Modismos / Idioms

Question

Manejaba con mi mamá y estábamos buscando un restaurante cuando le dije "Keep your eyes peeled." En aquel momento me di cuenta de que había dicho un modismo. Es decir "Keep your eyes peeled" no significa "Pélate los ojos" sino "Presta atención".

No sé muchos modismos en español. ¿Cuáles son algunos modismos comunes en español? Digo "comunes" porque muchas veces cuando busco modismos en la red no estoy seguro si los usan de verdad cuando hablan hispanohablantes.

Por ejemplo "It's raining cats and dogs" es un modismo de inglés que muchas personas saben pero, de hecho, no lo decimos muchas veces. Si me dijera alguien "It's raining cats and dogs" me soñaría extraño. Es decir, no es un modismo que usamos con frecuencia.

Así que ¿cuáles son algunos modismos comunes en español?

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I was driving with my mom and we were looking for a restaurant when I turned to her and said "Keep your eyes peeled". That's when I realized that "Keep your eyes peeled" is an idiom. Of course it doesn't mean what literally it would seem to mean. I also realized that I don't know many Spanish idioms.

So can anyone give me some common Spanish idioms? I say common because every time I look up a list of idioms, there's no way for me to know if people actually say them. Take, for example, the phrase "It's raining cats and dogs". We all know what it means but if someone came up to me and said it I'd look at them a bit strangely. It's not something we tend to actually say unless we're going for some special effect.

So then, what are some common (in everyday speech) Spanish idioms?

(Por favor corrige mi español)

In Engladn weoften say it's rainig cats and dogs. It does, all the time, sometimes it only rains kittens.. - annierats, Nov 11, 2013

Also, in America we also commonly say it´s raining cat´s and dogs. At least in the north, south, east, and west. There may be exceptional villages. - rogspax, Nov 11, 2013

;) - rogspax, Nov 11, 2013

Woah. Apparently I live in a bubble. This always happens when I talk to people outside of my town >. - HackerKing, Nov 11, 2013

Answer 1

Manejaba con mi mamá

This is a little confusing because it could indicate that you and your mother were both driving the car. We would normally say, ie: Iba en el coche con mi mamá (yo manejaba), buscando un restaurant ..........

Idioms are very regional. In Mexico: Keep your eyes peeled ....... Echa ojo.

It´s raining cats and dogs ...... Está cayendo un aguacero / Está chorreando

Be careful with ........... Aguas con

A big mess ...... Un desmadre

To tell someone to F+++ off ...... aventartle la madre a alguien

I don´t know why, but in Mexico many idioms have to do with "la madre".

To be very good at doing something ...... ser bien chingón

There is no problem ....... No hay pedo / no hay bronca

Amount of pesos/dollars/euros ..... cantidad de chuchos

etc

etc

Julian, learner cars oftne have dual controls, así conducir con mamá es posible.. - annierats, Nov 11, 2013

No, Julian está correcto. No manejábamos juntos; yo manejaba solo. - HackerKing, Nov 11, 2013

Answer 2

Llover a cántaras -- to rain cats and dogs

es como una moto-- he's very revved up ( this is Rogspax!)

Hacer el flojo -- Southern Spanish usage for lazing around

pasarse bomba-- to have a great time together

I once heard a British announcer during a motorcycle race at Brands Hatch refer to the wind being so strong that "It's blowing dogs off chains". It remains my very favorite English idiom. - rogspax, Nov 11, 2013

Annie, en México para decir lo del flojo: "Hacer la hueva / me pesan"; es que somos bien grocersos a veces - 005faa61, Nov 12, 2013