| IDIOMS | EXAMPLES |
| absent-minded: forgetful (distraído) | My grandfather is very absent-minded and often forgets his key. |
| all ears: eager to listen to someone (todo oídos) | Okay, I'm all ears, please tell me about the party. |
| all of a sudden: suddenly, without advance warning (repentinamente) | All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain. |
| beat around the bush: speak indirectly or evasively (dar vueltas para hacer algo) | Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision. |
| behind the times: old fashioned (anticuado) | My aunt is a little behind the times. |
| blow one's own horn: praise oneself (fanfarronear, hacer alarde) | He is always blowing his own horn and is very annoying at times. |
| brand new: absolutely new (flamante) | He was finally able to buy a brand-new car. |
| catch one's eye: attract one's attention (llamar la atención) | I tried to catch her eye but she didn`t notice me. |
| catch (someone) red-handed: find someone in the middle of doing something wrong (atrapar a alguien con las manos en la masa) | The policeman caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy. |
| change horses in midstream: make new plans or choose a new leader in the middle of an important activity (cambiar de caballo en la mitad del río) | They decided to change horses in midstream and that is probably why they lost the election. |
| change (one's) mind: change one`s decision (cambiar de opinión) | He changed his mind and said that he would not go to the movie tonight. |
| come across: find something or meet someone by chance (encontrarse repentinamente con algo o alguien) | I came across an interesting story in the newspaper the other day. |
| come into fashion: become fashionable (ponerse de moda) | She says that although bell-bottom pants have come into fashion again she will never wear them. |
| crocodile tears: a show of sorrow that is not really felt (lágrimas de cocodrilo) | He said that he was very sorry but his tears were just crocodile tears. |
| cry over spilt milk: cry or complain about something that has already happened (llorar sobre leche derramada) | Don't cry over spilt milk. You can never change the past. |
| die out: die or disappear slowly until all gone (desaparecer, extinguirse) | Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago. |
| doll up: dress in fancy clothes (emperifollarse, vestirse de moda) | She was all dolled up for the party at the downtown hotel |
| do without: manage without something (arreglárselas sin algo) | If there is no sugar, we'll have to do without. |
| dressed to the nines (teeth): dressed elegantly (elegantemente vestido, "hasta los dientes") | The stars were all dressed to the nines (teeth) during the Academy Awards ceremony. |
| dress up: put on one's best clothes (vestirse formalmente) | He decided to dress up for dinner at the restaurant. |
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| drop (someone) a line: write or mail a note or letter to someone (escribirle a alguien unas líneas) | She promised that she would drop me a line when she gets to Singapore. |
| easy-going: tolerant and relaxed (tolerante, de fácil convivencia) | He has a very easy-going management style. |
| eat like a bird: eat very little (comer como un pajarito) | He eats like a bird. That's why he can`t put on enough weight to join the football team. |
| eat like a horse: eat a lot (comer como un caballo) | He eats like a horse but he never puts on any weight. |
| eat one's words: admit being wrong in something one has said, retract one's statement (tragarse las palabras) | He was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he was wrong. |
| end up: finish, finally do something (terminar por) | We ended up going to the restaurant after the movie last night. |
| face the music: accept the consequences of something (enfrentar los problemas) | He is going to have to face the music sooner or later. |
| fall behind: fail to keep up with work or studies or payments, etc. (atrasarse en el trabajo, estudios, pagos, etc.) | He fell behind with his homework at the beginning of the term and had problems throughout the year. |
| fall in love with: begin to love someone (enamorarse de) | I fell in love with her the first time that I saw her at the restaurant. |
| fed up with: disgusted or bored with someone or something (harto de) | I think that he is getting fed up with the constant demands of his boss. |
| figure out: try to understand or solve (entender, darse cuenta) | He finally figured out how to use the new video recorder. |
| fit as a fiddle: in good athletic condition or health (como un violín) | Her grandfather is 92 years old but he is as fit as a fiddle. |
| fix someone up with someone: help someone get a date by arranging a meeting for the two (arreglar algo con alguien) | I tried to fix my sister up with a date with my friend but she refused me. |
| for all the world: for anything, for any price (por nada del mundo) | For all the world I do not know what he is trying to tell me with the notes that he writes |
| for better or worse: depending on how one looks at the matter, with good or bad effects (para bien o para mal) | For better or worse he has decided to quit his job and go to live in Brazil. |
| from hand to hand: from one person to another and another (de mano en mano) | The plate of food went from hand to hand until finally it was all finished. |
| from the bottom of one's heart: with great feeling, sincerely (de todo corazón, sinceramente) | I thanked him from the bottom of my heart for helping my daughter when she was sick. |
| from now on: from this moment forward (de aquí en más) | From now on I will study Italian every day. |
| from scratch: from the very beginning (de cero, de la nada) | He decided to build the house from scratch. |
| from time to time: occasionally (cada tanto, de vez en cuando) | We go to that restaurant from time to time. |
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