TODAY'S IDIOM: QUALITY TIME

"QUALITY TIME"

If you spend quality time with someone, you spend time doing things that enrich your lives and improve your relationship.

Example: This book says parents should spend quality time with their kids every day, and not just sit in the same room watching TV with them before sending them to bed.

Tiempo de calidad.

Example sentences:

• Most people work so much these days that they don't have the chance to spend enough quality time with their friends and family / La mayoría de la gente trabaja demasiado estos día que no tienen oportunidad de pasar tiempo de calidad con sus amigos y familia.

• Most people would say that spending quality time with their kids is very important / La mayoría de la gente diría que pasar tiempo de calidad con sus hijos es muy imprtante.

Additional examples:

• He was able to spend a few minutes of quality time with his son, Buxton, at least once every two weeks.

• It had been so long since we went on a vacation but this last month we decided to spend quality time with the family regardless.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

"LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG"

If you let the cat out of the bag, you let someone know a secret.

Example: We'd planned a surprise party for Donna, but some guy she works with let the cat out of the bag, so now she knows.

Revelar el secreto / Revelarlo.

Example sentences:

• Don't forget that this is a secret, so whatever you do, don't let the cat out of the bag / No hay que olvidar que se trata de un secreto, así que cualquier cosa que hagas, no lo reveles.

• After Julie let the cat out of the bag, we all knew / Después de que Julie reveló el secreto, todos sabíamos.

• It's a secret. Try not to let the cat out of the bag / Es un secreto, trata de no revelarlo.

Additional examples:

• When Bill glanced at the door, he let the cat out of the bag. We knew then that he was expecting someone to arrive.

 

• I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Jim went and let the cat out of the bag.

• Amazingly, not one of the people who knew about the surprise let the cat out of the bag.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: (LIKE) WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK

"(LIKE) WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK"

 

You can say an insult or criticism is like water off a duck's back if it doesn't upset you.

Example: I asked Amy if she got upset when journalists wrote negative things about her, and she said she didn't care what they wrote. It was like water off a duck's back.

Se le resbala.

Example sentences:

• Terry said he was too sensitive about criticism and he wanted to be like one of those people for whom it's like water off a duck's back / Terry dijo que era demasiado sensible a las críticas y quería ser como una de esas personas a las que todo se les resbala.

• Many people claim that insults or negative comments are like water off a duck's back, but in reality, many of them are upset by such things / Muchas personas afirman que los insultos o comentarios negativos se les resbalan, pero en realidad, muchos de ellos están molestos por este tipo de cosas.

Additional examples:

• Insults rolled off John like water off a duck's back.

• He's always being told he's lazy and incompetent, but it's just water off a duck's back to him.

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: DAY TO DAY

"DAY TO DAY"

If something happens day to day, it's part of the usual daily routine. 

Example: While you're away you'll have to pay for all your day to day expenses yourself, except for the hotel. 

Día a día.

Example sentences:

• She can deal with the small problems she faces day to day, but if there's a major crisis she usually panics / Ella puede lidiar con pequeños problemas que enfrenta día a día, pero si es un problema mayor, usualmente entra en pánico.

• Most people's day to day exercise includes some housework / El ejercicio del día a día de la mayor parte de las personas incluye tareas domésticas.

Additional examples:

• It's Sheila who's responsible for the day to day running of the school 

• The day to day movements of the stock market. 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: FROM THE OUTSET

"FROM THE OUTSET"

Throughout, from the very beginning.

Example: I felt from the outset that Lisa was the wrong one for the job.

Desde el inicio / comienzo. 

Example sentences:

• From the outset we were told everything we had to do / Desde el inicio, se nos dijo todo lo que teníamos que hacer.

• At the outset the problem seemed simple, but then it became quite complicated / Al inicio el problema parecía simple. Pero después, se volvió bastante complicado.

Additional examples:

• The trial against them was corrupt from the outset.

• We've received quite strong support from the outset from public and private donors.

 

 

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: (SOMETHING) OCCURS TO YOU

"(SOMETHING) OCCURS TO YOU"

If something occurs to you, you think of it.

Example: Has it ever occurred to you that your daughter's happiness is more important than what your friends might think if they know she's gay? 

No me imaginé

Example sentences:

• It had never occurred to Ursula that her husband might run off with a younger woman one day. She was very surprised / Ursula nunca se imaginó que un día, su marido se iría con una mujer más joven. Estaba muy sorprendida. 

• I was surprised when I heard that Anne had quit. It had never occurred to me that she wasn't happy working here / Me sorprendí cuando escuché que Anne había renunciado. Nunca me imaginé que ella no estaba feliz de trabajar aquí.

 
Additional examples:

• It occurred to me that you might be hungry after your long journey.

• Would it ever occur to you that I want to be left alone?

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TODAY'S IDIOM: UNDER WRAPS

"UNDER WRAPS"

If something is under wraps, it's being kept secret.

Example: Our new products are always under wraps until their official launch because we don't want other companies seeing them and copying them.

Secreto.

Example sentences:

• The organisers keep the name of the winner under wraps until it's announced on the show / Los organizadores mantienen el nombre del ganador en secreto hasta que sea anunciado en el show. 

• The best way to keep something under wraps is to let as few people as possible know about it / La mejor manera de mantener algo en secreto es dejar que solo pocas personas lo conozcan.

Additional examples:

• We kept the candidate's conviction under wraps until after the election.

• The plan we had under wraps had to be scrapped anyway.

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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: YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!

"YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!"

 

If someone says "You can say that again!", it shows they strongly agree with what was just said.

Example: Jean: "Phew! It's really hot today." Louis: "You can say that again!"

Vaya que si! / Y que lo digas!

Example sentences:

• If someone says "You can say that again!", it means they agree with what you said / Si alguien dice "Vaya que si!", significa que está de acuerdo con lo que dijiste.

• This new gadget's just brilliant. You can say that again! / Este nuevo gadget es brillante. Vaya que si!

Additional examples: 

• That was an absolutely delicious lunch.You can say that again!

• Must have been a fiddly job. You can say that again. 

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