Spanish/Idioms

Idioms EnglishSpanishLiteralThe straw that broke the camel's backLa gota que derramó el vasoThe drop that caused the glass to spill overThe apple doesn't fall far from the treeDe tal palo tal astillaA splinter is like the wood it came fromA chip off the old blockDe tal palo tal astillaA chip is like the stick it came fromMaking a mountain out of a molehillHacer una montaña de un grano de arenaMake a mountain out of a grain of sandClothes don't make the manEl habito no hace al monjeThe habit doesn't make the monkTo cost an arm and a legCostar un ojo de la caraTo cost one eye of your faceCall a spade a spadeLlamar al pan pan y al vino vinoCall bread bread and wine wineSomething smells fishyHuele a gato encerradoIt smells like a caged catTo be on the fenceNadar entre dos aguasSwim between two bodies of waterTo be in a jamEstar metido en un lío To be in a jamIn a nutshellEn pocas palabrasIn a few wordsIt's raining cats and dogsLlueve a cántarosIt is raining pitchersTo be in the driver's seatLlevar las riendasHolding the reinsOut of the horse's mouthDe muy buena fuenteFrom a very good sourceDay in, day outDe sol a solFrom sun to sunTo butter upEstar de barberoTo be a bootlickerStick to one's gunsNo dar el brazo a torcerNot allow to have your arm twistedTo be hard pressedEstar en un aprietoTo be in a predicamentIf I only knew!¡Quién lo supiera!Who would know it!To hit the roadLargarseLeave or get lostLearn the ropesAprender el negocioTo learn the businessBesides the pointNo viene al casoIt doesn't come (touch) the caseAs if there were no tomorrowComo si se fuera a acabar el mundoAs if the world were coming to an endAlive and KickingVivo y Coleando Alive and waggingCool as a cucumberFresco como una lechugaFresh as a lettuceFighting like cats and dogsLlevarse como perro y gatoFighting like a dog and a catMy point isA lo que me refiero What I'm referring toBetter late than neverMás vale tarde que nuncaNow is better than neverStop the carPara el coche Stop the car/cartTo each his ownCada loco con su temaEvery lunatic has his own subject (theme)You make me crazyMe vuelves loco(a)You make me crazyA bird in the hand is worth two in the bushMás vale un pájaro en mano que cien volandoOne bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flyingA wild goose chaseBuscando la cuadratura de un circuloSearching the square of a circleTo know something like the back of one's handConocer algo como la palma de la manoTo know something like the palm of the handIt is the early bird that gets the wormA quien madruga, Dios le ayudaGod helps he who wakes up earlyDeliver the goodsCumplir con lo prometidoFulfill a promiseBrain is better than brawnMás vale maña que fuerzaSkill is worth more than powerIt goes without sayingEs cosa sabidaIt's a known thingTo spill the beansSoltar la sopaSpill the soupRome was not built in a dayNo se ganó Zamora en una horaZamora was not won in an hourOut of sight, out of mindOjos que no ven, corazón que no sienteEyes that do not see, heart that does not feelTo throw in the towelDarse por vencido To consider oneself defeatedThe royal treatmentTrato a cuerpo de reyFit for the body of a kingOne man's meat is another man's poisonLo que a uno cura, a otro mataThat that cures one, kills anotherTo go down the drainIrse por un tuboGo by a pipeFat chance!Ni lo sueñesDon't even dream about itIt is beyond meNo entiendo ni jotaI don't understand even the (letter) jYou can't please everyoneNunca llueve a gusto de todosIt never rains to everyone's likingThink before you speakAntes de hablar, pensarBefore speaking, thinkHold your horses!Calma, no hay prisa!Calm down, there is no rushTo be daydreamingAndar en la lunaTo walk on the moonThe best things in life are free Lo que no cuesta dinero siempre es buenoThat which does not cost money is always goodIt doesn't ring a bellNo me suenaIt doesn't ring to meIt's not a laughing matterNo es cosa de juegoIt's not a matter of playWe all make mistakesEl que tiene boca se equivocaThe one who has a mouth makes mistakesTo be mad as a hatterEstar loco de remateTo be crazy at the topYou reap what you sowSe cosecha lo que se siembraWhat one sows, one harvestsTo be caught red-handedCon las manos en la masaWith the hands in the doughThey that live by the sword shall die by the swordQuien a hierro mata, a hierro muereHe who kills by iron, dies by ironYou can't make a silk purse out of a sow's earAunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se quedaEven if the monkey dresses in silk, she is still be a monkeyGive the lowdownPoner al corrienteBring up to speedAt the drop of a hatAl instanteInstantlyYou never know what you have until it's goneNadie sabe lo que vale el agua hasta que faltaNobody knows how valuable water is until it's missingA friend in need is a friend indeedEn el peligro se conoce el amigoIn danger the friend is knownTo be in seventh heavenEstar en la gloriaTo be in the gloryIf you keep your mouth shut, you won't put your foot in itEn bocas cerradas no entran moscasIn closed mouths flies don't enterIf you buy cheaply, you pay dearlyLo barato sale caroWhat's cheap ends up expensiveCross the t's and dot the i'sSin faltar una comaWithout missing one commaFor the hell of itPor puro gustoFor pure pleasure (whim)Necessity is the mother of inventionLa necesidad agudiza el ingenioNecessity sharpens ingenuityWater under the bridgeEs agua pasadaIt's water that passedTo look the other wayHacerse la vista gordaTo make oneself a fat sightLet sleeping dogs lieAl perro que duerme, no lo despiertesDon't wake the dog that sleepsYou can't teach an old dog new tricksEl loro viejo no aprende a hablarThe old parrot doesn't learn to talkLook before you leapAntes que te cases, mira lo que hacesBefore you marry, look what you doUncharted watersAbrir brechaTo open (break) a gapIt serves him rightSe lo mereceShe (or he or it) deserves itTo be on cloud nineAndar en las nubesWalk in the cloudsYou're pulling my legA otro perro con ese huesoTo another dog with that boneFlesh and bloodDe carne y huesoOf flesh and boneIs the coast clear?¿Hay moros en la costa?Are there Moors (Arabs) on the coast?To ruffle someone's feathersFastidiar a alguienTo annoy someoneTo pull someone's legTomar el pelo a alguienTo pull someone's hairPedal to the metalA la carreraAt a race paceTo walk on airRebozar de felicidadTo be enveloped by happinessBirds of a feather flock togetherDime con quién andas y te diré quién eresTell me with whom you walk and I'll tell you who you areGo to piecesDesmoronarseTo crumble apartHit it offHacer migasMake breadcrumbsTo have sticky fingersTener inclinación a robarTo have inclination to stealTo let off steamDesahogarseTo ventIt is nothing to brag aboutNo es nada de otro mundoIt is nothing of another worldAll is quiet on the PotomacLa paz reina en VarsoviaPeace reigns in WarsawTalking a mile a minuteHablar a mil por horaTo speak a thousand (words) an hourTo sleep on itConsultar la almohadaTo consult the pillowNot beat around the bushIr al granoTo go to the grainTo be fit as a fiddleEstar más sano que una peraTo be healthier than a pear