frases idiomáticas Útiles
TRANSCRIPT
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FRASES IDIOMÁTICAS ÚTILES
Expresionesidiomáticas con sus
sinónimos
Traducción Eemp!o
a"ter a!! — despite,nevertheless
después de todo, al fn y al cabo
I knew it! Ater all, I wasright!
a!! a!on# — all the time todo el tiempo I knew about his littlesecret all along.a!! ears — eagerto listen
todo odos I am all ears.
a!! o" a sudden —suddenly
de repente, de pronto All o a sudden, he reusedto pay.
a!! t$e same —no dierence
da igual, lo mismo"de todos modos
I it#s all the same to you,let#s start at two.
a!! t$um%s — clumsy torpe $e can#t f% anything, he#sall thumbs.
app!e o" discord —sub&ect o envyor 'uarrel
man(anade la discordia
)his 'uestion is an appleo discord in our amily.
as a ru!e — usually como regla general As a rule, we oer a *+discount.
as "ar as I amconcerned —in my opinion
en lo 'ue a m respectaAs ar as I am concerned,both the book and themovie are good.
as "or me&as to me —in my opinion
en cuanto a m As or me, you can relyon his support.
as 'e!! — also, too también $e knows math, andphysics as well.
at a!! — not- in thesmallest degree
en lo ms mnimo,en absoluto
$e doesn#t know /renchat all. I don#t like it at all.
at random — withoutorder
al a(ar $e chose those placesat random.
at t$is point — at thistime
a estas alturas At this point, we can#t turnback.
%e a%out to — readyto do-
estar a punto de I was about to leave when you called.
%e a"ter someone —insist, press
estar tras alguien"insistir, presionar
$is mother is always aterhim to study.
%e a!! in — be e%tremelytired
estar hecho polvo I#m all in, I#d bettergo to bed now.
%e %ac( on one)s recuperarse después $e#s back on his eet ater
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"eet — healthy againor better fnancially
de un tiempo dicil"ponerse de pie otra ve(
a long period o debt andunemployment.
%eat around t$e%us$ — avoid givinga clear0defnite answer
irse por las ramas 1top beating around thebush! 2et to the point!
%e %eside onese!" —be very upset, nervous,
worried, etc.
estar uera de s 1he was beside herselwith worry 0 with grie.
%e %etter o* —be in a better situation
estar en una me&orsituaci3n
$e#ll be better o witha new &ob.
%e %ro(e — haveno money at all
estar en bancarrota I spent all my money, I#mbroke.
%e $ardon somet$in#&someone — treatroughly
ser duro conalgo0alguien
4y son is hard on shoes,they don#t last long withhim. 5ie was pretty hardon )om.
%e $i#$ on one)s !ist —be one o the mostimportant things
encabe(ar la listade los asuntosimportantes
A new car is highon my list o priorities.
A new )6 is not highon my list.
%e in c$ar#e o" —be responsible or
estar a cargo de, serresponsable de
$e is in chargeo marketing.
%e in t$e red —be in debt
estar en deuda, estar'uebrado
7ur sales were in the redlast year.
%e intosmt$+ — be interested inestarinteresado0apasionadopor algo
$e is into computers. 1heis into sports.
%end o,er%ac('ards — try hard
hacer todo lo 'uese pueda
I bent over backwardsto help her.
%e on one)s 'a- estar en el camino I#m on my way.%e on t$e sa"e side —not to take any chances
para mayor seguridad )ake an e%tra key, &ustto be on the sae side.
%e out o" — be without estar uera de, estar
desabastecido,no tener
8e are out o bread,
cheese, and sugar.
%e out o" s$ape —be physically unft
no estar en orma 0estar en malacondici3n sica
$e needs to e%ercise,he is out o shape.
%e out o" sorts — in badhumor
estar de mal humor 5eave him alone, he#s outo sorts today
%e pressed "or time &mone- — be short o"
estar presionado portiempo0dinero
I#m pressed or time now.8e are pressed or money
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not have enough no tener sufcientetiempo0dinero porel momento-
at the moment.
%eside t$e point — othe point
a&eno a la cuesti3n,no va al caso
8hat I said to himprivately is beside thepoint.
%e to %!ame —
be responsible ora mistake 0 somethingwrong
ser culpable 8ho is to blame or this
awul mistake9 )omis to blame or this mi%:up.
%e touc$ and #o —be uncertain o theresult
pender de un hilo $e was very sick, and orsome time it was touchand go, but he is betternow.
%e up a#ainst —be opposed by, have
problems, be in danger
enrentara algo0alguien-,
encontrarse anteproblemas
7ur company is up againstserious attempts o hostile
takeover.
%e up andaround&a%out — ableto be out o bed ateran illness
volver a andar,recuperarse despuésde una enermedad-
$e was sick or a month,but now he is up andaround.
%e up to one)s ears — very busy
estar muy ocupado I#m up to my ears in work.
%e up to somet$in# —do mischie
estar tramando algo I have to check what the
kids are up to.%e up to someone —be one#s own decisionor responsibility
ser decisi3nde alguien,corresponderlea alguien
It#s up to you to decide.It#s up to you to close theoice every dayat ; o#clock.
%e used to —be accustomed to
estar acostumbrado a I#m used to hard work.$e#s used to heat.
%i# s$ot — importantperson
persona importante $e is a big shot aroundhere.
%ite o* more t$an onecan c$e' — tryto do more than one can
sobrevalorar tusuer(as
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%!ac( s$eep — a good:or:nothing membero the amily
ove&a negra )heir second son is theblack sheep o the amily,he is good or nothing.
%!ind date — a meetingo a man and womanarranged by riends
cita a ciegas 1he reusesto go on a blind date againbecause she had bade%perience.
%!o' it — lose thechance
perder la oportunidad $e understood thathe blew it.
%!o' o,er — pass, end pasar 8ait here till his angerblows over.
%ottom !ine — mainresult0actor
resultado )he bottom line is, I don#thave enough money.
%rea( into — enterby orce
entrar por la uer(a,penetrar
)he police broke into therobber#s house.
%rea( one)s $eart —hurt deeply
romper el cora(3nde alguien
)he news o her deathbroke his heart.
%rea( t$e ice —overcome shynessin making the frst step
romper el hielosuperar la timide(
y dar el primer paso-
)he party was dull untilsomeone broke the icewith a &oke and we alllaughed.
%rea( t$e ne's — tellnew acts
diundir la inormaci3n >?? is breaking the newsright now.
%rin# $ome t$e
%acon — earn the livingor the amily
proveer a la amilia $e works very hard
at several places to bringhome the bacon.
%rus$ o* — giveno attention to
no hacer caso )he boss brushed omy pro&ect again.
%rus$ up on — review repasar, rerescarla memoria
@ou need to brushup on the tenses.
%- a!! means.de/nite!-0 certain!-
defnitivamente, porsupuesto
o you need my help9— By all means.
%- $eart —
by memori(ing
de memoria 5earn this poem by heart
or tomorrow.%- $oo( or %- croo( —by any means possible
como sea 1he will get what shewants by hookor by crook.
%- t$e 'a- —incidentally
por cierto By the way, Ann is comingback today.
ca!! a spade a spade —use plain, direct words
llamar a las cosas porsu nombre
$e always tells the truthand calls a spade a spade.
ca!! it a da- — consider considerar el traba&o 8e#ve been working or
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work fnished or the day terminado CD straight hours. 5et#scall it a day.
ca!! o* — cancel cancelar )he police called o thesearch.
carr- out — ulfll reali(ar, cumplir 1he never carries out herplans.
carr- 'ei#$t —be important
tener peso en, inEuir,
ser importante
$is advice always carries
weight here.cast do'n — depressed,sad
desanimar $e was cast down by thebad news.
cast!es in t$e air —daydreaming aboutsuccess
construir- castillosen el aire
Instead o working hard,he spends time buildingcastles in the air.
catc$ one)s e-e —attract attention
llamar la atenci3n )his picture caughtmy eye.
catc$ one)s %reat$ —stop and rest recobrar el aliento I can#t run, I need to catchmy breath.catc$ someone o*#uard — catch someoneunprepared
tomar por sorpresa $e caught me o guardwith his 'uestion.
catc$ someone red.$anded — fnd smb.in the act o doing wrong
sorprender a alguiencon las manosen la masa
)he manager caught theboy red:handed whenhe was stealing cigarettes.
catc$ up — become not
behind
ponerse al da $e needs to catch up with
the others.c!ose ca!! — a narrowescape, a bad thing thatalmost happened
por poco sucede algomalo escaparse pormilagro-
)he speeding car almosthit the man. )hat wasreally a close call.
come across — meetby chance
encontrar I came across that article yesterday.
come do'n 'it$ —become ill
caer resriado I#m coming down witha cold.
come to one)s
senses — start actingreasonably, intelligently
entrar en ra(3n $e fnally came to his
senses, started to workhard, and passed hise%ams.
come true — becomereality
volverse realidad 4y dream came truewhen I met Fat.
come up 'it$ —suggest
proponer 4ike came up witha brilliant idea.
count on — depend on contar con @ou can always counton me or help.
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cut corners — to takea short:cut" to limit one#sspending
buscar ata&os, omitirprocedimientos
$e ran ast, cuttingcorners where he could.I have to cut corners thisweek.
cut do'n on — reduce reducir el consumo @ou have to cut downon chocolate.
cut out to %e &cut out
"or it — have the abilityto do something
estar hecho para
algGn traba&o-
1he isn#t cut out
to be a surgeon. $e#s cutout to be a leader.
do one)s %est — try very hard
dar lo me&or de s I did my best to help himin his work.
do one)s %it —do what#s needed
aportar su granitode arena" hacerlo necesario
I#ll do my bit, you cancount on me.
do o,er — do again rehacer )his work is not good,do it over.
do someone #ood —be good or
benefciar /resh air and e%ercise willdo you good.
do somet$in# %e$indone)s %ac( —do harmul- thingssecretively
hacer algo a espaldasde uno
I hate people whodo things behind my back.$e did it behind my backagain.
do 'it$out — livewithout
vivir sin, prescindir I#ll have to do withouta car or a while.
do'n to eart$ —practical prctico, realista $e#s 'uiet, sensible anddown to earth.dra' t$e !ine — f%a limit
tra(ar la lnea, limitar $e drew the line or herat HCDD a day.
dress up — put on thebest clothes
ponerse la me&or ropa 8hat are you dressedup or9
drop o* — deliversomewhere
llevar a una personaa un lugar-, de&ara una persona
en un lugar-
>an you drop me o at thebank9
drop out — 'uit school- abandonar $e dropped out o schoollast year.
dut- ca!!s — must ulfllobligations
el deber llama $e said,
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e,en so — nevertheless,but
aGn as I work hard. ven so,I like my &ob.
e,er- no' and t$en.occasiona!!-
de ve( en cuando very now and then I visitmy old aunt.
e,er- ot$er da- —every second one
cada dos das" un das y un da no
1he washes her hair everyother day.
"a!! %e$ind — lagbehind
'uedarse atrs )he little boy ell behind
the older boys."a!! in !o,e — beginto love
enamorarse )om ell in love with 1ueat frst sight.
"a!! out o" !o,e — stoploving
de&ar de amar )hey ell out o love anddivorced soon.
"a!se a!arm — untruerumor
alsa alarma I heard he 'uit but it wasa alse alarm.
a "ar cr- "rom
somet$in# — verydierent, almostopposite neg.-
muy le&os de ser algo,
muy dierente a lo 'uecreas
$is second book wasn#t
bad, but it was a ar cryrom his frst book.
"ee! it in one)s%ones — e%pectsomething bad to happen
tener una cora(onadapresentimiento-
1omething bad is goingto happen, I eelit in my bones.
"ee! !i(e doin#somet$in# — wantto do, be inclined
to do smth.
anto&arse de haceralgo, sentir ganasde hacer algo
I eel like going or a walk.I don#t eel like workingnow, I#m tired.
"ee! up to — be ableto do
tener nimo parahacer algo
I don#t eel up to cleaningthe house.
"e' and "ar %et'een —rare, scarce
muy pocos, escasos $er visits are ew and arbetween.
/nd "au!t 'it$ —critici(e
encontrar allos,criticar
$e always fnds aultswith everybody.
/nd out — learnor discover
averiguar, descubrir I ound out that 4aria lettown.
/rst$and — directlyrom the source
de primera mano @ou can trust it, it#sfrsthand inormation.
/rst t$in#s /rst —important things comebeore others
primero lo primero /irst things frstJ howmuch money do we haveto pay right away9
1- o* t$e $and!e — getangry
perder los estribos $e Eew o the handle and yelled at me.
"o!!o' in someone)s"ootsteps — do the
seguir los pasosde otro
Igor ollowed in hisather#s ootsteps,
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same thing he became a doctor, too.
"oot in t$e door —a special opportunity ora &ob
tener un pie adentrotener una oportunidadde traba&o-
?ina got a oot in the doorbecause her riend worksin that company.
"oot t$e %i!! — pay thebill
pagar $er ather ooted the billor the party.
"or #ood — orever para siempre Ater her death, he lettown or good.
"or t$e time %ein# —at this time
por el momento, porahora
/or the time being, thishouse is all right or us.
"rame o" mind —mental state
estado de nimo I can#t do it in this rameo mind.
"rom A to 2 —completely
conocer algode pe a pa" de caboa rabo
$e knows this townrom A to K.
"rom no' on — nowand in the uture desde ahora, a partirde ahora /rom now on, I orbid youto go there.#et a #rip on onese!" —take control o one#seelings
obtener control sobres mismo
1top crying! 2et a gripon yoursel!
#et a!on# 'it$ — havegood relations
llevarse bien con Ann gets along with mostcoworkers, but doesn#t getalong with 5aura.
#et a'a- 'it$ — not
be caught ater doingwrong
evitar el castigo,
escapar de la &usticia
)he police didn#t fnd the
thie. $e got away with hiscrime.
#et carried a'a- — gettoo e%cited andenthusiastic aboutsomething
entusiasmarse $e got carried away withopening a store and lostmost o his money.
#et co!d "eet —be araid to do
entrarle miedoa alguien
I wanted to try it but gotcold eet.
#et e,en 'it$ — have
one#s revenge
des'uitarse I#ll get even with him or
everything!#et in touc$ 'it$ —contact
contactar a alguien 2et in touch with 4r.1mith or help.
#et !ost — lose one#sway
perderse 1he got lost in the old parto town.
3et !ost4 — 5ay o! L6ete! Lesaparécete!L5rgate!
I don#t want to see youagain. 2et lost!
#et mixed up — getconused
conundir I got mi%ed up, went thewrong way and got lost.
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#et o* one)s %ac( —leave alone
de&ar a alguien en pa( 1top bothering me! 2et o my back!
#et on one)s $i#$$orse — behavehaughtily towardssomeone
actuar como si uerasme&or 'ue otraspersonas, ser engredo
very time I ask herto help me with typing,she gets on her highhorse.
#et on 5t$e %us0 train0
p!ane6
subir el transporte- I got on the bus on 7ak
1treet.#et o* 5t$e %us0 train0p!ane6
ba&ar el transporte- I got o the bus at thebank.
#et out o" $and — getout o control
salirse de las manos,uera de control
I he gets out o handagain, call me right away.
#et o,er — recover ateran illness or bade%perience
recuperarse despuésde una enermedado mala e%periencia,superar
I can#t get over how rudehe was to me. 1he gotover her illness 'uite'uickly.
#et rid o" — dispose o,discard
deshacerse $e got rid o his olduseless car.
#et to#et$er — meetwith
reunirse 4y riends and I gettogether oten.
#et to t$e %ottom —know deeply
llegar al ondo de algo $e usually gets to thebottom o things.
#et to t$e point — getto the matter
ir al grano 2et to the point!
3i,eme a %rea(4 — spareme
Lame un respiro!Lé&ame! >ome on, stop it! 2iveme a break!
#i,e someonea $and — help
dar la mano, ayudar >an you give me a handwith cooking9
#i,e someonea !i"t &a ride — taketo some place by car
llevar a alguienen auto
>an you give me a litto the bank9 $e gave hera ride in his new Forsche.
#i,e someone a piece
o" one)s mind —critici(e rankly
criticar, decir
abiertamente lo 'uepiensas
1he lost my umbrella
again, so I gave hera piece o my mind abouther carelessness.
#i,e up — stop doingsomething, stop tryingto do something
rendirse I gave up smoking. I gaveup trying to f% my old car.
#o %ac( on one)s 'ord — break a promise
romperla palabra0promesa
/irst he said he wouldhelp me, but then he wentback on his word.
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#o "or it — tryto do a new thing
intentar algo nuevo I I were you, I wouldgo or it.
#o "rom %adto 'orse — be worse
ir de mal en peor $is business went rombad to worse.
#o out — go to parties,movies
salir de festa, al cine,etc.-
o he and his wie go outoten9
#o out o" one)s 'a-
.tr- ,er- $ard
poner mucho esuer(o,
intentar mucho
$e goes out o his way
to please her.#o to one)s $ead —make too proud
subirse a la cabe(aé%ito-, sentirsedemasiado orgulloso
$is acting success wentto his head.
#o to pieces — get veryupset, all apart
derrumbarse, 'uedardeshecho
1he went to pieces whenshe heard it.
#o 'it$ t$e 1o' — lead'uiet lie
ir con la corriente 1he always goes with theEow.
#ro' on someone —become liked gustar poco a poco 8hen she knew him more,he grew on her.$ad %etter — should ms vale 'ue @ou look ill, you#d better
see a doctor.
$a,e a %a!! — havea good time
pasarla bien @esterday we had a ballat the party.
$a,e a %one to pic( —complain or discusssomething unpleasant
tener una cuenta 'uea&ustar
4r. Brown, I have a boneto pick with you. 4y mailwas lost because o you.
$a,e a 'ord 'it$someone — talk to
hablar con alguien >an I have a word with you9
$a,e 'ords 'it$someone — argue withsomeone aboutsomething
hablar muy seriamentecon alguien 0discutir
I had words withmy coworker todaybecause he usedmy computer again.
$a,e it in $im — havethe ability
tener habilidades 5aura has it in herto be a good doctor.
$a,e no %usiness
doin# somet$in# —have no right to do
no es tu asunto,
no tienes derecho deestar a'u, hacer esto,etc.-
@ou have no business
staying here withoutmy permission.
$a,e one)s %ac( to t$e 'a!! — be hard:pressed,on the deensive
estar entre la espada y la pared
I had no choice, I hadmy back to the wall.
$a,e one)s $ands"u!! — very busy
estar muy ocupado $e has his hands ull withhard work.
$a,e one)s $eart set 'uerer algo 1he has her heart set
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on somet$in# — wantsomething very much
demasiado, ansiar algo on going to ?ew @ork.$e has his heart seton Betty.
$a,e pu!! — haveinEuence on
inEuir, pesar oes he have pull with thedirector9
5not6 $a,e t$e $eart —not- have the courage
to do smth. unpleasant
no- atreverse a haceralgo desagradable"
no- tener cora(3npara
I don#t have the heartto tell him that he wasn#t
accepted, he#llbe so unhappy.
$i#$ and !o' —everywhere
en todas partesen el cielo
y en la tierra, cuandose refere a bGs'uedas-
I searched high and lowor my lost cat.
$it t$e nai! on t$e$ead — say e%actly theright thing
acertar @ou hit the nail on thehead when you said ourcompany needs a new
director.$it upon somet$in# —to discover
pensar en algo"descubrir
)hey hit upon gold. I hitupon a plan.
$o!d it a#ainstsomeone — blamesomebody or doingsomething
guardar rencoresen contra de alguien"culpar a alguien poralgo
I lost his book, buthe doesn#t holdit against me.
7o!d it4 — 1top! 8ait! Letente! Lspera! $old it! I orgot my key.7o!d on4 — 8ait! Lspera! $old on! I#ll be back
in a minute.
$o!d one)s o'n —maintain oneselin a situation, behaveas needed
mantenerse frme $e can hold his ownin any situation. 8e needmen who can hold theirown.
$o!d up — rob usinga weapon
asaltar, atacar )his bank was heldup twice last year.
i!! at ease —uncomortable disgustado, inc3modo 1he elt ill at ease becauseo her cheap dress.in ad,ance — wellbeore
de antemano $e told her about his planin advance.
in a nuts$e!! — in a ewwords
en breve, en pocaspalabras
In a nutshell, my planis to buy land.
in care o" someone —write to one personat the address o another
escribir- a alguiena la direcci3n de otrapersona
I#m staying at )om#shouse. 8rite to me in careo )om 2ray, >hicago,
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al cuidado de- Illinois.
in co!d %!ood —mercilessly
a sangre ra $e killed her in coldblood.
in "act — actually,in reality
de hecho, en realidad In act, he worksas a manager here.
in #enera! — generally,generally speaking
en general In general, he likesto be alone. $e described
the place only in general.in one)s e!ement —what one likes
estar como pe(en el agua
$e#s in his element whenhe#s arguing.
in ot$er 'ords — usingother words
en otras palabras In other words, youreused to do it or her.
in p!ain En#!is$ —in simple, rank terms
sencillamentehablando
I didn#t really like theconcert. In plain nglish,the concert was terrible.
t$e ins and outs — allino about los pormenores $e knows the ins and outso this business.in someone)s s$oes —in another person#sposition
en los (apatosde alguién, en lugarde otra persona
I#d hate to be in his shoesnow. $e lost his &ob, andhis wie is in the hospital.
in t$e !on# run —in the end
al fnal de cuentas In the long run, it#llbe better to buy it.
in t$e same %oat —in the same situation
en el mismo barco"en la misma situacion
1top arguing with me,we#re in the same boat
and should help eachother.
in t$e c!ear — ree romblame
estar uerade sospecha
Fay the bill and you#llbe in the clear.
in time5to do somet$in#6 —beore something begins
a tiempo para haceralgo-
I came in time to havea cup o coee beoreclass.
it #oes 'it$outsa-in# — should
be clear without words
no hace alta decirnada
It goes without saying thathe must pay what he owes
right away.It)s on t$e tipo" m- ton#ue+
est en la puntade mi lengua
$is name is on the tipo my tongue.
it)s time — shoulddo it right away
es hora $urry up, it#s time to go.
It)s 'ort$ it+ & It)s not 'ort$ it+ It#s not- worthbuying, visiting,watching, etc.
lo vale 0 no lo vale vale la pena 0 no valela pena
8atch this flm, it#sworth it. on#t buy thiscoat, it is not worth it.)his museum is worth
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visiting. )his flm is notworth watching.
it 'i!! do — it#s enough es sufciente 1top reading, it will do ornow.
ump at t$eopportunit-&c$ance —accept the opportunity
eagerly
aprovecharla oportunidad
$is boss mentioned a &obin urope, and Feter
&umped at the opportunity.
ust as soon — preerthis one
preerira I#d &ust as soon stay home,I#m tired.
ust in case —to be on the sae side
por si acaso )ake an e%tra shirt, &ustin case.
8ust m- !uc(4 — Bad 0$ard luck!
L6aya suerte 'uetengo! LMué malasuerte!
)hey lost my &obapplication. Nust my luck!
(eep an e-e on — takecare o, watch, look ater
estar pendiente" vigilarBetty keeps an eyeon my sons or me. I#llkeep an eye on you!
(eep a strai#$t "ace —not to laugh
mantener la cara seria I tried to keep a straightace, but ailed.
(eep compan- —accompany
hacer compaOa 1he keeps me company'uite oten.
(eep one)s 'ord —ulfll a promise
mantener la palabra @ou promised, now keep your word.
(eep someoneposted — inorm mantener a alguienal tanto 0 inormado Peep me posted about your plans.(eep -our /n#erscrossed — hope thatnothing will go wrong
cru(ar los dedos I have a &ob interviewtoday. Peep your fngerscrossed or me, will you9
(i!! time — fll0spendempty time
matar el tiempo I went to the show to killtime.
5not6 (no' t$e /rstt$in# a%out — not
to have any knowledgeabout
no saber nada acercade
I don#t know the frst thingabout nuclear physics.
(no' t$e ropes —be very amiliar withsome business
estar al tanto $e knows all the ropesin this company.
!ast.minute notice —little or no timeto prepare or something
noticia de Gtimominuto
$is arrival was a last:minute notice, we didn#thave time to prepareor it.
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!a- one)s cards on t$eta%!e — be rank andopen
poner las cartas sobrela mesa" ser sincero
y abierto
/inally, we asked himto lay his cards on thetable and tell us about hisplans.
!a- one)s !i"e on t$e!ine — put oneselin a dangerous situation
poner la vida en &uego,arriesgar la vida
$e laid his lie on the lineto ulfll this task, butnobody appreciated his
eorts.!ead a do#)s !i"e — livein misery
llevar una vidade perros
$e leads a dog#s lie.
!ead someone on —make someone believesomething that isn#t true
engaOar, hacera alguien creer 'uees cierto
)hey suspect that you areleading them on. @ou ledme on!
!ea,e it at t$at —accept reluctantly
de&ar las cosas comoson
5eave it at that, what elsecan you do9
!ea,e 'ord — leavea message
de&ar un mensa&e $e let word or you
to meet him at the airportat Q.
!et %-#ones%e %-#ones — orgetand orgive bad thingsin the past
lo pasado, pasado est 8hy don#t you let bygonesbe bygones and orgetabout what he said9
!et #o o" — release thehold
soltar, de&ar ir 5et go o my hand or I#llcall the guard.
!et 5it6 #o — orget bade%perience, returnto normal lie
de&arlo ir, superarmalas e%periencias
$e#s still in despair andcan#t let it- go. @ou can#tchange anything, so letit go.
!et one)s $air do'n —be rela%ed and inormalwith other people
soltarse la melena,echarse una canaal aire, rela&arse
1he is always so ormal.1he never lets her hairdown.
!et someone do'n —disappoint, ail someone
'uedar mal conalguien, decepcionara alguien
on#t let me down thistime!
!et someone (no' —inorm
notifcar, inormar 5et me know when youfnd a &ob.
!i(e "at$er0 !i(e son —be like one#s parentin something
de tal palo, tal astilla Faul won a pri(ein a chess tournament.2reat! 5ike ather, likeson!
!itt!e %- !itt!e — stepby step
poco a poco 5ittle by little, he got usedto )okyo.
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!oo( "or — search or buscar 8hat are you looking or9!oo( "or'ard to —e%pect with pleasure
esperar conimpaciencia
I#m looking orwardto your letter. 4aryis looking orward to theparty.
!oo( out — be careul,watch out
tener cuidado 5ook out! )he busis coming!
!oo( up — check with0in a dictionaryor a reerence book
buscar inormaci3nen un diccionario,Internet, etc.-
I you don#t know thisword, look it up in thedictionary.
!ose one)s temper —become angry
perder la paciencia,eno&arse
$e loses his temper veryoten.
!ose one)s 'a- — getlost
perder el camino,perderse
I lost my way. >an youhelp me9
!ose trac( o" — notto know where someoneor something is
perder el hilo0la pista I lost track o him yearsago.
!uc(- %rea( — a luckychance
golpe de suerte $e got his lucky breakwhen he got this &ob.
ma(e a !i,in# — earnmoney to provide or lie
ganarse la vida $e works hard. $is amilyis big, and he has to makea living somehow.
ma(e a!!o'ance "or —take into consideration
when &udging
tener en cuenta on#t critici(e himso hard, make an-
allowance or hisine%perience.
ma(e a point o" —be sure to do somethingintentionally
poner empeOo enhacer algo-" haceralgo intencionalmente"tender a0intentar
4ake a point o askingabout his wie. 4akeit a point to be here by CD.
ma(e ends meet —to have and spend onlywhat one earns
llegar a fn de mes"sobrevivir con pocosingresos
$is doesn#t get muchmoney. I wonder howhe manages to make ends
meet.ma(e "riends — becomeriends
hacer amigos Anton makes new riendseasily.
ma(e "un o" — laugh at, &oke about
burlarse de $e made un o her2erman accent.
ma(e no %ones a%outit — say0do openly,without hesitation
no darle ms vueltas,no andar por las ramas
I#ll make no bonesabout itJ I don#t like yourattitude to work.
ma(e room "or — allow liberar espacio para 8e can make room or one
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space or more dog.
ma(e sense —be logical
tener sentido 8hat you say makessense.
ma(e t$e mosto" smt$ — do the bestin the given situation
sacar lo me&or de 5et#s make the most o our vacation.
ma(e up — becomeriends again
reconciliarse I#m tired o fghting. 5et#s
make up.ma(e up "or smt$ —compensate
recompensar I#ll make up or the time you spent on it.
ma(e up one)s mind —decide
tomar una decisi3n 8hen will you go9 4akeup your mind.
ma(e -ourse!"at $ome —be comortable, eelat home
siéntete comoen tu casa
>ome in please. 4ake yoursel at home.
man o" $is 'ord — onewho keeps promises,is dependable
el hombre de palabra @ou can depend on hispromise to help. $e#sa man o his word.
mean 'e!! — have goodintentions
tener buenasintenciones
$e meant well, butit turned out thathe spoiled a coupleo things or me.
mi#$t as 'e!! — a good
idea
podras aprovechar
y hacerlo es buenaidea hacer algo-
I might as well telephone
him now.
missin# person —someone who is lost andcan#t be located
persona desaparecida )he little boy disappeared.)he police registered himas a missing person.
meet someone$a!"'a- — compromisewith others
encontrar un términomedio
$e#s reasonable and triesto meet his coworkershalway, when possible.
ne,er mind — it doesn#t
matter
olvdalo, no importa )hank you. — ?ever mind.
not to mention —in addition to
sin mencionar 8e have three dogs, notto mention two cats.
no 'onder — notsurprising
no es una sorpresa $e ate three big fsh.?o wonder he#s sick.
no' and a#ain —occasionally
de ve( en cuando I meet them now andagain at the bank.
odds and ends — restos, pedacitos I needed to buy some odds
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a variety o smallunimportant thingsor letovers
and ends or the kitchen.
o* t$e cu* — withoutpreparation
de improviso, sinpreparaci3n previa
7 the cu, I can give youonly a rough estimate.
o* t$e point — besidethe point
no va al caso, uerade la cuesti3n
8hat I think about himis o the point.
o* t$e record — not orthe public, unoicially
e%traofcialmente 1trictly o the record,I think the directoris going to get marriedsoon.
once and "or a!! —decidedly
de una ve( por todas @ou must 'uit smokingonce and or all.
on credit — not paycash right away
a crédito $e bought a car on credit.
on ed#e — nervous,irritable
nervioso, irritado $e#s been on edge eversince she let.
on #uard — on the alert en guardia, alerta $e#s cautious and alwayson guard.
on $and — available a la mano o you have a calculatoron hand9
on one)s o'n — alone,by onesel
por su cuenta,independientemente
1he likes to live and workon her own.
on one)s toes — alert,
attentive, prepared ordiiculties
alerta $e was on his toes and
produced a very goodimpression on them.
on purpose —intentionally
a prop3sito,intencionalmente
I didn#t do it on purpose,it &ust happened so.
on second t$ou#$t —ater thinking again
pensndolo bien I#d like to sit on the aisle.7n second thought, I#dlike a window seat.
on t$e a!ert — on guard alerta, en guardia $e#s cautious and alwayson the alert.
on t$e carpet — calledin by the boss orcriticism
llamar al despacho deldirector, llamarla atenci3n, criticar
@esterday the boss calledher on the carpet orbeing rude to thecoworkers.
on t$e #o — busy,on the move
en marcha,en movimiento
$e is always on the go.
on t$e o* c$ance —unlikely to happen, butstill
es poco probable pero 7n the o chance that youdon#t fnd him at work,here#s his home address.
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on t$e ot$er $and —considering the otherside o the 'uestion
por otro lado I#d like to have a dog.7n the other hand,my wie likes cats better.
on t$e spot — rightthere
en el mismo sitio I decided to do it on thespot.
on t$e spur o" t$emoment — without
previous thought 0 plan
en la euoria delmomento
$e bought this car on thespur o the moment, now
he regrets it.on time — punctual a tiempo Nim is always on time.out o" one)s mind —cra(y
loco, uera de s I you think so, you#re outo your mind.
out o" one)s 'a- —away rom someone#susual route
desviado del camino,uera del camino
I can#t give you a litto the bank, it#s outo my way today.
out o" t$e 9uestion —impossible
uera de la cuesti3n Faying him is out o the'uestion!
pac( rat — a personwho saves lotso unnecessary things
acumulador obsesivo 8hy does she keep allthose things she neveruses9 — 1he is a pack rat.
pa- attention —be attentive
prestar atenci3n Fay attention to his words.
pic( a /#$t — starta 'uarrel
empe(ar unapelea0discusi3n
$e oten tries to picka fght with me.
pic( up — take, get elegir, recoger I#ll pick you up at R.
p!a- one)s cardsri#$t — choose the rightsteps in doing something
&ugar bien sus cartas I you play your cardsright, he#ll agree to yourplan.
pot!uc( supper —a surprise meal, wherenobody knows whatdishes other guests willbring
una cena en grupodonde cada 'uien traelo 'ue 'uiere
@ou know what happenedat our last potluck supper9verybody broughtmacaroni and cheese,apples, and beer!
pu!! onese!"
to#et$er — braceonesel, summon yourstrength
sobreponerse 1top crying and
complaining! @ou haveto pull yoursel togethernow.
pu!! t$e 'oo! o,ersomeone)s e-es —deceive, misleadsomeone
engaOar Are you trying to pull thewool over my eyes9It won#t do you any good.
put a damper on —discourage
poner un reno a 1he always puts a damperon my plans.
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put in a 'ord "orsomeone — say positivethings about someone
deender a alguien conpalabras, decir algobueno acercade alguien
I#d be very grateul i youcould put in a word orme when you speakto him.
put o* — postpone posponer on#t put it o tilltomorrow.
put one)s "oot do'n —
ob&ect strongly
oponerse uertemente $er ather put his oot
down when she said shewanted to marry Alan.
put one)s "oot in it —do the wrong thing,make a ool o onesel
meter la pata" decir0hacer algo estGpido
$e put his oot in it whenhe told the boss hisdaughter wasn#t pretty.
put up 'it$ — accept,tolerate
aguantar, tolerar I can#t put up with yourbad work!
9uite a %it o" — much,a lot o
mucho I had 'uite a bit o troublewith that car.
9uite a "e' — many,a lot o
muchos $e wrote 'uite a ew goodstories.
rac( one)s %rain — tryhard to think
esor(ar el cerebro $e racked his brainto solve the pu((le.
read %et'een t$e!ines — fndor understand theimplied meaning
leer entre lneas $is books are not easyto understand" you haveto read between the lines.
remem%er me to — sayhello to enviar saludos Flease rememberme to your amily.ri#$t a'a- —immediately
de inmediato It# very importantto do it right away.
rin# a %e!! — remindsomeone o somethingamiliar 0hal:orgotten
se parece a algo, luceamiliar
Annabel 5ee9 @eah,it rings a bell, but I can#tplace it right now.
roc( t$e %oat — makethe situation unstable
causar problemas,desestabili(ar una
situaci3n
Feter always rocks theboat when we discuss
company#s spendingpolicy.
ru% s$ou!ders 'it$ —meet with
codearse $e doesn#t rub shoulderswith the rich.
ru% someone t$e 'ron# 'a- — irritate,annoy, make angry
irritar, molestara alguien
$is remarks rub manycoworkers the wrong way.
run into — meetby chance
encontrarse a alguienpor casualidad
I ran into an old riend yesterday.
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sa,e "ace — tryto change the negativeimpression produced
rescatar la reputaci3n $e said a stupid thing andtried to save aceby sayinghe misunderstood me.
sa,e one)s %reat$ —stop useless talk
ahorrarse las palabras )here#s no use talkingto him about his spendinghabits, so save your
breath.scratc$ t$e sur"ace —study somethingsuperfcially
no proundi(aren el tema, estudiarde manera superfcial
$e e%amines all the actsclosely, he doesn#t &ustscratch the surace.
see a%out — makearrangements or
ocuparse de I have to see about ourplane tickets.
see e-e to e-e — agree compartir un mismopunto de vista conalguien
8e don#t see eye to eyeany longer.
ser,e someone ri#$t —get what someonedeserves
recibir lo 'ue unose merece
It serves him right thathe didn#t get this &ob,he despised all othercandidates.
ser,e one)s purpose —be useul to someone orhis purpose
servir al prop3sitode alguien, ser Gtilpara el prop3sitode alguien
I doubt that hiring thisman will serve yourpurpose.
s$o' promise —be promising
mostrar esperan(a )his young actor shows
promise.s$o' up — appear aparecer I waited or hours but
he didn#t show up.
si:e up — evaluatesomeone
evaluar It took me * minutesto si(e up that man.
s!eep on it — postponea decision till ne%tmorning
posponer algo hastala maOana siguiente
on#t decide now, sleepon it.
a s!ip o" t$e ton#ue —a mistake error, e'uivocaci3n,lapsus It was &ust a slip o thetongue!s!ip 5"rom6 one)smind — orget
olvidar It slipped my mind whatshe asked me.
sme!! a rat — suspectsomething
sospechar algo I#m not sure what it is,but I smell a rat.
so "ar — up to now hasta ahora 1o ar, I have read S booksby Ping.
so muc$ t$e %etter — aGn me&or I he can pay cash,
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it#s even better so much the better.
spi!! t$e %eans — tella secret
soltar la sopa, decirun secreto
8ho spilled the beansabout our plan9
stand a c$ance — havea chance
tener una oportunidad $e doesn#t stand a chanceo getting it.
stand out —be noticeable
destacarse $e stands out in anygroup o people.
stand to reason —be logical
ser l3gico It stands to reason thathe apologi(ed.
strai#$t "rom t$es$ou!der — speakrankly
sin rodeos,abiertamente
on#t try to sparemy eelings, giveit to me straight rom theshoulder.
ta(e a dim ,ie'o" somet$in# —disapprove o something
tener una opini3nnegativa acercade algo
4y sister takes a dim viewo the way I raisemy children.
ta(e a %rea( — stop orrest
tomar una pausa 5et#s take a break, I#mtired.
ta(e ad,anta#e o" —use or one#s ownbeneft, to proft rom
aprovecharse de 8e took advantage o thelow prices and boughta computer and a monitor.
ta(e a"ter — be like oneo the parents
parecerse a los padres )om takes ater his atherin character, and ater hismother in appearance.
ta(e a standon somet$in# — makea frm opinion0decisionon smth.
tomar una posici3nfrme respecto a algo Feople need to takea stand on the issueo nuclear weapons.
ta(e care o" — lookater, protect, see thatsmth. is done properly
cuidar de >an you take careo my dog while I#m away9)om takes good care o hiscar.
ta(e $o!d
o" somet$in# — take,hold
tomar, su&etar )ake hold o this rope and
pull.
ta(e into account —consider smth.
tomar en cuenta @ou must take intoaccount her old age.
ta(e it eas- — rela%,be calm
no te preocupes )ake it easy, everythingwill be 7P.
ta(e 5it6 "or #ranted —accept as given
dar por sentado 4other#s love is alwaystaken or grantedby children.
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ta(e one)s %reat$ a'a- de&arlo a uno sinaliento
)hat great view tookmy breath away.
ta(e one)s time —do slowly
tomarte tu tiempo,hacer algo despacio,sin prisa
on#t hurry. )ake yourtime.
ta(e one)s 'ord "orit — believe
creer en la palabrade alguien, creerle
a alguien
)ake my word or it,he won#t go there.
ta(e pains — try hardto do it well
esmerarse $e took pains to make hisreport perect.
ta(e partin smt$+ — participatein
tomar parte, participar 4ary is going to take partin the show.
ta(e p!ace — happen tomar lugar, suceder )he accident took placeon 7ak 1treet.
ta(e someone)s mindo* t$in#s — distractrom f%edideas0thoughts
distraer a alguiende sus pensamientos
2o to a concert or a movieto take your mind othings.
ta(e steps — takeaction 0measures
tomar medidas, actuar 8e need to take stepsagainst it.
ta(e t$e 'ords ri#$tout o" one)s mout$ —say the same beoresomebody else says it
'uitar las palabrasde la boca decir algo'ue 'uera decir otrapersona-
I was about to say thesame! @ou took the wordsright out o my mouth.
ta(e time — take a longtime
tomar tiempo It takes time to get usedto a new place.
ta(e time o* —be absent rom work
tomar un da libre $e took time o to attendthe wedding.
ta(e turns — alternatedoing something oneater another
cambiar turnos, haceralgo por turnos
8e went to 4insk by car.8e didn#t get tiredbecause we took turnsdriving
ta!( %ac( — answerrudely replicar, responderinsolentemente on#t talk back to theteacher!ta!( it o,er — discuss discutir I#ll talk it over with
my amily.
te!! apart — see thedierence
distinguir >an you tell the twinsapart9
T$at)s ust t$epoint+ — )hat#s it.
ste es el punto. )hat#s &ust the point!I hate this &ob!
t$e 'ritin# on t$e premonici3n de algo )he plane crashed. )im
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'a!! — a sign o utureevents usually, trouble-
malo- said he saw the writingon the wall about thisEight.
not t$in( muc$ o" —think low
tener un concepto ba&ode alguien
I don#t think much o hercooking.
t$in( o,er — considercareully
pensar en detalle,considerar
)hink over your answer.)hink it over careully.
ti!! one is %!ue in t$e"ace — try hard
esor(arse demasiado I repeated it till I was bluein the ace!
to ma(e a !on# stor-s$ort — in short
en pocas palabras )o make a long storyshort, we won.
to sa- t$e !east —to make the minimumcomment about smth.
para no decir ms )he flm was boring andlong, to say the least.
tr- on — put on newclothes to test them orsi(e or look
probarse la ropa- )ry on this leather coat,it#s very good. 1he triedit on, but it didn#t ft herat all.
tr- one)s $andat somet$in# — try
probar algo, probarsuerte con algo
I want to try my handat painting.
turn on & o* — switchon 0 o
encender0apagar )urn on the radio. )urn o the water.
turn out to %e —result0end this way
resultar $e turned out to be a verygood actor.
turn o,er a ne' !ea" —make a resh start in lie,work, etc.
empe(ar de nuevo,hacer borr3n y cuentanueva
$e promises to turn overa new lea and 'uit alcoholor good.
turn t$e tide — reversethe course o events
cambiar el curso de loseventos
)he new evidence turnedthe tide, and thedeendant was ac'uittedo charges.
t'ist one)s arm —make to agree
retorcer bra(os,obligar a alguien
a hacer algo en contrade su voluntad
)hey twisted his armto sell the house.
under t$e 'eat$er —eel ill
resriado I#m a little under theweather today.
up.and.comin# —showing promiseo uture success
prometedor $e is an up:and:coming young lawyer who mighthelp you with your case.
up in arms — hostile to,in strong protest against
protestar, estaren contra
)he employees areup in arms about the new
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something retirement rules.
up in t$e air —undecided
colgado en el aire,indefnido
4y vacation plans are stillup in the air.
up to par — e'ualin standard
adecuado y normal $is behavior isn#tup to par.
used to — did otenin the past, but not now
sola hacer algo- I used to play the pianowhen I was in school but I
don#t play it now-. 'a!( on air — be veryhappy
estar en las nubes,estar muy eli(
$e got the &ob andis walking on air now.
'aste one)s %reat$ —speak uselessly,to no purpose
esor(arse en vano on#t waste your breathtrying to make him do it,he won#t change his mind.
'atc$ one)s step —be careul
tener cuidado, sercauteloso
8atch your step!
'atc$ out — look out,be careul tener cuidado 8atch out or that car!8atch out! 'et %!an(et — a kill:&oy,who spoils everybody#sun
aguafestas Temember what a wetblanket he was last time9Flease don#t invite himagain.
;$at)s t$ematter