Invisible Spanish
501 essential idioms, explained
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All 501 idioms
The invisible layer of everyday Spanish — explained, one by one.
501 idioms
A duras penas
with great difficulty
A la chita callando
quietly
A la fuerza ahorcan
Necessity is the mother of invention.
A las duras y a las maduras
through thick and thin
A las primeras de cambio
at the first sign of trouble
A ojo de buen cubero
by eye
A partir un piñón
to get on like a house on fire
A pedir de boca
just the way I wanted it
A pies juntillas
to believe something unquestioningly
A rajatabla
to the letter
A renglón seguido
immediately afterwards
A salto de mata
from one thing to another
A toda pastilla
flat out
A tontas y a locas
haphazardly
A toro pasado
with hindsight
A trancas y barrancas
by fits and starts
A tumba abierta
at breakneck speed
Abrir ese melón
to open a can of worms
Aguantar carros y carretas
to put up with a lot
Al pie del cañón
to be at one's post
Al sol que más calienta
to side with whoever is in power
Andarse con mil ojos
to keep one's eyes peeled
Andarse con ojo
to watch out
Andarse con rodeos
to beat around the bush
Apretarse el cinturón
to tighten one's belt
Aquí hay tomate
There's more to this than meets the eye.
Arrimar el ascua a su sardina
to look out for number one
Arrimar el hombro
to pitch in
Bailar con la más fea
to get the short end of the stick
Bajar el pistón
to tone it down
Bajar la persiana
to close up shop
Bajar los brazos
to give up
Bajar los humos
to bring someone down to earth
Barrer para casa
to look after one's own interests
Brillar por su ausencia
to be conspicuously absent
Buscar una aguja en un pajar
to look for a needle in a haystack
Buscarle las cosquillas
to push someone's buttons
Buscarle las vueltas
to find a way around something
Buscarle tres pies al gato
to split hairs
Buscarse la vida
to fend for oneself
Cabeza de turco
scapegoat
Cada dos por tres
all the time
Caer bien / Caer mal
to like someone
Caer chuzos de punta
to rain cats and dogs
Caer de pie
to land on one's feet
Caer en la cuenta
to realise
Caer en saco roto
to fall on deaf ears
Caer por su propio peso
to be self-evident
Caerse de culo
to be blown away
Caerse del burro
to see the light
Caerse del guindo
to wake up and smell the coffee
Caérsele el pelo
to be in serious trouble
Caérsele la cara de vergüenza
to be ashamed of oneself
Cagando leches
at top speed
Cantarle las cuarenta
to give someone a piece of your mind
Cara de pocos amigos
to look unfriendly
Cargar con el muerto
to carry the can
Chupar cámara
to hog the camera
Chupar del bote
to live off the system
Coger con pinzas
to take with a pinch of salt
Coger el toro por los cuernos
to take the bull by the horns
Comerle la oreja
to bend someone's ear
Comerse el coco
to overthink
Comerse el marrón
to get stuck with the problem
Comerse un rosco
to strike out
Como la seda
like a dream
Como pez en el agua
to be like a fish in water
Como quien oye llover
as if it went in one ear and out the other
Como una moto
to be full of beans
Con la miel en los labios
to be left high and dry
Consultar con la almohada
to sleep on it
Contra viento y marea
against all odds
Cortar el bacalao
to call the shots
Cortar el rollo
to kill the vibe
Cortar por lo sano
to cut one's losses
Costar Dios y ayuda
to be incredibly difficult
Costar un ojo de la cara
to cost an arm and a leg
Crecerle los enanos
when it rains, it pours
Cruzar el charco
to cross the Atlantic
Cruzársele los cables
to snap
Cuento chino
a load of rubbish
Curtido en mil batallas
battle-hardened
Dar calabazas
to turn someone down
Dar cancha
to give someone free rein
Dar carpetazo
to close the case
Dar de sí
to have potential
Dar el brazo a torcer
to give in
Dar el callo
to work one's socks off
Dar el do de pecho
to give it one's all
Dar el pelotazo
to strike it rich
Dar en el clavo
to hit the nail on the head
Dar en la tecla
to hit the nail on the head
Dar gato por liebre
to rip someone off
Dar la campanada
to cause a sensation
Dar la cara
to stand up and take responsibility
Dar la lata / Dar la chapa
to be a pain
Dar la nota
to make a scene
Dar la talla
to measure up
Dar largas
to string someone along
Dar mala espina
to give someone a bad feeling
Dar palos de ciego
to grope around in the dark
Dar plantón
to stand someone up
Dar plantón / Dejar plantado
to stand someone up
Dar por hecho
to take for granted
Dar por saco
to be a pain
Darle la vuelta a la tortilla
to turn the tables
Darle muchas vueltas
to overthink
Darse con un canto en los dientes
to count oneself lucky
Dársela con queso
to pull the wool over someone's eyes
De buen rollo
in a friendly way
De buenas a primeras
all of a sudden
De cajón
it's obvious
De Guatemala a Guatepeor
out of the frying pan and into the fire
De Pascuas a Ramos
once in a blue moon
De perdidos al río
In for a penny, in for a pound.
De todas todas
definitely
Decir las cosas por su nombre
to call things by their proper name
Dejar en ascuas
to leave someone in suspense
Dejar en la estacada
to let someone down
Descubrir el pastel
to uncover the truth
Dorarle la píldora
to butter someone up
Dormir a pierna suelta
to sleep like a log
Dormirse en los laureles
to rest on one's laurels
Echar a alguien a los pies de los leones
to throw someone to the lions
Echar balones fuera
to dodge the question
Echar de menos
to miss
Echar el guante
to get hold of someone
Echar el resto
to give it everything you've got
Echar flores
to sing someone's praises
Echar las campanas al vuelo
to celebrate too soon
Echar leña al fuego
to add fuel to the fire
Echar pestes
to bad-mouth
Echar sapos y culebras
to spit venom
Echar tierra al asunto
to bury the matter
Echar un cable
to lend a hand
Echar una cana al aire
to let one's hair down
Echar una mano
to lend a hand
Echarle morro
to have a lot of nerve
El chocolate del loro
a drop in the ocean
El quinto pino
the middle of nowhere
Empinar el codo
to hit the bottle
Es que
But…
Escurrir el bulto
to shirk one's responsibilities
Estar a la orden del día
to be commonplace
Estar a la que salta
to be on the lookout
Estar a partir un piñón
to be thick as thieves
Estar al caer
to be just around the corner
Estar al loro
to keep an eye on
Estar chupado
It's a piece of cake.
Estar como un flan
to be a nervous wreck
Estar como un tren
to be gorgeous
Estar como una cabra
to be crazy
Estar como una regadera
to be nuts
Estar como una tapia
to be stone deaf
Estar como unas castañuelas
to be over the moon
Estar con el agua al cuello
to be up to one's neck
Estar curado de espanto
to have seen it all
Estar de bote en bote
to be packed
Estar de capa caída
to be on the decline
Estar de cháchara
to be chatting
Estar de mala uva
to be in a bad mood
Estar de morros
to be sulking
Estar de Rodríguez
no exact English equivalent
Estar de toma pan y moja
to be really something
Estar de vuelta de todo
to have seen it all
Estar en Babia
to have one's head in the clouds
Estar en el aire
to be up in the air
Estar en el ajo
to be in the know
Estar en el candelero
to be in the spotlight
Estar en la cresta de la ola
to be riding the wave of success
Estar en la cuerda floja
to be on thin ice
Estar en la inopia
to have no idea what's going on
Estar en su salsa
to be in one's element
Estar entre la espada y la pared
to be between a rock and a hard place
Estar hasta la coronilla
to be fed up
Estar hasta las narices
to be fed up
Estar hecho polvo
to be exhausted
Estar mal de la azotea
to be a bit crazy
Estar pez
to know nothing about...
Estar por las nubes
to be through the roof
Estar que trina
to be furious
Estar sin blanca
to be broke
Estirar la pata
to kick the bucket
Haber gato encerrado
something's fishy
Hablar en cristiano
to speak plainly
Hablar por los codos
to talk nineteen to the dozen
Hacer borrón y cuenta nueva
to start with a clean slate
Hacer buenas migas
to hit it off
Hacer castillos en el aire
to build castles in the air
Hacer de las suyas
to be up to one's old tricks
Hacer de tripas corazón
to bite the bullet
Hacer el canelo
to make a fool of oneself
Hacer el indio
to fool around
Hacer el paripé
to put on an act
Hacer ilusión
to make someone happy
Hacer la pelota
to suck up
Hacer la puñeta
to make life difficult for someone
Hacer la vista gorda
to turn a blind eye
Hacer mutis por el foro
to make a discreet exit
Hacer novillos
to play truant
Hacer oídos sordos
to turn a deaf ear
Hacer puente
to take a long weekend
Hacer su agosto
to make a killing
Hacerle la cama
to set someone up
Hacerle la pascua
to make life difficult for someone
Hacerle la rosca
to curry favour with someone
Hacerse cruces
to be astonished
Hacerse de rogar
to play hard to get
Hacerse el longuis
to play dumb
Hacerse el sueco
to play dumb
Hacerse la boca agua
to make one's mouth water
Hasta el gorro
to be fed up with
Hincar los codos
to hit the books
Hueso duro de roer
a tough nut to crack
Importar un bledo
not to matter at all
Importar un pimiento
not to matter at all
Ir a su bola
to do one's own thing
Ir a tiro fijo
to go straight for something
Ir al grano
to get to the point
Ir con el cuento a alguien
to tell on someone
Ir con pies de plomo
to tread carefully
Ir de culo
to be run off one's feet
Ir de farol
to bluff
Ir pisando huevos
to move at a snail's pace
Ir sobre ruedas
to go smoothly
Ir tirando
I'm getting by.
Irse al garete
to fall apart
Irse al otro barrio
to pass away
Irse al traste
to go down the drain
Irse de la lengua
to let something slip
Irse de las manos
to get out of hand
Irse de rositas
to get away with it
Irse por las ramas
to beat around the bush
Irse por los cerros de Úbeda
to go off on a tangent
Írsele el santo al cielo
to lose one's train of thought
Írsele la olla
to lose it
Írsele la pinza
to lose it
La de Dios es Cristo
What a mess!
La gota que colma el vaso
the final straw
Leerle la cartilla
to give someone a stern talking-to
Liarse la manta a la cabeza
to take the plunge
Llegar y besar el santo
to hit the jackpot
Llevar al huerto
to get someone into bed
Llevar la procesión por dentro
to suffer in silence
Llevar la voz cantante
to take the lead
Llevar las de perder
to be likely to lose
Llevarse bien / Llevarse mal
to get along
Llevarse el gato al agua
to come out on top
Llevarse un chasco
to be disappointed
Llover a cántaros
to rain cats and dogs
Llover sobre mojado
when it rains, it pours
Mandar a freír espárragos
to tell someone to get lost
Mandar a la porra
to tell someone to get lost
Mandar a paseo
to tell someone to get lost
Mantener el tipo
to keep one's composure
Mantenerse en sus trece
to stand one's ground
Más chulo que un ocho
to be full of oneself
Más listo que el hambre
sharp as a tack
Matar el gusanillo
to have a quick bite
Mear fuera del tiesto
to put your foot in it
Meter baza
to chime in
Meter la pata
to put one's foot in one's mouth
Meterse a alguien en el bolsillo
to win someone over
Meterse en camisas de once varas
to bite off more than you can chew
Meterse en un jardín
to get oneself into a mess
Mezclar churras con merinas
to mix apples and oranges
Montar un circo
to make a scene
Montar un cristo
to make a huge fuss
Montar un número
to make a scene
Montar un pollo
to make a scene
Morder el polvo
to bite the dust
Morderse la lengua
to bite one's tongue
Mover los hilos
to pull the strings
Nacer con un pan bajo el brazo
to be born under a lucky star
Nada del otro mundo
nothing special
Ni fu ni fa
so-so
No callarse ni debajo del agua
to never shut up
No dar abasto
not to be able to keep up
No dar crédito
not to believe one's eyes
No dar más de sí
to be at one's limit
No dar pie con bola
to get everything wrong
No dar un palo al agua
not to lift a finger
No decir esta boca es mía
not to say a word
No decir ni mu
not to say a word
No dejar ni a sol ni a sombra
to never leave someone alone
No enterarse de la misa la mitad
to not have a clue what's going on
No estar muy católico
not to be feeling very well
No fiarse un pelo
not to trust someone one bit
No hay color
there's no comparison
No hay tu tía
there's no way
No levantar cabeza
not to get back on one's feet
No llegarle a la suela de los zapatos
not to hold a candle to someone
No matar ni una mosca
not to hurt a fly
No pegar ni con cola
not to go together
No pegar ojo
not to sleep a wink
No ser moco de pavo
to be no small feat
No ser santo de su devoción
not to be someone's cup of tea
No soltar prenda
not to say a word
No tener abuela
to blow one's own trumpet
No tener arte ni parte
to have nothing to do with something
No tener dónde caerse muerto
to be penniless
No tener dos dedos de frente
to have no common sense
No tener ni pajolera idea
not to have the faintest idea
No tener pelos en la lengua
to speak one's mind
No tener un pelo de tonto
to be no fool
No tener vuelta de hoja
there's no doubt about it
No venir al caso
to be irrelevant
No ver tres en un burro
to be blind as a bat
Oler a chamusquina
to smell fishy
Oler a cuerno quemado
to smell fishy
Olerse la tostada
to smell a rat
Otra vuelta de tuerca
to tighten the screws
Pagar a escote
to split the bill
Pagar el pato
to take the blame
Pagar justos por pecadores
for the innocent to suffer for the guilty
Pagar los platos rotos
to pay the price
Parecer una mosquita muerta
to look as innocent as can be
Partir peras
not to be on good terms
Pasar de castaño oscuro
to go too far
Pasar de largo
to go past
Pasar factura
to take its toll
Pasar por caja
to go to the checkout
Pasar por el aro
to give in
Pasarlas canutas
to have a really hard time
Pasarse de largo
to go past
Pasarse de rosca
to go too far
Pasarse tres pueblos
to go too far
Pedir peras al olmo
to expect the impossible
Perder el hilo
to lose one's train of thought
Perder los estribos
to lose one's temper
Perder los papeles
to lose one's temper
Pescar en río revuelto
to fish in troubled waters
Pillar con el pie cambiado
to catch someone off guard
Pillar con las manos en la masa
to catch someone red-handed
Pillar el tranquillo
to get the hang of it
Pillarle el toro
to run out of time
Pillarle por banda
to get hold of someone
Pillarse los dedos
to get oneself into trouble
Pintar bastos
things are looking bad
Plantar cara
to stand up to someone
Poner a caer de un burro
to tear someone apart
Poner a caldo
to tear someone to pieces
Poner a parir
to slag someone off
Poner de patitas en la calle
to kick someone out
Poner de vuelta y media
to tear someone to pieces
Poner el dedo en la llaga
to put one's finger on the problem
Poner el grito en el cielo
to raise an outcry
Poner en bandeja
to hand something to someone on a plate
Poner en tela de juicio
to question something
Poner en un aprieto
to put someone in a difficult position
Poner las cartas sobre la mesa
to lay one's cards on the table
Poner los cuernos
to cheat on someone
Poner los dientes largos
to make someone envious
Poner los pies en polvorosa
to take to one's heels
Poner los puntos sobre las íes
to set the record straight
Poner paños calientes
to paper over the cracks
Poner patas arriba / Estar patas arriba
to turn something upside down
Poner pegas
to raise objections
Poner por las nubes
to praise someone to the skies
Poner tierra de por medio
to put some distance between oneself and someone/something
Poner toda la carne en el asador
to go all in
Poner verde
to bad-mouth someone
Ponerse ciego a
to stuff oneself with
Ponerse en su piel
to put oneself in someone's shoes
Ponerse hasta las trancas
to stuff oneself
Ponerse hecho una fiera
to go berserk
Ponerse las botas
to eat like a king
Ponerse las pilas
to get one's act together
Ponerse morado
to stuff oneself
Ponerse tibio a
to stuff oneself with
Ponérsele los pelos de punta
to make one's hair stand on end
Por el canto de un duro
by the skin of one's teeth
Por si las moscas
just in case
Que le den morcilla
to hell with him/her
Quedarse a cuadros
to be dumbfounded
Quedarse a dos velas
to be left with nothing
Quedarse a verlas venir
to sit back and wait
Quedarse con la copla
to take note
Quedarse corto
to fall short
Quedarse de brazos cruzados
to sit back and do nothing
Quedarse en agua de borrajas
to come to nothing
Quedarse en blanco
to go blank
Quedarse en bragas
to be left with nothing
Quedarse en cuadro
to be down to just a few people
Quedarse en el tintero
to be left unsaid
Quedarse frito
to fall fast asleep
Quedarse pajarito
to be freezing
Quedarse tan ancho
to say it with a straight face
Quedarse tirado
to be stranded
Quemarse las pestañas
to burn the midnight oil
Rascarse el bolsillo
to dig into one's pocket
Rasgarse las vestiduras
to be up in arms
Rizar el rizo
to take things a step further
Romper el molde
to break the mould
Romper una lanza por alguien / algo
to stand up for someone
Romperse los cuernos
to rack one's brains
Saber de qué pie cojea
to know someone's weak spot
Sacar a relucir
to bring something up
Sacar de quicio
to drive someone crazy
Sacar las castañas del fuego
to pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire
Sacar los trapos sucios
to air one's dirty laundry
Sacarle los colores
to make someone blush
Salir a pedir de boca
to turn out perfectly
Salir del paso
to get by
Salir el tiro por la culata
to backfire
Salir pitando
to rush off
Salir por patas
to run away
Salir rana
to turn out badly
Salirse con la suya
to get one's own way
Salirse por la tangente
to dodge the question
Salvar los muebles
to salvage the situation
Sentar como un tiro
to go down like a lead balloon
Sentar la cabeza
to settle down
Ser agua pasada
that's all in the past
Ser buen partido
to be quite a catch
Ser carne de cañón
to be cannon fodder
Ser coser y cantar
to be a piece of cake
Ser de armas tomar
to be a force to be reckoned with
Ser de traca
it's unbelievable
Ser el hazmerreír
to be the laughingstock
Ser el pan nuestro de cada día
to be an everyday occurrence
Ser el perejil en todas las salsas
to have one's finger in every pie
Ser el último mono
to be at the bottom of the ladder
Ser harina de otro costal
that's a different matter
Ser la comidilla
to be the talk of the town
Ser la leche
to be awesome
Ser la oveja negra
to be the black sheep
Ser más papista que el Papa
to be more Catholic than the Pope
Ser pan comido
a piece of cake
Ser papel mojado
to be worthless
Ser perro viejo
to be an old hand
Ser un cero a la izquierda
to be a nobody
Ser un marrón
to be a pain
Ser un trozo de pan
to be a sweetheart
Ser un viva la Virgen
to be an airhead
Ser una perita en dulce
to be a very attractive proposition
Ser uña y carne
to be inseparable
Sin comerlo ni beberlo
through no fault of one's own
Sin orden ni concierto
without rhyme or reason
Sin ton ni son
without rhyme or reason
Sobre la marcha
on the fly
Subirse al carro
to jump on the bandwagon
Subirse por las paredes
to climb the walls
Subírsele a la parra
to get carried away
Sudar la gota gorda
to sweat buckets
Sudar tinta
to sweat blood
Tener algo entre ceja y ceja
to have one's sights set on something
Tener el corazón en un puño
to be worried sick
Tener enchufe
to have connections
Tener la cabeza llena de pájaros
to have one's head in the clouds
Tener la mosca detrás de la oreja
to have a nagging suspicion
Tener la negra
to have terrible luck
Tener la sartén por el mango
to have the upper hand
Tener madera de…
to have the makings of…
Tener mala baba
to be mean-spirited
Tener mala leche
to be nasty
Tener malas pulgas
to be short-tempered
Tener manga ancha
to be lenient
Tener mano izquierda
to have a way with people
Tener más cuento que Calleja
to have a story for everything
Tener mucha cara
to have a nerve
Tener salero
to have a lot of charm
Tener tablas
to have experience
Tener tela marinera
that's no small matter
Tener un as bajo la manga
to have an ace up one's sleeve
Tener un cacao mental
to be completely confused
Tener un detalle
to do something thoughtful
Tener una espina clavada
to have a thorn in one's side
Tenerle hasta el moño
to be fed up with someone
Tirar de la lengua
to get someone talking
Tirar de la manta
to blow the lid off something
Tirar del carro
to pull one's weight
Tirar la casa por la ventana
to spare no expense
Tirar la piedra y esconder la mano
to throw a stone and hide one's hand
Tirar la toalla
to throw in the towel
Tirarse a la piscina
to take the plunge
Tocar las narices
to get on someone's nerves
Tocar madera
to touch wood
Tocarse las narices
tocar las narices
Tomar cartas en el asunto
to step in
Tomar el pelo
to pull someone's leg
Tomar las de Villadiego
to make a quick getaway
Tomarse la justicia por su mano
to take the law into one's own hands
Traer cola
to have lasting repercussions
Traer de cabeza
to drive someone crazy
Traérsela al pairo
not to give a damn
Tragarse ese sapo
to swallow the bitter pill
Una de cal y otra de arena
a mixed bag
Va que arde
things are moving fast
Valer la pena
to be worth it
Vender la moto
to sell someone a line
Venir como anillo al dedo
to fit like a glove
Venir de perlas
to come in handy
Venirle al pelo
to suit someone perfectly
Venirse arriba / Venirse abajo
to get carried away
Venírsele el mundo encima
to feel as if the world has collapsed around someone
Ver las estrellas
to see stars
Verle las orejas al lobo
to see the writing on the wall
Viento en popa
to be going very well
Vivir del cuento
to live off others
Volver a las andadas
to go back to one's old ways
No idioms match that.