TODAY'S IDIOM: BARK UP THE WRONG TREE

"BARK UP THE WRONG TREE"

If you're barking up the wrong tree, you're looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way.

Example: The police think the drugs are being brought in by the mafia, but they're barking up the wrong tree. They should be looking much closer to home.

Estar equivocado (a)

Example sentences:

• The police think the murderer is hiding in the forest, but they're barking up the wrong tree. He is not in a forest /  La polocía cree que el asesino se esconde en el bosque, pero están equivocados. Él no está en un bosque.

• If you think I'm the guilty person, you're barking up the wrong tree / Si piensas que soy una persona culpable, estás equivicado.

Additional examples:

• She's barking up the wrong tree if she's interested in Gavin. Doesn't she know he's gay?

• The hitters blamed the team's bad record on the pitchers, but they were barking up the wrong tree.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: BRING OUT THE BEST IN SOMEONE

"BRING OUT THE BEST IN SOMEONE"

To cause someone to behave in the best manner.

Example: This kind of situation doesn't exactly bring out the best in me.

Sacar lo mejor de alguien.

Example sentences:

• Working under pressure bring the best in me / Trabajar bajo presión saca lo mejor de mí.

• This new challenge bring out the best in them / Este nuevo reto saca lo mejor de ellos.

Additional examples:

• There is a saying that competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.

• White light brings out the best in buildings, streets and features of the urban nightscape.   

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TODAY'S IDIOM: TO WIMP OUT

"TO WIMP OUT"

 

 

 
To not do something because of cowardice or lack of conviction.
 
Example: The little girl is refusing to cross the swinging bridge because she is too afraid.  She is wimping out.
 
Echarse para atrás.
 
Example sentences:
 

• Ok, I'm going to jump. Are you ready? I don't know. I'm not sure. We agreed that we would jump together. Are you wimping out? I am too afraid, I can't do it / Esta bien, voy a saltar. ¿Estás listo? No lo sé. No estoy seguro. Quedamos en que íbamos a ir juntos. ¿Te estás echando para atrás? Tengo miego, no puedo.

• Ready to go out and party? I don't know, I'm feeling kind of tired. But we've been looking forward to going out all week. I think I'll just stay in and watch TV. I can't believe you are going to wimp out! / ¿Listo para salir de fiesta? No lo sé, me siento un poco cansado. Pero hemos estado esperando salir toda la semana. Creo que me quedaré aquí y viendo televisión. No lo puedo creer te vas a echar para atrás.

Additional examples:

• Come on! Don't wimp out now that there's all this work to be done.

• Ted wimped out on us.

 

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES

"MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES"

If you make hay while the sun shines, you make good use of the chance to do something while it lasts.

Example: Jim works too much, but he reckons he's just making hay while the sun shines. He says he'll slow down once he's made his fortune.

Aprovecharse de la ocasión.

Example sentences:

• We've got a few days off work so lets make hay while the sun shines and do some landscaping around the back of the house / Tenemos un par de días sin trabajo por lo que nos permite aprovecharnos de la ocasión y hacer un poco de jardinería en la parte trasera de la casa.

• I'd better make hay while the sun shines and do some work on my book while I have a bit of free time / Será mejor aprovecharme de la ocasión y hacer algún trabajo enmi libro mientras tengo un poco de tiempo libre.

Additional examples:

• While my husband's out of town, I'm going to watch all the movies he wouldn't take me to see. Why not? Make hay while the sun shines.

• I've got a few hours to finish the housework before the kids come home so I might as well make hay while the sun shines.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: DIG UP DIRT

"DIG UP DIRT"

If you dig up dirt on someone, you try to find details from their past to make them look bad in the present.

Example: Very few of our leaders come from disadvantaged backgrounds because it's so easy to dig up dirt on them or their family members.

Sacar a la luz.

Example sentences:

• Many politicians pay people to dig up dirt on their opponents, and then pass the information to the media / Muchos políticos pagan a personas para desenterrar trapos sucios de sus oponentes, y luego pasar la información a los medios de comunicación.

• A journalist is digging up dirt on a politician in order to damage the politician's image / Un periodista desentierra trapos sucios de un político con el fin de dañar su imagen.

Additional examples:

• They tried to dig up some dirt on their political enemies.

• No effort is being spared to dig up dirt on the rival candidate.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: MADE OF MONEY

"MADE OF MONEY"

If you are made of money, you have lots of money.

Example: When I was in poor countries, everyone thought I was made of money because I could afford to take time off work and travel so far to their country 

Nadar en dinero.

Example sentences:

• That guy Howard acts as if he's made of money, but I know for a fact that he's actually quite poor / Ese tipo Howard actúa como si nadara en dinero, pero sé que es un hecho que en realidad es bastante pobre.

• My daughter's Christmas list is four pages long; she must think we're made of money! / La lista de deseos de Navidad de mi hija tiene cuatro páginas, ¡debe creer que nadamos en dinero! 

Additional examples:

• No, I can't lend you twenty pounds. I'm not made of money, you know.  

• Bob asked if I could give him loan, and I said,"I'm not made of money, you know. Why don't you ask someone else for a loan?"

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TODAY'S IDIOM: POP THE QUESTION

"POP THE QUESTION"

If you pop the question, you ask someone to marry you.

Example: In most European cultures, it's the man who pops the question to the woman if he wants to marry her.

Hacer la pregunta (propose marriage to)

Example sentences:

• Isabella said she nearly died when Rafael popped the question. She had no idea he was going to propose to her there and then / Isabella dijo que estuvo a punto de morir cuando Rafael le hizo la pregunta. No tenía idea de que él se lo iba a proponer a ella ahí.

• When will he ever pop the question? They've been dating for so long / ¿Cuándo él le va a hacer la pregunta? Han estado saliendo por mucho tiempo.

Additional examples:

• Roberto is going to pop the question to the woman of his dreams.

• She waited for years for him to pop the question.  

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TODAY'S IDIOM: LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

"LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL"

 

If you can see light at the end of the tunnel, you can see some sign of the end of a difficult period.

Example: After the leaders met for talks, people are seeing light at the end of the tunnel for the first time since the war began.

Una luz al final del camino.

Example sentences:

• Even if you can't see any light at the end of the tunnel yet, don't give up. Things will eventually get better / Si tu no puedes ver una luz al final del camino todavía, no te rindas. Las cosas eventualmente irán mejorando.

• Gillian's business has been losing money for years, but there's light at the end of the tunnel now because she's starting to get more orders / El negocio de Gillian ha estado perdiendo dinero por años, pero hay una luz al final del camino ahora, porque ha estado obteniendo más órdenes.

Additional examples:

• At this point, there is no light at the end of the tunnel because we have to start over.

• Once I could see light at the end of the tunnel, writing the last part of the book wasn't so hard.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A VOICE (CRYING) IN THE WILDERNESS

"A VOICE (CRYING) IN THE WILDERNESS"

 

 

You're a voice in the wilderness, or a voice crying in the wilderness, if you're expressing an unpopular opinion or insight.

Example: Clara says petrol engines should be banned because of the damage they cause to the environment. She says most people laugh when she says this, and she feels like a voice in the wilderness.


Una voz en el desierto / Una opinión al despoblado

Example sentences:

• When Galileo stated that the sun was the centre of the solar system, he was a voice crying in the wilderness. Most people thought he was crazy or evil, or possibly both / Cuando Galileo afirmó que el Sol era el centro del sistema solar, él era una opinión al despoblado. La mayoría de la gente pensó que estaba loco o era el diablo, o posiblemente las dos.

• Ken says he feels like a voice crying in the wilderness because nobody seems to support his opinions / Ken dice que se siente como una voz en el desierto porque nadie parece apoyar sus opiniones.

Additional examples:

• For many years, she was a lone voice in the wilderness who wrote about the need for better urban planning.

• With her passionate pleas for peace, she was a lone voice in the wilderness.

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: PLAIN SAILING

"PLAIN SAILING"

If something is plain sailing, it's very easy to do and there are no problems to overcome.

Example: As an heir to a large fortune, he looked forward to financial plain sailing.

Cosa fácil / Pan comido.

Example sentences:

• I answered the first few questions in the exam without any problems, and I knew it'd be plain sailing from then on / Respondí las primeras preguntas en el examen sin ningún problema y supe que era cosa fácil a partir de ahí.

• Golfer Tiger Woods hit a couple of bad shots early in his round, but it was plain sailing after that and he won the match easily / El golfista Tiger Woods dió un par detiros malos al principio de su ronda, pero fue pan comido después de eso y ganó el partido con facilidad.

Additional examples: 

• We drove to Paris, and after getting out of London it was plain sailing all the way because there was hardly any traffic

• The roads were busy as we drove out of town but after that it was plain sailing all the way to the coast.

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A MIXED BLESSING

"A MIXED BLESSING"

You can say something is a mixed blessing if it seems to be good, but in fact has bad effects as well as good effects.

Example: Many scientists said discovering the power of the atom was a mixed blessing as it led to nuclear power, but it also made nuclear weapons possible. 

Moneda de doble cara.

Example sentences:

• Getting the promotion was a mixed blessing because it means I spend less time with my family / Obtener el ascenso fue una moneda de dos caras porque eso significa que paso menos tiempo con mi familia.

• Winning the lottery was a mixed blessing in the end because it caused disputes in the family / Ganar la lotería fue una moneda de doble cara porque al final causó disputas en la familia.

Additional examples:

• Computers are a mixed blessing they're fine when they work and infuriating when they don't! 

• Beauty can be a mixed blessing. It gets you a lot of attention but people are less likely to take you seriously.

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