Cumulative Expressions

  • Hablar a viva voz

    • Make yourself heard, project

  • Manos a la obra

    • All hands on deck, get to work

  • Aburrirse como una ostra 

    • Bored as an oyster, super bored

  • Traer a colación

    • To bring to the table, bring a point

  • Contra viento y marea

    • Against all odds, despite the challenges

  • Amor con hambre no dura… y si dura, no perdura

    • First things first, take care of basic things first

  • Es pan comido

    • Piece of cake, super easy

  • Echar un ojo/echar un vistazo

    • Have a quick look

  • A vuelo de pájaro

    • Do something without deep thinking, to do something quickly

  • Más claro no canta un gallo

    • Super clear

  • No importar un pepino/un rábano (me importa un pepino/rábino)

    • I don’t care at all

  • No tener ni pies ni cabeza

    • Makes no sense, impossible to understand

  • Meter la pata

    • To make a big mistake; to mess up big time

  • No pegar un ojo

    • To not stick an eye; didn’t sleep at all (work)

  • No tener pelos en la lengua

    • Direct/blunt/straightforward to the point of being rude

  • Encontrar tu media naranja

    • To find your soulmate

  • Ser una mosca muerta

    • To be sneaky: to pretend you are innocent when you are not

  • Morirse de la risa

    • Laugh a lot; die of laughter

  • Morirse del hambre

    • To be very hungry/starving

  • Hablar hasta por los codos

    • To talk a lot/chatterbox

  • Tomar el pelo

    • Pulling the leg/making a joke

  • Tirar la casa por la ventana

    • Spend lavishly; spend a lot of money

  • Ser uña y carne

    • Best friends; together all the time

  • Llover sobre mojado

    • Being redundant; repeating something obvious

  • Más loco que una cabra

    • Super crazy 

  • Ver todo color de rosa

    • To be way too optimistic/almost naive

  • Estar entre la espada y la pared

    • Between the sword and the wall, facing a big dilemma; have to make an impossible choice

  • Dar en el clavo

    • To nail it; to do well

  • Echar leña al fuego

    • To instigate; to add fuel to the fire; to stir the pot

  • Dormirse en los laureles

    • Spacing out/zoning out; to forget to do something important, to daydream

  • Estar hasta en la sopa

    • It’s everywhere and is annoying

      • A public figure/meme

  • El mundo es un pañuelo

    • Small world

  • Estar hasta la coronilla

    • To be fed up; to be done; to be mad at something and have had enough

  • Ser la gota que colma el vaso 

    • to be the final straw that triggers a reaction or decision

  • Dejar plantado a __

    • to stand someone up

  • Echar una mano

    • throw a hand, help out

  • Salirse con la suya

    • to get away with something

  • Buscarle 5 patas al gato OR Buscarle 3 pies al gato 

    • to overcomplicate things

  • Hacerse la vista gorda

    • to turn a blind eye, to overlook and ignore something