Si traduces las expresiones idiomáticas literalmente, pierdes...
Las expresiones idiomáticas son un asunto divertido y complicado. Si se traducen literalmente, son un montón de incoherencias, pero para los hablantes nativos, a menudo no hay mejor manera de expresar un sentimiento particular. Los hablantes nativos de inglés utilizan constantemente las expresiones idiomáticas, lo que puede resultar divertido o frustrante para quienes aún están aprendiendo el idioma. Para ayudarte a mejorar tu fluidez o incluso para que te rías un poco, te presentamos varias de las expresiones idiomáticas más extravagantes y más utilizadas en Estados Unidos y su significado.
Out of the Blue: randomly or unexpectedly (Inesperadamente)
● My grandmother came to visit out of the blue and I had to rent an Airbnb for the family.
Cool as a Cucumber: calm and composed, especially in stressful situations (más fresco que una lechuga)
● She was as cool as a cucumber during her job interview.
Hold your Horses: wait a minute; be patient (para el carro)
● Hold your horses! You still have to shower before we can leave!
When Pigs Fly!: something that is unlikely to happen is often said mockingly (Cuando los cerdos vuelen)
● Doctors will recommend all-dessert diets when pigs fly.
Under the weather: feeling slightly unwell (estar enfermo)
● Billy stayed home from school today because he was feeling under the weather.
Cat got your tongue: unable to speak or think of something to say. (¿Te comieron la lengua los ratones?)
● You’re being very quiet. Cat got your tongue?
Dead as a doornail: to be completely devoid of life (estar absolutamente muerto/a)
● I forgot to water my flowers, and now they’re as dead as a doornail.
Chew the fat: have a long, leisurely conversation; make small talk; gossip casually (charlar)
● After running into a childhood friend, we chewed the fat over a cup of coffee
Head in the Clouds: oblivious or having unrealistic ideas (estar en las nubes)
● He has his head in the clouds if he thinks he can pass his test without studying.
Blue in the Face: exhausted from great, generally futile, effort. (hacer o decir algo hasta el hartazgo)
● You can beg until you’re blue in the face, but you’re not having ice cream for dinner.
Pot calling the Kettle Black: be hypocritical; criticize someone for something you’re guilty of. (culpar a un otro por lo que uno hace - El muerto se ríe del degollado)
● You think I’m messy? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Put a sock in it: telling someone to stop talking or be quiet (cierra la boca)
● The whole movie theater can hear you whispering so put a sock in it.
Kick the bucket: to die (morir)
● Many people want to travel the world before they kick the bucket.
Rain cats and dogs: raining extremely heavily - (diluviar)
● We can’t go to the park today because it’s raining cats and dogs.
¿Cuáles te resultaron familiares? ¿Cuáles no conocías? ¿Te animas a dejar una oración usando uno de estos idioms? ¡Te leemos!
Source: English for Everyone: English Idioms by Thomas Booth