case / to be on the safe side | Lit. In case the flies ## Footnote Collins

Por si las moscas

To stuff your face | Lit. To eat with two cheeks ## Footnote Collins

Comer a dos carrillos

To live like a king | Lit. To live like the body of a king ## Footnote Collins

Vivir a cuerpo de rey | Also (Miguel): vive como un rey. Very common.

To drink like a fish | Lit. To drink like a sponge ## Footnote Collins

Beber como una esponja

As drunk as a skunk / completely plastered | Lit. As drunk as a wine barrel ## Footnote Collins

Borracho como una cuba

By the bucketload | Lit. In industrial quantities ## Footnote Collins

En cantidades industriales | Watch pronunciation of i - should be een-dustr--ee-ales

To sleep on it | Lit. To consult the pillow ## Footnote Collins

Consultarlo con la almohada

To not mince your words | Lit. Not to have hairs on your tongue ## Footnote Collins

No tener pelos en la lengua

To sit on the fence | Lit. To swim between two waters ## Footnote Collins

Nadar entre dos aguas

It goes without saying | Lit. It falls as a result of its own weight ## Footnote Collins

Se cae por su propio peso

To be rolling in it | Lit. To swim in abundance ## Footnote Collins

Nadar en la abundancia

To spare no expense | Lit. To throw the house through the window ## Footnote Collins

Tirar la casa por la ventana

To go on and on / drone on | Lit. To roll up like a blind ## Footnote Collins

Enrollarse como una persiana

To stick your oar in | Lit. To put (dip) in the spoon ## Footnote Collins

Meter la cuchara

to take charge ## Footnote Miguel

coger la sartén por el mango ## Footnote More taking charge than grasping nettle

It's too late now / you've missed the boat | Lit: In good time green sleeves ## Footnote Helí / Collins

A buenas horas mangas verdes

His bark is worse than his bite | Lit: Bark a lot, bite little ## Footnote Helí

Perro ladrador poco mordedor

We all make mistakes | Lit: He who has a mouth makes mistakes ## Footnote Helí

El que tiene boca, se equivoca

We should not pay attention to impertinent comments ## Footnote Helí

A palabras necias, oídos sordos | No debemos hacer caso a comentarios impertinentes

To put on a brave face ## Footnote Helí

Al mal tiempo, buena cara | Si algo va mal, es mejor enfrentarlo con buena actitud

He who does not object, approves what the other says ## Footnote Helí

El que calla, otorga | Quien no presenta objeción, aprueba lo que dice el otro

Silence is golden | Better keep quiet and be thought fool, than open your mouth remove doubt ## Footnote Helí

En boca cerrada, no entran moscas | Es mejor no hablar para evitar meter la pata

Each person has their own method ## Footnote Helí

Cada maestrillo tiene su librillo | Cada persona tiene una manera distinta de actuar

Don't judge a book by its cover / appearances can be deceptive ## Footnote Helí / Collins

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Idioms Flashcards

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