r , ! I ! I 1 easy learning 1 Bit,liotec3 PubHcr.:l ~ ~ ~t : ~ l ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ .___ .__ .. __ , !tlJrrarnako Liburutegi Pub!!koa ...... Collins HarperColiins Publishers Westerhill Road Bishopbriggs Glasgow G642QT HarperColiins Publishers 2012 Collins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Limited Random House Mondadori. S.A. Travessera de Gracia, 47-49 08021Barcelona www.diccionarioscollins.com Primera edicion, septiembre de 2012 ISBN 978-84-253-4914-0 Quedan prohibidos, dentro de los Ifmites establecidos en la levy baja los apercibimientos legalmente previstos, la reproduccion total a parcial de esta obra porcualquier medio a procedimienta, ya sea electronica 0 mecanico, el tratamiento informatica, el alquilero cualquier otra forma de cesion de la obra sin la autorizacion previa V porescrito de os titulares del copyright. Dirijase a tEDRO (Centro Espanol de Derechas Reprog rMicas, http://www.cedro.org) sinecesita fotocopiaro escanear algun fragmento de esta obra. compuesto par Davidson Publishing Solutions, Glasgow Impreso en Espana por Limpergraf Deposito legal: 8.20.791-2012 Edici6n ytraducci6n: TonvGalvez Cordelia Lilly y i ~ t o r i aOrdonez Divf l torrecd6n de pruebas: Sinda Lopez Coordinaci6n editorial: TeresaAlvarez Colaboradores de la edici6n original en ingles: Penny Hands Kate Woodford SandraAndersan Katharine Coates Kate Mohideen Direcci6n editorial: LucVCaoper Elaine Higgleton Susanne Reichert Lisa Sutherland Introducci6n Le presentamos el Collins Easy Learning English Idioms, pensado para todo aquel que desee ampliarsus conocimientos de las expresiones inglesas, tanto para quien este preparando un examen de ingles como para quien necesite una gUla rapida sobre las expresiones inglesas 0 simplemente quiera encontrar expresiones divertidas que Ie den mas autenticidad a suingles. En todos los casos, esta obra ofrece la informaci6n necesaria en un formato claro yaccesible. (Que es un idiom? Un idiom0modismo es una expresi6n idiomatica que puede serdiffcil de entender incluso sise conocen todas las palabras que la forman. En algunos casos, no cuesta adivinar su significado, porque dicha expresi6n crea una imagen que representa una idea ennuestro cerebro, especial mente sies una imagen que tiene un equivalente en espanol, como porejemplo play with fire Uugar con fuego) 0incold blood (a sangre frfa).Enmuchas ocasiones esto se debe a Que compartimos una vasta tradici6n cultural, que incluye, porejemplo, muchas de las referencias bfblicas, tales como an eye for an eye (ojo por ojo). En otras puede ser que en algun momento del pasado la expresi6n se tradujera literalmenteyde ahf pas6 a nuestro acervo cultural. Pero en otras muchas, esto no ha side as!, por 10 que puede resultar imposible entender el significado de send someone to Coventry (hacer el vado a alguien) 0 not beat about the bush (no andarse con rodeos). Como encontrar la expresion buscada Cada modismo se encuentra bajo una palabra determinada, que es ellema de la entrada. Lasentradas van por orden alfabetico. Para encontrar un modismo hay quever primero sila frase contiene un sustantivo. Si es as!,la expresi6n ira normalmente en la entrada correspondiente a! primer sustantivo de la misma, a no serque este admita una variante. As!,porejemplo, bring someone to book aparece bajo la entrada book. Sielmodismo carece de sustantivo, la expresi6n ira bajo elprimer adjetivo 0 adverbio. Este es el caso, porejemplo, de drop dead, que aparece bajo dead, 0 leave someone cold,que puede encontrarse bajo cold. Por ultimo, si no contiene un sustantivo, adjetivo 0 adverbio, la expresion aparecera bajo elprimerverbo, como en come out fighting, que esta incluida bajo come. Una excepci6n a esta regia son modismos como hard as nails 0 freshas a daisy (liamados "similes''), que normal mente aparecen bajo elprimer adjetivo enlugar Introduccion del sustantivo. Esto es debido a que a menudo pueden combinarse varios sustantivos con elmismo adjetivQ, par 10que resulta de mas utilidad vedas todos juntos enuna misma entrada. Por ultimo, tengase en (uenta que si elsustantivo aparece en plural en un modismo determinado, conviene buscarlo bajo el plural de un lema. As!,par ejemplo, pick holes in something se encont'rara bajo holes, no bajo hole. Todos los modismos van seguidos de ejemplos ilustrativos autenticos; extrafdos del corpus de Collins, que muestran las expresiones tal ycomo 50n usadas par los hablantes. Ademas de esto, se ha anadido en ocasiones la traducci6n literal que' podrfa darse a un modismo cuanda dicha traducci6n da lugar a una imagen que facilitarfa la comprension del mismo. Confiamos en que este libro Ie ayudara a aumentarsus conocimientos sobre este aspectotan fascinante de la lengua inglesa. Para mayor informaci6n sobre los diccionarios Collins, visite nuestra web www.diccionarioscollins.com. Como son las entradas Elorden....I-+ante alfabetico de las En algunosjuegos de naipes, ..' entrada,S se rig,e pore! le':la bajo: ,ellos,modismos. Los'ejiimplds del corpus mUestrall como'seusael inadismo en,' ' una. estr,ella', identifica'a'ios niodislTlosmas' ffecue'n:tes: Estas,notas: expUC:a)1 e,' drigendel' modlsmo, 'q'lJe'ap'arec.:e lmodJsnii.> :

como elpoquer, theante("la apuesta") es la cantidad de dinero que cadajugador debe depositar sobre la mesa antes de que empiece eljuego. * up the ante 0 raise the ante subir la apuesta o Whenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante, setting increasingly diFficult chal/enges (or themselves.0Its network television divisionupped the ante by paying an estimated $2 million a year for a deal. chop 1-* chop and change(Brit)cambiar constantemente de opini6noAfter chopping and changing forthe ffrst year, Paul and Jamie have settled down to a stable system of management. Esta expresi6n se empleaba originalmente enreferencia a aquellas personas que compraban y vendfan mercancfas. Chop ayudana expllcar el, significado del,' , lema:'' significaba "comerciar" 0"hacer trueques", mientrasquechangeeral:.as:m'arcas:":,' una version abreviada de exchange,,geografic'asy"',: : g "cambiar".-------1 deregistr.o:qan' inforli1ac,i6? * for the chop(Brit, familiar):" 1a punto de ser despedido0There are rumours that he is for the chop 2a punto de desaparecer0He won't say which programmes are for the chop. laundry * a laundry list (sobretodo EE UU)una lista interminable (literal: una lista-oOl(----de ropa para lavar)0This document is expected to set out a laundry list of reasons why shareholders should reject the bid. airyour dirty laundry in public -+verdirty

IIteral.entre ':

facillt;o(Ip:, , ;cjellj1odis,l:l'1o;,:' accounting there's no accounting for taste sabre gustos no hay nada escrito o Daisy ordered her favourite pepperoni and pineapple pizza - there's no accounting (or taste. a c ~ e________________~ Enmuchosjuegos de naipes, el as es lacarta que puntua mas alto. the ace in your hand(Brit)e[as en !a mana0Youhave to convince your opponent that you have the ace inyour hand.Especially inpolitics. come within an ace of something a be within an ace of something (Brit)estar a punta de hacer argo o The defendant was intent onmurder and he came within an ace of succeeding. 2 En esta expresi6n, ace no se refiere ~a[ as de una baraja, sino a sacar ~un uno a[lanzar un dado. have an ace in the holeguardarse un as enla manga0 He doesn't usually ris/{ that much unless he thinks he has anace in the hole. ~En el tipo de poquer denominado ~stud, tener un ace in the hole ~significa tener un as como hole g card; ver hole card en hole. play your ace jugarel triunfoo)ust as the race was nearly over, Hackett played his ace and pulled ahead. aces hold all the acestener la sarten par elmango (literal:tenertodos los ases)0WhenI was anadolescent, I thaught girls held all the aces. ~En muchos juegos de naipes, ~el as es la carta que puntua mas ~alto. acid * the acid test la prueba de fuego (literal: la prueba del acida)oMy nrst really stressful day when things ga wrong: that will be the real acid test. ~EIacido nftrico puede usarse ~paracomprobarsi un metal es oro pura, porque corroe la mayorfa de metales pero no afecta al oro. acquaintance a passing acquaintance 0 a nodding acquaintance 1 un conocidooAftera while a man came in who was evidently a passing acquaintance of the family and stopped at their table to chat. zun conocimiento superficial0We chatted foralittle about poetry, with which he showed considerably more than a nodding acquaintance. act r ' - - c c - - - - - ~ Las metaforas en estas expresiones estan relacionadas con interpretes (musicos, actores, etc.) que actuan ante un publico. 2action "* a balancing act equiHbrismos aMrA/ia is performing a delicate balancing act.He talks ofre(orm, but clings to old certainties. * be caught in the act sorprender a alguien en flagrante0The men were caught inthe act of diggingup buried explosives. Enesta expresi6n, act se refiere al acto de hacer alga. * a class actun as0/(oemanis a class act.He's got great control and can hit passes fromone side of the pitch to the other with amazing accuracy. "* clean up your actenmendarse (literal:limpiarsu acto) 0The Ministerwarned the press that privacy laws would be implemented if newspapers didn't clean up their act. * get inon the act 0 be inon the actsubirse al carro (litera':meterse en el acto) o The company's reputation has reached the United States, and American investors have been trying to get in on the act. * get your act together organizarse o We're going to be 22 points downby Monday,and we've got to get our act together. * a hard act to followdiffcil de igualar (litera':un acto diffcil de seguir) o He was a hard actto Follow- a brilliant intellectual with long experience as an observer of the economic scene. action * fight a rearguard actionresistir en 10posible (literal:luchar para cubrir la retirada)a National telephone companies are nghting a rearguard action against competition Frombeyond their Frontiers. Rearguard significa "retaguardia". * a slice of the action(sobretodoBrit)o ajpiece of the actionuna parte del I paste!oAs the British rap scene grows t;in strength, the Americans are tbecoming keener to grab a slice of the action. actions actions speak louderwords un hecho vale mas que mil palabras (literal:las acciones hablan mas alto que las palabras)a The government needs to understand that actions speak louder than words. Adam Segun la Biblia,Adan (Adam) fue el primer ser humano. not know someone from Adam no conocer a alguien para nada a The man greeted me like anold friend, but I didn't Imow him fromAdam. ado much ado about nothing (Periodismo)mucho ruido V pocas nueces0Frenchnewspapers described the international row as much ado about nothing. Much Ado About Nothing (Mucho ruidoy pocas nueces) es el titulo de una obra teatral de Shakespeare. \ agenda Lapalabra agenda significa "orden del dia". * a hidden agendaintenciones ocultasa The unions Fear these tactics are part of a hidden agenda to reduce pay and conditions throughout the company. air * be left hanging in the airquedaren el aire0The presenter made intelligent points but never challenged anybody, so we were left with a lot of questions hanging inthe air. be walking on air 0 be floating on airestar flotando de alegrfa (litera':estar andando 0 flotando en el aire)0I can't believe that I've won.I'mnoating onairl "* clear the airaclarar las casas (litera':aclarar e! aire)0I get angry andfrustratedwith Hannah's temper, but I'm a great believer in expressing my feelings to clear the air. * disappear into thin air 0 vanish into thin airdesaparecer como por arte de magia0Her husband disappeared into thin airfor years. "* hot airpalabras vanas (literal:aire caliente)0Ina sense, all the rhetoric about heightenedcan be seen as just so much hot air. There are still endless disputes. * in the airen el aire0Springis in the air.Vasesiente la primavera. a Great excitement was in the air that week inLondon. * out of thin air 0 from thin airde la nadaoA crisis had materialized out oFthin air. pull something out of the air a pluck something from the airdecir algo al azar (literal:sacar alga del aire)aShe pulled a figure out of the air, an amount she thought would cover several months' rent on an Office. * up in the airen el aireoAt the moment, the fate of the Hungarian people is still up in the air. airs airs and graces(Brit) airesa Ianis such a nice bloke.Hehas no airs and graces. put on airs and graces(Brit) 0 put on airsdarseaires aWe're poor, honest Folk,and we never put on airs. all 3 aisles roll in the aislespartirse de risa (literal:radar por los pasillos)0It's all good Imoc/wbout stuFFthat has them rolling in the aisles. La palabra aisle significa "pasillo" (de un tearro 0de un cine). alec a smart alec(Brit) 0 a smart aleck(EEUU)un sabelotodoa They've got a smart alec lawyer FromLondonto oppose bail. Hay quienes escriben alecy aleck con la primera letra en mayOscula, como si fueran nombres prapios. Alecy Aleck son abreviaturas de Alexander. alive * alive and kickingvivito y coleando o Romance is still alive and kickingFor a couple who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this week. eat someone alivecomer vivo a alguiena The pain ate him alive; the world was nothing but nre and pain. o 'Canwe go out?' 'Outside?The mosquitoes will eat us alive!' skin someone alivedespellejarvivo a alguiena They are fiercely competitive. If they can skin us alive in business, they will.a Who let the cat out?You catch that animal,Ernie,or"11 skinyou alive! someone will eat someone alive alguien se va a comer vivo a alguien oSid will be eaten alive by the hardened criminals at thejaiJ. all that's all she wrote(EE UU) seacab6 10 que se daba (litera':eso fue todD 10que escribi6)a He got hurt, and he didn't play much anymore. That's all she wrote. 4 alley alley * a blind alleyun caliejon sin salida o Sooner or later they will have to realize that this is a blind alley and that they need to rethink their own strategies. ~Blind alley significa "callejon sin ~salida". be right up someone's alleyser 10 mfo/tuyo/suyo etc 0I thought this little problem would be right up your alley. all-singing all-singing. all-dancing(sabre todo Brit)super modernooAs long as you don't expect the latest aJ/-singing, 01/-dancing)apanese marvel, this camera is anexcellent buy. Esta Frase aparecio par primera ~vez en el cartel donde se ~anunciaba elprimer musical de ~Hollywood, "La melodfa de g Broadway" (1929),descrito como ~all talking, all singing, all dancing ~(fntegramente hablado, cantado y bailado). altar be sacrificed on the altar of somethingser sacrificado en aras de algo (litera':ser sacrificado en el altar de alga)0They agreed that the interests of twelve millionfarmers could not be sacrificed on the altar offreetrade. ~Los alta res eran grandes piedras ~sobre las que se sacrificaban ~ani males para ofrecerlos a los ~dioses. angel a fallen angelun angel cardo o Without an away League win all season,Leeds United quickly became the fallenangels of the Premier League. angels be, on the side of the angelsestar ddparte de 105 angeles0The president is on the side of the angels when-it comes to racial tolerance, the environment and Indianrights. answer * not take no for an answerno aceptar un no por respuesta0Gerry, whose persistence has been known to wear down the resistance of many executives, refused to take no Foran answer. ante Enalgunos juegos de naipes, como elp6quer, the ante ("Ia apuesta") es la cantidad de dinero que cadajugador debe depositar sobre la mesa antes de que empiece eljuego. * up the ante 0 raise the antesubir la apuesta o Whenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante, setting increasingly dimwit challenges for themselves.0Its network television divisionupped the ante by paying an estimated $2 million a year for a deal. ants have ants in your pants tener avispas en el culo (literal:tener hormigas enlos pantalones) o Before, there would be no way-' would sit downand take it easy.It was like I had ants inmy pants. ape go ape(familiar)ponerse como un energumeno (literal: volverse simio) o I was in the kitchenpreparing the evening meal when Rex randownthe stairs and went ape. Las personas que se comportan de forma violenta 0incontrolada suelen compararse a los simios. appetite * whet someone's appetite abrirle el apetito a alguien0Winningthe World Championship whetted his appetite for more success. Whet a knife significa "afilar un ~cuchillo". apple the apple of your eyelaninadetus ojos0I was the apple afmyfather's eye. S Antiguamente, lapupila del ojo, ~0nina, se denominaba a veces the apple Cia manzana"). * a bad apple 0 a rotten appleuna manzana podrida0They made it clear that they were not going to tolerate a bad apple in the United States Senate. @. 5iuna manzana podrida se guardajunto a otras que esten en ~buen estado, estas se pudriran g tam bien. applecart upset the applecartecharlo todo a perder (literal: volcar el carro)0His departure at this critical stage could upset the whole applecart. apple pie American as apple pietfpicamente americana0Jeans are as American as apple pie and old jeans show a touch of class. ~E!pastel de manzana es un postre g tradicional considerado ~tfpicamente estadounidense. in apple-pie order(anticuado)en perfecto ordenoApart from the plastiC sheeting that still remained, arm they foundeverything in apple-pie order. apples apples and oranges(sobretodo 5 EE UU)peras can manzanas (literal: manzanas V naranjas)0To compare one with the other is to compare apples and oranges. apron aprol1 stringslas faldas de lamadre oAt 21,Ijust had to get away,to cut those apron strings.0The Prime Minister has the roughoutline of a blueprint for Australia as an independent nation,free of British apronstrings. g Enun principio, esta expresi6n se ~referfa aquellos ninos, ~especial mente de sexo masculino, ~demasiado influenciados porsus ~mad res a una edad enla que ~deberran mostrarse mas independientes. area *: a grey areaareagris o The court action has highlighted the many grey areas in the law affecting stolen animals. ark be out of the ark(Brit)ser del ana de la nana (literal:haber salido del arca de Noe)0The car's steering was simply dreadful, and the driving position was straight out of the ark. something went out with the ark (Brit)algo es del ano de la nana (Ijteral: alga viaj6 con el area) o Tyres are not made fromrubber any more; that went out with the ark. arm * at arm's lengtha una distancia prudencial (literal: a un braze de Garms distancia) 0Relations between the bank and the committee will be at arm's length until the report is delivered in July. chance your arm(Brit)probar suerte 0Instead of going on the dole I chanced my armon a business. cost an arm and a legcostarun rinon (literal:costar un brazo y una pierna) 0It cost us an arm and a leg to get here.But it has been worth it. keep someone at arm's length mantener las distancias can alguien0Brianhad tried to get close, but his father had kept him at arm's length. put the arm on someone(EE UU) presionar a alguien0Womenlike you are not only writing checks,but you're putting the arm on other people to give to charity as well. someone would give their right arm to do something 0 someone would give their right arm for somethingalguien darfa su brazo derecho por hacer alga o I would give my right armto be able to start again. ~La mayorfa de las personas son ~diestras, y porello consideran el ~brazo derecho mas importante ~que el izquierdo. twist someone's armapretarle las tuercas a alguien (literal:retorcerle elbrazo a alguien)0I didn't twist your armto make you come. Youwanted to because you sensed a story. arms * be up in armsoponerse enfurecidamente (literal:levantarse en armas)oMorethan one million shopkeepers are up in arms against the new minimum tax. They are threatening a day's closure inprotest. * with open armscon los brazos abiertos0We got out of the trucks to ~ g r e e tthem with open arms. We had lJIitts ready,we were high onthe ideo a( ~ t h emeeting.0Watchdog organizations welcomed today's guidelines with open arms. arrow a straight arrow(EEUUJ un estrecho de miras (literal:una flecha estrecha)0I was very much a product of my environment. I was very traditional, a real straight arrow inlots a(ways. art have something down to a fine art hacer algo a la perfecci6n0They've got fruit selling down to a fine art: You can be sure that your pears will ripenin aday. ask a big askmucho pedir 0It's a pretty big ask to runfaster in the second half of the race. atmosphere you could cut the atmosphere with a knifese respiraba la tension en el ambiente (literal:se podia cortar el ambiente con un cuchillo)oAssoon as we entered the house,you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. awakening * a rude awakeninguna desagradable sorpresa (literal:un despertar brutal)0Instead Of quick profits, Johnson got a rude awakening. axe ,.------::----:----,------, Axeseescribeaxen ingles americano. an axe is hanging over someone una espada pende sobre la cabeza de alguien0I wouldn't say there's an Qxehanging over him but he's only got another season to put everything right. an axe is hanging over something una espada pende sabre algo 0The axe was hanging over 600 jobs at oil giant BP last night. get the axe 0 be given the axe 1ser despedido (literal:recibir e! hacha)0This time, it's the business managers, executives and technical staff who are getting the axe. 2ser cancelado0There will be cuts of $770 billion indefense,and almost $120 billion indomestic spending.Do you axe have any idea what specifiC programs will get the ax? * have an axe to grindtenerun interes creado (literal:tener un hacha que afilar)0Lord Gi((ard believed cases should be referredby an independent agency which does not have an axe to grind. 7 Existen diversas explicaciones sobre el origen de esta expresion. Segun relata Benjamin Franklin, un hombre consiguio que Ie "afilaran el hacha tras pedirle a un nino que Ie mostrara como funcionaba la muela de supadre. babe Babe es una palabra anticuada para referirse a un be be 0a un nino pequeno. a babe in arms(sobretodo Brit)un nino de pecho (literal:un bebe en brazos)0The Family have always cycled, and 'chris has been going to races since he was a babe in arms. a babe in the woodsun santo inocente (literal:un be be en el bosque)0By this time I wasn't such a babe in the woods,and one thing I insisted on was that they sign a contract. 2 5egun un antiguo relata, dos ~huerfanos fueron dejados al ~cuidado de su tiO.5ilos ninos g morlan, el tlO heredarfa la fortuna ~familiar.EItlO orden6 a un crlado ~que los lIevara a un bosque, ~donde los ninos murieron y los ~pajaros cubrieron sus cuerpos can hojas. Existe una obra musical g basada en esta historia. baby leave someone holding the baby (Brit)dejar que alguien cargue can elmuerto 0I(anything goes wrong on this, Agnes, it's you and I who'll be left holding the baby. throw the baby out with the bath water tirar la fruta sana con la podrida (literal:tirar al bebejunto con el agua del bane)0Even {(we don't necessarily like that, we're not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. back * the back of beyondel quinto pino (literal: el fonda delmas alia) o He was born in a little village in the back of beyond. be glad to see the back of someone (sabre todo Brit)alegrarse de perder de vista a alguien0Nick said last night that Court was a 'vile man'.He added: We are glad to see the back of him.' be on someone's backestar encima de alguien0The crowd aren't (orgiving, and as soon as youma/(e a mistake they are onyour bacle break the back of something 1hacer lapear parte de algo0The new government hopes to have broken the back o(the economic crisis by the middle oFthis year. 2romper la columna vertebral de algo0The government made a big effort late last yearto breakthe back of the black market. break your backmatarse a trabajar 0Whenyou're breaking your back to make an enterprise work, it's going to cut into your time with Family. do something behind someone's backhacer alga a espaldas de alguien0He had discovered that it was safer to have the Press onhis side than to have correspondents sneaking around behind his back. go behind someone's backactuar a espaldas de alguien0Leonard, you haven't been completely open with me. Youthink I wouldn't know whenyou go behind my bacia get off someone's back((amiliar) dejar a alguien enpaz (literal: bajarse de la espalda de alguien) o He kept onat me to such anextent that occasionally I wished he would get offmyback. get your own back ... ver own * have your back to the wall estar entre la Espada y la pared o The EuropeanUnion has its back to thewall: it must choose between a reformo(its worldng methods or its dilution into a large (ree trade area. off the back of a lorry(Brit)de trap/cheo (literal:de la parte de atras de un cami6n)a The only evidenceo( any criminal tendencies is that Pete once bought the boys a bicycle cheap off the bac/< of a lorry. on the back of an envelopede forma improvisada (literal:en la parte de atras de un sabre)0But the screenplay sounds as i(it has been written on the bacl< o( an envelope and the whole thing has an improvised air about it. on the back of a postage stamp enpoquisimo espacio (litera':enla parte de atras de un sella de correos)a What she knew about children would have fitted on the back o(a postage stamp. put someone's back up(Brit) a get someone's back upponer negro a alguien0I thought before I spoke again. The wrong question was going to get her back up. back9 Puede que esta expresi6n se refiera a la forma en que los gatos arquean ellolno cuando se enfadan. put your back into something poner Inucho esfuerzo en alga o Eighty miles across the mountains could be done in six days walking,i(she put her back into it. * say something behind someone's backdecir algo a espaldas de alguien0Ilmew behind his back his ( r i ~ n d swere saying, 'How can he possibly put up with that awFul woman?' * stab someone in the backdar una jJ'unalada trapera a alguienaShe seemed to be incredibly disloyal. She would be your(riend to your face, and then stab youin the back.0People begin to avoid one another, ta/