250 advanced Spanish idioms and figurative expressions (CEFR C1). Proverbs, colloquial expressions, metaphors, wordplay, and culturally-rooted phrases with example sentences.
| Word | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dar en el clavo | to hit the nail on the head | Con tu comentario sobre el problema, diste en el clavo. With your comment about the problem, you hit the nail on the head. |
| andar con pies de plomo | to tread carefully / to proceed with caution | En las negociaciones hay que andar con pies de plomo. In negotiations, you have to tread carefully. |
| no tener pelos en la lengua | to not mince words / to speak bluntly | Mi abuela no tiene pelos en la lengua y siempre dice lo que piensa. My grandmother doesn't mince words and always says what she thinks. |
| estar en las nubes | to have one's head in the clouds | No me escuchaste nada; estabas en las nubes. You didn't hear anything I said; you had your head in the clouds. |
| meter la pata | to put one's foot in it / to blunder | Metiste la pata al mencionar su ex en la cena. You put your foot in it by mentioning her ex at dinner. |
| quedarse de piedra | to be stunned / to be left speechless | Me quedé de piedra cuando anunciaron su dimisión. I was stunned when they announced his resignation. |
| tirar la toalla | to throw in the towel | Después de cinco intentos fallidos, decidió tirar la toalla. After five failed attempts, he decided to throw in the towel. |
| ir al grano | to get to the point | Deja de dar rodeos y ve al grano. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. |
| ponerse las pilas | to get one's act together / to buckle down | Si no te pones las pilas, vas a suspender el examen. If you don't get your act together, you're going to fail the exam. |
| dar la vuelta a la tortilla | to turn the tables | Perdían por tres goles, pero dieron la vuelta a la tortilla en el segundo tiempo. They were losing by three goals, but they turned the tables in the second half. |
| no dar abasto | to be unable to cope / to be overwhelmed | Con tantos pedidos, la fábrica no da abasto. With so many orders, the factory can't cope. |
| costar un ojo de la cara | to cost an arm and a leg | El alquiler en el centro cuesta un ojo de la cara. Rent in the city center costs an arm and a leg. |
| tomar el pelo | to pull someone's leg / to kid someone | No me lo creo, me estás tomando el pelo. I don't believe it, you're pulling my leg. |
| echar leña al fuego | to add fuel to the fire | Sus comentarios solo echaron leña al fuego de la discusión. His comments only added fuel to the fire of the argument. |
| estar entre la espada y la pared | to be between a rock and a hard place | Estoy entre la espada y la pared: si acepto, pierdo tiempo; si rechazo, pierdo dinero. I'm between a rock and a hard place: if I accept, I lose time; if I refuse, I lose money. |
| no tener vuelta de hoja | to be indisputable / to be clear-cut | Los datos son claros; esto no tiene vuelta de hoja. The data is clear; this is indisputable. |
| hacer de tripas corazón | to pluck up courage / to put on a brave face | Hizo de tripas corazón y subió al escenario a pesar del pánico. She plucked up courage and went onstage despite the panic. |
| dar gato por liebre | to swindle / to pull a fast one | Ten cuidado en ese mercado; a veces dan gato por liebre. Be careful at that market; sometimes they pull a fast one on you. |
| llover sobre mojado | when it rains, it pours / to pile on | Perdí el trabajo y ahora se me averió el coche; llueve sobre mojado. I lost my job and now my car broke down; when it rains, it pours. |
| empezar la casa por el tejado | to put the cart before the horse | Quieres vender sin tener producto; estás empezando la casa por el tejado. You want to sell without having a product; you're putting the cart before the horse. |
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