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Colorful Idioms in español

cccmedia
#1
For years, Expat.com's Ecuador forum has had Spanish-language threads for
Gringos... español for Gringos and Shortcuts to Learning español.

Today, the Colombia forum gets a language thread of its own -- this one about
Spanish idioms.

An idiom is a phrase or a saying whose meaning is not deducible from
the words it contains.  Such as:  raining cats and dogs.

---

A favorite of mine is armarse la gorda.  It could literally be translated
as putting together the fat lady.

But that's not the idiomatic meaning, which is...

to have all hell break loose.

There's a restaurant in the Coffee Triangle that is named Se Armó la Gorda.
That means 'All hell broke loose'.

   -- cccmedia
See also
cccmedia
#2
Lingoda, an online school for learning Spanish, has some idioms
"you need to learn."

One goes like this...

estar en la edad del pavo.

Literally:  to be in the era of the turkey.

Meaning:  to be a teenager, to be in puberty.

Equivalent meaning:  to be in the throes of teenage angst.

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OsageArcher
#3
Speaking of teenagers, two you may hear.

Mira los chinos perezosos ¡que no ayuden la señora con su caja!
Look at those lazy teenagers, they don't help the señora with her package!

Chino can refer to any young male person but most often I've heard it to refer to teenagers.

And once you reach an advanced age you can delight your listeners with this dicho, if/when you are proven right in the face of skepticism:
Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
The Devil knows more from being old than from being the Devil.

I stumbled across this site which has colombianismos in dictionary form.  But many of the words are also used in other countries to mean the same things:

https://diccionariocolombia.com/
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OsageArcher
#4
Two more dichos because they are colorful:

El gato escaldado del agua fría huye.
The scalded cat flees from cold water.
(English equivalent:  Once burned/bitten, twice shy)

This one works literally and figuratively.  Enjalma means packbag or saddlebag.  You may also hear it said as El que no carga la carga..., He who does not carry the load...
El que no carga la enjalma, le parece que no pesa.
He who does not carry the saddlebag, thinks it weighs nothing.
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OsageArcher
#5

cccmedia wrote:

A favorite of mine is armarse la gorda.


Also, there's hacer la vista gorda, which means to pretend not to see, to turn a blind eye, to look the other way.

Si no hay trabajo, los jefes hacen la vista gorda si salimos tempranos.
If there's no work, the bosses look the other way if we leave early.

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OsageArcher
#6
Not really an idiom but an abbreviation or acronym (sigla in Spanish) I ran across reading the paper and I didn't know what it was.  The article was discussing how the bloqueos in Colombia are affecting small companies:

MIPYMES or mipymes - Micro Pequeñas Y Medianas Empresas  (mee-PEE-mace)
Micro Small and Medium Companies

A sentence in the story saying how more than 21,000 mipymes are at the point of closing permanently because of the bloqueos and the Paro Nacional in Colombia:

En el marco de las jornadas de protesta y los bloqueos viales por el Paro Nacional, que han llevado a que las empresas de la región se vean afectadas, las Cámaras de Comercio del Valle del Cauca y del Cauca aseguraron que más de 21.000 mipymes estarían a punto de cerrar definitivamente.

Note also that definitivamente can mean definitely as you might expect - but it also can mean permanently or for good as in this case.
OsageArcher
#7
llueve sobre mojado loosely is "it rains on the one who is wet" but its closest English equivalent is, It never rains but it pours.

It is used in a negative sense - something bad happens, then even more bad happens.

Juan:  Pedro perdió su empleo, y luego su apartamento, y ahora su novia.
José:  ¡Ay!  Llueve sobre mojado...

John:  Peter lost his job, and then his apartment, and now his girlfriend.
Joe:  Wow!  It never rains but it pours...

============================================

Somewhat related are these Mexican sayings, the first one about how if one is born lucky, good things just happen:
El que nace pa' tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas.
He who is born to be a tamale, for him the corn husks fall from the sky.

And the other side:
El que nace para maceta, del corredor no pasa.
He who is born to be a flower pot, never leaves the hallway.
cccmedia
#8
Me da un cumin.

Meaning .. it doesn't matter / I don't give a damn.

A cumin is the seed of a plant believed to provide medicinal benefits.
cccmedia
#9
Me da igual.

You may hear this one -- or use this one -- a lot.

It's a useful phrase meaning... It's all the same to me. 
Igual means same.

Use it when a local asks you to make a choice between two or
three options.

Another use is when somebody asks if you mind them doing
something.

Local:  ¿Le importa si yo fumaría?
Does it bother you if I light up?

You:  Me da igual.
I don't mind.
OsageArcher
#10
With disturbances in Colombia being in the news, you may read the phrase
meter en cintura
which means
to bring under control
to keep in control
to rein in

Meter means to put, to get into, to take up (alter or make shorter)
Cintura means waist, waistline, girth

Presidente Duque desplegó el ejército para meter en cintura los vándalos y los disturbios.
President Duque deployed the army to keep the vandals and riots under control.
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OsageArcher
#11
Agárrenme ese trompo y báilenmelo en la uña, or
Cojan este trompo en la uña, or
Cójame ese trompo en la uña or even other slight variations.

Literally, "(You all) Grab that top (child's toy) and make it dance on your fingernail" or
"(You all) Grab this top by your fingernail"

What does it mean?  The best translations I've seen, it means like "How do you like them onions?" or "Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

Here's a slightly-racy dialog found on the web showing how it may be used.

¿Y no te estás dando cuenta que te van a echar?
And aren't you realizing that they're going to throw you out?

A mí no me va a echar nadie porque yo me le conozco todos los secretos
al peladito ese completicos.
No one's going to throw me out because I know all that baldy's secrets, completely.

¿Cuáles secretos? ¿Tú de qué estás hablando?
What secrets?  You, what are you talking about?

Ah, ¿pero tú no sabes?
El perrazo ese por las mañanas atiende a Yulia
y por la tarde quiere atender a Rocío. ¿Ah?
Cójame ese trompo en la uña.
Ah, but you don't know?
That big dog in the mornings "attends" to Yulia
and in the afternoon he wants to "attend" to Rocío. Hah?
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

So, Cojan ese trompo en la uña and its variations are used after stating something surprising or undesired, to emphasize its truth, or a (perhaps) rude or unsympathetic way of telling someone that they must accept what you have just said, even if they do not like it.
cccmedia
#12
No dar papaya.

That's good advice to arriving and visiting Expats.

The literal meaning of this idiom is 'don't give papaya fruit'.

The true meaning is .. don't display your valuables to potential thieves. :dumbom:

For instance, don't leave your cell phone out on the table in a restaurant.
Don't wear flashy jewelry that bad actors can target.

You can follow this idiom/rule and still eat and share plenty of papaya,
mango and passion fruit. :D
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OsageArcher
#13
Two common expressions:

Por lo tanto  means so, thus, therefore
No pagó la cuenta.  Por lo tanto, cancelamos su servicio.
You didn't pay the bill.  So, we cancelled your service.
El niño estudió y, por lo tanto, aprobó el examen.
The boy studied and therefore passed the exam.
Sería por lo tanto prematuro emitir conclusiones firmes y definitivas en esta etapa.
It would therefore be premature to issue definite and firm conclusions at this stage.

Así es  means that's true, that's right, that's it, so it is, so is
¿Usted vive en el centro de la ciudad?    Así es.
Do you live in the city's downtown?   That's right.
Y así es que todos nos encontramos en un sendero montañés este año con esperanza.
And so it is that we all meet on a mountain path this year with hope.
Tal como un hombre piensa en su corazón, así es él.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
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OsageArcher
#14
estar en todo, to be on top of things, to be on the ball, to be aware

Paula es increíble. Está en todo y no se le escapa ningún detalle.
Paula is incredible.  She's on top of things and not a single detail escapes her.

No puedes estar en todo, siempre hay detalles que a uno se le escapan.
You can't be on top of everything, there are always details that escape you.

Ten cuidado con lo que dices, que el pequeño está en todo.
Be careful what you say, the little one is hyper aware.
OsageArcher
#15
This is an easy one that you would get immediately if you ever hear it:

Nada del otro mundo  Nothing special, nothing out of this world, no big deal, nothing out of the ordinary

¿Cómo estuvo la comida?   Pues, de verdad, nada del otro mundo.
How was the meal?  Well, really, nothing special.

Esperaba algo espectacular pero el viaje no fue nada del otro mundo debido a la neblina.
I was expecting something spectacular but the trip was nothing out of the ordinary due to the fog.
cccmedia
#16
Here's a colorful one...

Encontrar tu media naranja.

Literally, to find (encounter) your orange sock.

Actual meaning... to find your perfect partner.

Another literal translation is 'to find your half orange' (lingoda.com), although some of us prefer the 'sock' version.
cccmedia
#17
More color in Spanish idioms...

ver todo de color de rosa

Literally it means to see everything in the color of a rose (or pink).

Rosa is a Spanish adjective meaning pink.
Una rosa is a Spanish noun meaning a rose.

Actual meaning of the idiom... to see things in an overly optimistic way.

An English idiom that is roughly equivalent is...
     to see things through rose-colored glasses.
OsageArcher
#18

cccmedia wrote:

Encontrar tu media naranja.


Which I always heard explained, as finding your other half (picture an orange cut in two pieces, each piece a perfect match for the other).  Orange sock, indeed!  It is colorful though.

And for the ladies, they look to find their príncipe azul, their Prince Charming.  Presumably the color blue is an allusion to the royalty of the prince, he has sangre azul, in other words he is a blue-blood.

You can make the women laugh if in your conversation you mix the two up - medio príncipe and naranja azul...half-prince and blue orange.

cccmedia
#19
Defining the word.

Few Gringos know this word for 'idiom'... modismo.

From wordreference.com...

Los modismos nos dan una perspectiva interesante de una otra cultura.
Idioms give us an interesting perspective into another culture.
OsageArcher
#20
castillos en el aire literally "castles in the air" (which is also used in English), is used to describe overly grandiose plans, pipe dreams, wishful thinking, pie in the sky etc.

Ay, Pedro siempre con sus castillos en el aire de ser rico pero nunca trabaja para alcanzar sus sueños.
Oh, Peter always with his daydreams of being rich but he never works to realize his dreams.

Necesitamos volver a la fiabilidad y dejar de hacer castillos en el aire.
We need a return to solidity and must put a stop to building castles in the air.
OsageArcher
#21

cccmedia wrote:

Defining the word.

Few Gringos know this word for 'idiom'... modismo.


And don't forget synonyms and words of similar meaning to modismo like dicho, refrán, proverbio

cccmedia
#22

OsageArcher wrote:
cccmedia wrote:

Defining the word.

Few Gringos know this word for 'idiom'... modismo.


And don't forget synonyms and words of similar meaning to modismo like dicho, refrán, proverbio


The Spanish word idioma is what's called a false friend.

It means 'language'.

-- Cuántas idiomas hablas?

-- Conozco dos idiomas.

How many languages do you speak?
I know two languages.

----

Here's an idiom using the word 'idioma'...

dominio de idioma

Meaning... fluency.

By itself, the word 'dominio' can mean command/knowledge/control/power.

dominio de inglés = fluency in English.

OsageArcher
#23
You might hear someone say, No domino el inglés, pero puedo defenderme (I have not mastered English but I can defend myself/stand up for myself), or you might say yourself, No domino el español pero aprendo más cada día (I am not a master of Spanish but I learn more each day). 

I saw extinción de dominio, annulment of ownership, in the news today.  It is the term whereby someone who commits a crime may have their property confiscated, that was used in the commission of the crime in one way or another.

Several volquetas, dump trucks, were used to dump sand and garbage to block streets in Cali, Colombia as part of the ongoing bloqueos and the paro nacional.  They were caught on camera.  The Alcaldía, the mayor's office, has asked the Fiscalía, the public prosecutor/district attorney's office, to initiate the legal procedures of extinción de dominio to confiscate the volquetas.
cccmedia
#24
A Gringo walks into a store, and nobody is around .. or somebody is around but is messing with their cell phone.

What to do?

Employ the idiom hacer caso.

'Hacer' is the verb for 'make' or 'do'.  'Caso' means case.

Put 'em together and they mean pay attention/listen up/heed.

Hazme caso, tendera.  Quisiera comprar unas cosas.
Listen up, shopkeeper lady.  I would like to buy some items.

--

The 'h' in the verb 'hacer' is silent.
Pronouncer for 'hazme' ... AHZ-may.
OsageArcher
#25

cccmedia wrote:

A Gringo walks into a store, and nobody is around .. or somebody is around but is messing with their cell phone.

What to do?


Break out this refrán - it's bound to bring a smile to others also waiting to be waited on, and/or they may complete it, too, if you start it:

El que tiene tienda
que la atienda
y si no, que la venda

He who has a store
let him tend to it
and if not, let him sell it

OsageArcher
#26
A popular dicho, an admonition that a particular solution or approach does not fit the problem:

No hay que buscar al ahogado río arriba.
Don't look for the drowned man upstream.

In English we might say, You're barking up the wrong tree.
OsageArcher
#27
A otro perro con ese hueso, literally "to another dog with that bone", or take that bone to another dog, is used to tell someone you don't believe their story or tall tale.

Juan:  Voy a ganar mil dólares al día en mi nuevo empleo.
José:  A otro perro con ese hueso, tu no sabes hacer nada sino ser holgazán.

Juan:  I'm going to earn a thousand dollars a day at my new job.
José:  I'm not buying it, you don't know how to do anything except be a lazy bum.
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OsageArcher
#28
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda - Although the (female) monkey dresses in silk, it's still a monkey...

Rough equivalent in English:  You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
OsageArcher
#29
Nos la van a clavar, they're going to nail us, or also as heard in English, they're going to hammer us
Os van a clavar, they're going to nail you all

No creas lo que oyes.  Nos la van a clavar con la nueva reforma tributaria.
Don't believe what you hear.  They're going to nail us with the new tax reform.

Debes prepararte para otra paliza del Real Madrid pero esta vez en casa. Os van a clavar otra vez 3 o 4 goles.
You must prepare yourself for another beating from Real Madrid but this time at home.  They're going to hammer you again with 3 or 4 goals.
OsageArcher
#30
Dar gato por liebre, literally, to give a cat for (instead of) a hare - to deceive, to pull a bait-and-switch, to swindle, to cheat etc.

Pagué bastante dinero para un cuchillo con auténtica hoja de acero de damasco pero me dieron gato por liebre - el cuchillo es nada sino chatarra de China con hoja fingida para que aparezca de estilo damasco.
I paid a lot of money for a knife with an authentic Damascus steel blade but they pulled a bait-and-switch - the knife is nothing but Chinese junk with a fake blade made to look like Damascus.

Cuidado si vayas a comprar ropa en esa tienda - te darán gato por liebre, venden marcas bien conocidas pero en realidad son falsas.
Be careful if you're going to buy clothes in that store - they'll swindle you, they sell well-known brands but in reality they're counterfeits.

A ver tu tiquete para el concierto - ¡uy! te dieron gato por liebre - ¡es un tiquete falso!
Let's see your ticket for the concert - uh-oh, you've been had - it's a fake ticket!
cccmedia
#31
Hace.

The Spanish word 'hace' -- pronounced AH-say -- is used in some idioms.

For instance, a useful way to explain the timing of event(s) is to say how long ago something occurred.

Hace (an amount of time) is used frequently to make such a point.

Hace dos horas que visitamos ese restaurante.
It's been two hours since we visited that restaurant.

Hace poco que lo ví durmiendo en la sala.
I just saw him sleeping in the living room.
(poco, meaning small or little, here refers to a short amount of time.

----

'Hace falta' is another common expression, this one meaning that something is lacking or missing.

falta on its own means an offense, a shortage or a foul. 

Hace falta una naranja, frutero.  Pagué para cinco.
One orange is missing, fruit seller.  I paid for five.

Hace falta un documento acerca de tu previo matrimonio.  Sin ello, no será posible a procesar tu visa permanente.
A.document from your previous marriage is lacking.  Without it, it won't be possible to process your permanent visa.
OsageArcher
#32
Mucho ruido y pocas nueces, literally "much noise and few nuts", means in English "much ado about nothing", "a lot of hot air", "a lot of talk but little action", "all hat and no cattle", etc.

La reunión produjo mucho ruido y pocas nueces.  No harán nada para solucionar el problema.
The meeting produced a lot of hot air.  They will do nothing to solve the problem.

Este año, el Shakespeare's Globe Theatre de Londres traerá Mucho ruido y pocas nueces.
This year, London's Shakespeare's Globe Theatre will bring Much Ado About Nothing to the stage.
OsageArcher
#33
...y vivieron felices y comieron perdices literally "...and they lived happily and ate partridges", used to end many fairy tales or cuentos de hadas, the English equivalent being "...and they lived happily ever after."

Y Caperucita Roja y su abuelita vivieron felices y comieron perdices.
And then Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother lived happily ever after.
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cccmedia
#34
Por si las moscas.

South Americans put animals or insects into some idiomatic phrases.

The above phrase literally means 'In case of flies' and has the cultural meaning of Just in case.

So it could be used in the following manner, in Colombia and several other South American countries where the phrase is popular...

No olvida tu paraguas.  Por si las moscas.
Don't forget your umbrella.  Just in case.

By itself, por si can be translated as 'if' (Google Translate) or 'in case' (Reverso Context).
OsageArcher
#35
A funny one that if you can find a way to work it in, will bring a smile.

¡Aramos! dijo la mosca al buey and sometimes it's followed by, "y estaba en el cuerno/oreja del buey".
Let's plow!  said the fly to the ox (and the fly was on the ox's horn/ear).

The meaning is, when someone who is in reality inconsequential to an action seems to take command as if they are responsible for all the work, or for directing it.

For instance, a group of villagers is already digging with shovels, clearing the road of a mudslide.  Along comes the mayor and loudly says, "OK, let's clear this road!" and one of the villagers says just loud enough to be heard by those around him, "Let's plow! said the fly to the ox" and everyone laughs.

Por ejemplo, un grupo de campesinos ya excavan con palos, despejando el camino de una desliza de barro.  Viene el alcalde y en voz bien alta manda, "Bueno, ¡abrimos el vía!" y uno del grupo dice para que oigan solo los muy cercanos, "¡Aramos!  dijo la mosca al buey" y todos se ríen.
OsageArcher
#36
Aquí hay gato encerrado - there's something fishy/funny going on, something doesn't smell right, I smell a rat

Aquí no hay gato encerrado, todo sin tapujos.
There are no tricks or pitfalls, everything honest and open.

Pero como ocurre con todo en la vida y los negocios, hay gato encerrado.
But as with everything in life and business, there's a catch.
OsageArcher
#37
A somewhat tongue-in-cheek series having to do with getting up early being the key to success...or not

El que madruga, Dios le ayuda
God helps the early riser

BUT Para cada uno que madruga, hay otro que no se acuesta
For each one that gets up early, there's another who doesn't go to bed

AND FURTHERMORE,  No por tanto madrugar amanece más temprano
For all your getting up early the Sun doesn't rise any sooner
cccmedia
#38
...y ya!

This short phrase is a beaut.

In speaking, do you sometimes approach the end of a sentence and are not sure of the final item, thought or phrase?  This will come in handy.

It's also good to emphasize a particular comment.

'ya' translates by itself as ´now´ (or already).

Culturally, the phrase y ya (ee-YAH) is heard as 'and that's it'.

Venga a las seis, traiga flores, ofrezcame dulces .. y ya!
Come at six, bring flowers, offer me sweets .. and that's it!
OsageArcher
#39
Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente - the shrimp that sleeps, is carried away by the current

In English we might say, You snooze, you lose
OsageArcher
#40
Después del conejo ido, no valen palos al nido - loosely, After the rabbit is gone, it's useless to put up a fence

The English equivalent could be, Closing the barn door after the horse is gone

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