Spanish/Idioms

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Idioms

English Spanish Literal
The straw that broke the camel's back La gota que derramo el vaso the cumulative effect of small actions
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree De tal palo tal astilla a splinter is like the wood it came from
Making a mountain out of a molehill Ahogarse en un vaso de agua to make a big deal out of something small
Clothes don't make the man El habito no hace al monje a person's exterior doesn't always reflect their truth.
To cost an arm and a leg Costar un ojo de la cara too costly
Call a spade a spade Llamar al pan pan y al vino vino call it like it is
Something smells fishy Huele a gato encerrado suspicion of a hidden secret
To be on the fence Nadar entre dos aguas not fully committed
To be in a jam Estar metido en un lio to have a problem
In a nutshell En pocas palabras to make a long story short
It is raining cats and dogs Llueve a cántaros It is raining pitchers
To be in the driver's seat Llevar las riendas holding the reins, being in control
Out of the horses mouth De muy buena fuente from a good source
Day in, day out De sol a sol from sun to sun
To butter up Estar de barbero to stroke someone's beard
Stick to ones guns No dar el brazo a torcer to not give in
To be hard pressed Estar en un aprieto To be in limiting situation
If I only knew! Quien lo supiera! who would know?
To hit the road Largarse to leave quickly
Learn the ropes Aprender el negocio To learn the business
Besides the point No viene al caso It is irrelevant
As if there were no tomorrow Como si se fuera a acabar el mundo As if the world was coming to an end
Alive and Kicking Vivo y Coleando alive and wagging
Cool as a cucumber Fresco como una lechuga Fresh as a lettuce
Fighting like cats and dogs Llevarse como perro y gato Fighting constantly
My point is A lo que me refiero what I'm referring to
Better late than never Mas vale tarde que nunca now is better than never
Stop the car Para el coche Stop the car/cart
To each his own Cada loco con su tema everyone has their opinion
You make me crazy Me vuelves loco(a) You make me crazy
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Más vale un pájaro en mano que cien volando One bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flying
A wild goose chase Buscando la cuadratura de un circulo searching for a right angle in circle
To know it like the back of ones hand Conocerlo como la palma de la mano I know it like the palm of my hand
It is the early bird that gets the worm A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda God helps he who wakes up early
Deliver the goods Cumplir con lo prometido fulfill a promise
Brain is better than brawn Más vale maña que fuerza Skill is worth more than power
It goes without saying Es cosa sabida it's common knowledge
To spill the beans Soltar la sopa spill the soup, say what you know
Rome was not built in a day No se ganó Zamora en una hora Zamora was not won in an hour
Out of sight, out of mind Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente Eyes that do not see, heart that does not feel
To throw in the towel Darse por vencido to give up
The royal treatment Trato a cuerpo de rey fit for a king
One man's meat is another man's poison Lo que a uno cura, a otro mata That what cures one, kills another
To go down the drain Irse por un tubo gone and lost
Fat chance! Ni lo sueñes don't even dream about it
It is beyond me No entiendo ni jota I don't understand any of it
You can't please everyone Nunca llueve a gusto de todos It never rains to everyones liking
Think before you speak Antes de hablar, pensar Before speaking, think
Hold your horses! Calma, no hay prisa! slow down, there is no rush
To be daydreaming Andar en la luna walking on the moon
The best things in life are free Lo que no cuesta dinero siempre es bueno What does not cost money is always good
It doesn't ring a bell No me suena It doesn't resonate
It's not a laughing matter No es cosa de juego this is to be taken seriously
We all make mistakes El que tiene boca se equivoca He who has a mouth makes mistakes
To be mad as a hatter Estar loco de remate to be completely crazy
You reap what you sow Se cosecha lo que se siembra What you sow, you will harvest
To be caught red-handed Con las manos en la masa caught in the act
They that live by the sword shall die by the sword Quien a hierro mata, a hierro muere He who kills by iron, dies by iron
You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda Even if the monkey dresses in silk, she'll still be a monkey
Give the lowdown Poner al corriente to update someone, bring up to speed
At the drop of a hat Al instante instantly
You never know what you have until it's gone Nadie sabe lo que vale el agua hasta que falta Nobody knows how much water is worth until it's missing
A friend in need is a friend indeed En el peligro se conoce el amigo In danger the friend is met
To be in seventh heaven Estar en la gloria to bask in all the glory
If you keep your mouth shut, you wont put your foot in it En bocas cerradas no entran moscas In closed mouths, flies don't enter
If you buy cheaply, you pay dearly Lo barato sale caro What's cheap ends up expensive
Cross the t's and dot the i's Sin faltar una coma To pay great attention to the details
For the hell of it Por puro gusto just because
Necessity is the mother of invention La necesidad agudiza el ingenio Necessity sharpens ingenuity
Water under the bridge Ha pasado mucho tiempo Time has healed
To look the other way Hacerse la vista gorda To ignore the obvious
Let sleeping dogs lie Al perro que duerme, no lo despiertes Don't wake the dog that sleeps
You can't teach an old dog new tricks El loro viejo no aprende a hablar The old parrot doesn't learn to talk
Look before you leap Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces Before you marry, look what you do
Uncharted waters Abrir brecha be the one to make the path
It serves him right Se lo merece he deserves it
To be on cloud nine Andar en las nubes happy and carefree
You're pulling my leg A otro perro con ese hueso To another dog with that bone
Flesh and blood De carne y hueso flesh and bone
Is the coast clear? ¿Hay moros en la costa? Are there Moors on the coast?
To ruffle someone's feathers Fastidiar a alguien to annoy someone
Don't pull my leg No me tomes el pelo Don't try to fool me
Pedal to the medal A la carrera at a race pace
To walk on air Rebozar de felicidad to be enveloped by happiness
Birds of a feather flock together Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres Tell me with whom you walk and I'll tell you who you are
Go to pieces Desmoronarse to crumble apart
Hit it off Hacer migas Get a long from the start
To have sticky fingers Tener inclinación a robar to be likely to steal
To let off steam Desahogarse to vent
It is nothing to brag about No es nada de otro mundo It's nothing extraordinary
All is quiet on the Potomac La paz reina en Varsovia all is well
Talking a mile a minute Hablar a mil por hora talking really fast
To sleep on it Consultar la almohada to think about it overnight
Not beat around the bush Ir al grano get to the point
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