SPANISH IDIOMS WITH THEIR ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS EMBRACING NEARLY TEN THOUSAND PHRASES COLLECTED BY SARAH GARY BECKER FEDERICO MORA BOSTON PUBLISHED BY GINN & COMPANY 1887 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by SARAH GARY BECKER AND FEDERICO MORA, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. S. Si Co Boston. J. Gushing , Printers, PREFACE. ENGLISH is the native tongue of one of the compilers of this collection of idioms, Spanish that of the other, and each of them is familiar with both languages. Only by such co-operation could results of any considerable value have been attained. An idiom is a phrase stamped by the usage of a language with a signification other than its grammatical or logical one. Our effort has been to bring together as many of the idioms to be met with in literary and conversational Spanish as possible, but not to include the technical phraseology of the professions and trades, or mere vulgarisms. These lines are not always easy to draw. Nautical terms, for example, often appear in very light literature, most of which would certainly also be set down in a technical dictionary. Many such may be found in the following pages. The more abstruse terminology of the law, on the other hand, seldom makes its way into belles-lettres or into conversation, and is excluded. The distinction between admissible slang, or homely phrase- ology, and downright vulgarisms is also far from sharp, and depends more or less upon circumstances. We have omitted some phrases which, though they appear in literature, have no business there. Many of the idiomatic phrases are proverbs, but proverbs not containing idioms are excluded. " The method employed in compilation was as follows : El Novisimo " Diccionario de la Lengua Castellana, por una Sociedad de Literates (which is founded upon the Academy's Dictionary, with additions), and " El Nuevo Diccionario IngleVEspanol, y Espanol-Ingle's, por J. M. Lopez, E. R. Bensley, y otros," were carefully read through from beginning to end, and the numerous idioms cited in illustration of the use of words were extracted. Much material has also been obtained from grammars, including those of Professors Alberto de Tornos, W. I. Knapp, H. M. Monsanto, and Louis A. Languellier, as well as from Bohn's Spanish 4 PREFACE. Proverbs. Don Quixote, in several editions and translations (including the late translation with critical list of proverbs by John Ormsby, London, 1885), and Gil Bias have been carefully studied; and notes of idioms in other works were made reading many ; finally, memoranda were kept of such as occurred in conversation during a period of two years. These means cannot be exhaustive, but we believe that few common, important, or valuable phrases have escaped us. In rendering the idioms into the first was to make their English, object meaning intelligible ; the second, to give equivalent English idioms where such could be found : in many cases, however, the pithiness of the original is best retained by a simple translation. Renderings found in previous publications were adopted only when it seemed impossible to improve upon them, and it has been found necessary to correct many downright errors of translation. Our thanks are due to Commander Henry Glass, of the United States Navy, for examining and improving the translations of the nautical phrases. The arrangement of the work is intended to facilitate reference as far as this can be effected with material of so heterogeneous a character. Every idiom containing a verb is placed under that verb, while the verbs them- selves are arranged alphabetically. Where the idioms containing a par- ticular verb are numerous, they have been classified into natural groups, the members of which are mutually illustrative, or deal with similar ideas. The idioms containing verbs form the first and larger portion of the collection. Those which lack a verb are comprised in a second division, in which the most emphatic or most important word in each phrase is taken as the basis of their alphabetical arrangement. Indices to each series are added as a further aid in the search for a given phrase. Finally, we believe ourselves justified in the hope that this collection of idioms will prove a very important aid in mastering one of the greatest difficulties which the Spanish language presents. S. C. B. F. M. SPANISH IDIOMS. IDIOMS CONTAINING VERBS. Quien mucho abarca poco aprieta. Grasp all, lose all. Ni te abatas por pobreza, ni te en- Do not be humbled by poverty, or salces por riqueza. exalted by wealth. las a heart of stone to Ablandar piedras. To melt ; inspire great pity. Abocar la artilleria. To bring the guns to bear (mil.). Abocar un estrecho. To enter the mouth of a channel. El sol pica, 6 abrasa. The sun scorches. Abrasarse los pajaros. To be burning hot./ Abrasarse vivo. To be inflamed with passion. Muchas hijas en casa, todo se abrasa. Many daughters are expensive. Abrazar el est6mago alguna cosa. To keep a thing on the stomach. Abriguese V. con ello. Defend yourself with it. Al buen dia abrele la puerta, y para Make hay while the sun shines, but el malo te apareja. prepare for a rainy day. Abrir, 6 abrirse una entrada de agua. To spring a leak. La madera se abre. The wood cracks. Abrir brecha en un muro. To make a breach in a fortress. Abrir las a foundation to zanjas. To lay ; begin. Abrir trincheras. trenches to a To open ; begin siege. Abrir el ojo. To be on the alert. En un abrir y cerrar de ojos. In the twinkling of an eye. Abrir el dla. To dawn. Abrir la corona. To shave the tonsure. Abrir las velaciones. To permit the issue of marriage licenses (granted only at certain seasons) . Abrir paso. To clear the way. Abrirse las cataratas del cielo. rain to To heavily ; pour. Abre el tiempo. The weather clears up. Abrir los & uno. to one's ojos To undeceive ; open eyes. Abrirse con al^uno. To disclose one's secrets to any one. Abrir puerta a la puerta. To afford an opportunity. SPANISH IDIOMS. Abre el ojo que asan carne. Improve the opportunity. Abrir el coraz6n d alguno. To encourage a person. Abrir la mano. To accept bribes. Abrir la mano al caballo. To give rein to a horse. Abrir la cabeza. To break one's head. Abrir las carnes. To cut the flesh with a whip. Abrir la procesi6n. To lead a procession. Abrir d chasco. To jest ; to mock. Abrir tanto ojo. To stare with joy. Abrir registro. To begin to take in cargo (nau.). Absolver las preguntas. To answer questions. Absolver de la instancia. To pardon a criminal. Abundar en su sentido. To adhere to one's opinion. Aburrird mil pesos en esta flota. I will hazard a thousand dollars in this convoy. Acabar con el negocio. To make an end of an affair. Acaba ! Determine ! resolve ! I ya Es cosa de nunca acabarse. It is an endless affair. A ese paso no acabards nunca. At this rate you will never finish. Acaba de llegar. He has just arrived. Estd acabado de salir . It is fresh from . El tapete le acab6 con cuanto posefa. He lost all he possessed at the gam- ing-table. El pleito le acab6 de tronar com- The lawsuit ruined him completely. pletamente. La vela se estd acabando. The candle is flickering. Al acabar la vida. At the moment of death. Se acab6 el siglo para 1. He has departed this life. Para el mal que hoy acaba, no es To-morrow's remedy avails little for el misfortune remedio de mafiana. to-day's ; apply your remedy before it is too late. Los valientes y el buen vino duran Rash courage and good wine are 6 se acaban soon ended those love poco, pronto. ; who peril will try it once too often. it Acabados son cuentos. There is an end to ; i.e., the con- versation or dispute. Acabar 6 adobar los guantes. To regale and remunerate a person. Lo que no acaece (6 sucede, 6 se That which a year does not bring hace) en un ano, acaece en un rato. us, a moment may. Aceptar una letra. To accept a bill of exchange. Aceptar personas. To favor particular persons. SPANISH IDIOMS. Achicar la bomba. To pump the water from a ship. Achicad, compadre, y llevar&s la Very much exaggerated. galga. Aclaradselo vos, compadre, que To ask foolish questions on pretence teneis la boca a mano. of not understanding. Aclarar la voz. To clear the throat. Acodillarse con la carga. Not to be able to fulfil one's engage- ments. Acogerse a las aras. To take refuge. Acogi al rat6n en mi agujero, y vol- Do not trust any one lest he may vi6seme heredero. turn traitor. Acometer con dinero. To try to bribe a person. De ruin a ruin quien acomete, vence. When two cowards fight, he who attacks conquers. Tiempos hay de acometer, y tiempos There is a time to attack, and a time de retirar. to retreat. Acomodarse al tiempo. To be content with the present state of things. Acordarse del tiempo del rey que That is a very old story, or thing. rabid, ser una cosa del tiempo de rey que rabi6, 6 del rey que rabi6 por gachas. Acordarse 6 estar de acuerdo con To close, or agree with one. uno. Acordarse remotamente. To have a confused recollection. No se acuerda el Cura de cuando Those who attain prosperity often fu6 Sacristan. forget the day of small things. Acordar los instrumentos musicos a To tune instruments.