Spanish Saying May 20, 2008

Here’s a Spanish saying that is almost identical to its counterpart in English, “strike while the iron is hot”: “Al hierro candente batir de repente”, which means “to the hot iron strike right away”.

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 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 September 25, 2007

“Ser un plomo” literally means “To be lead”. The colloquial meaning is “To be a bore, a pest or a drag”. This is reminiscent of the saying in English about jokes, “It went over like a lead balloon”.

Spanish Idiom September 11, 2007

“Hacer (tender) un puente de plata a uno” literally translates to “To extend a silver bridge to someone”. In English we use another rare metal in the equivalent idiom: “to present someone with a golden opportunity

Idiom of the Day May 14, 2007

Spanish: “Batirse el cobre por hacer algo” literally translates to “To strike the copper to do something”. The idiomatic translation is “To go hard at it” or “To buckle down”. Idioms or slang in English using “copper”? The obvious one is “copper” for policeman, and hence the term “cop”.