pelar

to peel

pelar(peh-lahr)

transitive verb

1. (to remove the outer covering of)

a. to peel

Papi, ¿me pelas una naranja?

Daddy, will you peel me an orange?

b. to shell

Me gusta pelar las nueces y comérmelas recién cosechadas.

I like to shell freshly-harvested walnuts and eat them.

2. (to flay)

a. to skin

Cazamos unos conejos y mi papá me enseñó a pelarlos.

We hunted some rabbits and my dad showed me how to skin them.

3. (to remove feathers from)

a. to pluck

Hay un señor en el mercado que cada mañana mata gallinas y ahí mismo las pela.

There's a man in the market that kills chickens every morning and plucks them right there.

4.

(colloquial)

(to rob)

a. to clean out

Me pelaron en el circo; gasté todo mi dinero en los tontos juegos.

They cleaned me out at the circus; I spent all my money on silly games.

b. to fleece

(colloquial)

Pagué $100 por el taxi desde el aeropuerto. - Te pelaron porque no debería haberte costado más de $50.

I paid $100 for the taxi from the airport. - You were fleeced, because it shouldn't have cost any more than $50.

5. (to crop)

a. to cut someone's hair short

Voy a llevar a los niños al barbero. - Sí, es mejor pelarlos para que estén bien frescos todo el verano.

I'm going to take the boys to the barber. - Yes, it's better to cut their hair short so they're nice and cool all summer.

b. to shave someone's head

A ver, ¿solo las puntas o quieres que te pele?

Let's see, just a trim or do you want me to shave your head?

6.

(colloquial)

(to take notice of)

(Honduras)

(Mexico)

(Nicaragua)

a. to pay attention to

Creo que ya no le gusto porque no me pela en la escuela.

I don't think she likes me anymore because she doesn't pay any attention to me at school.

intransitive verb

7.

(colloquial)

(to gossip)

(Chile)

a. to gossip

Si quieres conservar a tus amigos, no debes pelar acerca de ellos.

If you want to keep your friends, you shouldn't gossip about them.

8.

(vulgar)

(to not matter)

(Mexico)

a. to suck it

(vulgar)

¡Estás haciendo trampa! - ¡Me la pelas, perdedor!

You're cheating! - Suck it, loser!

pelarse

pronominal verb

9. (to get a haircut)

a. to get one's hair cut short

Me fui a pelar ayer porque ya me estaba quedando bien greñudo.

I went to get my hair cut short yesterday, because I was getting really shaggy.

b. to have one's hair cut short

Voy al peluquero a pelarme cada mes.

I go to the barber to have my hair cut short every month.

c. to shave one's head

Creo que voy a pelarme porque hace un calor insoportable.

I think I'm going to shave my head because this heat is unbearable.

10. (to shed skin)

a. to peel

Se me olvidó ponerme protector y ahora se me está pelando la nariz.

I forgot to put sunscreen on and now my nose is peeling.

11. (to run away)

a. to run off

La niña se peló cuando su hermano le dijo que le iba a regañar su mamá.

The girl ran off when her brother told her their mom was going to scold her.

pelar

transitive verb

1. (persona)

a. to cut the hair of

2. (fruta, patatas)

a. to peel

3. (guisantes, marisco)

a. to shell

4. (aves)

a. to pluck

5. (conejos)

a. to skin

pelar la pavato flirt, to have a lovey-dovey conversation

6. (colloquial)

a. to fleece

7. (colloquial)

a.

hace un frío que pelait's freezing cold

pronominal verb

8. (cortarse el pelo)

a. to have one's hair cut

9. (piel, espalda)

a. to peel

pelarse de fríoto be frozen stiff, to be freezing cold

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

pelar

transitive verb

1 (rapar)

lo han pelado al cero o al rape they've cropped his hair (familiar); they've completely shaved his hair off

2 [+fruta, patata] to peel; [+habas, mariscos] to shell

3 (despellejar) to skin; (desplumar) to pluck

4 (criticar) to flay; criticize

5 (quitar el dinero a) to clean out (familiar); fleece (familiar)

me han pelado en el casino

6 (matar) to do in (muy_familiar); bump off (muy_familiar)

7 (Latinoamérica) (azotar) to beat up (familiar)

8

pelarla (And) (morir) to kick the bucket (muy_familiar); die

intransitive verb

1 (S. Cone) (cotillear) to gossip

2 (España)

que pela: hace un frío que pela it's bitterly cold; la sopa está que pela this soup is piping hot

pronominal verb

pelarse

1 (cortarse el pelo) to get one's hair cut

voy a pelarme I'm going to get my hair cut

2 [+nariz, hombros] to peel

se me está pelando la espalda my back is peeling

3

pelársela (masturbarse) to toss off (vulgar)

pelárselas

se las peló en cuanto vio a su padre he ran off as soon as he saw his dad; me las pelo I'm off (familiar)

corre que se las pela he runs like nobody's business (familiar)

4 (México) (morir) to kick the bucket (muy_familiar)