Spanish Idioms and Expressions: Part 2

More idiomatic expressions to sound more natural and fluent in Spanish.

Body Parts Idioms

costar un ojo de la cara (to cost an arm and a leg - literally: an eye from the face) no tener pelos en la lengua (to be very direct - literally: to not have hairs on the tongue) estar hasta las narices (to be fed up - literally: to be up to the nose) tomar el pelo (to pull someone's leg - literally: to take the hair) meter la pata (to put your foot in it / make a mistake) dar la mano y tomar el pie (give an inch, take a mile)

Food and Drink Idioms

ser pan comido (to be a piece of cake - literally: to be eaten bread) estar como un flan (to be very nervous - literally: to be like a flan) importar un pepino (to not care at all - literally: to matter a cucumber) tener mala leche (to be mean-spirited - literally: to have bad milk) dar calabazas (to reject romantically - literally: to give pumpkins)

Animal Idioms

estar como pez en el agua (to be in one's element - literally: like a fish in water) llevarse como el perro y el gato (to fight like cats and dogs) cuando las ranas críen pelo (when pigs fly - literally: when frogs grow hair) matar dos pájaros de un tiro (to kill two birds with one stone) a otro perro con ese hueso (tell it to someone else - literally: to another dog with that bone)

Weather and Nature

llover sobre mojado (when it rains, it pours - literally: to rain on wet ground) hacer de tripas corazón (to pluck up courage - literally: make heart from guts)

Time and Timing

al mal tiempo, buena cara (keep a stiff upper lip - literally: good face to bad weather) nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena (better late than never) a buenas horas mangas verdes (too little, too late) no dejar piedra sin mover (to leave no stone unturned)

Actions and Consequences

quien siembra vientos, recoge tempestades (you reap what you sow - literally: who sows winds, harvests storms) tirar la casa por la ventana (to spare no expense - literally: throw the house out the window) ahogarse en un vaso de agua (to make a mountain out of a molehill - literally: drown in a glass of water)

Money and Value

no tener un duro (to be broke - Spain) estar sin blanca (to be broke - Spain) costar un riñón (to cost a fortune - literally: cost a kidney)

Truth and Lies

hablar claro (to speak plainly) andar con rodeos (to beat around the bush) llamar al pan pan y al vino vino (to call a spade a spade) dar gato por liebre (to rip someone off - literally: give cat for hare)

Effort and Work

sudar la gota gorda (to work very hard - literally: sweat the fat drop) echar una mano (to lend a hand) arrimar el hombro (to pitch in - literally: bring shoulder closer) no dar ni golpe (to be lazy - literally: not give even a hit)

Success and Failure

estar en las nubes (to have your head in the clouds) poner los pies en la tierra (to come back down to earth) tocar madera (to knock on wood) cruzar los dedos (to cross your fingers)

Relationships

llevarse bien/mal (to get along well/badly) caer bien/mal (to like/dislike someone) hacer buenas migas (to hit it off - literally: make good breadcrumbs) ser uña y carne (to be inseparable - literally: be nail and flesh)

Anger and Emotion

ponerse como un tomate (to turn red/blush - literally: become like a tomato) subirse por las paredes (to be furious - literally: climb up the walls) estar de mala leche (to be in a bad mood) tener un humor de perros (to be in a foul mood - literally: have a dog's humor)

Understanding

caer en la cuenta (to realize/catch on) no tener ni idea (to have no idea) pillar (to catch/understand - informal) captar (to get it/understand)

Everyday Actions

dar la lata (to be annoying - literally: give the can) irse de la lengua (to let the cat out of the bag) hacer la vista gorda (to turn a blind eye) poner los cuernos (to cheat on someone - literally: put horns)

Success Expressions

dar en el clavo (to hit the nail on the head) acertar (to get it right) dar resultado (to work out / give results)

Practice