TODAY'S IDIOM: VERBAL DIARRHOEA

"VERBAL DIARRHOEA"

If someone has verbal diarrhoea, they can't stop talking.

Example: Janice has a real bad case of verbal diarrhoea. It's like she's afraid of silence and has to keep talking to block it out. 

Diarrea verbal.

Example sentences:

• There's this guy in our office who's got verbal diarrhoea. He must love the sound of his own voice / Hay un chico en la oficina que tiene diarrea verbal. Debe amar el sonido de su propia voz.

• It was awful. A whole evening with this guy who had verbal diarrhoea / Fue horrible. Una noche entera con este tipo que tenía diarrea verbal.

Additional examples:
 

• I don't know if you could say he's got verbal diarrhoea, but Alan sure does talk a lot.

• We never could get a word in edgewise because Timmy had a case of verbal diarrhea last night.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD

"WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD"

If something is worth its weight in gold, it's extremely valuable or extremely useful.

Example: A personal recommendation from someone like Professor Clark is worth its weight in gold. You'll be able to get a job anywhere you like with that.

Vale su peso en oro.

Example sentences:

• Your grandmother's stories are worth their weight in gold, so you should try to record them or write them down / Las historias de tu abuela valen su peso en oro, por lo que deberías de grabarlas o anotarlas.

• James says the one thing in life that's worth its weight in gold is a good education / James dice que la única cosa que vale su peso en oro es una buena educación.

Additional examples:

• A book that could tell me in simple language how to use this computer would be worth its weight in gold.

• Really good experienced singers are worth their weight in gold to the choir.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A DROP IN THE BUCKET

"A DROP IN THE BUCKET"

If an amount is a drop in the bucket, it's a very small portion of the amount that's needed. 

Example: Our government's sending a thousand tons of food, but that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed.

Una mínima parte.

Example sentences:

• If a donation to help people in need is a drop in the bucket, it is not much, but better than nothing / Si una donación para ayudar a las personas necesitadas es una mínima parte, no es mucho, pero es mejor que nada.

• What we were paid for our work was a drop in the bucket compared to what the company earned / Lo que no pagaron por nuestro trabajo fue una mínima parte comparado con lo que la compañía ganó.

Additional examples:

• I know twenty dollars is just a drop in the bucket, but if everyone gave that much it'd make a big difference.

• Many companies donated food and medicine to help the survivors of the earthquake, but it was just a drop in the bucket of what was needed.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: ON THE ONE HAND | ON THE OTHER HAND

"ON THE ONE HAND | ON THE OTHER HAND"

You can say "on the one hand" before describing one of two contrasting ideas, options, or opinions, and then say "on the other hand" before describing the other one. 

Example: On the one hand smokers should have the right to smoke if they want to, but on the other hand non-smokers should have the right to breathe smoke-free air. 

Por un lado | Por otra parte.

Example sentences:

• On the one hand I love the freedom of being single, but on the other hand the idea of being married and having a family is very attractive / Por un lado me encanta la libertad de estar soltera, pero por otro lado, la idea de estar casada y tener una familia es muy atractivo.

• On the one hand playing computer games can be a lot of fun, but on the other hand it's easy to waste too much time on them / Por un lado jugando juegos de computadora puede ser muy divertido, pero por otra parte, es fácil perder demasiado tiempo en ellos.

Additional examples:

• I'm ready to go; on the other hand, I'm perfectly comfortable here. I'll let you know when I'm ready, then.

• I like this one. On the other hand, this is nice too. Why not get both? 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: THE LION'S SHARE

"THE LION'S SHARE"

You can say something is the lion's share if it's the biggest share or portion of something.

Example: The company executives decided to give the lion's share of the company's profits to themselves, in the form of very high salaries, huge bonuses and very generous expense accounts. Not much was left over for staff wages and the shareholders.

La mayor parte.

Example sentences:

• The lion's share of the government's budget goes to the military, when it could be spent on useful things like education, health care and looking after the environment / La mayor parte del presupuesto del gobierno va a los militares, cuando podría ser gastado en cosas útiles como la educación, la salud y el cuidado del medio ambiente.

• The lion's share of the zoo's budget was spent on the salaries / La mayor parte del presupuesto del zoológico se gastó en los sueldos.

Additional examples:

• The lion's share of the museum's budget goes on special exhibitions.

• Reputable charities spend the lion's share of donations on aid and a tiny fraction on administration.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: GREASE SOMEONE'S PALM

"GREASE SOMEONE'S PALM"

If you grease someone's palm, you pay them a bribe.

Example: The only way to get a government contract around here is to grease someone's palm.

Sobornar.

Example sentences:

• If you want to get out of jail, grease the warden's palm and the guards will let you escape / Si quieres salir de la cárcel, soborna a los guardias y te dejarán escapar.

• It was obvious that many people had greased the chief of police's palm because he had become very rich / Era obvio que mucha gente había sobornado al jefe de la policía porque él se hizo muy rico.

Additional examples:

• If you want to get something done around here, you have to grease someone's palm.

• Drug barons were greasing the palm of the chief of police.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: KILL TIME

"KILL TIME"

You kill time when you do something to amuse yourself while waiting for something. 

Example: We kill time on long trips by playing this game in which someone thinks of a country, and the next person has to think of another country that starts with the last letter of the first one, like Thailand, Denmark, Kenya, Afghanistan, Nepal, and so on.

Matar el tiempo.

Example sentences:

• I had to kill time at the airport because of the delay so I bought a book of crossword puzzles / Tenía que matar el tiempo en el aeropuerto por el retraso, así que compré un libro de crucigramas.

• If you're stuck in traffic jam, a good way to kill time is to read a book / Si estás atrapado en el embotellamiento del tráfico, una buena manera de matar el tiempo es leer un libro.

Additional examples:

• I killed time reading a novel.

• The employees were not encouraged to kill time.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: WIDE OF THE MARK

"WIDE OF THE MARK"

If something is wide of the mark, it isn't true or accurate, or it misses the target.

Example: The manager expected sales to double this year, but his prediction was wide of the mark. They only increased by ten per cent. 

Lejos de la realidad.

Example sentences:

• Ronaldo's first shot was wide of the mark, but his second one went right into the back of the net for a goal / El primer disparo de Ronaldo estaba lejos de la realidad, pero el segundo fue a la derecha en el fondo de la portería para un gol.

• The weather forecast for today was wide of the mark. It's been a beautiful sunny day, but the forecast said it would be wet and windy / El pronóstico de hoy estaba lejos de la realidad. Ha sido un hermoso día, pero el pronóstico dijo que sería húmedo y ventoso.

Additional examples:

• Yesterday's weather forecast was rather wide of the mark.

• Giggs had another chance early in the second half, but once again his shot was wide of the mark.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: BACK TO SQUARE ONE

"BACK TO SQUARE ONE"

If you have to go back to square one, you have to stop and start again, usually because something isn't working as well as expected.

Example: We were going to start the new company next month, but it's back to square one now that Omar has changed his mind about investing in it. 

Volver al punto de partida.

Example sentences:

• After they lost the election, the Liberal Party had to go back to square one and come up with some new policies and some new ideas / Después de que perdió las elecciones, el Partido Liberal tenía que volver al punto de partida y llegar a algunas nuevas políticas y nuevas ideas.

• The team decided to go back to square one after they failed to qualify / El equipo decidió volver al punto de partida después de que no logró clasificarse.

Additional examples:

• Negotiations have broken down, and it's back to square one.

• We lost our appeal of the lower court decision, so back to square one.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS

HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS

If you're having second thoughts about something, you're having doubts about a decision you've made.  

Example: You're not having second thoughts about moving to Australia to live, are you?

Tener dudas.

Example sentences:

• I've been having second thoughts about quitting my job. Maybe I should keep it for a while longer / He estado teniendo dudas acerca de dejar mi trabajo. Tal vez debería mantenerlo por más tiempo.

• Sid and Nancy were going to get married, and then Nancy had second thoughts so they decided to wait / Sid y Nancy se iban a casar y luego Nancy tuvo dudas por lo que decidieron esperar.

Additional examples:

• You're not having second thoughts about coming to Brighton with me, are you?

• Sean Elliott appears to be having second thoughts about retirement.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: FACE THE MUSIC

"FACE THE MUSIC"

If someone has to face the music, they have to accept the consequences of doing something wrong.

Example: To avoid facing the music and accepting his punishment for doing something bad, our little boy will tell lies with the skill of a well-trained actor. 

Afrontar las consecuencias.

Example sentences:

• Henry stole some money and bought a car, and when he realised he'd have to face the music he drove across the border to escape / Henry robó algo de dinero y se compró un coche, y cuando se dió cuenta de que había que afrontar las consecuencias, cruzó la frontera para escapar.

• James will have to face the music when he goes to court / James tendrá que afrontar las consecuencias cuando vaya a los tribunales.

Additional examples:

• Mary broke a dining-room window and had to face the music when her father got home.

• After failing a math test, Tom had to go home and face the music.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: (YOUR) BREAD AND BUTTER

"(YOUR) BREAD AND BUTTER"

Your bread and butter is your livelihood or the source of your income. 

Example: Bartending is my bread and butter at the moment, but I'm trying to get into acting.

Pan de cada día.

Example sentences:

• The conditions are bad, but this work is their bread and butter so make sure the workers have other jobs before you close down the factory / Las condiciones son malas, pero éste trabajo es su pan de cada día entonces asegúrese de que los trabajadores tienen otros trabajos antes de cerrar la fábrica.

• This job is my bread and butter, so I can't afford to lose it / Éste trabajo es mi pan de cada día, así que no puedo darme el lujo de perderlo.

Additional examples:

• I can't miss another day of work. That's my bread and butter.

• I worked as a bartender for a year, and it was the tips that were my bread and butter.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: WARTS AND ALL

"WARTS AND ALL"

If you show something warts and all, you show it exactly as it is without trying to hide any of its faults or weaknesses.

Example: The Kurt Cobain biography is good because it's a real warts and all account of his life, and it doesn't try to hide the more disturbing parts of his life.

Con todos sus defectos.

Example sentences:

• Are you sure you want to read the first draft? You'll see it warts and all, with all the mistakes and all the bad writing still there / ¿Estás seguro de que deseas leer el primer borrador? Verás que con todos sus defectos, con todos los errores y toda la mala escritura sigue ahí.

• People don't want to see an idealised version of his life. They want to know the real story, warts and all / La gente no quiere ver una versión idealizada de su vida. Ellos quieren saber la verdadera historia, con todos sus defectos.

Additional examples:

• It's a great performance; warts and all.  

• Yes, we admire each other very much, warts and all.

• He tried to portray the president as he was, warts and all.

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