Like A Spaniard...

Spanish Idiom January 4, 2013

javier1950 — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:02:03 +0000

When our shoes are too big we say “my feet are swimming in these shoes”. In Spain the same feet would dance, as in “mis pies bailan en los zapatos”.

Spanish Idiom August 20, 2012

javier1950 — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:34:43 +0000

We all remember “Prince Charming” from fairy tales. The Spanish equivalent is the “Blue Prince”, as in “el Prìncipe Azul”.

Spanish Idiom July 24, 2012

javier1950 — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:07:03 +0000

“Ganarse el cocido” literally means “to earn one’s stew”. An equivalent phrase in English is “to earn one’s bread and butter”. Someone who accomplishes this is said “to bring home the bacon”.

Spanish Saying July 23, 2012

javier1950 — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:13:18 +0000

“Vamos de culo” literally translates to “we’re going of butt”. Awkward translation, but the colloquial meaning is “things are going very badly for us”.

Spanish Idiom March 27, 2012

javier1950 — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:54:31 +0000

When we wish to emphasize that someone is only human we say that “to be of flesh and blood”. The Spanish equivalent is a bit different: “ser de carne y hueso”. The translation is “to be of flesh and bone”.

Spanish Idiom March 20, 2012

javier1950 — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Here are two idioms using “cuello”, which means “neck”. “Me juego el cuello a que …” literally translates to “I’d bet my neck that …”. An equivalent phrase in English is “I’d bet anything that …”. The other phrase is “meter el cuello” which means “to stick the neck in”. The colloquial equivalent in English is “to put one’s nose to the grindstone”.

Spanish Idiom February 27, 2012

javier1950 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:20:36 +0000

“Estar en la higuera” literally translates to “to be in the fig tree”. The colloquial meaning is “to be in the clouds” or perhaps “to be out to lunch”.

Spanish Idiom January 11, 2012

javier1950 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:25:58 +0000

We describe being drawn to an irresitible temptation with the phrase “like bees to honey”. In Spain, the equivalent phrase is “como moscas a la miel” which means “like flies to the honey”.

Spanish Idiom December 14, 2011

javier1950 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:11:53 +0000

“Tener sàbado inglès” literally means “to have an English Saturday”. The colloquial translation is “to work a half day on Saturday”.

Spanish Idiom December 13, 2011

javier1950 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:05:27 +0000

When we are sad we are said to have a “heavy heart”. In Spanish the equivalent phrase is a bit more graphic: “tener un clavo en el corazòn”. This translates to “to have a nail in the heart”.