TEWS

by javier1125
(154 terms)
term Description
level up (p.v.) improving sth so it's the same level or quality as sth else where standards are higher
mooch (around) (v.) to wander or stroll around casually (also HAVE A MOOCH)
skedaddle (v.) to leave somewhere quickly, in a hurry (=largarse) I'd better to skedaddle.
(it's the) story of my life always having bad luck. A negative (unlucky) thing happening all the time
(old) stomping ground (n.) a place you live in or spend a lot of time in (=territorio)
(on) the flip side the opposite or another side of sth (on the other hand)
(right) from the get-go from the beginning (=(right) from the very start / (right) from the very beginning)
(to be) hard at it to put lots of effort into doing sth(=estar dándole duro/dale que te pego)
(with) the works everything-all the extras that you might expect in any given situation (=to'l copón)
a big deal (slang) sth important or significant
a blow an expression to say sth is disappointing (=chasco, decepción)
a can-do attitude (or mindset, spirit or way of thinking) positive attitude; don't let anything stop you (=con ganas, predisposición, buena voluntad, proactiv)
a flying start an excellent beginning (=to get off to a good start)
a million to one (=one in a million) an expression that describes a very tiny chance of sth happening.
an uphill task (col.) sth that needs energy and determination (=tarea cuesta arriba)
beige flag an expression that describes a habit you find strange but doesn't make you not like s.o.
bite your tongue stop yourself from saying sth offensive, hurtful or inappropriate
blast off (p.v.) take off (p.v.) (=despegar)
brick-by-brick a phrase about building sth up or take it apart carefully and gradually (or the result of hard work)
by the book following the rules exactly, without improvising(=según las reglas, a rajatabla)
cakeism we want (or we're offered) two things at the same time, which in reality is impossible to achieve
can-do attitude don't let anything stop you, positive attitude (=con ganas, buena voluntad)
can't go (far) wrong with; won't go (far) wrong with you can't fail if you use this suggestion (=no puedes equivocarte si....)
cash in on sth (v.) taking advantage of a situation to make money (=aprovecharse de, sacar tajada de)
catch forty winks to sleep
change for the better (n.) to talk about an improvement in the state or condition of something
clutch at straws trying to improve a difficult situation using means a bit desperate (=agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo)
cook up an idea (=cook up a plan) (v.) carefully plan something (=maquinar un plan o una idea)
dip your toe into starting sth new gradually
do the trick (=do the job) (infl) sth will solve a problem, or give the result wanted (=bastar, surtir efecto, ser suficiente)
doze to sleep
drip feed to give information in small amounts -little by little- rather than all at once (=dosificar)
each to their/his/her own everyone has their own opinions and preferences, and that's fine(=para gustos, los colores)
elbow grease (n.) honest hard physical work (=esfuerzo, trabajo duro)
famous last words when we believe sth someone says will soon be proven wrong (or to laugh at sth we've said previously)
few and far between very rare or not hapenning often (=poquísimos, contadísimos)
fitspiration (=fitspo) when sth or s.o.motivates you to get fit
flip side the opposite, the other side (=la otra cara) Syn.: on the other hand
fly-by-night (adj.) companies or people who are unreliable or difficult to trust (=chanchullero, fraudulento)
from the get-go from the beginning
get some shut-eye to sleep
give it some welly! say to encourage s.o. to put some more effort into an activity (=échale güevos)
go-to (noun or adj.) (+for) preferred option
ham-fisted (adj./adv.) clumsy/a clumsy way to do things
hard pass (slang) when we really don't want to do sth and we're not going to change our mind (=certainly not)
hats off (to sb) to say you admire or respect s.o. because they've done sth impressive (also mean 'congratulations')
heavy-lifting (n.) hard work; trabajo duro
I don't buy it we use it to say that we don't believe something (=I don't believe you)
I'm out a way of saying you have no more of sth specific that other people want (=ya no me queda)
in my (…) era It just means you're really into one particular thing at the moment. E.g. in my travel era...
it (can) happen(s) to the best of us 'don't worry as anyone can make that kind of mistake'
join the club it's said to s.o. to explain that you are in the same bad situation as they are
kiss sth goodbye an informal expression that means 'to accept the loss of a thing or a situation/opportunity'
lay it on (a bit) thick (v.) exaggerating, praising or criticising someone a bit too much (=ponerse (un poco) pesado)
let (sb/sth) loose (v.) to give them freedom
let (sth) slide to not do anything about sth when you should try to correct it(=dejarlo pasar)
let loose (v.) a way of saying relax, often with a celebration: Relax and celebrate!! (= soltar)
main character moment when you feel like the protagonist of a film
make your hair stand on end a phrase about things that scare you (=poner los pelos de punta). 
makes my skin crawl you're very disgusted or frightened by sth (=me da repelús)
mental gymnastics a way to talk about your brain doing hard work(=rapidez/agudeza mental)
no ifs, (ands) or buts no negotiation, compromise, or excuses are permitted. It can also mean there is no doubt
off the cuff (adj./adv.) to do or say sth with no preparation or very little preparation (=improvisado/de improviso)
off the scale to say that sth goes beyond what is expected (=descomunal)
off the top of your head saying sth from memory and not checking the facts
on point an informal way of saying that sth is at the best level that it could be. Also 'perfectly appropiate'
on the fly when deciding what to do as you're doing it, inprovising (=sobre la marcha) Used also to talk about cars or computers.
on the go a phrase to describe how busy you are (busy, active and not relaxing)
on the table to put an idea, suggestion or plan forward for others to discuss or consider
over the counter medicine that can be bought without a doctor's prescription
peaks and troughs ups and downs of life (highs and lows; ebb and flow) (=picos y valles)
pet hate (=pet peeve) a situation or thing that just irritates you and not everyone will feel the same way(=manía, cosa que molesta)
plan B a way of expressing an alternative option, in case your first situation doesn't go as planned
productivity theatre the act of s.o. appearing to work hard when in reality they're not being very productive
quiet quitting (v.) not overworking but just doing the work that is required and within your defined working hours
read the room (v.) to work out how people feel or what they think about sth (=hacerse una composición de lugar)
rinse, repeat an expression that describes repetitive actions that are predictable and tiresome
scatterbrain (n.) a person who is disorganised or forgetful (=absent-minded person/cabeza de chorlito, está en la luna)
second nature (to sb) do sth easily without having to think about it (=acto reflejo) (u.tb. como característica)
shoehorn (sth) in (p.v.) to force sth to be included swh it doesn't quite fit or belong (=meter con calzador)
shook (adj.) a word to express surprise or shock (=pasmado)
shout-out (n.) mention a person or thing's name to praise or thank them publicly (=reconocimiento)
sleep on it to delay making a decision until you've time to thik about it (=consultarlo con la almohada)
stir the pot to cause trouble o be provocative (=meter cizaña)
take the plunge make a decisión about sth difficult and maybe challenging (=correr el riesgo, jugársela)
take the wheel (reins) take the control of a situation (coger el volante/las riendas)
telling porkies an informal way to saying "tell lies"
thanks a bunch (=thanks for nothing) an ironic reply to sb who is being unhelpful or not doing what they said they would do
that's on you it's your fault (used also to remind people of their responsability)
the bane of my life source or cause of persistent unhappiness or misfortune (=cruz, ¡que cruz!)
the gift that keeps on giving a thing or situation which has benefits that are repeated over a long period of time
the name of the game the most important aspect of sth. (=clave)
the works everything, all the extras that you might expect in any given situation
this is on me when you offer to pay for sth., usually food or drink
throw one's toys out (of) the pram acting in a very childish or dramatic way, especially when they don't get what they want
to be at a loss describes that feeling you get when you're not sure what to say or do (+AS TO)
to be in on it to know about or to be involved in sth that is happening (=estar involucrado)
to be in with a shout to have a good chance of winning sth or succeeding in sth (=estar a punto de )
to bide someone´s time to wait patienly and quietly for an opportunity (=esperar el/tu/su momento)
to breathe down someone's neck to watch someone closely and check everything they do (=con el aliento en el cogote)
to bring sth to the party/table to have sth good to offer in a situation. (table more formal than party)
to call dibs an expression to say you claim sth before s.o. else claims it (=me lo pido!) Call dibs on sth/Dibs it
to call it a day we just mean we have decided to stop what are we doing for the rest of the day
to chip in (p.v.) everyone gives a small amount of money to pay for sth together(=poner, aportar)
to choke out (p.v.) obstruir
to crank up (p.v.) to increase the intensity of sth(=poner ahínco, redoblar esfuerzos)
to dial down/back make sth less intense (=rebajar, moderar), Contrario: dial up
to do it for the plot to do sth a Little wild and spontaneous to make life more exciting (from Internet) (=por exigencias del guión)
to do the heavy lifting hard work (=trabajo pesado, trabajo duro, llevar la carga).No físico necesariamente.
to fall on stony ground when your words or ideas are unpopular, ignored, not well-received by the people (=caer en saco roto)
to fill your boots take advantage of a situation, or get as much of sth as possible (eat your fill) (=ponerse las botas)
to find your groove getting good at sth and starting to really enjoy it (=encontrar tu pasión en algo, pillarle el tranq.
to get a handle on sth undestand (=encontrar el truco, encontrarle la vuelta)
to get with the programme to accept new ways of doing things, modernise views or take on new ideas (=espabila, ponte las pilas)
to go off on one to become suddenly very angry (=despotricar)
to go with the flow (=to go with the tide) to follow others in their thoughts, ideas or actions cos it's the easiest thing (=dejarse llevar)
to have s.o. on (p.v.) persuade s.o. that sth is true when it isn't (usually as a joke) (=quedarse con alguien)
to jog (sb)'s memory to do sth to help sb remember (=refrescar)
to jump on the bandwagon to do sth because It's popular(=subirse al carro, seguir la moda)
to jump through (lots of) hoops to have to do lots of difficult and sometimes unnecessary things to achieve sth (=superar trabas)
to know sth like the back of your hand
to know the score to understand the situation o know what is really going on (=conocer la jugada)
to light up like a Christmas tree a way of saying you look very happy or excited about sth.
to make a rod for your own back when you're doing sth that will cause you problems in the future (=asumir una carga)
to one-up (infl.) have an advantage over s.o. else by doing sth (=superar)
to pull someone's leg id.(=tomar el pelo). You'4re pulling my leg!!
to pull the threads to investigate deeper into sth, revealing the hidden connections behind it (=tirar del hilo)
to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps salir adelante por tus propios medios
to put the spotlight on sth to attract the attention to it (=poner en el punt de mira)
to rabbit on (p.v.) someone talking so much that they become boring to listen to (=hablar por los codos)
to rear its (ugly) head used to talk about sth bad appearing (=asomar la cabeza, saltar a la palestra)
to rub shoulders with sb codearse
to run for the hills when you try to avoid doing sth because it looks unappealing, risky or even dangerous
to ship when you want two people, usually fictional characters (but not only), to be in a relationship.
to slow walk (sth) to delay (doing) sth or prevent it from progressing (=dilatar, demorar, retrasar)
to sound out (p.v.) trying to find out what s.o. thinks indirectly-without them knowing (=tantear, sondear)
to steal (sb)'s thunder when sb take the attention away from the other person to his own advantage
to take (sth) to heart to react to (sb)'s criticism or advise seriously so that become upset by it (=tomárselo a pecho)
to take (sth) with a pinch of salt coger algo con pinzas
to tread/step on someone's toes annoying s.o. by involving yourself in sth that is not your responsibility (=invadir el territorio de
to twig when suddenly realice or understand sth. (=caer en la cuenta, darse cuenta)
to twist someone's arm id.(=torcer el brazo). To persuade s.o. to do sth they do not want to do
to win hands down to win very easily or decisively
top-notch (adj.) very high quality (=de primera)
touch grass (v.) you can say to s.o. who you think spends too much time online or on their phone.
trace (sth) back (p.v.) discover its causes by examining how it developed (=rastrear el origen)
tug at the heartstrings when sth brings out strong emotions (=tocar la fibra sensible)
turn over a new leaf/turn the page pasar página/hacer borrón y cuenta nueva
under your breath say sth so quietly that no one else can hear exactly what you're saying (mutter) (=por lo bajo)
walk s.o. through sth (v.) walkthrough (n.) showing people how to do things, or explaining sth to them (=guide s.o. through sth)
warts and all show everything, including imperfections (=con todos los defectos)
wiggle room (n.)  we use to talk about how much we can change sth like a timetable or budget to allow us to do sth else
wishy-washy a word to describes sth weak, vague or indefined (ni fu ni fa); watery (=aguado)
zing (vs.oomph) to describe sth exciting, energetic, or interesting (=chispa)