Spanish Idiom April 30, 2008

When we’re desperate sometimes we “clutch at straws”. In Spanish, one might clutch a burning nail, as in “agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo”.

Spanish Saying April 29, 2008

“The early bird catches the worm” has in its Spanish equivalent a different prize for early risers: “El que madruga coge la oruga”. The literal translation is “He who rises early gets the caterpillar”.  The worm (gusano) may have been sacrificed in order for the phrases to rhyme.

Spanish Idiom April 28, 2008

In English, we often hear the phrase “like a deer in the headlights”  to describe someone who is “scared stiff”.  Spanish has a similar phrase involving deer: “tener un miedo cerval”, which literally means “to have a cervine fear”.

Spanish Saying April 25, 2008

“Let bygones be bygones” has as an equivalent in Spanish the phrase “Lo pasado, pasado esta”, which literally translates to “The past, past it is”.

Spanish Idiom April 24, 2008

“Mas derecho que una vela” literally translates to “Straighter than a candle”. One dictionary entry for an equivalent in English is “straight as a die”. We often hear “straight as an arrow”, but usually when describing the flight of an object.

Spanish Idiom April 23, 2008

One Spanish equivalent of “fat as a pig” is “mas gordo que un sollo”, which literally means “fatter than a sturgeon”.

Spanish Idiom April 22, 2008

In English, when we’re seeking contributions we “pass the hat”. In Spanish, one would “pass the plate”, as in “pasar el platillo”.

Spanish Saying April 21, 2008

In English we often hear the phrase “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link”. A similar saying in Spanish is “El hilo siempre se rompe por lo mas delgado”. The literal translation is “The thread always breaks at the thinnest”.

Spanish Saying April 18, 2008

When someone is close to dying we might use the phrase “To be at death’s door” or “To have one foot in the grave”. One similar saying in Spanish is “Estar con el alma en la boca”, which literally means “To be with the soul in the mouth”.

Spanish Saying April 17, 2008

“Haber sido cocinero antes que fraile” literally translates as “To have been a cook before a friar”. The colloquial meaning is “To know what one is (doing) or “talking about)”; “to speak from experience”.