transitive verb
1 (position) fijar; asegurar to fix sth in place fijar or asegurar algo en su sitio
the dentist fixed the crown in place he fixed the earrings in place It was the custom to erect monuments round the well by placing on end a long flagstone, and heaping round it a pyramid of sand in order to keep it fixed firmly in its place
to fix a stake in the ground clavar or fijar una estaca en el suelo
there is a custom of fixing a sheaf of corn in a prominent place to ensure fertility for the coming year
2 (attach) (with nails) clavar; (with string) atar; amarrar; (with glue) pegar fix it on the wall fix the chair leg with glue
to fix sth to sth: fix the mirror to the wall fije el espejo a la pared; I fixed the hose to the tap ajusté la manguera al grifo; the phone is fixed to the wall el teléfono está colgado de la pared; the chairs and desks are fixed to the floor las sillas y mesas están sujetas or atornilladas al suelo
drill holes then fix both hinges to the door there was a sign fixed to the trunk of a tree some people prefer to use hand-held shower heads rather than those fixed to the wall he fixed a bayonet to the end of his rifle
they fixed the two pieces of bone together with a metal plate unieron los dos trozos de hueso con una placa de metal
[+bayonet] calar with fixed bayonets con bayonetas caladas
3 (set firmly) to fix sth in one's memory/mind grabar algo en la memoria/la mente; the image of her was now firmly fixed in his mind su imagen estaba ahora firmemente grabada en su mente
My wife and I had lunch together in the hotel # the sort of lunch which one would be happy to forget, but which nevertheless remains painfully fixed in the memory It was a moment to take and fix in the memory, to be taken out and re-lived again and again he observed her with real attention, fixing her in his memory How much of the scene could he fix in his memory before the ship sailed? April 19 is the new date firmly fixed in Atherton's mind for his comeback I rode back to Edgerton Avenue from time to time after we moved, to look around, and to fix in my mind the route back Amy watched the child's intent face eagerly, trying to fix it in her mind Everyone subconsciously carries around with them an image of how their ideal partner should look, but once it is fixed in one's mind, the imprint is there for life
4 (lay) to fix the blame on sb echar la culpa a algn
5 (arrange, settle) [+date, time] fijar; [+meeting] fijar; convenir we must fix a date to have lunch tenemos que fijar un día para quedar a comer; nothing's been fixed yet todavía no se ha decidido or acordado nada; I've fixed it for you to meet her lo he arreglado para que la conozcas
he fixed a job for me I'll fix everything he's going to fix a time when I can see him
how are you fixed for this evening? ¿tienes planes para esta noche?; how are we fixed for money? ¿qué tal andamos de dinero?; how are we fixed for time? ¿cómo vamos de tiempo?
6 (set) (honestly) [+price, rate] fijar; (rig) [+fight, race, election] amañar; [+price] fijar they're in a dispute over price fixing tienen una disputa por la fijación de los precios
the price of milk is fixed annually a cartel that fixed the price of steel for the construction market they were offered bribes to fix the decisive match
7 (rivet) [+eyes, gaze] fijar; clavar; [+attention] fijar she fixed her eyes on him le clavó los ojos; fijó la mirada en él; he fixed his gaze on the horizon miró fijamente al horizonte; she fixed him with an angry glare lo miró fijamente con indignación; she had fixed all her hopes on passing the exam tenía todas sus esperanzas puestas en aprobar el examen
he fixed his attention on the boy before him he fixed her with a look of deep concern The realities are different from the issues on which politicians, economists, scholars, businessmen, union leaders still fix their attention You will be asked to fix your attention to a dot in the back center of the globe fix your attention on the practicalities all eyes were fixed on her he fixed his jaw and carried on
8 (repair) [+car, appliance] arreglar; reparar someone is coming to fix the television today if it's broken, we'll fix it he can't fix the electricity
to get or have sth fixed arreglar or reparar algo; I've got to get my car fixed this week tengo que arreglar or reparar el coche esta semana; tengo que llevar el coche a arreglar or reparar esta semana; I should have my teeth fixed tendría que arreglarme los dientes
9 (solve) [+problem] solucionar it's not too late to fix the problem campaigners argue that the Maastricht treaty would fix that problem by creating a European central bank Chrysler says the calls are being made to ensure customer satisfaction and fix any problems Technicians worked frantically for 45 minutes during the interval to try to fix the problem
10 (deal with) encargarse de (informal); (kill) cargarse a (informal) I'll soon fix him! ¡ya me encargo yo de él! (informal); ¡ya le ajustaré las cuentas! (informal)
11 (prepare) [+meal, drink] preparar I fixed myself a coffee me preparé un café
he stayed behind to fix lunch can I fix you a drink?
12 especially (US) (tidy up) [+hair, makeup] arreglar to fix one's hair arreglarse el pelo
she was late, so she fixed her face in a hurry he fixed a gun on her they haven't been able to fix his position
13 (make permanent) [+film, colour, dye] fijar egg yoke is used to fix the pigment
14 (neuter) [+animal] operar noun
1 (predicament) apuro (m); aprieto (m) to be in/get into a fix estar/meterse en un apuro or un aprieto
how did she get into this fix? it looks like we're all in the same fix How in the hell had she got herself into a fix like this one?
2 [of drug] (gen) dosis (f); (when injected) pinchazo (informal) (m); chute (m) (very_informal); (Esp) to give o.s. a fix pincharse (informal); chutarse (very_informal); (Esp) she needs her daily fix of publicity necesita su dosis diaria de publicidad
a quick energy fix I've been all day without my chocolate fix we get to hear a lot about what drugs do to people, the way kids act - anything to get the next fix /teenagers get an instant fix by/ crushing the crystal-like powder in their hand and snorting it, or /swallowing a capsule/
3 (Aer) (Náut) posición (f) take a fix on that submarine
to get a fix on sth establecer la posición de algo; localizar algo; it's been hard to get a fix on what's going on ha sido difícil entender lo que pasa
the army hasn't been able to get a fix on the transmitter he's hard to get a fix on /It's difficult to get a fix on what brokers earn/. Their commissions depend on the number and cost of the properties they sell
4 (set-up) tongo (informal) (m) the fight/result was a fix hubo tongo en la pelea/el resultado (informal)
5 (solution) arreglo (m); apaño (informal) (m) many of the changes could just be a temporary fix
there is no quick-fix solution to this problem no existe un arreglo or apaño (informal) rápido para este problema
the Prime Minister gambled with a quick fix for the economy there have been noises both out of the White House and out of the Congress in recent weeks suggesting that there's a quick fix to this the Federal Reserve Board warned Congress not to reach for a quick-fix solution
