TODAY'S IDIOM: ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

"ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER"

 

 

You will like someone or something better if that person or thing is far away.

Example: It is much easier to get along with your parents when you live away from home. You miss them so much and are glad when you see them. It's true. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

La ausencia alimenta al corazón.

Example sentences:

• Ever since Carla's boyfriend moved away, she can't stop thinking about him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder / Desde que el novio de Carla se alejó, ella no puede dejar de pensar en él. La ausencia alimenta al corazón.

• My boyfriend's going overseas to study for four years! Well, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder! / Mi novio se va a estudiar al extranjero durante 4 años! Bueno, dicen que la ausencia alimenta al corazón.

Additional examples:

• My boyfriend's going to South America and I won't see him for six months. Ah well,absence makes the heart grow fonder.

• Does it bother you that your husband goes away on long business trips? No. The time we have spent apart has been good for us. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: VIS-A-VIS

"VIS-A-VIS"

You can say vis-a-vis instead of saying "in relation to".

Example: Here's the data I was telling you about vis-a-vis our customers' age groups and income brackets.

En relación a...

Example setences:

• Did you get my memo on the new laws vis-a-vis gay marriage? / ¿Te llegó el memo con la nueva ley en relación al matrimonio gay?

• Stanley was looking for information on council regulations vis-a-vis property taxes / Stanley estaba buscando información sobre los reglamentos del consejo en relación a los impuestos de propiedad.

Additional examples:

• Can I talk to you vis-a-vis the arrangements for Thursday's meeting?

• The current strength of the dollar vis-a-vis other currencies makes it hard selling American products overseas.

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: DEAD TO THE WORLD

"DEAD TO THE WORLD"

If you're dead to the world, you are sound asleep.

Example: It looks like Kerry's spending the night on our sofa. She had two beers and now she's dead to the world.

Cayó muerto.

Example sentences:

• Our boss must have had a late night. He's in his office with his face on the desk, dead to the world / Nuestro jefe debe haber tenido una larga noche. Está en su oficina con la cara sobre su escritorio, como muerto.

• Look at Larry, he's dead to the world. He must be really tired / Mira a Larry, cayó muerto. Debe estar muy cansado.

Additional examples:

• Once he is asleep he is dead to the world; we can make noise if we want.

• After all that exercise, he's dead to the world.  

• He's dead to the world, and I can't rouse him.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: CRYSTAL CLEAR

"CRYSTAL CLEAR"

Very clear, well understood.

Example: The boss was crystal clear: next time you're late you'll be fired.

Muy claro.

• I liked the seminar; the instructor explained everything so it was crystal clear / Me gustó el seminario: el instructor explicó todo muy claro.

• The rule is crystal clear no advance payments allowed, no exceptions / La regla es muy clara no está permitido pagos por adelantado, sin excepciones.

Additional Examples:

• After Mr. Rivera explained the concept to me, he asked, "Is that clear?" "Crystal clear," I replied.

• The directions for installing the door are crystal clear.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: GET RID OF

"GET RID OF"

Discard, throw away.

Example: First, we have to get rid of the money. Where can we hide it?

Deshacerse de.

• Let's just get rid of all the drug laws / Vamos a deshacernos de todas las leyes sobre las drogas.

• Let me get rid of this pest at once / Déjame deshacerme de esta plaga de una vez.

Additional examples:

• You need to get rid of all your junk mail.

• "Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat."

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A SLIM CHANCE

"A SLIM CHANCE"

Very little chance, not likely to happen.

Example: Is it going to rain today? Maybe; there's a slim chance.

Una pequeña posibilidad.

• There is a slim chance that I will arrive on Monday, but Tuesday is more likely / Hay una pequeña posibilidad de que llegue el lunes, pero el martes es más probable.

• If your baby is not responding to treatment, there is only a very slim chance of survival / Si el bebé no reacciona al tratamiento, hay una probabilidad muy baja de que sobreviva.

Additional examples:

• These girls and women have a slim chance of escaping extreme poverty or of giving their children a better life.

• Why make films at all, if there's such a slim chance of having them seen?

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TODAY'S IDIOM: NO PAIN, NO GAIN

"NO PAIN, NO GAIN"

If you want to improve, you must work so hard that it hurts.

Example: A sign on our gym wall reads "No Pain, No Gain."

El que quiere celeste, que le cueste.

Example sentences:

• I can't do any more push-ups; my muscles hurt. No pain, no gain / No puedo hacer ningunas flexiones más; mis músculos dueles. El que quiere celeste, que le cueste.

• Come on, everybody! Run one more lap! No pain, no gain! / ¡Vamos, todos! ¡A correr una vuelta más! ¡El que quiere celeste, que le cueste!

Additional examples:

• During the exhausting time of spring training, our coach would often remind us: "No pain, no gain!"

• To play at that level, you are going to have to practice all of the time, you know. No pain, no gain.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: UP A GUM TREE

"UP A GUM TREE"

If you're up a gum tree, you're in trouble or have a serious problem.

Example: The company is up a gum tree because they broke some laws about polluting the environment, and they'll probably get closed down.

Estar en aprietos.

Example sentences:

• Bazza was driving through the desert from Perth to Sydney, but he's up a gum treenow because / Bazza estaba conduciendo por el desierto de Perth a Sydney, pero ahora está en aprietos porque se ha quedado sin gasolina.

• If the insurance company won't pay for the damage, I'll be up a gum tree / Si la compañía de seguros no paga por el daño, estaré en aprietos.

Additional examples:   

• My mate Bruce is up a gum tree. He got a sheila up the duff and now she's twisting his arm to get hitched.

• My wife caught me buying a drink for my attractive secretary. Oh mate, you are up a gum tree!

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TODAY'S IDIOM: KNOW YOUR STUFF

"KNOW YOUR STUFF"

If you know your stuff, you're very good at what you do, and you know a lot about it.

Example: When it comes to growing vegetables, Uncle Ken sure knows his stuff. He's been growing veggies in his back garden for forty years!

Saber lo que haces.

Example sentences:

• The technician who looks after the computers at our office really knows her stuff. She's great! / La técnica que se ocupa de las computadoras en nuestra oficina realmente sabe lo que hace. Es genial.

• We'll soon know how good he is at fixing cars. If he knows his stuff, the car should stop smoking / Bueno, pronto sabremos que tan bueno es él arreglando los coches. Si sabe lo que hace, el carro debe dejar de humear.

Additional examples:

• I know my stuff. I can do my job.  

• When it comes to restoring grand pianos, Mr Morley really knows his stuff.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: TAKE TIME

"TAKE TIME"

To go as slow as one wants or needs to; to use as much time as is required.

 

Example: There is no hurry, please take your time.

Toma tu tiempo.

Example sentences:

• Bill is very careful and takes his time so he won't make any mistakes. / Bill es muy cuidadoso y se toma su tiempo para que no se cometa ningún error.

• Take your time; this is a big decision, and you don't want to rush into it. / Tómate tu tiempo; ésta es una gran decisión y no quieras precipitarte en ella.

 

Additional examples:

• Carlin took her time before she answered him.

• Take time to play; it is the secret of perpetual youth.

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: ALL THE RAGE

"ALL THE RAGE"

If something is all the rage, it's very popular or it's in fashion at the moment.

Example: Can you remember when disco was all the rage and we'd go dancing all night in the clubs?

De moda.


Example sentences:

• When Hans was a kid, skate boards were all the rage / Cuando Hans era un niño, las patinetas estaban de moda.

• If one of our products becomes all the rage, our company will be very successful / Si uno de nuestros productos se pone de moda, nuestra compañía será exitosa.

Additional examples:

• A new dance called the "floppy disc" is all the rage.

• Wearing a rope instead of a belt was all the rage in those days.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: NEVER SAY DIE!

"NEVER SAY DIE!"

You can say "Never say die!" if you want to tell someone to keep trying while there's still a chance of success.

Example: We were two goals down with only a few minutes to go, but our captain wouldn't give up. He was shouting, "Come on, guys! Never say die!"

¡No darse por vencido!

Example sentences:

• After falling off his surfboard for the hundredth time, Craig climbed back on and said with a laugh, "Never say die!" / Después de caerse de su tabla de surf por centésima vez, Craig se subió de nuevo y dijo con una sonrisa, ¡No me daré por vencido!

• David said, "Never say die!" after failing his driving test again / David dijo, ¡No me daré por vencido! después de fallar de nuevo en su examen de conducir.

Additional examples:

• I don't think I can finish this project in time. Never say die!.

• It's no use. I can't make my checkbook balance. Never say die!

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TODAY'S IDIOM: TEETHING PROBLEMS / TEETHING TROUBLES

"TEETHING PROBLEMS / TEETHING TROUBLES"

If someone or something is having teething problems, or teething troubles, they're having problems during the early stages of something.

Example: The government had a few teething problems early in its term, but most people think they did a good job overall.

Dificultades.

Example sentences:

• We're still having a few teething troubles, but when everyone adjusts to their roles, everything should be fine / Seguimos teniendo dificultades, pero cuando todo el mundo se ajuste a sus funciones, todo debería estar bien.

• The project went through the usual teething troubles early on / El proyecto pasó por dificultades al inicio.

Additional examples:

• We will have teething problems with this new policy in its early years.

• There were the usual teething troubles at the start of the project, but that's to be expected. 

• Many marriages go through teething problems in the first few months.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: NECK AND NECK

 "NECK AND NECK"

If two competitors are running neck and neck in a race, they are almost level. 

Example: Nearly all the votes have been counted and the two candidates are still neck and neck, so we don't know who's won the election yet.

Parejos.

Example sentences:

• The horses were neck and neck as they crossed the finishing line, so the judges have called for a photo / Los caballos estaban muy parejos cuando cruzaron la línea de la meta, por lo que los jueces pidieron una foto.

• The top two runners were neck and neck as they started the last lap of the race / Los dos mejores corredores estaban parejos al comenzar la última vuelta de la carrera.

Additional examples:

• John and Tom finished the race neck and neck.

• Mary and Ann were neck and neck in the spelling contest. Their scores were tied.

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