Spanish Idiom of the Day July 17, 207

“Bajo siete llaves” literally translates to “Under seven keys”. The equivalent in English is “Under lock and key”.

In English we refer to a “double chin”. In Spanish the term is “papada”.

Spanish Idiom of the Day June 28, 2007

Here are two idioms involving numbers

“La docena  del fraile” literally means “The friar’s dozen. In English it’s the “baker’s dozen”.

In a previous posting we translated the saying “As blind as a bat” to “Mas ciego que un topo” which means “Blinder than a mole”. Another way to say this is “No ver tres en un burro” which literally translates to “Not to see three on a donkey”.

Idiom(s) of the Day May 16, 2007

Here are two Spanish idioms involving numbers

“Mantenerse en sus trece” which translates literally to “To maintain oneself in one’s thirteen” The idiomatic translation is “To stick to one’s guns”. Anyone know the origin of the Spanish saying?

“Dar quince y raya” literally means “To give fifteen and line” Another saying with the same idiomatic meaning is “Dar ciento y raya” . The colloquial meaning is “To run rings around someone” In English we also say “To run circles around someone”

Spanish Idiom of the Day April 18, 2007

Spanish: “Mas chulo que un ocho” Literally translates as “Cockier than an eight”. I have no idea about the significance, if any, of the number eight. The dictionary has the English equivalent as “Prouder than a peacock”.

“Chulo” is one of those words whose meaning varies, sometimes wildly, from country to country. In Spain it is a derogatory term that can mean a lower class person from Madrid, someone’s who’s cocky or impudent. It is also used to mean a pimp, as in “chulo de putas”. In South America it may mean “nice” or “pretty”.