When we take on a new venture, we might use the phrase “to throw one’s hat into the ring”. The Spanish are more adventuresome, in that they throw themselves into the ring, as in “echarse al ruedo”.
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30Sep
Categories: SPEAK Like A Spaniard... Comments: 0
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29Sep
Categories: DINE Like A Spaniard..., Madrid Comments: 0
Spain is justifiably famous for its “tapas”. A good tapas bar allows you to enjoy multiple dishes. Casa Lucio is regarded as a classic destination for tapas lovers. Located at Cava Baja 35. www.casalucio.es
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29Sep
Categories: Money/Coins, SPEAK Like A Spaniard... Comments: 0
Here’s a saying perhaps appropriate for our roiling global economy: “a quien cuida la peseta nunca le falta un duro”. A “duro” is the old five peseta coin. The literal translation is “he who watches out for the peseta never lacks a duro”. The closest equivalent is English: “look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”.
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27Sep
Categories: SPEAK Like A Spaniard... Comments: 0
When we find someone to be intolerable, we might say that “we can’t stand him” or “we can’t stomach him”. In Spanish the operative phrase would be “no poder tragar a uno”, which literally means “not to be able to swallow someone”.
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27Sep
Categories: DINE Like A Spaniard..., Madrid Comments: 0
Here’s a place where you can get good seafood at reasonable prices. Located at Calle Almirante 11. Tel. 34 914 351 850.
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26Sep
Categories: DINE Like A Spaniard..., Madrid Comments: 0
Here’s a restaurant that combines good food with a festive atmosphere. The waiters sing opera arias. Located at Calle Covarrubias 25. Tel. 34 914 483 810. www.restaurante-lafavorita.com
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26Sep
Categories: Animals, SPEAK Like A Spaniard... Comments: 0
“Es la pescadilla mordiendose la cola” literally translates to “it’s the whiting (type of fish) biting its tail”. The idiomatic meaning is “I’m right back where I started”.
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25Sep
Categories: DINE Like A Spaniard..., Madrid Comments: 0
This restaurant specializes in paella and rice dishes. Check out the website. My local source says this restaurant has “good paella”, which is high praise from a Spaniard. Located at Calle Reina 29. Tel. 34 915 327 154. www.labarraca.es
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25Sep
Categories: Insects, SPEAK Like A Spaniard... Comments: 0
To describe an extremely narrow margin one might use the term “hairbreadth”. In Spanish one could use a similar concept” “por el pelo de una hormiga”, which literally means “by the hair of an ant”.
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24Sep
Categories: DINE Like A Spaniard..., Pamplona Comments: 0
My Spanish spy informs me that this the only restaurant where Spaniards ask for hamburgers. It’s expensive but worth the price. All the dishes are delicious. Located at Calle Emilio Arrieta 3. www.restauranterodero.com