The Big Red Book of Spanish Idioms Read online

  THE

  BIG RED

  BOOK OF

  SPANISH IDIOMS

  Also available:

  Gordon & Stillman/The Big Red Book of Spanish Verbs

  Gordon & Stillman/The Red Pocket Book of Spanish Verbs

  THE

  BIG RED

  BOOK OF

  SPANISH IDIOMS

  12,000

  SPANISH AND ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS

  Peter Weibel

  McGraw-Hill

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  Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Spanish-English Idiomatic Dictionary

  English-Spanish Dictionary and Index

  Acknowledgments

  I wish to convey my special thanks to Kim, my wife, and Ron Nagel. Their help and support made it possible to finish this project.

  My appreciation also goes to Christopher Brown, the editor of this book, for his advice and suggestions. Last but not least, I would like to thank Susan R. Moore for her meticulous review of the book.

  Introduction

  In the early 1970s I went on vacation to Galicia, Spain. On the thirty-four hour train journey from Bern, Switzerland, to La Coruña I got into conversation with a Spaniard. He was very knowledgeable about Spanish literature and recommended to me the writings of Cela; this was the first time that I had heard of this author.

  Many years later, in late 1989, a headline in the arts pages of a newspaper caught my attention: “The Nobel Prize for Literature goes to Camilo José Cela.” This prompted me, finally, to acquaint myself with his works. Typical of his style is La Colmena, a novel peppered with col-loquial and slang expressions. As I read it, I felt the need for a reference for English speakers that dealt comprehensively with such Spanish terms, so I began to jot down words. From these beginnings I developed this dictionary of commonly used Spanish expressions that are often difficult to find in standard dictionaries. My sources have been as diverse as the expressions themselves: Nobel Prize–winning authors and Juan Pérez (the man in the street), professors and students, contemporary and classical literature, dictionaries, movies, and newspapers from across the Spanish-speaking world.

  The Big Red Book of Spanish Idioms is a comprehensive reference designed to open up the world of idiomatic Spanish to English-speaking learners, including students, travelers, and language-lovers, who have an intermediate or advanced level of understanding of Spanish. The dictionary contains a broad collection of over 4,000 commonly used idiomatic and colloquial expressions in Spanish and almost 8,000 English translations. Particular care has been taken to match like with like, so that Spanish idioms are matched with idiomatic English expressions of a similar tone or register. This feature also makes the dictionary a particularly helpful reference for Spanish-speaking learners of English.

  Using the Dictionary

  1. LOCATION OF A SPANISH EXPRESSION

  To look up a particular Spanish phrase or expression in order to find its English equivalent, turn to the main Spanish-English dictionary. Each expression is listed under one particular Spanish headword, and the headwords appear in alphabetical order, though initial articles (el, la, el/la, las, los) are not alphabetized. The idiomatic expressions (preceded by ) are listed below the headword:

  la nueva piece of news

  coger a alg. de nuevas (fig.) to take s.o. by surprise

  hacerse de nuevas (fig.) to act surprised, to pretend to be surprised, to pretend not to have heard/known anything [about it]

  To allow for useful groupings by sense, the idiomatic expressions are not necessarily listed in alphabetical order.

  In some instances, your selection of a key word within an expression may not match the chosen headword in this dictionary. To allow for this, numerous cross-references are included, indicated by . The correct location of the expression in the dictionary is indicated by the boldfacing of the headword:

  aburrido (ser algo ~ a más no poder)

  adornar (quedarse para ~ altares)

  confianza (ganarse la ~ de alg.)

  These cross-references are integrated alphabetically within the dictionary. Whenever a Spanish word is both a headword and a cross-reference, its cross-references are listed below the idiomatic expressions in alphabetical order.

  Some entries and English equivalents are also followed by cros
s-references (indicated by ) to idiomatic expressions where a more extensive list of English equivalents is provided. These further expressions are equally appropriate but for the purposes of saving space were not duplicated for every appropriate idiomatic expression.

  palmarla (pop.) to cash/hand in one’s chips (fam., hum.) cascar[la]

  la nana grandma/granny (fam.)

  del año de/en el año de la nana (fam.) donkey’s years ago año de Maricastaña

  2. ENGLISH MEANINGS

  The English meaning of every headword is provided, except where no equivalent exists and the word is only comprehensible within an idiomatic expression.

  Every Spanish idiomatic expression is followed by at least one English equivalent. As far as is possible, the English expression has been selected to match the tone or register of the Spanish phrase. Note that in many instances the literal meaning of the headword will not match the English equivalent of following idiomatic expressions.

  Some Spanish entry phrases have more than one sense in English. These senses are numbered (a), (b), etc.

  el cerro hill

  irse por los cerros de Úbeda (fig.) (a) to talk [a lot of] nonsense or rubbish (fam.) or rot (fam., Br.E.), to give silly or ridiculous or absurd answers (b) to wander from the subject/point, to go off at a tangent (fig.)

  For clarity, some English entries are prefaced by explanatory tags that may indicate the context or provide the neutral term in English:

  la lana (fam., Méjico) (money): dough (sl., Am.E.), bread (sl.), sugar (sl.), brass/dosh/lolly (sl., Br.E.), wampum (sl., Am.E.)

  3. EXAMPLE SENTENCES

  Example sentences and phrases that incorporate the idiomatic expression are indicated by and are followed by their English translation. Over 1,800 examples are included in instances where it is judged particularly helpful to see the context in which an expression is used:

  la sarta series

  una sarta de (fig., fam.) [whole] series of, [whole] string or catalogue of (fig.) una sarta de mentiras a string/pack of lies una sarta de disparates a load/pack of nonsense or rubbish (Br.E.) (fam.) Nos soltaron una sarta de insultos. They hurled a string of insults at us.

  4. ENGLISH-SPANISH DICTIONARY AND INDEX

  If you are looking for a Spanish equivalent of an English expression, consult the English-Spanish Dictionary and Index. The English expressions are listed alphabetically by key word. The words to (as part of the infinitive) and to be (before an adjectival expression) are not alphabetized. Wherever the key word is not the first term in the expression, the full expression usually appears in parentheses with the key word represented by a tilde ~.

  The English expression is followed by one or more equivalent Spanish idiomatic expressions. This may serve your immediate requirements, but for a more complete treatment of these Spanish expressions, locate them in the Spanish-English dictionary under their respective headwords. The headword is always indicated in bold text:

  buttocks las cachas

  canard el cuento chino

  come what may salga lo que salga/saliere

  ( salir)

  to be dead tired estar muerto [de cansancio]

  luck (trusting to ~) a la buena de Dios

  ( bueno)

  to see (oh, I ~!) iacabáramos! ( acabar)

  to talk turkey [with s.o.] cantarlas claras [a alg.]

  to vamoose largarse

  Exceptions

  Bold type is not used when the headword is the first word in the expression:

  to be dead on one’s feet caerse de

  cansancio/sueño

  Or when the Spanish entry is an article + noun in the singular:

  chatterbox la cotorra

  crowd una nube

  Abbreviations

  Spanish-English Idiomatic Dictionary

  Over 4,000 Spanish idiomatic phrases and expressions (indicated by ) are presented under Spanish headwords that appear in alphabetical order. Many expressions are followed by example sentences (marked ). Also included are numerous cross-references (preceded by ) that indicate in bold the appropriate headword under which that expression can be found. For a more complete explanation of conventions and abbreviations used in this dictionary, consult the Introduction.

  A

  abarcar to include

  Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta. (prov.) You can bite off more than you can chew. (prov.) Don’t bite off more than you can chew. (prov.)

  la abeja bee

  estar como abeja en flor (fig.) to feel really great, to feel on top of the world (fam.), to feel completely at home (fam.), to be in one’s element Los niños salieron corriendo a retozar en la piscina. Allí están como abeja en flor. The children dashed off for a romp in the swimming pool. There they are in their element[s].

  el/la ablandabrevas (fam.) good-for-nothing, washout (sl.), dead loss (fig., fam.)

  abocar a (fig.)

  estar abocado al fracaso to be doomed to fail/failure (plan/etc.)

  estar abocado a un desastre to be heading for a disaster

  verse abocado a un peligro to be facing danger, to see danger looming ahead (fig.)

  el aborto miscarriage

  ser un aborto del diablo (fig.) to be as ugly as sin/hell (fam.), to be incredibly ugly

  abrasarse to burn [up], to burn to the ground

  abrasarse de sed (fig.) to have a raging thirst, to be dying of thirst (fig.), to be parched (fam.)

  abrasarse de calor (fig.) to nearly die in the heat (fig.), to be dying of the heat (fig.)

  abrasarse de amores (fig.) to be burning with love (fig.), to be madly in love

  abrasarse en deseo (fig.) to be ablaze/aflame with desire (fig.)

  el abrigo coat, shelter

  Este niño es de abrigo. (fig., fam., Esp.) This child is a real handful. (fig., fam.)

  Ese tío es de abrigo. (fig., fam., Esp.) You’ve got to watch [out for] that guy.

  la abuela grandmother

  ¡… mi abuela! (fam.) … my foot! (fam.) ¡Cansado, mi abuela! Tired, my foot! ¡Tarea difícil, mi abuela! Difficult task, my foot!

  ¡Cuénteselo a su o cuéntaselo a tu abuela! (fam.) Tell that to the marines! (fam., Am.E.) Pull the other one! (fam., Br.E.)

  no necesitar abuela (pop., hum., Esp.) to blow one’s own horn (Am.E.) or trumpet (fig., fam.), to be full of o.s. (fig.) No necesita abuela. He doesn’t need anyone else to blow his trumpet for him. He’s always blowing his own horn. He is modest! (iron.)

  …éramos pocos y parió la abuela (fam., hum.) … and that was all we needed! … and that was the last straw! (fam.) … as if we didn’t have enough problems! (fam.) Perdió todo el dinero en el juego—éramos pocos y parió la abuela He gambled all the money away, and that was all we needed! … y encima dejó el coche hecho chatarra—éramos pocos y parió la abuela…. and on top of everything he totaled the car. That was the last straw!

  abuela (estar más muerto que mi ~)

  la abundancia abundance, wealth

  De la abundancia del corazón habla la boca. (prov.) When the heart is full, it’s the mouth that overflows.

  nadar en la abundancia (fig.) to be rolling in money (fig., fam.)

  Abundio (fam.)

  ser más tonto que Abundio (fam.) to be as daft as a brush (fam., Br.E.) ser más tonto que Carracuca

  aburrido (ser algo ~ a más no poder)

  aburrimiento (pudrirse de ~)

  aburrirse to be bored

  aburrirse como una ostra o una almeja o un mono (fam.) to be bored to death or to tears (fam.)

  acabar to end, to finish, to conclude, to complete

  ¡Se acabó! (fam.) That’s the end of that!

  ¡Acabáramos! (fam.) Oh, I see! Now I get it! Now I understand! You could have said that right away! Vivieron diez años en España. ¡Acabáramos! Por eso hablan tan bien español. They lived in Spain for ten years. Oh, I see!/Now I understand! That’s why they speak Spanish so well.

  ¡[Esto] es el acabóse! (fam.) This is the absolute limit! (fam.) This is t
he last straw! (fam.) This beats the Dutch! (fam.)

  Como presidente/etc. es el acabóse. (fam.) As a president/etc. he’s a complete disaster. (fig.)

  ser el acabóse de feo (fam.) to be as ugly as sin/hell (fam.), to be incredibly ugly

  acaparar to hoard

  acaparar la palabra (fig.) not to let anybody get a word in edgewise (Am.E.) or edgeways (fig.)

  acaparar la atención [de todos] (fig.) to occupy everybody’s attention, to hog the limelight (fig., fam.)

  acaparar todas las miradas (fig.) all eyes are on s.o. Ella acaparó todas las miradas. All eyes were on her.

  acaso (más vale un “por si ~” que un “¿quién pensara?”)

  aceite (apagar el fuego con ~)

  aceite (balsa de ~)

  aceite (extenderse/etc. como una mancha de ~)

  aceituna (cambiar el agua/caldo a las ~s)

  aceituno (olivo y ~, todo es uno)

  la acera sidewalk

  ser de la otra acera (fig., fam.) (a) to be a member of the other party, to be a competitor (b) to be gay (fam.), to be homosexual

  acero (tener nervios de ~)

  aclarar to clarify

  aclarar las cosas (fig.) to clear the air/atmosphere (fig.) Al principio hubo muchas tensiones entre ellos, pero finalmente aclararon las cosas. At first there were a lot of tensions between them, but finally they cleared the air.

  acostarse con las gallinas

  Adán Adam

  en traje de Adán o como Adán en el paraíso (fig., hum.) in one’s birthday suit (hum.), in the raw (fam.), in the nude, in the buff (fam., hum., Br.E.), starkers (fam., hum., Br.E.), stark naked (fam.), naked Cuando era joven iba a nadar en traje de Adán. When he was young, he [often] went swimming in his birthday suit.

  adornar (quedarse para ~ altares)