Spanish saying July 25, 2008

“Una buena capa todo lo tapa” literally means “a good cape covers everything”. In English, we would say “you can’t judge a book by its cover” or “appearances can be deceiving”.

Spanish Idiom July 24, 2008

“De botones adentro” literally means “from buttons inward”. Colloquial equivalents in English are” “deep down inside” and “in one’s heart of hearts”.

Spanish Idiom September 21, 2007

When we’re really tired, in English we say we’re “beat” or “worn out”. In Spanish one might say “estar molido”, which literally means “to be ground down”.  When you go to the supermarket you might notice that “ground coffee” is “cafe molido”.  My Spanish brother-in-law has another saying for being very tired, “Estoy hecho una braga”, the literal translation of which is “I’m made a panty”.

Modismo del Dia 16 de Julio de 2007

“Encontrar la horma de su zapato” literally translates to “To find the form (mold) of one’s shoe”. The colloquial translation is “To find just what the doctor ordered” or “To find Mr. Right” or “To meet one’s match” or “To find one’s soulmate”.

Spanish Idiom of the Day July 3, 2007

A couple of clothing related idioms

“Esas son otras mangas” literally translates to “Those are other (different) sleeves”. The equivalents in English are “That’s a horse of a different color” and “That’s another or  a different kettle of fish”.

“Sacarse algo de la manga” literally means “To pull something out of the sleeve”. In English we say “To pull something out of one’s hat”. Note, however, that we also say “He’s got something up his sleeve”.

Idiom of the Day March 27, 2007

English: “To treat someone like dirt”

Spanish: “Tratar a alguien como a una zapatilla” Translates to “To treat someone like a slipper”

The other day I listed some idioms in English using :Irish”. There’s one I forgot, “Irish Alzheimer’s” It’s when all you remember are the grudges.

Idiom of the Day March 5, 2007

English: “If the shoe fits, wear it”

Spanish Equivalent: “A quien se pica que se rasque” Literal translation would be “He who has an itch should scratch it”

I’ve also seen the English idiom use “cap” instead of “shoe”. I have only heard shoe.  I suspect “cap” is either very old-fashioned or used in Great Britain. Any thoughts?