Frases y expresiones en inglés. Idioms, expressions in English

Término:

--M--

137. macho: super masculine / masculine to an extreme (in appearance and behavior).
"Her husband would never agree to help with the housework;
he's too macho to do that."

138. make a mountain out of a molehill: make something seem much more important than it really is.
"Calm down. There's really nothing to worry about.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill."

139. make up one's mind: decide what to do.
A: Where are you going on your vacation?
B: Maybe Canada, maybe Mexico. I can't make up my mind."

--N--

140. No way!: Absolutely not! / Definitely not!
A: "You didn't open this letter addressed to me, did you?"
B: "No way! I'd never read look at else's mail!"

--O--

141. OK: (1) yes (to show agreement--often reluctant agreement).
A: "Come on, Al. We really need your help!"
B: "Oh, OK; I may be crazy, but I'll help you."

142. OK: (2) neither good nor bad; so-so.
A: "How was the movie?"
B: "OK, I guess, but I've seen better ones."

143. OK: (3) in satisfactory condition; well.
A: "You look awfully pale. Are you OK?"
B: "Actually, I'm not. I have a terrible headache. "

144. OK: (4) approve (verb).
A: "Did your boss OK your vacation plans?"
B: "No, but he said that taking them two weeks later would be all right.

145. on the dot: exactly at a given time.
"We're leaving at 9:00 on the dot. If you're late, we'll go without you."

146. on time: at the scheduled time.
"It's getting late. You'd better hurry if you want to get to work on time."

147. (on the) cutting edge: using the most recent technology.
"The university's computer lab is (on the) cutting edge. It has
all the latest hardware and software."

148. once in a while: occasionally; from time to time.
A: "Would you like coffee or tea?"
B: "Coffee, please. I drink tea once in a while, but I generally drink coffee."

149. over one's head: too difficult or complicated for someone to understand.
"This explanation of cgi scripting is over my head.
Can you explain it in a less technical way?"

--P--

150. pay the piper: face the consequences for something you've done.
"I stayed up too late tonight. Tomorrow I'll have to pay the piper."

151. plastic: credit card(s).
"Oh, no! I forgot to get any cash! I hope this restaurant accepts plastic!"

152. pooped: very tired; exhausted.
"I went to bed really early last night. I was pooped!"

153. pop quiz: unannounced short test.
"You shouldn't have missed class yesterday. We had a pop quiz."

154. pretty (adv.): rather; somewhat.
"That car's pretty expensive. Are you sure you can afford it?"

155. pull an all-nighter: study or work all night without getting any sleep.
A: "You look really tired."
B: "I am. I pulled an all-nighter to get ready for the meeting this morning."

156. pull someone's leg: tease someone by trying to make her/him believe something
that's exaggerated or untrue.
A: "Wow! Carl has done some really amazing things!"
B: "Don't believe everything he tells you. He was probably pulling your leg."

--Q--

157. quite a few: several; numerous.
"I don't think I can meet you after work. I have quite a few errands that I have to do."

158. a quick study: someone who learns new things quickly and easily.
A: "Annie seems to be doing well at her new job."
B: "I'm not surprised. She's a quick study."

--R--

159. R and R: rest and relaxation (a vacation).
"I think you're working too hard, Dave. You need some R and R."

160. rain or shine: (describing something scheduled) no matter what the weather is.
"We're leaving tomorrow, rain or shine."

161. rain cats and dogs: rain very hard.
"You can't leave just now! It's raining cats and dogs
and you don't have an umbrella or raincoat!"

162. read someone's mind: know what someone is thinking.
A: "I'll be you're thinking of what you're going to have for dinner."
B: "Hey, did you read my mind?"
A: "No. I just know that you're always hungry and lunch was several hours ago!"

163. rub someone the wrong way: irritate someone; bother or annoy someone.
"All my little brother says is 'Why?' Usually I'm patient with him,
but sometimes all his questions rub me the wrong way."

164. run-down: (1) not well; weak; fatigued.
"Are you eating regularly and getting enough sleep? You look run-down."

165. run-down: (2) in poor condition; needing repair.
"This must be a poor neighborhood. All the buildings look really run-down."

--S--

166. __ -savvy: knowledgeable about ___ .
"If you're having problems with your hard disk, talk to Jim.
He's very computer-savvy. "

167. schmooze: make relaxed, casual conversation.
"No, we weren't talking about anything important.
We were just shooting the breeze."

168. shoot the breeze: make relaxed, casual conversation.
"No, we weren't talking about anything important.
We were just schmoozing."

169. sleep on it: take at least a day to think about something before making a decision.
"The job that you're offering me sounds really good, but I'd like
to sleep on it before giving you my final decision."

170. a snap: something that's very easy to do.
A: "Is your job difficult?"
B: "No, actually it's a snap. In fact, it's so easy that it's a little bit boring."

171. Someone's made his/her own bed; now let him/her lie in it.: Someone has caused his/her own problems; he/she will have to solve them himself/herself.
A: Jim upset everyone when he got angry at the meeting. Can we do anything
to make the situation better?
B: No. He's made his own bed; now let him lie in it."

172. sooner or later: eventually.
"You've been working too hard for too long. If you don't relax a little,
sooner or later you're going to get sick."

173. sort of: rather; somewhat.
"I think I'll lie down. I feel sort of dizzy."

174. so-so: fair; not particularly good.
A: "How're you doing?"
B: "So-so. I've been better, but I've also been worse."

175. state of the art: using the latest technology.
"The company is very proud of the equipment in its
computer room. It's state of the art."

176. Step on it!: Hurry up!
"Step on it! The taxi will be here at any time and you're not even dressed!"

--T--

177. take it easy: relax.
"I don't have any special vacation plans. I'm just going to take it easy."

178. toss something: throw something away; put something in the trash.
"These shoes are worn out. I guess I'll have to toss them."

179. tough: difficult.
"Question number three is a tough one.Do you know the answer?"

180. There, there.: expression of comfort.
"There, there. Everything's going to be OK."

181. tight-fisted: very frugal; unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.
A: Do you think Charlie will donate any money to the activities fund?
B: No way! He's too tight-fisted!

182. a tightwad: someone who is very frugal and unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.
A: Will Charlie donate any money to the activities fund?
B: Absolutely not! He's a real tightwad!"

183. tricky: easily confused or misunderstood.
"This problem is tricky. I don't really understand it."

184. two-faced: deceitful; disloyal; someone who pretends to be a friend but isn't.
"I thought he was my friend, but he's two-faced. He says nice things
to me when we're together, but makes jokes about me when we aren't.

--U--

185. under the weather: ill; sick; unwell.
"Ted was feeling under the weather yesterday, so he decided not to go to work."

186. until hell freezes over: forever.
"Chris can practice the piano until hell freezes over, but he'll never play
well because he's tone-deaf."
Note: This expression is used to describe something that will not
change, no matter how long or how often it's done.

187. until you're blue in the face: forever.
"You can talk until you're blue in the face, but I won't change my mind."
Note: This expression is used in the same way as "until hell freezes over."

188. update: make current; add information to show what has happened recently.
"I need to update my résumé. It doesn't show what I've done during the last year."

--W--

189. Was my face red!: I was very embarrassed.
"When I got to the meeting I noticed that I was wearing one black sock
and one brown one. Was my face red!"

190. wear out one's welcome: make someone uncomfortable by visiting too long.
A: "Can't you stay two or three more days?"
B: "No. I don't want to wear out my welcome."

191. wet behind the ears: inexperienced and naive.
"Don't include Fred as part of the bargaining team.He's just started
working here and is still too wet behind the ears."

192. What for?: Why?
A: "Come here for a minute. I need you."
B: "What for?"
Note: "What" and "for" can be separated--with "for" at the end of the question:
B: "What do you need me for?"

193. What's up?: What's new? What's happening?
"Hi, Dave. What's up?"

194. wishy-washy: uncommitted; without an opinion of one's own.
"Don't be so wishy-washy. Tell us how you really feel."

195. with bells on: very eagerly; with the feeling that one will have a very good time.
A: "Are you going to Sandra's party?"
B: "I'll be there with bells on!"

196. would ('d) just as soon: would ('d) rather; prefer.
"I know we have a lot of work to do, but I'm tired. I'd just as soon leave
and finish tomorrow. Is that OK with you?"

--Y--

197. a yes-man: someone who tries to get approval by agreeing with everyone.
A: "Why does the boss think Arnold is so intelligent?"
B: "Because Arnold is a yes-man. He agrees with everything the boss says!"

198. You don't say!: Really? / Is that really true?
A: "Have you heard the news? Jessica got married!"
B: "You don't say!"

199. You've got to be kidding!: You can't be serious! (What you said can't be true.What you said is very surprising/hard to believe.) "
A: "Did you know that Bob quit his job?"
B: "You've got to be kidding!"

200. yucky: terrible; distasteful; very unpleasant.
"Don't eat the soup at the cafeteria. It's yucky!"

201. yummy: delicious.
"Have you tried the cookies that Jonathan baked? They're yummy!"

--Z--

202. zilch: nothing.
A: "How much money do you have?"
B: "Zilch. I'm broke until payday."

203. Zip your lip!: keep something secret; promise not to tell what has just been said.
"What I told you is really important, so zip your lip!"

Fuente: http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/

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