When we want to prevent a problem at the earliest moment we try “to nip it in the bud”. Spaniards take a different approach: they try “to drown in germ”, as in “ahogar en germen”.
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19Oct
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03Oct
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There are many ways in Spanish to describe something as “worthless”. One colloquial phrase is “ser papel mojado”. The literal translation is “to be wet paper”.
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17Feb
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The literal translation of “entrar por uvas” is “to enter by grapes”. The idiomatic meaning is “to take the risk”.
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09Jul
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We often hear the phrase “life is short”. One equivalent saying in Spanish is “l
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02Mar
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You know the saying “there’s no accounting for taste”. The equivalent in Spanish is “hay gustos que merecen palos”, which literally means “there are tastes that deserve whacks”. I also like the Latin saying “de gustibus non est disputandum”, which means “in matters of taste on does not argue”.
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15Jan
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Enjuto, macilento, esbelto, delgado, escuchimizado, esmirriado, flacucho, espárrago, rechupado, demacrado, enclenque, desmedrado, delgaducho, magro and juncal.
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06Oct
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When someone promises not to divulge a secret, he might say “my lips are sealed” or “mum’s the word”. In Spanish one might say “soy una tumba”, which literally means “I am a grave”.
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22Sep
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“Dirigir el baile” means “to direct the dance”. The colloquial equivalents in English are “to rule the roost” or “to run the show”.
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09Sep
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In English we sometimes refer to despicable people as the “scum” or “dregs” of society. In Spanish, the equivalent term is “slag”, as in “la escoria de la sociedad”. Readers may be familiar with the imposing palace “El Escorial”. When pronounced aloud, this sounds somehow very regal. However, its literal meaning is “The Slag Heap”.
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08Sep
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“Tener (tomar) cartas en un asunto” literally translates to “to have (take) cards in a matter”. The colloquial meaning is “to intervene in an affair”.