Spanish Idiom March 31, 2008

To describe an insane person we might say “He’s crazy as a loon” or “He’s as mad as a hatter”. In Spanish, such a person would be crazier than a goat, as in “Mas loco que una cabra”.

Spanish Idiom March 28, 2008

When we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory we employ the phrase “Like a fish out of water:. An equivalent in Spanish is “Como un perro en barrio ajeno”, which literally means “Like a dog in a strange neighborhood”.

Spanish Saying March 27, 2008

Because appearances may deceive, we say “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. In Spanish, one equivalent phrase is “Caras vemos, corazones no sabemos”, which translates literally to “Faces we see, hearts we do not know”.

Spanish Idiom March 26, 2008

In some contexts, when two individuals are very close to one another, we use the phrase “They’re as thick as thieves”. In Spanish, one equivalent saying is “Beben agua del mismo jarrito:, which literally means “They drink water from the same pitcher”.

Spanish Idiom March 25, 2008

Here’s another Spanish idiom involving “pelo”, which means “hair”: “No tener pelo de tonto” literally means “Not to have hair of a fool”. The colloquial equivalent is “To be nobody’s fool”.

Spanish Idiom March 24, 2008

In English, to describe someone with a lot of money, we say “To be loaded” or “To have money to burn”. An equivalent in Spanish is “Tener mas lana que un borrego”, which translates literally to “To have more wool than a lamb”.

Spanish Saying March 22, 2008

When someone says a non sequitur or something that is illogical, we might say “What’s that got to do with anything?” or the more colloquial phrase “What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?”. In Spanish one might say “Yo tengo una tia que toca la guitarra”, which literally means “I have an aunt who plays the guitar”

Spanish Saying March 21, 2008

“El hijo de la gata, ratones mata” literally translates to “the son of the cat kills mice”. An equivalent in English is “Like father, like son”.

Spanish Idiom March 19, 2008

“Machacar en hierro frio” literally means “to bang on cold iron”. The idiomatic equivalent in English is “to bang one’s head against a brick wall”, signifying an exercise in futility.

Spanish Idiom March 18, 2008

When someone has the talent or ability to perform a particular task or undertaking, we might say “to have the makings of …” or “to have what it takes to …”. In Spanish the equivalent colloquialism is “to have good wood for …”, as in “tener buena madera para …”.