Idioms Flashcards
Hit the nail on the head
- When she said the company needed better marketing, she hit the nail on the head.
- His explanation of the problem hit the nail on the head.
dar en el clavo
Bite the bullet
- I didn’t want to take the vaccine, but I had to bite the bullet for my health.
- She didn’t like public speaking, but she bit the bullet and gave the presentation.
aguantar una situación difícil con valentía
The ball is in your court
- I gave you all the information; now the ball is in your court.
- They made their offer, so the ball is in our court to respond.
Te toca a ti tomar una decisión o actuar
A blessing in disguise
- Losing his job was a blessing in disguise because he found a better one.
- Her flight was delayed, but it was a blessing in disguise because she met her future boss at the airport.
algo que parece malo al principio, pero resulta ser bueno
Under the weather
- I didn’t go to work today because I was feeling under the weather.
- She looked a bit under the weather, so we told her to rest.
sentirse mal o enfermo
Cost an arm and a leg
- This new phone costs an arm and a leg, but it’s worth it.
- I want to buy a car, but I don’t want it to cost an arm and a leg.
ser muy caro / costar una fortuna
Once in a blue moon
- He visits his hometown once in a blue moon.
- We only go to fancy restaurants once in a blue moon.
muy raramente / algo que casi nunca sucede
Burn the midnight oil
- She burned the midnight oil to finish her research paper on time.
- If you want to pass the exam, you’ll have to burn the midnight oil.
trabajar o estudiar hasta muy tarde en la noche
Spill the beans
- He spilled the beans about the surprise party before it even started.
- I tried to keep it a secret, but my sister spilled the beans.
revelar un secreto accidentalmente
Hit the books
- I have a big test tomorrow, so I need to hit the books tonight.
- She hit the books all weekend to prepare for her TOEFL exam.
estudiar mucho, especialmente para un examen
Pull someone’s leg
- I thought he was serious, but he was just pulling my leg.
- Are you really moving to Japan, or are you pulling my leg?
tomarle el pelo a alguien, bromear
Cut corners
- The construction company cut corners, and now the building has structural issues.
- If you cut corners when writing your essay, you’ll lose points.
hacer algo de manera rápida y descuidada para ahorrar tiempo o dinero
Bite off more than you can chew
- I bit off more than I could chew by agreeing to work two jobs while studying.
- She wanted to organize the whole event alone, but she bit off more than she could chew.
asumir más responsabilidades de las que puedes manejar
Let the cat out of the bag
- She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
- I was trying to keep my promotion a secret, but my coworker let the cat out of the bag.
revelar un secreto por accidente
On the fence
- I’m on the fence about whether to accept the job offer or not.
- She’s on the fence about which university to attend.
estar indeciso entre dos opciones
Through thick and thin
- They have been friends through thick and thin.
- Marriage is about staying together through thick and thin.
apoyar a alguien en los buenos y malos momentos
Go back to the drawing board
- Our plan didn’t work, so we need to go back to the drawing board.
- The project was rejected, so the team went back to the drawing board to improve it.
empezar de nuevo después de un fracaso
Hit the ground running
- She hit the ground running on her first day at work and impressed everyone.
- If you want to succeed in college, you need to hit the ground running from day one.
comenzar algo con entusiasmo y energía desde el principio
Throw in the towel
- After months of trying to fix the car, he finally threw in the towel and bought a new one.
- She wanted to quit the course, but her professor told her not to throw in the towel.
rendirse / darse por vencido
A penny for your thoughts
- You’ve been quiet for a while. A penny for your thoughts?
- She looked deep in thought, so I asked, “A penny for your thoughts?”
preguntar a alguien en qué está pensando
Burn bridges
- Be careful how you leave your job; you don’t want to burn bridges with your employer.
- He burned bridges with his former colleagues by insulting them before quitting.
romper relaciones de manera definitiva
A dime a dozen
- Cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in tourist areas.
- Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but execution is what matters.
algo muy común o fácil de encontrar
Beat around the bush
- Stop beating around the bush and tell me what really happened!
- The politician kept beating around the bush instead of answering the question.
evitar ir al punto principal / hablar de manera indirecta
Pull out all the stops
- We pulled out all the stops to organize the best conference of the year.
- She pulled out all the stops to impress the hiring manager during her interview.
hacer todo lo posible para lograr algo
Cut to the chase
- We don’t have much time, so let’s cut to the chase and discuss the main issue.
- Instead of giving a long speech, he cut to the chase and announced the winner.
ir directamente al punto sin rodeos
Keep someone in the loop
- Please keep me in the loop about any changes in the schedule.
- She made sure to keep her manager in the loop about the project’s progress.
mantener a alguien informado sobre una situación
A tough nut to crack
- This math problem is a tough nut to crack.
- He is a tough nut to crack; he rarely shares his feelings.
un problema o persona difícil de entender o resolver
Bark up the wrong tree
- If you think I took your book, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
- The detective was barking up the wrong tree by suspecting the wrong person.
culpar o buscar la solución en el lugar equivocado
Make ends meet
- After losing his job, he struggled to make ends meet.
- Many students work part-time jobs to make ends meet.
ganar lo suficiente para cubrir los gastos básicos
Right off the bat
- Right off the bat, I knew something was wrong.
- She impressed the interviewer right off the bat with her confidence.
Inmediatamente / desde el principio
