Spanish Idioms with pictures

7/23/2019 Spanish Idioms with pictures

1/50

Spanish idioms Literal translation English equivalent Picture repr

Rascarse la barriga To scratch your belly To sit on your backside and do nothing

Ahogarse en un vaso deagua

To drown in a glass of water To make a mountain out of a molehill.

Estar hecho un Adn To be like Adam To look a mess

Un hombre de pelo enpecho

A man with hair on his chest A real man


2/50

Beber los aires poralguien

To drink the breezes forsomebody

To be madly in love with someone

Estar hasta las narices dealgo

To be up to the nostrils withsomething

Fed up to the back teeth with something

Mientras que en mi casaestoy, rey soy

While in my house I am king A man`s home is his castle

Llevar a alguien por lacalle de la amargura

To lead somebody down miserystreet

To make somebody`s life a misery


3/50

Sobre gustos no haynada escrito

About taste there is nothingwritten down

There is no accounting for taste

Tener la cabeza comouna bola de billar

To have a head like a billiardball

To be as bald as a coot

Tener cara de pascua To have an Easter face To be grinning broadly

Estar mas sano que unapera

To be healthier than a pear To be as fit as a fiddle


4/50

Hacer las cuentas de lalechera

To the milkmaid`s sums To count your chickens before they arehatched

No estar bien sentado To be a backside that can't sitstill

To have ants in your pants

Ni de aqu a Lima Not from here to Lima Not by a long chalk. There is just nocomparison

Tener cara de pascua To have an Easter face To be grinning from ear to ear


5/50

Las mentiras tienen patascortas

Lies have short legs The truth will out (lies won't get you veryfar).

Entre col y col, lechuga Between cabbage andcabbage, lettuce.

Variety is the spice of life

Esto no tiene muchaciencia

This doesn`t have a lot ofscience

There is nothing difficult about it

Untar la mano de alguien To grease somebody`s hand To grease somebody`s palm. To influencesomeone by giving them money.


6/50

Ser mas fuerte que unroble

To be stronger than an oak tree To be as strong as an ox

Al pie de la letra To the foot of the letter To the letter, or exactly

Las vacas gordas The fat cows The boom years

Lo saben hasta laspiedras

Even stones know that Everyone knows that

Tener buen diente To have a good tooth To have a healthy appetite


7/50

Tener a alguien entreojos

To have somebody betweenyour eyes

To have it in for someone

Se arm la de SanQuintn

What happened at San Quintinbroke out

all hell broke out

Estar mas loco que unacabra

To be madder than a goat To be as mad as a hatter

Meter la cuchara To put in your spoon To stick your oar in


8/50

Poner toda la carne en elasador

To put all the meat on thebarbecue

Pull out all the stops

Cambiar el chip To change one`s chip To change your way of thinking

Eso est hecho That`s done It`s a sure thing (promise)

No saber ni papa de Not to know even a potatoabout

To know nothing about


9/50

Alzarse con el santo y lalimosna

To take off with the saint andthe alms.

To clear off with everything

Hacer algo volando To do something on the fly To do something quickly

Prstame la guitarra Lend me the guitar Let me get a word in

Meterse en el sobre To put oneself in one`senvelope

To go to bed, to hit the sack


10/50

A jalones y estirones at pulls and stretches Kicking and screaming / with lots of effort

Rascarse el bolsillo To scratch the pocket Spend money unwillingly

Estoy que me caigo I am about to fall I am not feeling well

Quemar las naves To burn one`s shipd To burn one`s bridges


11/50

Tener mucha cuerda To have a lot of chord To have a lot of life left in them.

Bajar a todos los santos To get all the saints down. To try everything when you are up againstit.

Echar lea al fuego To add fuel to the fire To make things worse

Lanzar un rollo To throw a roll To start a long story


12/50

Que si patatn que sipatatn

And so on and so on blah, blah, blah, blah

Mrate en ese espejo Look at yourself in that mirror Let that be a lesson to you

Navegar con bandera deinocente

To sail with the flag of aninnocent

To play dumb. To pretend to be innocentbut have a motive for it.

Ni corto ni perezoso Neither short nor lazy Doing it right away. Without losing anytime


13/50

Liso y llano Smooth and flat, as a road A piece of cake. Easy.

La procesin va pordentro

The procession goes on theinside

Bottling it all up.

Por un tubo Through a pipe Abundantly.

Mirar los toros desde labarrera

To look at the bulls from behindthe barrier

To stay out of harm`s way


14/50

Ya tener una pata all To now have a paw in there To have a foot in the door

Estar como pez en elagua

To be like a fish in water To be in one`s element. To enjoy your owncomforts.

Tapando el sol con undedo

Covering the sun with a finger Covering things up.

Hijos de muchas madres Children of many mothers All kinds of people. A diverse group ofpeople.

Pintarse solo para unacosa

To paint oneself alone forsomething

To be very skillful at something


15/50

Pisarle los callos aalguien

To step on someone`scallouses

To bother someone without reason

Sin cruzar palabra Without crossing word Without saying a word

Que lo haga Rita Let Rita do it Let someone else do it

La flor y nata The flower and whipped cream Upper crust. Highest social class.


16/50

Pagar por sustos To pay in frights To buy on credit

Los gajes del oficio The matters of the trade. Part and parcel of the job. Occupationalhazards.

Tener a alguien en elalma

To have someone in one's soul To feel for someone who is havingproblems. To want to help

Llover a cntaros To rain tanks/pitchers Raining buckets


17/50

Tener buen diente To have good tooth To be a big eater. To have a hollow leg

Fresco Fresh Cool as a cucumber. Not worried

Estar muy potable To be very drinkable To look attractive

Partirse de la risa To split with laughter To crack up with laughter


18/50

Dar en el clavo To strike home To be spot on. To hit the nail on the head.

Mucho ojo, que la vistaengaa

Much eye, the sight deceives Appearances are deceptive

Darle lata a alguien To give someone tin can To give someone a hard time. To upsetsomeone.

Quedarse para vestirsantos

To stay dressing saints To remain an old maid


19/50


20/50

Bailar en la cuerda floja To dance on the tightrope To try to do many things at once

Tener los nervios depunta

To have one's nerves standing To have one's nerves on edge

Hacer San Lunes Make Saint Monday To skive off work on Mondays

Sufrir un ataque decuernos

To suffer an attack of horns To go into a jealous rage


21/50

Estar colgado To be hung, suspended To be in love. To have a crush

Hay ropa tendida There is clothing hung out todry

The coast is not clear. Be careful

De buenas a primeras From good ones to first ones On the spur of the moment

Poderoso caballero esDon Dinero

Mighty gentleman is DonMoney

Money makes the world go round / Moneyis power, power is money

Ser ua y carne To be fingernail and flesh. To be bosom buddies.


22/50

Buscarle las pulgas aalguien

To look for someone`s fleas To irritate someone. To provoke

Seguir en sus trece To keep in one`s thirteen To persist. To stick to one`s guns.

Siempre me toca bailarcon la ms fea

I always have to dance with theugliest girl.

I always get the short end of the stick / Ialways draw the short straw.

Salir por la ventana To leave through the window To sneak out the back door.


23/50

Tengamos la fiesta enpaz

We have the peace party. Let`s have some peace and quiet.

Revolver el gallinero To stir the chicken To put the cat among the pigeons.

A falta de pan, buenasson tortas

Where there is no bread, cakesare fine.

It will do just fine. One thing is as good asanother.

Para parar un tren To stop a train In large quantities. Tons of


24/50

Salir el tiro por la culata To have the shot go out the buttof the rifle

To backfire. To have the opposite resultfrom what was anticipated.

Empezar la casa por eltejado

To begin the house with theroof

To put the cart before the horse

Atar cabos To tie ends To put two and two together

Tonto de capirote Idiot chief Dope of dopes. Really stupid


25/50

Tiene un humor de perros He`s in a dog mood He`s in a foul mood

Para colmo de desgracias For the culmination ofmisfortunes

To top it all off

Un clavo saca otro clavo One nail takes out another nail. One problem overshadows another.

Estar como agua parachocolate

To be like water for chocolate. To be at boiling point (anger or passion)


26/50

Echar flores To throw flowers To pat on the back. To compliment

Dar en la torre To give in the tower To hit hard. To hurt someone where theyare vulnerable

Un hotel de mala muerte a hotel of bad death A grotty hotel

Correr como un galgo To run like a greyhound To run like a gazelle

Valer su peso en oro To be worth its weight in gold To be worth a fortune


27/50

Acostarse con las gallinas To go to bed with the chickens To go to bed early

Aflojar la cuerda To loosen the cord To take a breather

Poner en las nubes To put in the clouds To praise to the skies. To highly praise.

Estar metida en un rollo To be put in a roll To get into a bind. To get into hot water.


28/50

En boca cerrada noentran moscas

In a closed mouth flies don`tenter.

Loose talk can get you into trouble.

El hijo de pap Daddy`s child Rich kid. Kid who has everything providedfor them.

Ms loco que una cabra Crazier than a she-goat Mad as a hatter

Reparar en migajas To notice crumbs To split hairs. To pay attention tounimportant things instead of the biggerissues.


29/50

No dar pie con bola To not hit the ball with one`sfoot

To not be correct. To make a mess ofthings. To not do things right

Donde el diablo perdi elponcho

Where the devil lost his poncho In a god-forsaken spot

Meterse en el sobre To put oneself in the envelope To hit the sack. To go to bed

Meter la cuchara To put in the spoon To put in one`s two penny worth


30/50

Chiste rojo Red joke Dirty joke

No calentar el asiento To not warm the seat To not last long

Tener un corazn deacero

To have a heart of steel To have a heart of stone

Confundir la gimnasia conla magnesia

To confuse gymnastics withmagnesia

To mix apples and oranges


31/50

Montar un nmero To put on a number. To make a scene.

Llevar en palmas To carry palm trees To treat like a king. To pamper.

Comer a dos carrillos To eat with two cheeks To serve two masters. To work for twopeople.

Tomar el pelo a alguien To pull someone`s hair To pull someone`s leg, to make fun of


32/50

El vivo retrato de alguien The living portrait of someone The spitting image of someone

Flotar como el corcho enel agua

To float like cork in water To come out on top, come out well despiteadversity

No dar el brazo a torcer To not give one`s arm to twist To be stubborn

Cortado por la mismatijera

Cut by the same scissors Very similar, chip off the old block


33/50

No dejar piedra sobrepiedra

To not leave stone upon stone To leave nothing standing, to destroycompletely

Tener alma a acero To have a soul of steel To have a heart of stone, to be withoutfeelings

Hacer alharacas To make a fuss To make a big deal (of something)

Ser plato de segundamesa

To be a plate of a second table To feel like a second class citizen


34/50

A falta de pan, buenasson tortas

Where there is no bread, cakesare fine

It will do just fine. One thing is as good asanother.

Quemarse las pestaas To burn one`s eyelashes To burn the midnight oil. To cram

Hijo de la gata, ratonesmata

son of the cat kills rats Like father, like son

No van por ah los tiros The shots aren`t going that way barking up the wrong tree


35/50

Ni soarlo In your dreams No way

Fumarse una clase To smoke oneself a class To skip a class

Irsele a alguien la lengua To make a slip of the tongue Speak without thinking

Pon los pies sobre latierra

Put your feet on the ground Come down to earth


36/50

La sopa boba Crazy soup Life on Easy Street

El da de arreglo decuentas

The day of settling accounts Day of reckoning

Llevar en palmas To carry with palm trees To treat like a king, pamper

Con las manos en lamasa

With the hands in the dough Red-handed


37/50

Ponerse las botas To put one`s boots on To make a killing

Huir del fuego y caer enlas brasas

To flee from the fire and fall intothe coals

From the frying pan into the fire

La despidada de soltero Sending off of the single man Stag party

Darle a uno una buenaleja

To give someone a good doseof bleach

To give someone a good scolding


38/50

Hacer mil maromas para To do a thousand acrobatictricks in order to

To go to a lot of trouble to, to spare noeffort to

Bjale de crema a tustacos

Decrease the cream in yourtacos

Don`t exaggerate

Estar al loro To be at the parrot To pay attention, be attentive, be up todate

Criado(a) a lo bruto raised in a brutish way Brought up in a barn


39/50

Ser plato de segundamesa

To be second-table dish To play second fiddle

Jugar con dos barajas To play with two decks To cheat, act with duplicity

Cantar de plano To sing clearly To spill the beans

Echar agua al mar To throw water into the sea To be pointless


40/50

Con los brazos cruzados With arms crossed Twiddling one`s thumbs

Marcando ocupado Dialling the busy signal Not understanding anything

Encendrsele el bombillo To have the lightbulb turned on To get a brilliant idea

Ms feo que el pecado Uglier than the sin As ugly as sin


41/50

Hacer su santa voluntad To do one`s holy will To do as one pleases

Por los buenas o por lasmalas

For the good or the bad One way or another

No saber ni papa de Not to know even a potatoabout

To know nothing about

Caer chuzos de punta To rain sharp spears To rain cats and dogs


42/50

Tragarle a uno la tierra To be swallowed by the earth To disappear into nowhere

No cerrar la puerta To not close the door to not cut down on choices/options, or, notto burn one`s bridges

Quedar a la altura de suzapatilla

To remain at the height ofone`s slipper

To be a failure

Contigo ni a China mevoy

I`m not even going to Chinawith you

You`re impossible


43/50

Andar de Herodes aPilato

To walk from Herod to Pilate To go from bad to worse

Ser un espantapjaro To be a scarecrow Ugly as sin

Tener mal templada laguitarra

To have one's guitar badlytuned.

To be in a bad mood

Ser del montn To be of the heap No great shakes, nothing to write home

about


44/50

Llover sobre mojado To rain over the wetness It never rains but it pours.

Ser ms del campo quelas amapolas

To be more from the countrythan the poppies

To be a hick

Estar entre la espada y lapared

To be between the sword andthe wall

To be caught between a rock and a hardplace

Como pez en el agua Like a fish in the sea To be in one`s element


45/50

Un viento de mildemonios

A wind of a thousand demons A howling gale

Estar de veinticincoalfileres

To be of twenty-five pins To be dressed to kill

Tener angel To have an angel to have charm, to be charming

Darle perro a uno To give someone a dog To stand someone up, to break a date


46/50

Largar a otro el mochuelo To pass the owl on to someoneelse

To pass the buck

Dar en un hueso To hit a bone To hit a snag

Flipar en colores To flip colours To be totally amazed

Parecerse como dosgotas de agua

To look like two drops of water To look like two peas in a pod


47/50

Tener un tornillo flojo To have a loose screw To be crazy

El mundo es un pauelo The world is a handkerchief It`s a small world

Toda va viento en popa Everything goes wind at thestern

All is going well

Dejar a uno en laestacada

To leave someone in thestockade

To leave someone in the lurch

No es cosa del otro

mundo

It`s not anything from another

world

It`s nothing to write home about


48/50

Decirle a alguien cuatroverdades

To tell someone four truths To give someone a piece of one`s mind

Coger a alguien con lasmanos en la masa

To catch someone with his orher hands in the dough

To catch someone red-handed

Costar un ojo de la cara To cost an eye of the face To cost an arm and a leg

Aquello fue llegar y besarel santo

That was arriving and kissingthe saint

It was like taking candy from a baby


49/50

Andar caminando sobrehuevos

To walk stepping on eggs To tread on thin ice

Venir con msicas To come with music To tell tall tales

Rer con risa de conejo To laugh with the laughter of arabbit

To force a laugh

Empezar la casa por eltejado To start building the house atthe roof To put the cart before the horse


50/50

Ir al grano To go to the seed Get to the point

Faltarle a uno un tornillo to have a screw missing To be nuts

Cortar el bacalao To cut the codfish To rule the roost

No hay mal que por bienno venga

There is not badly that by wellcome not

Every cloud has a silver lining

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Spanish Idioms with pictures