Saturday, November 03, 2007
Vocabulary - Dichos, refranes, idioms, etc. 11/03
Here are some fun and interesting phrases that have popped up in our telenovelas over the past few months. They are mostly new but there might be one or two repeats. A huge shout out to Maricruz for holding our hands through many of these translations, and to Judy B. and other beloved commenters for your input and assist with the vocabulary.
Caray, Caray recappers...a big high five to you all for making these telenovelas fun and...ahem...dare I say educational? Enjoy!
ahogarse en un vaso de agua = to make a mountain out of a molehill (Lit. to drown oneself in a glass of water)
“Al quirófano y al matrimonio no hay que meterse sin anesthesia” = to the operating room and to marriage you can’t enter without anesthesia.
Blanco es, gallina lo pone, y frito con pan se come. = This is a Mexican riddle and is trying to make the point that the answer was obvious. The riddle would be; it is white, a hen lays it, you fry it and eat it with bread.
Chinches bravas! = How annoying! Shoot! (At first we thought this meant “brave bedbugs”, but MariCruz set us straight: 'I just realized yesterday why Juan keeps on saying chinches bravas! He is using the word "chinches" in stead of the offensive word "chin", like somebody would use shoot in stead of sh*t, (you know what I mean). The word “chin” is not that offensive per say, but depending on how you use it could mean f***. For example the worst offense that somebody could tell you is "Ve a c***gar a tu madre" [I'm blushing here] you get the idea. No wonder Juan changed it to chinches bravas.')
como agua para chocolate = hopping mad, fizzing, about to explode (Lit. like water to chocolate, referring to [I think] if you put water in a pot of melted chocolate it will fizzle and make the entire pot of chocolate seize up into an unmovable mess)
dar alguien una sopa de su propio chocolate = give someone a taste of their own medicine (Lit. give someone a soup of their own chocolate)
dar el ancho = to be up to the challenge. (Lit. to give it wide or big?) “No se si des el ancho para dirigir la compañía”. I’m not sure if you are up to the challenge to be the new company director.
estar hecho polvo – to be really down, shattered (Lit. to be made into dust)
Estoy tan perdido como un volante sin un poste = I’m as lost as a flyer without a pole. (referring to “Los Voladores de Papantla”)
hablando del rey de roma = speaking of the devil (lit. speaking of the king of Rome)
hacer la barba = to suck up to (Lit. to give the beard “El nuevo empleado es un barbero, le hizo la barba al jefe" The new employee is a suck up, he sucked up to the boss”
hacer la vista gorda = to turn a blind eye (Lit. to give the fat look)
hacer de tripas corazón = to pluck up one's courage (Lit. make heart from tripe)
irse de nachas al piso = fall on one’s sword, fall down butt first (Lit. to put one’s butt on the floor)
jugar el todo por el todo = to bet everything, be all in (Lit. to play everything for everything)
“ladron que roba a ladron, cien años de perdon” = a thief who robs from a thief gets a hundred years of forgiveness
Ley de Hielo = To give someone the silent treatment (Lit: the Law of Ice)
mandar a la goma = tell someone to get lost (Lit. send them to the rubber)
El martillo implacable del destino cuelga sobre mí = The implacable hammer of destiny hangs over me, i.e. the Acme anvil, the sword of Damocles
matar la víbora en Viernes = to get lucky (Lit. to kill the snake on Friday)
me devuelve el alma al cuerpo = I’m relieved (Lit. my soul has returned to my body)
me importa un pepino = I couldn't care less (pepino = cucumber)
me salio el tiro por la culata = my plan backfired on me (Lit. I got shot in the butt?)
meterse en camisa de once varas = to complicate things unnecessarily, to bite off more than one can chew. (Lit. to get into a shirt of eleven sticks?)
mucho tilin tilin y nada de patas = all talk and no action (Lit. a lot of ringy-dingy but no legs)
multiplicarme por cero = make myself scarce (Lit. multiply myself by zero)
no alborotes el gallinero = don’t make things worse (Lit. don’t frighten the henhouse)
no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver = there are none so blind as those who will not see.
no te pongas tus moños = don’t be picky, don’t give yourself airs (Lit. don’t put your hair in a bun)
no tiene ni vela en este entierro = somebody innocent (Lit. somebody without a candle in this funeral)
un ojo de hormiga = someone so far out of mind they are as small as an ant’s eye, out of sight out of mind (Lit. an ant’s eye)
otra vez la burra al trigo = he/she’s back to her old tricks (Lit. the female donkey is going again to the wheat)
ponerse las pilas = get one's act together (Lit. put on the batteries)
¿Que desayunamos alacranes? = Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed? (Lit. Did we breakfast with the scorpions?)
qué la importa un comino = she doesn’t give a d**n (Lit. a grain of cumin isn’t important to her)
rascarse la barriga = to twiddle one's thumbs, laze around (lit. to scratch one's belly)
Se me fue el santo al cielo = time flew by and I did not realize it (Lit. the saint left me and went to heaven) I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I think this expression was used to denote that time flew by because when you are watching a heavenly vision you lose the sense of time.
ser un cero a la izquierda = to be worthless, no good (Lit. one zero to the left)
sin dinero no baila el perro = he/she needs money (Lit. without money the dog doesn’t dance)
¿Soltaste la sopa? = Did you spill the beans? (Lit. Did you let the soup out?)
tener mala leche = to be a complete jerk (Lit. to have bad milk)
¿Todavía andas derrapando por Yadira?— Are you still crazy about Yadira?” (Lit. Are you still skidding along for Yadira?)
usted dice rana y yo salto = I’m ready for whatever you need (Lit. You call frog and I jump)
vete a ver si ya puso la marrana = get lost, go fly a kite, don’t just stand there, do something (Lit. go see if the sow laid an egg)
(By the way, please feel free to correct or improve upon any of these if I have missed the boat so to say.)
Caray, Caray recappers...a big high five to you all for making these telenovelas fun and...ahem...dare I say educational? Enjoy!
ahogarse en un vaso de agua = to make a mountain out of a molehill (Lit. to drown oneself in a glass of water)
“Al quirófano y al matrimonio no hay que meterse sin anesthesia” = to the operating room and to marriage you can’t enter without anesthesia.
Blanco es, gallina lo pone, y frito con pan se come. = This is a Mexican riddle and is trying to make the point that the answer was obvious. The riddle would be; it is white, a hen lays it, you fry it and eat it with bread.
Chinches bravas! = How annoying! Shoot! (At first we thought this meant “brave bedbugs”, but MariCruz set us straight: 'I just realized yesterday why Juan keeps on saying chinches bravas! He is using the word "chinches" in stead of the offensive word "chin", like somebody would use shoot in stead of sh*t, (you know what I mean). The word “chin” is not that offensive per say, but depending on how you use it could mean f***. For example the worst offense that somebody could tell you is "Ve a c***gar a tu madre" [I'm blushing here] you get the idea. No wonder Juan changed it to chinches bravas.')
como agua para chocolate = hopping mad, fizzing, about to explode (Lit. like water to chocolate, referring to [I think] if you put water in a pot of melted chocolate it will fizzle and make the entire pot of chocolate seize up into an unmovable mess)
dar alguien una sopa de su propio chocolate = give someone a taste of their own medicine (Lit. give someone a soup of their own chocolate)
dar el ancho = to be up to the challenge. (Lit. to give it wide or big?) “No se si des el ancho para dirigir la compañía”. I’m not sure if you are up to the challenge to be the new company director.
estar hecho polvo – to be really down, shattered (Lit. to be made into dust)
Estoy tan perdido como un volante sin un poste = I’m as lost as a flyer without a pole. (referring to “Los Voladores de Papantla”)
hablando del rey de roma = speaking of the devil (lit. speaking of the king of Rome)
hacer la barba = to suck up to (Lit. to give the beard “El nuevo empleado es un barbero, le hizo la barba al jefe" The new employee is a suck up, he sucked up to the boss”
hacer la vista gorda = to turn a blind eye (Lit. to give the fat look)
hacer de tripas corazón = to pluck up one's courage (Lit. make heart from tripe)
irse de nachas al piso = fall on one’s sword, fall down butt first (Lit. to put one’s butt on the floor)
jugar el todo por el todo = to bet everything, be all in (Lit. to play everything for everything)
“ladron que roba a ladron, cien años de perdon” = a thief who robs from a thief gets a hundred years of forgiveness
Ley de Hielo = To give someone the silent treatment (Lit: the Law of Ice)
mandar a la goma = tell someone to get lost (Lit. send them to the rubber)
El martillo implacable del destino cuelga sobre mí = The implacable hammer of destiny hangs over me, i.e. the Acme anvil, the sword of Damocles
matar la víbora en Viernes = to get lucky (Lit. to kill the snake on Friday)
me devuelve el alma al cuerpo = I’m relieved (Lit. my soul has returned to my body)
me importa un pepino = I couldn't care less (pepino = cucumber)
me salio el tiro por la culata = my plan backfired on me (Lit. I got shot in the butt?)
meterse en camisa de once varas = to complicate things unnecessarily, to bite off more than one can chew. (Lit. to get into a shirt of eleven sticks?)
mucho tilin tilin y nada de patas = all talk and no action (Lit. a lot of ringy-dingy but no legs)
multiplicarme por cero = make myself scarce (Lit. multiply myself by zero)
no alborotes el gallinero = don’t make things worse (Lit. don’t frighten the henhouse)
no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver = there are none so blind as those who will not see.
no te pongas tus moños = don’t be picky, don’t give yourself airs (Lit. don’t put your hair in a bun)
no tiene ni vela en este entierro = somebody innocent (Lit. somebody without a candle in this funeral)
un ojo de hormiga = someone so far out of mind they are as small as an ant’s eye, out of sight out of mind (Lit. an ant’s eye)
otra vez la burra al trigo = he/she’s back to her old tricks (Lit. the female donkey is going again to the wheat)
ponerse las pilas = get one's act together (Lit. put on the batteries)
¿Que desayunamos alacranes? = Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed? (Lit. Did we breakfast with the scorpions?)
qué la importa un comino = she doesn’t give a d**n (Lit. a grain of cumin isn’t important to her)
rascarse la barriga = to twiddle one's thumbs, laze around (lit. to scratch one's belly)
Se me fue el santo al cielo = time flew by and I did not realize it (Lit. the saint left me and went to heaven) I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I think this expression was used to denote that time flew by because when you are watching a heavenly vision you lose the sense of time.
ser un cero a la izquierda = to be worthless, no good (Lit. one zero to the left)
sin dinero no baila el perro = he/she needs money (Lit. without money the dog doesn’t dance)
¿Soltaste la sopa? = Did you spill the beans? (Lit. Did you let the soup out?)
tener mala leche = to be a complete jerk (Lit. to have bad milk)
¿Todavía andas derrapando por Yadira?— Are you still crazy about Yadira?” (Lit. Are you still skidding along for Yadira?)
usted dice rana y yo salto = I’m ready for whatever you need (Lit. You call frog and I jump)
vete a ver si ya puso la marrana = get lost, go fly a kite, don’t just stand there, do something (Lit. go see if the sow laid an egg)
(By the way, please feel free to correct or improve upon any of these if I have missed the boat so to say.)
Labels: amar, Destilando, Juan, Vocabulary
Comments:
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Wow, Sylvia--thanks! Some of these they use often in Yo Amo a Juan, and it's wonderful to have the reference list to turn back to.
Jeanne
Jeanne
Sylvia, Thanks so much for this latest addition to your vocabulary list. It is so necessary and truly helpful to keep up with the uber-slang of Yo Amo a Juan.. I recently had looked at the Vocabulary page and see where you have made these valiant lists on this and other TN's in the summer. I only found CarayCaray in August. I will certainly appreciate it next week when I do a guest recap on Tuesday night of Juan. Your efforts are truly valued. Gracias.
You are very welcome. Schoolmarm has also done some of the vocab/dicho posts. We should write a book, "Outrageous Telenovela Dichos." Maricruz would have to edit it.
Permalink posted by 
: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 7:22:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 7:22:00 PM EDT
Sylvia, will you re-cap the show from Friday, I live for the re-caps as I tape the show each day, wait for the re-cap so I can pause after each segment, to see what was said.....This show is better than most on US TV...
Permalink posted by : Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 7:44:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 7:44:00 PM EDT
Wonderful Sylvia! I was going to print it out and then I decided I would handwrite these dichos...much more likely to remember them that way.
Cherylinewmex..."uberslang" is a great way to describe what we wade through in Juan...and Lordy, if I didn't have my closed captioning I'd be truly lost.
Thanks to all of you for the hints and the help...it's invaluable.
Judy B.
Cherylinewmex..."uberslang" is a great way to describe what we wade through in Juan...and Lordy, if I didn't have my closed captioning I'd be truly lost.
Thanks to all of you for the hints and the help...it's invaluable.
Judy B.
Permalink posted by : Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 8:47:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 8:47:00 PM EDT
Bien hecho Sylvia !Muchas Gracias!
Permalink posted by : Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 10:30:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 10:30:00 PM EDT
Wow, überslang! I love it! That's what all of Kike's dichos are, for sure. Juan's, too.
Sylvia, thanks again. One can never have too many slang reference tools.
Jeanne ;-)
Sylvia, thanks again. One can never have too many slang reference tools.
Jeanne ;-)
me salio el tiro por la culata = my plan backfired on me (Lit. I got shot in the butt?)
No. The "culata" is the stock of a long gun. So the image is that the projectile went out of the wrong end of the firearm.
Great thread and great idioms here. Thanksho
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No. The "culata" is the stock of a long gun. So the image is that the projectile went out of the wrong end of the firearm.
Great thread and great idioms here. Thanksho
Permalink posted by : Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 9:30:00 AM EST
: Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 9:30:00 AM EST
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