Asesores en Turismo, te presenta las expresiones idiomticas, en ingls con

su traduccin y ejemplo de uso.

Expresiones
idiomticas con
sus sinnimos

Traduccin

Ejemplo

after all despite,

nevertheless

despus de todo, al fin

y al cabo

I knew it! After all, I was

right!

all along all the time

todo el tiempo

I knew about his little

secret all along.

all ears eager

to listen

todo odos

I am all ears.

all of a sudden
suddenly

de repente, de pronto

All of a sudden,
he refused to pay.

all the same

no difference

da igual, lo mismo;
de todos modos

If its all the same

to you, lets start at two.

all thumbs clumsy

torpe

He cant fix anything,

hes all thumbs.

apple of discord
subject of envy
or quarrel

manzana
de la discordia

This question
is an apple of discord
in our family.

as a rule usually

como regla general

As a rule, we offer a 5%
discount.

as far as I am
concerned
in my opinion

en lo que a m respecta

As far as I am
concerned, both the
book and the movie are
good.

as for me/as to me
in my opinion

en cuanto a m

As for me, you can rely

on his support.

as well also, too

tambin

He knows math, and

physics as well.

at all (not) in the

smallest degree

en lo ms mnimo,
en absoluto

He doesnt know French

at all. I dont like it at all.

at random without
order

al azar

He chose those places

at random.

at this point at this

time

a estas alturas

At this point, we cant

turn back.

be about to ready
(to do)

estar a punto de

I was about to leave

when you called.

be after someone
insist, press

estar tras alguien;

insistir, presionar

His mother is always

after him to study.

be all in
be extremely tired

estar hecho polvo

Im all in, Id better

go to bed now.

be back on ones
feet healthy again
or better financially

recuperarse despus
de un tiempo difcil;
ponerse de pie otra vez

Hes back on his feet

after a long period
of debt and
unemployment.

beat around the

bush avoid giving
a clear/definite answer

irse por las ramas

Stop beating around the

bush! Get to the point!

be beside oneself
be very upset, nervous,
worried, etc.

estar fuera de s

She was beside herself

with worry / with grief.

be better off
be in a better situation

estar en una mejor

situacin

Hell be better off with

a new job.

be broke have
no money at all

estar en bancarrota

I spent all my money,

Im broke.

be hard
on something
/someone treat
roughly

ser duro con

algo/alguien

My son is hard
on shoes, they dont last
long with him. Life was
pretty hard on Tom.

be high on ones list

be one of the most
important things

encabezar la lista
de los asuntos
importantes

A new car is high

on my list of priorities.
A new TV is not high
on my list.

be in charge of
be responsible for

estar a cargo de, ser

responsable de

He is in charge
of marketing.

be in the red
be in debt

estar en deuda, estar

quebrado

Our sales were in the

red last year.

be into smth.
be interested in

estar
interesado/apasionado
por algo

He is into computers.
She is into sports.

bend over
backwards try hard

hacer todo lo que

se pueda

I bent over backwards

to help her.

be on ones way

estar en el camino

Im on my way.

be on the safe side

not to take any chances

para mayor seguridad

Take an extra key, just

to be on the safe side.

be out of be without

estar fuera de, estar

desabastecido,
no tener

We are out of bread,

cheese, and sugar.

be out of shape
be physically unfit

no estar en forma /
estar en mala
condicin fsica

He needs to exercise,
he is out of shape.

be out of sorts
in bad humor

estar de mal humor

Leave him alone, hes

out of sorts today

be pressed for time /

money be short of;
not have enough

estar presionado por

tiempo/dinero (no tener
suficiente
tiempo/dinero por
el momento)

Im pressed for time

now. We are pressed for
money at the moment.

beside the point off

the point

ajeno a la cuestin,
no va al caso

What I said to him

privately is beside the
point.

ser culpable

Who is to blame for this

awful mistake? Tom
is to blame for this mixup.

be to blame
be responsible for
a mistake / something
wrong

be touch and go
be uncertain of the
result

pender de un hilo

He was very sick, and

for some time it was
touch and go, but
he is better now.

be up against
be opposed by, have
problems, be in danger

enfrentar
(a algo/alguien),
encontrarse ante
problemas

Our company
is up against serious
attempts of hostile
takeover.

be up and
around/about able
to be out of bed after
an illness

volver a andar,
recuperarse (despus
de una enfermedad)

He was sick for

a month, but now
he is up and around.

be up to ones ears
very busy

estar muy ocupado

Im up to my ears
in work.

be up to something
do mischief

estar tramando algo

I have to check what the

kids are up to.

be up to someone
be ones own decision
or responsibility

ser decisin
de alguien,
corresponderle
a alguien

Its up to you to decide.

Its up to you to close
the office every day
at 8 oclock.

be used to
be accustomed to

estar acostumbrado a

Im used to hard work.

Hes used to heat.

big shot important

person

persona importante

He is a big shot around

here.

bite off more than one

sobrevalorar tus

I couldnt handle two

can chew try

to do more than one can

fuerzas (morder ms
de lo que puedes
masticar)

jobs and family. I really

bit off more than I could
chew.

bite ones tongue

stop talking

morderse la lengua,
dejar de hablar

I almost told her, but bit

my tongue.

bite the dust die,

be defeated

morder el polvo, morir

Many of them bit the

dust in that war.

oveja negra

Their second son is the

black sheep of the
family, he is good for
nothing.

blind date a meeting

of a man and woman
arranged by friends

cita a ciegas

She refuses
to go on a blind date
again because she had
bad experience.

blow it lose the

chance

perder la oportunidad

He understood that
he blew it.

blow over pass, end

pasar

Wait here till his anger

blows over.

bottom line main

result/factor

resultado

The bottom line is,

I dont have enough
money.

break into enter

by force

entrar por la fuerza,

penetrar

The police broke into

the robbers house.

black sheep a goodfor-nothing member

of the family

break ones heart

hurt deeply

romper el corazn
de alguien

The news of her death

broke his heart.

break the ice

overcome shyness
in making the first step

romper el hielo
(superar la timidez
y dar el primer paso)

The party was dull until

someone broke the ice
with a joke and we all
laughed.

break the news tell

new facts

difundir la informacin

CNN is breaking the

news right now.

bring home the

bacon earn the living
for the family

proveer a la familia

He works very hard

at several places
to bring home the
bacon.

brush off give

no attention to

no hacer caso

The boss brushed off

my project again.

brush up on review

repasar, refrescar
la memoria

You need to brush

up on the tenses.

by all means
-definitely, certainly

definitivamente, por
supuesto

Do you need my help?

By all means.

by heart
by memorizing

de memoria

Learn this poem

by heart for tomorrow.

by hook or by crook
by any means possible

como sea

She will get what she

wants by hook
or by crook.

by the way

por cierto

By the way, Ann

incidentally

is coming back today.

call a spade a spade

use plain, direct words

llamar a las cosas por

su nombre

He always tells the truth

and calls a spade
a spade.

call it a day consider

work finished for the day

considerar el trabajo
terminado

Weve been working for

10 straight hours. Lets
call it a day.

call off cancel

cancelar

The police called off the

search.

carry out fulfill

realizar, cumplir

She never carries out

her plans.

carry weight
be important

tener peso en, influir,

ser importante

His advice always

carries weight here.

cast down
depressed, sad

desanimar

He was cast down

by the bad news.

castles in the air

daydreaming about
success

(construir) castillos
en el aire

Instead of working hard,

he spends time building
castles in the air.

catch ones eye

attract attention

llamar la atencin

This picture caught

my eye.

catch ones breath

stop and rest

recobrar el aliento

I cant run, I need

to catch my breath.

catch someone off

tomar por sorpresa

He caught me off guard

guard catch
someone unprepared

with his question.

catch someone redhanded find smb.

in the act of doing wrong

sorprender a alguien
con las manos
en la masa

The manager caught

the boy red-handed
when he was stealing
cigarettes.

catch up become not

behind

ponerse al da

He needs to catch
up with the others.

close call a narrow

escape, a bad thing that
almost happened

por poco sucede algo

malo (escaparse por
milagro)

The speeding car

almost hit the man. That
was really a close call.

come across meet

by chance

encontrar

I came across that

article yesterday.

come down with

become ill

caer resfriado

Im coming down with

a cold.

come to ones
senses start acting
reasonably, intelligently

entrar en razn

He finally came to his

senses, started to work
hard, and passed his
exams.

come true become

reality

volverse realidad

My dream came true

when I met Pat.

come up with
suggest

proponer

Mike came up with

a brilliant idea.

count on depend on

contar con

You can always count

on me for help.

cut corners to take

a short-cut; to limit ones
spending

buscar atajos, omitir

procedimientos

He ran fast, cutting

corners where he could.
I have to cut corners
this week.

cut down on reduce

reducir el consumo

You have to cut down

on chocolate.

cut out to be /cut out

for it have the ability
to do something

estar hecho para

(algn trabajo)

She isnt cut out

to be a surgeon. Hes
cut out to be a leader.

do ones best try

very hard

dar lo mejor de s

I did my best to help

him in his work.

do ones bit
do whats needed

aportar su granito
de arena; hacer
lo necesario

Ill do my bit, you can

count on me.

do over do again

rehacer

This work is not good,

do it over.

do someone good
be good for

beneficiar

Fresh air and exercise

will do you good.

do something behind
ones back
do (harmful) things
secretively

hacer algo a espaldas

de uno

I hate people who

do things behind
my back. He did
it behind my back again.

do without live

vivir sin, prescindir

Ill have to do without

without

a car for a while.

down to earth
practical

prctico, realista

Hes quiet, sensible and

down to earth.

draw the line fix

a limit

trazar la lnea, limitar

He drew the line for her

at $100 a day.

dress up put on the

best clothes

ponerse la mejor ropa

What are you dressed

up for?

drop off deliver

somewhere

llevar (a una persona

a un lugar), dejar
(a una persona
en un lugar)

Can you drop me off

at the bank?

drop out quit

(school)

abandonar

He dropped out
of school last year.

duty calls must fulfill

obligations

el deber llama

He said, Duty calls

and left for work.

easier said than done

es ms fcil decir que

hacerlo

Its easier said than

done, but Ill try to do it.

eat ones words take

back words

tragarse las palabras

He had to eat his words

after her report.

even so
nevertheless, but

an as

I work hard. Even so,

I like my job.

every now and then

-occasionally

de vez en cuando

Every now and then I

visit my old aunt.

every other day

every second one

cada dos das; un da

s y un da no

She washes her hair

every other day.

fall behind lag

behind

quedarse atrs

The little boy fell behind

the older boys.

fall in love begin

to love

enamorarse

Tom fell in love with Sue

at first sight.

fall out of love stop

loving

dejar de amar

They fell out of love and

divorced soon.

false alarm untrue

rumor

falsa alarma

I heard he quit but

it was a false alarm.

a far cry from

something very
different, almost
opposite (neg.)

muy lejos de ser algo,

muy diferente a lo que
creas

His second book wasnt

bad, but it was a far cry
from his first book.

feel it in ones
bones expect
something bad
to happen

tener una corazonada

(presentimiento)

Something bad is going

to happen, I feel
it in my bones.

feel like doing

something want
to do, be inclined
to do smth.

antojarse de hacer
algo, sentir ganas
de hacer algo

I feel like going for

a walk. I dont feel like
working now, Im tired.

feel up to be able
to do

tener nimo para hacer

algo

I dont feel
up to cleaning the
house.

few and far between

rare, scarce

muy pocos, escasos

Her visits are few and

far between.

find fault with

criticize

encontrar fallos, criticar

He always finds faults

with everybody.

find out learn

or discover

averiguar, descubrir

I found out that Maria

left town.

firsthand directly
from the source

de primera mano

You can trust it, its

firsthand information.

first things first

important things come
before others

primero lo primero

First things first: how

much money
do we have to pay right
away?

fly off the handle get

angry

perder los estribos

He flew off the handle

and yelled at me.

follow in someones
footsteps do the
same thing

seguir los pasos

de otro

Igor followed in his

fathers footsteps,
he became a doctor,
too.

foot in the door

a special opportunity for
a job

tener un pie adentro

(tener una oportunidad
de trabajo)

Nina got a foot in the

door because her friend
works in that company.

foot the bill pay the

bill

pagar

Her father footed the bill

for the party.

for good forever

para siempre

After her death, he left

town for good.

for the time being
at this time

por el momento, por

ahora

For the time being, this

house is all right for us.

frame of mind
mental state

estado de nimo

I cant do it in this frame

of mind.

from A to Z
completely

conocer algo
de pe a pa; de cabo
a rabo

He knows this town

from A to Z.

from now on now

and in the future

desde ahora, a partir

de ahora

From now on, I forbid

you to go there.

get a grip
on oneself take
control of ones feelings

obtener control sobre

s mismo

Stop crying! Get a grip

on yourself!

get along with have

good relations

llevarse bien con

Ann gets along with

most coworkers, but
doesnt get along with
Laura.

get away with not

be caught after doing
wrong

evitar el castigo,
escapar de la justicia

The police didnt find

the thief. He got away
with his crime.

entusiasmarse

He got carried away

with opening a store
and lost most of his
money.

get carried away get

too excited and
enthusiastic about
something

get cold feet

be afraid to do

entrarle miedo
a alguien

I wanted to try it but got

cold feet.

get even with have

ones revenge

desquitarse

Ill get even with him for

everything!

get in touch with

contact

contactar a alguien

Get in touch with Mr.

Smith for help.

get lost lose ones

way

perderse

She got lost in the old

part of town.

Get lost! Lay off!

Vete! Desaparcete!
Lrgate!

I dont want to see you

again. Get lost!

get mixed up get

confused

confundir

I got mixed up, went the

wrong way and got lost.

get off ones back

leave alone

dejar a alguien en paz

Stop bothering me! Get

off my back!

get on ones high

horse behave
haughtily towards
someone

actuar como si fueras

mejor que otras
personas, ser engredo

Every time I ask her

to help me with typing,
she gets on her high
horse.

get on (the bus, train,

plane)

subir (el transporte)

I got on the bus on Oak

Street.

get off (the bus, train,

plane)

bajar (el transporte)

I got off the bus at the

bank.

get out of hand get

salirse de las manos,

If he gets out of hand

out of control

fuera de control

again, call me right

away.

get over recover

after an illness or bad
experience

recuperarse despus
de una enfermedad
o mala experiencia,
superar

I cant get over how

rude he was to me. She
got over her illness
quite quickly.

get rid of dispose of,

discard

deshacerse

He got rid of his old

useless car.

get together meet

with

reunirse

My friends and I get

together often.

get to the bottom

know deeply

llegar al fondo de algo

He usually gets to the

bottom of things.

get to the point get

to the matter

ir al grano

Get to the point!

Give
me a break! spare
me

Dame un respiro!
Djame!

Come on, stop it! Give

me a break!

dar la mano, ayudar

Can you give

me a hand with
cooking?

llevar a alguien en auto

Can you give me a lift

to the bank? He gave
her a ride in his new
Porsche.

give someone
a hand help

give someone
a lift /a ride take
to some place by car

give someone a piece

of ones mind
criticize frankly

give up stop doing

something, stop trying
to do something

go back on ones
word break
a promise

criticar, decir
abiertamente lo que
piensas

She lost my umbrella

again, so I gave her
a piece of my mind
about her carelessness.

rendirse

I gave up smoking.
I gave up trying to fix
my old car.
First he said he would

romper
la palabra/promesa

help me, but then

he went back on his
word.

go for it try
to do a new thing

intentar algo nuevo

If I were you, I would

go for it.

go from bad
to worse be worse

ir de mal en peor

His business went from

bad to worse.

go out go to parties,
movies

salir (de fiesta, al cine,

etc.)

Do he and his wife

go out often?

go out of ones way

-try very hard

poner mucho esfuerzo,

intentar mucho

He goes out of his way

to please her.

go to ones head
make too proud

subirse a la cabeza
(xito), sentirse
demasiado orgulloso

His acting success went

to his head.

go to pieces get very

upset, fall apart

derrumbarse, quedar
deshecho

She went to pieces

when she heard it.

go with the flow

lead quiet life

ir con la corriente

She always goes with

the flow.

grow on someone
become liked

gustar poco a poco

When she knew him

more, he grew on her.

had better should

ms vale que

You look ill, youd better

see a doctor.

have a ball have

a good time

pasarla bien

Yesterday we had a ball

at the party.

have a bone to pick

complain or discuss
something unpleasant

tener una cuenta que

ajustar

Mr. Brown, I have

a bone to pick with you.
My mail was lost
because of you.

have a word with

someone talk to

hablar con alguien

Can I have a word with

you?

have words with

someone argue with
someone about
something

hablar muy seriamente

con alguien /discutir

I had words with

my coworker today
because he used
my computer again.

have it in him have

the ability

tener habilidades

Laura has it in her

to be a good doctor.

have no business
doing something
have no right to do

no es tu asunto,
no tienes derecho de
(estar aqu, hacer esto,
etc.)

You have no business

staying here without
my permission.

have ones back to the

wall be hardpressed, on the
defensive

estar entre la espada

y la pared

I had no choice, I had

my back to the wall.

have ones hands

full very busy

estar muy ocupado

He has his hands full

with hard work.

have ones heart set

on something want
something very much

querer algo
demasiado, ansiar algo

She has her heart set

on going to New York.
He has his heart set
on Betty.

have pull have

influence on

influir, pesar

Does he have pull with

the director?

(not) have the heart

(not) have the courage
to do smth. unpleasant

(no) atreverse a hacer

algo desagradable;
(no) tener corazn para

I dont have the heart

to tell him that he wasnt
accepted, hell
be so unhappy.

high and low

everywhere

en todas partes
(en el cielo
y en la tierra, cuando
se refiere
a bsquedas)

I searched high and low

for my lost cat.

hit the nail on the

head say exactly the
right thing

acertar

You hit the nail on the

head when you said our
company needs a new
director.

hit upon something

pensar en algo;

They hit upon gold. I hit

to discover

descubrir

upon a plan.

hold it against
someone blame
somebody for doing
something

guardar rencores
en contra de alguien;
culpar a alguien por
algo

I lost his book, but

he doesnt hold
it against me.

Hold it! Stop! Wait!

Detente! Espera!

Hold it! I forgot my key.

Hold on! Wait!

Espera!

Hold on! Ill be back

in a minute.

hold ones own

maintain oneself
in a situation, behave
as needed

mantenerse firme

He can hold his own

in any situation.
We need men who can
hold their own.

hold up rob using

a weapon

asaltar, atacar

This bank was held

up twice last year.

ill at ease
uncomfortable

disgustado, incmodo

She felt ill at ease

because of her cheap
dress.

in advance well
before

de antemano

He told her about his

plan in advance.

in a nutshell in a few
words

en breve, en pocas
palabras

In a nutshell, my plan
is to buy land.

in care of someone

(escribir) a alguien

Im staying at Toms

write to one person

at the address
of another

a la direccin de otra
persona
(al cuidado de)

house. Write
to me in care of Tom
Gray, Chicago, Illinois.

in cold blood
mercilessly

a sangre fra

He killed her in cold

blood.

in fact actually,
in reality

de hecho, en realidad

In fact, he works
as a manager here.

in general generally,
generally speaking

en general

In general, he likes
to be alone.
He described the place
only in general.

in ones element
what one likes

estar como pez

en el agua

Hes in his element

when hes arguing.

in other words using

other words

en otras palabras

In other words, you

refused to do it for her.

in plain English
in simple, frank terms

sencillamente
hablando

I didnt really like the

concert. In plain
English, the concert
was terrible.

the ins and outs all

info about

los pormenores

He knows the ins and

outs of this business.

in someones shoes
in another persons
position

en los zapatos
de alguin, en lugar
de otra persona

Id hate to be in his
shoes now. He lost his
job, and his wife
is in the hospital.

in the long run in the

end

al final de cuentas

In the long run, itll

be better to buy it.

in the same boat

in the same situation

en el mismo barco;
en la misma situacion

Stop arguing with me,

were in the same boat
and should help each
other.

in the clear free from

blame

estar fuera
de sospecha

Pay the bill and youll

be in the clear.

in time
(to do something)
before something begins

a tiempo (para hacer

algo)

I came in time to have

a cup of coffee before
class.

it goes without
saying should
be clear without words

no hace falta decir

nada

It goes without saying

that he must pay what
he owes right away.

Its on the tip

of my tongue.

est en la punta
de mi lengua

His name is on the tip

of my tongue.

its time should

do it right away

es hora

Hurry up, its time to go.

Its worth it. / Its not

worth it. Its (not) worth
buying, visiting,
watching, etc.

lo vale / no lo vale
vale la pena / no vale
la pena

Watch this film, its

worth it. Dont buy this
coat, it is not worth it.
This museum is worth
visiting. This film is not
worth watching.

it will do its enough

es suficiente

Stop reading, it will

do for now.
jump at the
opportunity/chance
accept the opportunity
eagerly

aprovechar
la oportunidad

His boss mentioned

a job in Europe, and
Peter jumped at the
opportunity.

just as soon prefer

this one

preferira

Id just as soon stay

home, Im tired.

just in case
to be on the safe side

por si acaso

Take an extra shirt, just

in case.

Just my luck! Bad /

Hard luck!

Vaya suerte que

tengo! Qu mala
suerte!

They lost my job

application. Just
my luck!

keep an eye on take

care of, watch, look after

estar pendiente; vigilar

Betty keeps an eye

on my sons for me. Ill
keep an eye on you!

keep a straight face

not to laugh

mantener la cara seria

I tried to keep a straight

face, but failed.

keep company
accompany

hacer compaa

She keeps me company

quite often.

keep ones word

fulfill a promise

mantener la palabra

You promised, now

keep your word.

keep someone
posted inform

mantener a alguien
al tanto / informado

Keep me posted about

your plans.

keep your fingers

crossed hope that
nothing will go wrong

cruzar los dedos

I have a job interview

today. Keep your fingers
crossed for me, will
you?

kill time fill/spend

empty time

matar el tiempo

I went to the show to kill

time.

no saber nada acerca

I dont know the first

thing about nuclear

(not) know the first

thing about not
to have any knowledge
about
know the ropes
be very familiar with
some business

de

physics.

estar al tanto

He knows all the ropes

in this company.

last-minute notice
little or no time
to prepare for something

noticia de timo minuto

His arrival was a lastminute notice, we didnt

have time to prepare
for it.

lay ones cards on the

table be frank and
open

poner las cartas sobre

la mesa; ser sincero
y abierto

Finally, we asked him

to lay his cards on the
table and tell us about
his plans.

lay ones life on the

line put oneself
in a dangerous situation

poner la vida en juego,

arriesgar la vida

He laid his life on the

line to fulfill this task,
but nobody appreciated
his efforts.

lead a dogs life live

llevar una vida

He leads a dogs life.

in misery

de perros

lead someone on
make someone believe
something that isnt true

engaar, hacer
a alguien creer que
es cierto

They suspect that you

are leading them on.
You led me on!

leave it at that
accept reluctantly

dejar las cosas como

son

Leave it at that, what

else can you do?

leave word leave

a message

He left word for you

dejar un mensaje

to meet him at the

airport at 6.

let bygones
be bygones forget
and forgive bad things
in the past

lo pasado, pasado est

Why dont you let

bygones be bygones
and forget about what
he said?

let go of release the

hold

soltar, dejar ir

Let go of my hand or Ill

call the guard.

let (it) go forget bad

experience, return
to normal life

dejarlo ir, superar

malas experiencias

Hes still in despair and

cant let (it) go. You
cant change anything,
so let it go.

let ones hair down

be relaxed and informal
with other people

soltarse la melena,
echarse una cana
al aire, relajarse

She is always so formal.

She never lets her hair
down.

let someone down

disappoint, fail someone

quedar mal con

alguien, decepcionar
a alguien

Dont let me down this

time!

let someone know

inform

notificar, informar

Let me know when you

find a job.

like father, like son

be like ones parent
in something

de tal palo, tal astilla

Paul won a prize

in a chess tournament.
Great! Like father, like
son!

little by little step

by step

poco a poco

Little by little, he got

used to Tokyo.

look for search for

buscar

What are you looking

for?

look forward to
expect with pleasure

esperar con
impaciencia

Im looking forward
to your letter. Mary
is looking forward to the
party.

look out be careful,

watch out

tener cuidado

Look out! The bus

is coming!

look up check with

/in a dictionary
or a reference book

buscar (informacin
en un diccionario,
Internet, etc.)

If you dont know this

word, look it up in the
dictionary.

lose ones temper

become angry

perder la paciencia,
enojarse

He loses his temper

very often.

lose ones way get

lost

perder el camino,
perderse

I lost my way. Can you

help me?

lose track of not

perder el hilo/la pista

I lost track of him years

to know where someone

or something is
lucky break a lucky
chance

ago.

golpe de suerte

He got his lucky break

when he got this job.

ganarse la vida

He works hard. His

family is big, and he has
to make a living
somehow.

make allowance for

take into consideration
when judging

tener en cuenta

Dont criticize him

so hard, make (an)
allowance for his
inexperience.

make a point of
be sure to do something
intentionally

poner empeo en
(hacer algo); hacer
algo intencionalmente;
tender a/intentar

Make a point of asking

about his wife. Make
it a point to be here
by 10.

make ends meet

to have and spend only
what one earns

llegar a fin de mes;

sobrevivir con pocos
ingresos

His doesnt get much

money. I wonder how
he manages to make
ends meet.

make friends
become friends

hacer amigos

Anton makes new

friends easily.

make fun of
laugh at, joke about

burlarse de

He made fun of her

German accent.

make no bones about

no darle ms vueltas,

Ill make no bones

make a living earn

money to provide for life

it say/do openly,
without hesitation

no andar por las ramas

about it: I dont like your

attitude to work.

make room for allow

space for

liberar espacio para

We can make room for

one more dog.

make sense
be logical

tener sentido

What you say makes

sense.

make the most

of smth do the best
in the given situation

sacar lo mejor de

Lets make the most

of our vacation.

make up become
friends again

reconciliarse

Im tired of fighting. Lets

make up.

make up for smth

compensate

recompensar

Ill make up for the time

you spent on it.

make up ones mind

decide

tomar una decisin

When will you go?

Make up your mind.

make yourself
at home
be comfortable, feel
at home

sintete como
en tu casa

Come in please. Make

yourself at home.

man of his word one

who keeps promises,
is dependable

el hombre de palabra

You can depend on his

promise to help. Hes
a man of his word.

mean well have

good intentions

tener buenas
intenciones

He meant well, but

it turned out that

he spoiled a couple
of things for me.

might as well a good

idea

missing person
someone who is lost
and cant be located

podras aprovechar
y hacerlo (es buena
idea hacer algo)

persona desaparecida

I might as well
telephone him now.

The little boy

disappeared. The police
registered him
as a missing person.

meet someone
halfway compromise
with others

encontrar un trmino
medio

Hes reasonable and

tries to meet his
coworkers halfway,
when possible.

never mind it doesnt

matter

olvdalo, no importa

Thank you. Never

mind.

not to mention
in addition to

sin mencionar

We have three dogs,

not to mention two cats.

no wonder not
surprising

no es una sorpresa

He ate three big fish.

No wonder hes sick.

now and again

occasionally

de vez en cuando

I meet them now and

again at the bank.

odds and ends

a variety of small

restos, pedacitos

I needed to buy some

odds and ends for the

unimportant things
or leftovers

kitchen.

off the cuff without

preparation

de improviso, sin
preparacin previa

Off the cuff, I can give

you only a rough
estimate.

off the point beside

the point

no va al caso, fuera
de la cuestin

What I think about him

is off the point.

off the record not for

the public, unofficially

extraoficialmente

Strictly off the record,

I think the director
is going to get married
soon.

once and for all

decidedly

de una vez por todas

You must quit smoking

once and for all.

on credit not pay

cash right away

a crdito

He bought a car
on credit.

on edge nervous,
irritable

nervioso, irritado

Hes been on edge ever

since she left.

on guard on the alert

en guardia, alerta

Hes cautious and

always on guard.

on hand available

a la mano

Do you have
a calculator on hand?

on ones own alone,

by oneself

por su cuenta,
independientemente

She likes to live and

work on her own.

on ones toes alert,

attentive, prepared for
difficulties

alerta

He was on his toes and

produced a very good
impression on them.

on purpose
intentionally

a propsito,
intencionalmente

I didnt do it on purpose,
it just happened so.

on second thought
after thinking again

pensndolo bien

Id like to sit on the

aisle. On second
thought, Id like
a window seat.

on the alert on guard

alerta, en guardia

Hes cautious and

always on the alert.

on the carpet called

in by the boss for
criticism

llamar al despacho del

director, llamar
la atencin, criticar

Yesterday the boss

called her on the carpet
for being rude to the
coworkers.

on the go busy,
on the move

en marcha,
en movimiento

He is always on the go.

es poco probable pero

On the off chance that

you dont find him
at work, heres his home
address.

por otro lado

Id like to have a dog.

On the other hand,
my wife likes cats
better.

on the off chance

unlikely to happen, but
still

on the other hand

considering the other
side of the question

on the spot right

there

en el mismo sitio

I decided to do it on the
spot.

on the spur of the

moment without
previous thought / plan

en la euforia del
momento

He bought this car

on the spur of the
moment, now
he regrets it.

on time punctual

a tiempo

Jim is always on time.

out of ones mind

crazy

loco, fuera de s

If you think so, youre

out of your mind.

out of ones way

away from someones
usual route

desviado del camino,

fuera del camino

I cant give you a lift

to the bank, its out
of my way today.

out of the question

impossible

fuera de la cuestin

Paying him is out of the

question!

pack rat a person

who saves lots
of unnecessary things

acumulador obsesivo

Why does she keep all

those things she never
uses? She is a pack
rat.

pay attention
be attentive

prestar atencin

Pay attention to his

words.

pick a fight start

a quarrel

empezar una
pelea/discusin

He often tries to pick

a fight with me.

pick up take, get

elegir, recoger

Ill pick you up at 7.

play ones cards

right choose the right
steps in doing
something

potluck supper
a surprise meal, where
nobody knows what
dishes other guests will
bring

pull oneself
together brace
oneself, summon your
strength

jugar bien sus cartas

una cena en grupo

donde cada quien trae
lo que quiere

If you play your cards

right, hell agree to your
plan.

You know what

happened at our last
potluck supper?
Everybody brought
macaroni and cheese,
apples, and beer!

sobreponerse

Stop crying and

complaining! You have
to pull yourself together
now.

pull the wool over

someones eyes
deceive, mislead
someone

engaar

Are you trying to pull the

wool over my eyes?
It wont do you any
good.

put a damper on
discourage

poner un freno a

She always puts

a damper on my plans.

put in a word for

someone say
positive things about
someone

defender a alguien con

palabras, decir algo
bueno acerca
de alguien

Id be very grateful
if you could put
in a word for me when
you speak to him.

put off postpone

posponer

Dont put it off till

tomorrow.

oponerse fuertemente

Her father put his foot

down when she said
she wanted to marry
Alan.

put ones foot in it

do the wrong thing,
make a fool of oneself

meter la pata; decir

/hacer algo estpido

He put his foot

in it when he told the
boss his daughter
wasnt pretty.

put up with accept,

tolerate

aguantar, tolerar

I cant put up with your

bad work!

quite a bit of much,

a lot of

mucho

I had quite a bit

of trouble with that car.

quite a few many,

a lot of

muchos

He wrote quite a few

good stories.

rack ones brain try

hard to think

esforzar el cerebro

He racked his brain

to solve the puzzle.

read between the

lines find
or understand the
implied meaning

leer entre lneas

His books are not easy

to understand; you have
to read between the
lines.

remember me to say
hello to

enviar saludos

Please remember
me to your family.

right away
immediately

de inmediato

It very important
to do it right away.

put ones foot down

object strongly

ring a bell remind

someone of something
familiar /half-forgotten

se parece a algo, luce

familiar

Annabel Lee? Yeah,

it rings a bell, but I cant
place it right now.

rock the boat make

the situation unstable

causar problemas,
desestabilizar una
situacin

Peter always rocks the

boat when we discuss
companys spending
policy.

rub shoulders with

meet with

codearse

He doesnt rub
shoulders with the rich.

rub someone the

wrong way irritate,
annoy, make angry

irritar, molestar
a alguien

His remarks rub many

coworkers the wrong
way.

run into meet

by chance

encontrarse a alguien
por casualidad

I ran into an old friend

yesterday.

rescatar la reputacin

He said a stupid thing

and tried to save face
by saying
he misunderstood me.

save ones breath

stop useless talk

ahorrarse las palabras

Theres no use talking

to him about his
spending habits,
so save your breath.

scratch the surface

study something
superficially

no profundizar
en el tema, estudiar
de manera superficial

He examines all the

facts closely, he doesnt
just scratch the surface.

save face try

to change the negative
impression produced

see about make

arrangements for

ocuparse de

I have to see about our

plane tickets.

see eye to eye agree

compartir un mismo
punto de vista con
alguien

We dont see eye to eye

any longer.

It serves him right that

he didnt get this job,
he despised all other

serve someone
right get what
someone deserves

recibir lo que uno

se merece

serve ones purpose

be useful to someone
for his purpose

servir al propsito
de alguien, ser til para
el propsito de alguien

I doubt that hiring this

man will serve your
purpose.

show promise
be promising

mostrar esperanza

This young actor shows

promise.

show up appear

aparecer

I waited for hours but

he didnt show up.

size up evaluate
someone

evaluar

It took me 5 minutes
to size up that man.

sleep on it postpone
a decision till next
morning

posponer algo hasta

la maana siguiente

Dont decide now, sleep

on it.

a slip of the tongue

a mistake

error, equivocacin,
lapsus

It was just a slip of the

tongue!

slip (from) ones

olvidar

It slipped my mind what

candidates.

mind forget

she asked me.

smell a rat suspect

something

sospechar algo

Im not sure what it is,

but I smell a rat.

so far up to now

hasta ahora

So far, I have read

3 books by King.

so much the better

its even better

an mejor

If he can pay cash,

so much the better.

spill the beans tell

a secret

soltar la sopa, decir

un secreto

Who spilled the beans

about our plan?

stand a chance have

a chance

tener una oportunidad

He doesnt stand
a chance of getting it.

stand out
be noticeable

destacarse

He stands out in any

group of people.

stand to reason
be logical

ser lgico

It stands to reason that

he apologized.

straight from the

shoulder speak
frankly

sin rodeos,
abiertamente

Dont try to spare

my feelings, give
it to me straight from the
shoulder.

take a dim view

of something
disapprove of something

tener una opinin

negativa acerca
de algo

My sister takes a dim

view of the way I raise
my children.

take a break stop for

tomar una pausa

Lets take a break, Im

rest

tired.

take advantage of
use for ones own
benefit, to profit from

We took advantage
of the low prices and
bought a computer and
a monitor.

take after be like one

of the parents

aprovecharse de

parecerse a los padres

Tom takes after his

father in character, and
after his mother
in appearance.

take a stand
on something make
a firm opinion/decision
on smth.

tomar una posicin

firme respecto a algo

People need to take

a stand on the issue
of nuclear weapons.

take care of look

after, protect, see that
smth. is done properly

cuidar de

Can you take care

of my dog while Im
away? Tom takes good
care of his car.

take hold
of something take,
hold

tomar, sujetar

Take hold of this rope

and pull.

take into account

consider smth.

tomar en cuenta

You must take into

account her old age.

take it easy relax,

be calm

no te preocupes

Take it easy, everything

will be OK.

take (it) for granted

dar por sentado

Mothers love is always

taken for granted

by children.

accept as given

take ones breath away

dejarlo a uno sin

aliento

That great view took

my breath away.

take ones time

do slowly

tomarte tu tiempo,
hacer algo despacio,
sin prisa

Dont hurry. Take your

time.

take ones word for

it believe

creer en la palabra
de alguien, creerle
a alguien

Take my word for it,

he wont go there.

take pains try hard

to do it well

esmerarse

He took pains to make

his report perfect.

take part in smth.

participate in

tomar parte, participar

Mary is going to take

part in the show.

take place happen

tomar lugar, suceder

The accident took place

on Oak Street.

take someones mind

off things distract
from fixed
ideas/thoughts

distraer a alguien
de sus pensamientos

Go to a concert
or a movie to take your
mind off things.

take steps take

action /measures

tomar medidas, actuar

We need to take steps

against it.

take the words right

out of ones mouth

quitar las palabras

de la boca (decir algo

I was about to say the

same! You took the

say the same before

somebody else says it

que quera decir otra

persona)

words right out

of my mouth.

take time take a long

time

tomar tiempo

It takes time to get used

to a new place.

take time off

be absent from work

tomar un da libre

He took time off

to attend the wedding.

take turns alternate

We went to Minsk
cambiar turnos, hacer
algo por turnos

by car. We didnt get

tired because we took
turns driving

talk back answer

rudely

replicar, responder
insolentemente

Dont talk back to the

teacher!

talk it over discuss

discutir

Ill talk it over with

my family.

tell apart see the

difference

distinguir

Can you tell the twins

apart?

Thats just the point.

Thats it.

Este es el punto.

Thats just the point!

I hate this job!

the writing on the

wall a sign of future
events (usually, trouble)

premonicin (de algo

malo)

The plane crashed. Tim

said he saw the writing
on the wall about this
flight.

not think much of

think low

tener un concepto bajo

de alguien

I dont think much of her

cooking.

doing something one

after another

think over consider

carefully

pensar en detalle,
considerar

Think over your answer.

Think it over carefully.

till one is blue in the

face try hard

esforzarse demasiado

I repeated it till I was

blue in the face!

to make a long story

short in short

en pocas palabras

To make a long story

short, we won.

to say the least

to make the minimum
comment about smth.

para no decir ms

The film was boring and

long, to say the least.

try on put on new

clothes to test them for
size or look

probarse (la ropa)

Try on this leather coat,

its very good. She tried
it on, but it didnt fit her
at all.

try ones hand

at something try

probar algo, probar

suerte con algo

I want to try my hand

at painting.

turn on / off switch

on / off

encender/apagar

Turn on the radio. Turn

off the water.

turn out to be
result/end this way

resultar

He turned out
to be a very good actor.

turn over a new leaf

make a fresh start in life,
work, etc.

empezar de nuevo,
hacer borrn y cuenta
nueva

He promises to turn
over a new leaf and quit
alcohol for good.

turn the tide reverse

the course of events

cambiar el curso de los

eventos

The new evidence

turned the tide, and the

defendant was
acquitted of charges.

twist ones arm

make to agree

retorcer brazos, obligar

a alguien a hacer algo
en contra
de su voluntad

They twisted his arm

to sell the house.

under the weather

feel ill

resfriado

Im a little under the

weather today.

up-and-coming
showing promise
of future success

prometedor

He is an up-and-coming
young lawyer who might
help you with your case.

up in arms hostile to,

in strong protest against
something

protestar, estar
en contra

The employees are

up in arms about the
new retirement rules.

up in the air
undecided

colgado en el aire,
indefinido

My vacation plans are

still up in the air.

up to par equal
in standard

adecuado y normal

His behavior isnt

up to par.

used to did often

in the past, but not now

sola (hacer algo)

I used to play the piano

when I was in school
(but I dont play it now).

walk on air be very

happy

estar en las nubes,

estar muy feliz

He got the job and

is walking on air now.

waste ones breath

esforzarse en vano

Dont waste your breath

trying to make him do it,

he wont change his
mind.

speak uselessly,
to no purpose

watch ones step

be careful

tener cuidado, ser

cauteloso

Watch your step!

watch out look out,

be careful

tener cuidado

Watch out for that car!

Watch out!

wet blanket a kill-joy,

who spoils everybodys
fun

aguafiestas

Remember what a wet

blanket he was last
time? Please dont
invite him again.

Whats the matter?

What is it?

Qu pasa?

Whats the matter?

What happened?

which way the wind

blows what the real
situation is

cul es la situacin real

(en qu direccin sopla
el viento)

He knows which way

the wind blows and
always acts accordingly.

white lie unimportant

lie

mentira piadosa

A white lie is told

to spare your feelings.

word for word in the

same words

literalmente

Tell me word for word

what he said.

would rather prefer

preferir

Id rather stay at home

today.