The Big Red Book of Spanish Idioms

by Peter Weibel

prestar oídos a alg./algo

  prestar oídos sordos [a algo]

  prestar salud

  la pretensión aspiration

  andar en pretensiones (fam.) to be looking for a wife

  prevenir to prevent

  Más vale prevenir que curar. (prov.) Prevention is better than cure. (prov.) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (prov.) Better [to be] safe than sorry. (prov.)

  Más vale prevenir que lamentar. (prov.) Better [to be] safe than sorry. (prov.)

  la primada (fam.) piece of stupidity, silly mistake

  pagar la primada to have to pay for one’s stupidity/naivety

  primer[o] first

  El primer venido, primer servido. First come, first served.

  la primera (de cambio) first of exchange

  a las primeras de cambio (fig., fam.) suddenly, unexpectedly, at the first best opportunity, as soon as I/etc. turned my/etc. back, before you know where you are Se largó a las primeras de cambio. He did a bunk at the first best opportunity.

  el primo cousin

  el primo (fig., fam.) fool, patsy (sl., Am.E.), mug (sl., Br.E.), sucker (sl.), dupe

  hacer el primo (fig., fam.) to be [easily] taken in (fam.), to be [easily] taken for a ride (fam.), to be [easily] conned (fam.)

  venirle a una mujer el primo de América (fam.) to start one’s period Le vino el primo de América a su hermana. His sister started her period.

  ser primo hermano de o ser primos hermanos (fig., fam.) (s.th./things): to be/look very much like, to be very similar to, to be/look extraordinarily alike Tu vestido es primo hermano del que yo tengo. Your dress looks very much like mine. Your dress is very similar to the one I have. La música folklórica de Galicia y la música tradicional de Escocia son primas hermanas. The folk[loric] music in Galicia and the traditional music in Scotland are extraordinarily alike.

  el primor skill

  … que es un primor (fig., fam.) … that it is a delight, beautifully Canta que es un primor. She sings in a way that is a delight to hear. She sings like an angel.

  ser un primor (a) to be a [real] masterpiece, to be a brilliant feat (b) to be charming, to be delightful Su última novela fue un primor. His last novel was a masterpiece. Tus hijas son un primor. Your daughters are charming girls.

  el príncipe prince

  vivir como un o a lo príncipe (fig.) to live like a lord/king (fig.), to live in grand style, to live on a grand scale

  el príncipe azul (fig.) Prince Charming (fig.)

  el príncipe encantado (especialmente iron.) Prince Charming (fig.)

  pringar to dip in fat

  pringarla (pop.) (a) to mess it up (fig.), to botch it up (fam.), to make a boob (fam.), to make a blunder, to drop a brick/clanger (fam., Br.E.) (b) to kick the bucket (fam.) cascar[la]

  pringar[las] (fig., fam.) to sweat one’s guts out (fam.) echar/sudar la hiel

  pringarse algo (fig., fam.) to embezzle s.th., to swipe s.th. (sl.), to pinch s.th. (sl., Br.E.), to walk off with s.th.

  O nos pringamos todos, o ninguno. (fig., fam.) Either we all carry the can or none of us does. (fam., Br.E.)

  prisa ( vestir: vísteme despacio, que estoy de ~/que tengo ~)

  probar to try

  Al probar se ve el mosto. (prov.) The proof of the pudding is in the eating. (prov.)

  problema (atajar el ~ de raíz)

  la procesión procession

  andarle/irle a alg. la procesión por dentro (fig.) not to show one’s feelings, to keep one’s troubles or worries to o.s., not to show one’s anger, to be a deep (fam.) or quiet one

  La procesión va por dentro. (fig.) Still waters run deep. (prov.) There is more in/to this than meets the eye.

  procesión (no se puede repicar y estar en la ~)

  procesión (querer tocar las campanas y asistir a la ~)

  prodigar to squander, to waste

  prodigar algo a alg. (fig.) to heap (fig.) or lavish s.th. on s.o. Nos prodigaron las alabanzas. They heaped praise on us.

  la prójima (fam.) loose woman (fig.)

  el pronto (fam.) sudden impulse, sudden fit (of temper/etc.) (fig.), sudden notion or feeling Me dio un pronto. Suddenly it came over me. Le dio un pronto y me tiró el libro. He had a sudden fit of temper/rage and threw the book at me. En uno de sus prontos me tiró el libro. In one of his fits of rage or bouts of anger he threw the book at me. Le dio un pronto y echó todos los planes por tierra. He had a sudden notion to put paid (Br.E.) to all plans. En un pronto echó todos los planes por tierra. On a sudden impulse he put paid (Br.E.) to all plans.

  tener prontos de enojo to have a quick temper, to be quick-tempered

  propinar to tip, to give a tip

  propinar algo a alg. (fig., fam.) Le propiné una paliza o un puntapié o una bofetada. I dealt/gave him a beating or a kick or a slap in the face. Le propinaron unas cuantas almendras o píldoras. They shot him several times. El polizonte me propinó una multa. The cop gave me a fine. The cop fined me.

  la prosa prose

  la prosa (fig., fam.) verbiage, talkativeness

  gastar mucha prosa to talk a lot

  provecho (dicho sin hecho no trae ~)

  la púa tooth (comb)

  saber cuántas púas tiene un peine (fig., fam.) to be clever, to be sly, to be crafty

  el púcher (pop.) pusher (sl.), dealer

  el puchero cooking pot

  el puchero (fig., fam.) ballot box

  el puchero (fig.) daily bread (fam.) Apenas ganan para el puchero. They hardly earn enough to eat.

  ganarse el puchero to earn/make a living, to earn one’s daily bread or one’s bread and butter or one’s crust (fam.)

  meter la cabeza en un puchero (fig.) to have blinkers (Br.E.) or blinders (Am.E.) on (fig.), to be blinkered (fig.), not to want to see/accept that one is on the wrong track (fig.)

  hacer pucheros (fig.) to screw up one’s face (fig.), to pout, to make a weepy face

  pudrirse to rot

  pudrirse en la cárcel (fig., fam.) to rot in jail (fig.)

  ¡Que se pudra! (fam.) It serves him/her right! Let him/her rot! (fam.) He/she can go to hell! (fam.)

  ¡Y tú que te pudras! (fam.) And you can go to hell! (fam.)

  pudrirse de aburrimiento (fig., fam.) to [nearly] die of boredom (fig.) Nos pudrimos de aburrimiento. We nearly died of boredom. Te vas a pudrir de aburrimiento en aquel pueblo. You’ll die of boredom in that village.

  el puente bridge

  un día puente (fig.) a day off work between two public holidays

  hacer puente (fig.) to take an extra day or extra days off work between two public holidays, to take a long weekend

  tender un puente (fig.) to build bridges (fig.), to offer a compromise

  tender puentes de plata a alg. (fig.) to lean/bend over backwards to make it easy for s.o., to make it as easy as possible for s.o.

  puente (ha corrido/pasado mucha agua bajo el ~)

  puerco (a cada ~ le llega su San Martín)

  puerco (echar margaritas a los ~s)

  la puerta door

  estar a la puerta o en puertas (fig.) to be just around the corner (fig.), to be imminent La navidad está a la puerta. Christmas is just around the corner.

  cerrar todas las puertas a alg. (fig.) to close [off] all avenues to s.o. (fig.)

  enseñar/mostrar la puerta a alg. (fig.) to show s.o. the [way to the] door

  dar a alg. con la puerta en la cara o en los hocicos o en las narices (fig., fam.) to slam/shut the door in s.o.’s face

  echar las puertas abajo (fig., fam.) to knock like crazy, to lean on the doorbell (fig.)

  quedarse por/a puertas (fig.) to become desperately poor

  tener todas las puertas abiertas (fig.) to be welcomed with open arms everywhere (fig.)

  llamar a la puerta de alg. (fig.) to ask s.o. for help

  puerta (¡Por los clavos de una ~ vieja!)

  puesto (tener el corazón bien ~)

  puesto (tener la cabeza bien puesta)

  puest
o (tener los pies [bien ~s] en/sobre la tierra)

  la pulga flea

  echarle a alg. la pulga detrás de la oreja (fig.) to put ideas into s.o.’s head Tiene problemas. Su hermano le echó la pulga detrás de la oreja. He’s in trouble. His brother put ideas into his head.

  hacer de una pulga un elefante o un camello (fig.) to make a mountain out of a molehill (fig.)

  tener malas pulgas (fig.) to be bad-tempered, to have a bad/violent temper, to have a or be on a short fuse (fam.), to have a nasty (fig.) nature

  no aguantar/sufrir pulgas (fig.) to stand no nonsense, not to suffer fools gladly

  buscar las pulgas a alg. (fig., fam.) to tease s.o., to needle s.o. (fam.), to wind s.o. up (fam., Br.E.), to put s.o. on (fam., Am.E.)

  sacudirse las pulgas (fig., fam., Esp.) to wash one’s hands of it

  Hay muchas maneras de matar pulgas. (prov.) There’s more than one way to skin a cat. (prov.)

  pulga (A perro flaco no le faltan ~s.)

  el pulpo octopus

  poner a alg. como un pulpo (fig., fam.) to give s.o. a good thrashing (fam.) arrimar candela a alg.

  el pulso pulse

  el pulso firme (fig.) steady hand

  tomar el pulso a alg. (fig.) to sound s.o. out (fig.)

  tomar el pulso a algo (fig.) to sound s.th. out (fig.), to gauge s.th. (fig.) Tomamos el pulso a la opinión pública. We sounded out public opinion.

  echar un pulso to arm wrestle

  quedarse sin pulso[s] (fig.) to be frightened or scared out of one’s wits (fam.), to be petrified or paralyzed with fear/horror (fig.)

  ganar[se] algo a pulso (fig.) to [really] earn s.th. (fig.), to work hard for s.th., to get s.th. the hard way Lo ha ganado a pulso. He’s really earned it. He’s worked hard for it.

  la punta [sharp] end, tip, point

  la punta del iceberg (fig.) tip of the iceberg (fig.)

  acabarse en punta (fig., fam.) to die

  estar de punta con alg. (fig.) to have fallen out with s.o., to be at odds with s.o.

  tener de punta a alg. (fig.) to be at daggers drawn with s.o. (fig., Br.E.)

  tener algo en la punta de la lengua (fig.) to have s.th. on the tip of one’s tongue (fig.)

  estar/ir/ponerse de punta en blanco (fig., fam.) to be/get dressed up to the nines (fam.) estar/ponerse de veinticinco alfileres

  estar hasta la punta de los pelos o del pelo de alg./algo (fam.) to be fed up to the back teeth with s.o. (fam.), to be utterly fed up with s.o./s.th. (fam.), to be sick and tired of s.o./s.th. (fam.) estar hasta [más allá de] la coronilla de algo

  a punta pala (fig., fam.) plenty of, galore, tons of (fam.), by the ton (fam.), by the score (fam.), scores of (fam.), loads or heaps or piles or stacks of (fam.), no end of (fam.), in spades (fam., Am.E.) Tiene dinero a punta pala. He’s got loads of money. Nos causaron molestias a punta pala. They caused/gave us no end of trouble. They caused/gave us trouble in spades.

  punta (de ~ a cabo)

  punta (poner los nervios de ~ a alg.)

  punta (ponerle/ponérsele a alg. los pelos de ~)

  punta (tener los nervios de ~)

  la puntilla (bullfight): short dagger (for administering or giving the coup de grâce); nib (of fountain pen)

  dar la puntilla a alg. (fig., fam.) to finish s.o. off Eso les dio la puntilla. That finished them off.

  dar la puntilla a algo (fig., fam.) to put an end to s.th. Dieron la puntilla a esas maquinaciones. They put an end to these machinations.

  de puntillas on tiptoe, very quietly Entraron de puntillas en el cuarto para no despertar a los niños. They tiptoed into the room so as not to wake the children. Entraron de puntillas en el cuarto de los niños. They entered the children’s room very quietly.

  ponerse de puntillas (fig., fam.) to stubbornly insist on one’s opinion

  el punto point, dot

  el punto flaco (fig.) sore/weak point (fig.), weak spot (fig.)

  el punto muerto (fig.) deadlock (fig.) llegar a un punto muerto to reach deadlock salir del punto muerto to break the deadlock

  punto (contar algo con ~s y comas)

  el puñal dagger

  poner el puñal en el pecho a alg. (fig.) to hold a gun/pistol to s.o.’s head (fig.) El gángster le puso el puñal en el pecho a ella para que firmase el contrato. The gangster held a gun to her head so that she signed the contract.

  la puñalada stab, dagger thrust

  coser a alg. a puñaladas (fig.) to carve s.o. up (fam.), to stab s.o. repeatedly, to stab away at s.o.

  dar una puñalada trapera a alg. (fig.) to stab s.o. in the back (fig.), to play a dirty/nasty trick on s.o. (fig.)

  la puñeta (vulg.) masturbation

  hacer la puñeta (to masturbate) tocar la campana

  mandar a alg. a hacer la puñeta (fig., pop.) to tell s.o. to go to hell (fam.), to tell s.o. to get stuffed (vulg.) Lo mandó a hacer la puñeta. She told him to get stuffed.

  ¡Vete a la puñeta! (fig., pop.) Get stuffed! (vulg.) Go to hell! (fam.)

  ¡Es la puñeta! (fig., pop.) It’s bloody disgusting! (sl., Br.E.)

  ¡No me hagas la puñeta! (fig., pop.) Leave me alone!

  ¿Qué puñetas estás/etc. haciendo aquí? (fig., pop.) What the devil/hell are you/etc. doing here? (fam.)

  [no] importar a alg. una puñeta (fig., pop.) not to give a shit/fuck (vulg.) Esto me importa una puñeta. I don’t give a fuck about this.

  vivir/estar en la quinta puñeta (fig., pop.) to live/be at the back of beyond vivir/estar donde Cristo dio las tres voces

  el puño fist

  tener a alg. en un puño (fig., fam.) to have s.o. under one’s thumb (fig.), to have s.o. on a string (fig.)

  meter a alg. en un puño (fig., fam.) (a) to intimidate s.o., to cow s.o. (b) to bring s.o. under control

  estar con el alma en un puño (fig., fam.) to be scared to death (fam.)

  apretar los puños (fig.) to struggle hard

  creer algo a puño cerrado (fig.) to believe s.th. blindly

  decir mentiras como puños (fig.) to tell whopping great lies (fam.)

  puño (tragar[se]las como ~s)

  el puré purée

  el puré (fig.) peasouper (thick fog) (fam.)

  estar hecho puré (fam.) to be knackered (sl., Br.E.) estar hecho cisco

  hacer puré a alg. (fig., fam.) to make mincemeat of s.o. (fig., fam.)

  la puta (pop.) whore (fam.)

  irse de putas (pop.) to whore [around] or go whoring [around] (fam.)

  puto (pop.) damn (fam.), goddam[n] (sl., Am.E.), bloody (sl., Br.E.) No tiene ni puta idea. He doesn’t have a goddamn clue. No nos hizo ni puto caso. He completely bloody ignored us. He didn’t take the damnedest bit of notice of us.

  pasarlas putas (pop.) to have a terrible time, to have a really lousy time (fam.), to have a bloody awful time (sl., Br.E.)

  Q

  que (added meaning)

  yo que tú/Ud. if I were you Yo que tú no iría. If I were you I wouldn’t go.

  quebrarse la cabeza

  quedarse to remain

  quedarse con alg. (fig., fam.) (a) to deceive s.o., to cheat s.o., to take s.o. for a ride (fam.) (b) to pull s.o.’s leg (fam.), to have s.o. on (fam.) (c) to bore s.o. to death (fam.), to bore the pants off s.o. (fam.)

  quemar to burn [up]

  quemar las naves (fig.) to burn one’s boats (fig.), to burn one’s bridges [behind one] (fig.) Porque le soltó una andanada de insultos al banquero no se le permitió volver a entrar en ese banco. Quemó las naves. Because he unleashed a volley of abuse at the banker he wasn’t allowed to enter that bank again. He burned his boats.

  quemar etapas (fig.) to make rapid progress (fig.)

  quemar el caucho

  quemar el último cartucho

  quemarse las cejas

  la quemazón burning

  la quemazón (fig.) intense heat

  querer to want, to wish

  Querer es poder. (prov.) Where there’s a will, there’s a way. (prov.)

  s
er un poeta/etc., no así como quiera not to be [just] any old poet/etc. (fam.) Es un hombre de ciencia, no así como quiera. He isn’t just any old scientist.

  el queso cheese

  los quesos (fig., pop., hum.) feet, smelly feet, cheesy feet (fam.)

  dársela a alg. con queso (pop., Esp.) to fool s.o. (fam.), to put one/it over on s.o. (fam.), to pull a fast one on s.o. (sl.) Nos la dio con queso. He put one over on us. A mí no me la das con queso. You can’t fool me. I’m not going to fall for that. (fam.)

  el quicio door hinge

  sacar a alg. de quicio (fig.) to drive s.o. crazy (fam.), to get s.o. worked up, to get on s.o.’s nerves or wick (Br.E.) (fam.), to get on s.o.’s tits (vulg., Br.E.), to get under s.o.’s skin (fam.), to rub s.o. up the wrong way (fig., fam.)

  el quid (fam.) key point, crux, core, nub (fam.)

  dar en el quid to hit the nail on the head (fig.)

  este es el quid that’s what it’s all about

  el quid de la cuestión o de la cosa o del asunto es que … the crux/nub of the matter is that …, the key point is that …

  el quiebro dodge

  dar el quiebro a alg. (fig., fam.) to shake s.o. off (fig.), to dodge s.o.

  quilar [a alg.] (pop., Esp.) to screw [s.o.] (vulg.) follar [a alg.]

  el quilo chyle

  sudar el quilo (fig., fam.) to slog/sweat one’s guts out (fam., Br.E.) echar/sudar la hiel

  la quina cinchona bark

  [tener que] tragar quina (fig.) [to have] to swallow the bitter pill (fig.), [to have] to put up with it, [to have] to take it, to suppress or stifle one’s anger El padre tragó quina cuando pusieron a su hijo a la sombra por asesinato. The father swallowed the bitter pill when his son was put in clink for murder. Me insultaron y tuve que tragar quina. They insulted me and I had to take it.

  quince fifteen

  dar quince y raya/falta a alg. (fig.) to be streets ahead of s.o. (fam.), to be more than a match for s.o., to beat s.o. hollow (fam.), to run rings around s.o. (fam.) comerse crudo a alg. Nos dan quince y raya en el diseño. They are streets ahead of us in design.

  Quintín San Quintín

  quinto (vivir/estar en la quinta puñeta)

  quinto cielo (estar en el ~)

  quinto infierno/pino (vivir/estar en el ~)

  quisque (fam.)

  todo/cada quisque every man jack of them (fam.) todo bicho viviente

  como cada/todo quisque like everyone else, like the next man