frases idiomáticas Útiles

8/17/2019 Frases Idiomáticas Útiles

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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


4/24

%!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


5/24

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.


6/24

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,


7/24

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,


8/24

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.


9/24

#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.


10/24

#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


11/24

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,


12/24

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


13/24

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.


14/24

!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.


15/24

!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


16/24

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


17/24

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.


18/24

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.


19/24

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.


20/24

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,


21/24

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.


22/24

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


23/24

'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


24/24

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

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