Phrasal Verbs & Popular Expresions

Front 1

against all odds adv

Julie fell out of the moving train. She survived against all odds.

Back 1

(highly improbably)
contra toda probabilidad

Front 2

at odds adv

The couple was at odds over which car to purchase.

Back 2

(in disagreement) en desacuerdo

Front 3

at odds with adj
 
Your opinion is at odds with the facts.

Back 3

(in disagreement with)
no concordar con, en desacuerdo con

Front 4

up for discussion adj

You are grounded!. The topic of you going to the party is not up for discussion.

Back 4

(open to debate)
sobre la mesa

Front 5

straight: adv or adj

we'll have to put things straight, tendremos que aclarar las cosas o tendremos que poner las cosas en claro

I have to put my papers straight, tengo que ordenar mis papeles

I told him straight that I had been looking for another job.

Back 5

frank/frankly, honest/honestly,

Front 6

build (body: usu. male)

That supermodel has a nice build.

Back 6

cuerpo, físico, figura, complexión, constitución

Front 7

call attention to sth

Back 7

(point sth out, point sth out carefully and clearly) señalar algo

Front 8

on the right foot/on the wrong foot

The business started on the right foot

Back 8

con buen pie/con mal pie

Front 9

make up

We had a tiff, but later we kissed and made up.

kissed and made up.

To devise as a fiction or falsehood; invent: made up an excuse.

Back 9

(become reconciled after quarrel)
hacer las paces

Tuvimos una bronca, pero lo hablamos e hicimos las paces.

Front 10

make out (slang)

Shauna was happy to make out with Carl but would not go any further.
Last night at the party I made out with a girl.

Back 10

liarse

Front 11

turn against

The dog inexplicably turned against his owner and had to be put down.

Back 11

(become hostile to)
volverse en contra

Front 12

catch cold

Back 12

coger un resfriado

Front 13

Thoughtful (adj)

Back 13

Amable, considerado

Front 14

derail

things get derailed
security problems derailed the tour

Back 14

descarrillar, desbaratar, frustrar

Front 15

lose one's self-assurance loc verb

Don't lose your self-assurance because of one mistake.

Back 15

(become less confident) perder la confianza en uno mismo

Front 16

talk down to

a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors

Back 16

to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion

Front 17

without rhyme or reason

He yells at me without rhyme or reason, and I just can't understand why.

Back 17

(unnecessarily and inexplicably)

sin ton ni son (loc adv)

Front 18

Ditch

He drove the car into the ditch.
<after skidding on the ice, our car went right into the ditch>

Back 18

a long narrow excavation dug in the earth (as for drainage)

Zanja

Front 19

Flood (an automobile)

If too much petrol floods the engine, the car must be started while pressing the accelerator to the floor.

Back 19

ahogar (vehículo: inundar el carburador)

Si un exceso de gasolina ahoga el motor, hay que arrancar el coche con el acelerador pisado a fondo.

Front 20

cleavage

Back 20

escote (de mujer)

Front 21

flimsy adj (material: thin, light) delgado adj
ligero adj

flimsy adj (weak, not solid) literal endeble adj
poco sólido, poco plausible loc adj

Your statement is flimsy/ your excuse is quite flimsy

a flimsy piece of material
They have only the flimsiest of evidence against him.
a movie with a flimsy plot

Back 21

Endeble, pocolo solido (poco plausible)

Front 22

crust n


La corteza del pan es un poco más dura

Back 22

cortez (costra) bread

Front 23

for real loc adv

Are you going to marry him? For real?

— for real

seriously <fighting for real>
2
enuine <couldn't believe the threats were for real>
3
: genuinely good or capable of success (as in competition) <not yet sure if this team is for real>

Back 23

(genuinely) de veras, en serio, de verdad

Front 24

make up your mind

Are you coming with me or not? Make up your mind!

Back 24

(make a firm decision) decidirse

Front 25

walk down verb

Walk down this block, and then take a left at the corner.

Back 25

(go along on foot) caminar a lo largo de vi, caminar,bajar

Front 26

sloppiness n

"I do not see how the sloppiest reasoner can evade that" (H.G. Wells).

Back 26

(shoddy workmanship), : not careful or neat chapucería, descuido

absence of due or proper care or attention. Sloppy evokes the idea of careless spilling, spotting, or splashing; it suggests slackness, untidiness, or diffuseness: a sloppy kitchen; sloppy dress.

Front 27

sloppy adj

Your work has been very sloppy lately.

A sloppy child who always seems to have spilled something on his clothes

Back 27

chapucero adj (hecho de mala manera, descuidado), : showing a lack of care, attention, or effort:

Front 28

my word is my bond

Back 28

mi palabra es mi moneda

Front 29

mean to

I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to step on your toe!


mean to do [sth]) tener (la) intención de

Back 29

(do [sth] intentionally) pretender

Lo siento mucho, no pretendía pisarte.

Front 30

cheer up

Here's a plate of chocolate ice cream to cheer you up.

She tried to cheer up the disappointed child when he failed to win the spelling bee

Back 30

(make happier, to cause somebody to feel happier or more cheerful): alegrar, animar

Front 31

encouragement n

give encouragement vi (offer moral support, cheer [sb] on) dar ánimo loc verb

Mary always gives encouragement to her students.

Back 31

(emotional) dar animo, alentar, apoyar

Front 32

let me get it straight

Back 32

--

Front 33

am I catching you in a bad moment?

Back 33

te pillo en un mal momento?

Front 34

right on!

Back 34

Slang chiefly US and Canadian an interjection expressing agreement, an exclamation of full agreement, concurrence, or compliance with the wishes, words, or actions of another

Front 35

curb vtr

The legislation is intended to curb price and wage increases.

This pills are designed to curb your appetite

Back 35

(limit, stop, restrain)

frenar, contener, refrenar

Front 36

lousy adj /Lausi/ (adj)

She got lousy grades in high school.
I like the work, but the pay is lousy.
He was a lousy husband.
They did a lousy job.
He drank too much and felt lousy the next morning.
It's a lousy, rainy day.
That's a lousy way to treat a friend.

Back 36

(awful, bad) repugnante adj, abominable adj, terrible, penoso

I had a lousy day

Front 37

go bust n (company)

Back 37

quiebra nf
bancarrota nf
ruina nf

Front 38

bust: (slang)

Police busted 12 gang members on weapons charges.
Police busted 12 gang members on weapons charges.
She got busted for drug possession.
Two students got busted by the teacher for smoking in the bathroom.

Back 38

arrest, pillar, trincar, arrestrar (slang)

Front 39

Digress

He digressed so often that it was hard to follow what he was saying.

Back 39

Divagar

Front 40

breath in/breath out

Back 40

inspira/expira

Front 41

touched (adj)

She was touched that he had come only to see her.
We were very touched by their story.

Back 41

having emotional feelings because you are grateful or pleased by what someone has done or said
Emocionado, conmovido

Front 42

catchy (adj)

That song is catchy
I can't think of a catchy name for my blog.

Back 42

a : tending to catch the interest or attention <a catchy title>
b : easily retained in the memory <a catchy melody>

Front 43

a long way down adv

As I stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, I realized it was a long way down.
________________________________

a long way down prep

________________

Back 43

(far below) un gran trecho
___________________

(a significant distance along )

Front 44

a long way off adv

Muy a lo lejos se divisaba una luz.

Back 44

(in the distance) (muy) a lo lejos loc adv

Front 45

despicable

She is a despicable traitor.
<even within the prison population, pedophiles are regarded as particularly despicable>

Back 45

(act) despreciable, vil
(person) despreciable, vil

Front 46

i'll be right back: ya vuelvo
i'll be right down: ya bajo, estare ya abajo
i'll be right there: ya estoy alli, va voy
i'll be right behind you: estare detras de ti, estoy detras de ti

Back 46

---

Front 47

sometimes the forbidden fruit taste the sweetest

Back 47

----

Front 48

conjecture n or vb

The biography includes conjectures about the writer's earliest ambitions.

Most of the book is conjecture, not fact.

Back 48

(supposition), (speculate) conjetura/conjeturar

Front 49

Side effects

Back 49

efectos secundarios

Front 50

in fear (adj)/ loc adv

I am in fear of my life when my husband drives the car too fast.
The dog shivered in fear when the fireworks went off.

Back 50

with terror/ from terror: de miedo

loc adv: de terror, de puro miedo

Front 51

heads or tails

Back 51

cara o cruz

Front 52

lose the toss v (not win at heads-or-tails)
toss a coin v (let chance decide between 2 options) echar a suertes loc verb

Back 52

flip vtr (toss: a coin) lanzar una moneda loc verb
echar a cara o cruz loc verb

Front 53

for instance

Back 53

por ejemplo

Front 54

from time to time

Back 54

once in a while : occasionally

Front 55

batch

Back 55

remesa, lote, tanda

Front 56

make yourself at home
help your self
make your self comfortable.

Back 56

--

Front 57

miserable (adj)

He had a miserable childhood.
My boss is making my life thoroughly miserable with her constant demands and criticism.
He felt lonely and miserable after his divorce.
I've had a miserable cold for the past week.
He lived in a miserable little shack.

Back 57

miserable adj (feel very bad) triste adj, destrozado adjabatido adj deprimido adj
miserable adj (thing: sad) horrible adj, miserable adj, lamentable adj

: very unhappy

: very sick or unwell

: very severe or unpleasant

miserable adj (weather) horrible adj
terrible adj
deprimente adj
desagradable adj
miserable adj (sum of money: low) miserable adj

Front 58

dizzy adj, faint adj

The children were dizzy after spinning in circles.
I'm feeling a bit weak and dizzy.

Back 58

mareado

Front 59

frisky adj

The kids were frisky after all that candy.
<a frisky kid who keeps the class in stitches with his jokes>

Back 59

(playful, energetic) dinámico adj, retozón adj, vivaracho adj, juguetón adj

inclined to frisk : playful <frisky puppies>; also : lively <a frisky performance>

Front 60

medical leave

Back 60

baja medica

Front 61

i dont have to explain myself to you

Back 61

--

Front 62

out of the woods

When the patient got out of the woods, everyone relaxed.
I can give you a better prediction for your future health when you are out of the woods.

Back 62

Fig. past a critical phase; out of the unknown.

Front 63

get your hopes up v

Don't get your hopes up: our chances of winning are slim.

Back 63

(be optimistic or excited) hacerse ilusiones loc verb, ser optimista

Front 64

he is high

Back 64

Esta colocado

Front 65

stunt man

As a stunt man -- all pain, no glory, but the pay was good.

Back 65

(male stand-in for dangerous scenes) doble de accion

Front 66

a fuzzy feeling on my back

Back 66

----

Front 67

i am happily married

Back 67

---

Front 68

lose one's temper ,

He is so easily upset; he loses his temper over every little thing.

Back 68

perder uno los estribos, perder la paciencia loc verb, ponerse furioso o fuera de si

Front 69

enlighten (vb)

Back 69

(sentido figurado) ilustrar, explicar, poner al corriente, aclarar.

Front 70

travel companion compañero de viaje)

drinking companion

Back 70

---

Front 71

hickey n slang

Back 71

(lovebite) coloquial: chupetón

Front 72

sleep on vtr

Don't give me an answer now; sleep on it and tell me tomorrow.

Please sleep on it.

Back 72

To think about (something) overnight before deciding: consultarlo con la almohada vtr

Front 73

scapegoat n

The CEO was made the scapegoat for the company's failures.
Companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales

Back 73

cabeza de turco, chivo expiatorio

Front 74

**** n vulgar (woman)

I hate that ****!

Back 74

(vulgar) zorra

Used as a disparaging term for a person one dislikes or finds extremely disagreeable.

Front 75

defy vtr

She defied her parents and dropped out of school.
The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.

Back 75

(go against) desafiar, retar

: to refuse to obey (something or someone)

Front 76

once in a blue moon

once in a blue moon we'll get dressed up and eat in a fancy restaurant

Back 76

very rarely;

Front 77

misguided adj

well-intentioned but misguided efforts
She's been getting a lot of bad advice from misguided friends.
He blames the crisis on the government's misguided economic policies.
A misguided attempt to help

Back 77

equivocado
having wrong or improper goals or values

Front 78

middle ground n

He wants a city break whereas I want a beach holiday so we will have to find some middle ground.
The judge of the case chose a middle ground between harshness and leniency.
Both sides in this debate need to do more to establish some middle ground.

Back 78

(compromise) : a position or set of opinions that is acceptable to many different people: punto intermedio

Front 79

drop the ball v

We put him in charge of the sales department, but he dropped the ball. He just couldn´t handle the job...
Everything was going fine in the election until my campaign manager dropped the ball. You can't trust John to do the job right. He's always dropping the ball.
For god's sake don't drop the ball - we're relying on you.

Back 79

to make a blunder; to fail in some way
to make a mistake, especially by doing something in a stupid or careless way
METER LA PATA, CAGARLA

Front 80

don't be a smart-ass

Some smart ass came in here and asked for a sky hook.
Don't be such a smart ass!
If we invite that smart ass, he'll just spoil the party.

Back 80

By saying this, you're telling someone not to be sarcastic or disrespectful toward you.

SMART ASS: An obnoxiously conceited and self-assertive person with pretensions to smartness or cleverness: LISTILLO, SABELOTODO
someone who makes wisecracks and acts cocky. (Potentially offensive. Use only with discretion.)

Front 81

Bread and butter n (informal)

Cooking is his bread and butter; he's a chef.
I can't miss another day of work. That's my bread and butter.
I worked as a bartender for a year, and it was the tips that were my bread and butter.

Back 81

someone's basic income; someone's livelihood—the source of one's food (ganarse el) pan, ganarse las lentejas

Front 82

slip vi

I slipped on the ice and hurt myself.
The glass slipped out of his hand.
The new position slipped from his fingers

slippery, (or slippy): adj

The trails were muddy and slippery.
Fish are slippery to hold.
The sign cautions: “Slippery when wet.”
bathtubs are a little too slippy/slippery for the elderly residents, so grab rails are standard fixtures

Back 82

resbalar, escurrirse, resbalarse

Front 83

twist [figurative (in story)]

this is a twist that i did not expect
twist vs shift vs spin???????????

The movie had a very interesting plot twist at the end.

Back 83

giro, vuelta

Front 84

twist of fate n

A strange turn of fate brought Fred and his ex-wife together at a New Year's Eve party in Queens.

Back 84

(unexpected chance occurrence) giro del destino, vuelta que da la vida, casualidades de la vida

Front 85

twist someone's words

Stop twisting my words around! Listen to what I am telling you! You are twisting my words again. That is not what I said!

Back 85

to restate someone's words inaccurately; to misrepresent what someone has said.

RETORCER

Front 86

claw back

Considering its dismal sales figures and recent bankruptcy, General Motors will have to claw its way back to viability.
A clawback provision

Back 86

(recover)

Front 87

do [sth] for a living v

What do you do for a living? I am a dentist.

What does he do for a living?

Back 87

(work as [sth]) ganarse la vida

Front 88

upper hand n

The arguments went to and fro, but finally one party gained the upper hand.
He was determined not to let the opposition get the upper hand.
Finally gained the upper hand in the argument.

Back 88

control; advantage (esp in the phrases have or get the upper hand) VENTAJA

Front 89

to Stand behind somebody/something

i am standing behind of you.
The manufacturer stands behind this product.

Back 89

respaldar, garantizar.

Front 90

Endorsement

Back 90

(of idea) respaldo, aprobación
(of product) promoción
(of cheque) endoso
(of candidate) apoyo, adhesión

Front 91

i don't make a promise what i can't deliver.

Back 91

If you deliver something that you have promised to do, make, or produce, you do, make, or produce it.
Honouring a promise. Keeping a promise. Sticking to your word. Being true to your word.

Front 92

first things first

Jill: Should we go to the museum first, or should we go shopping? Jane: I'm hungry. Let's eat lunch before we discuss it. First things first.

First things first: read the directions carefully before you try to assemble the bookcase.

Back 92

lo primero es lo primero

Front 93

under the weather adj

I didn't go to work today because I was feeling under the weather.
I feel sort of under the weather today.
Whatever I ate for lunch is making me feel a bit under the weather.
Daddy's had a few beers and is under the weather again.
Wally's just a tad under the weather.

Back 93

informal (unwell, ill, intoxicated) no sentirse bien, estar indispuesto.

Front 94

gatekeeper n

Back 94

portero, guarda, conserje

a person who has charge of a gate and controls who may pass through it

Front 95

eventually adv

He eventually decided to buy the green car.
Eventually, I did get better and returned to work.
I am sure that we'll succeed eventually.
Her constant campaigning eventually got her the nomination.
This plant eventually reaches a height of 15 feet.

Back 95

(in the end, at the very end, finally): finalmente, al final

Front 96

do someone a favor

Would you please do me a favor and take this letter to the post office?
My neighbor did me a good turn by lending me his car.

Back 96

___

Front 97

Nimble

they want to foster a quick and nimble culture,
nimble fingers
a nimble mind

Back 97

1: agil
2: (mind, thinking) sagaz, astuto

Front 98

yadda yadda yadda

They had to listen to the usual yada yada about bike safety.
Listening to a lot of yada yada about the economy

Back 98

boring or empty talk

Front 99

IT WOULD RING A FENCE

Back 99

ring fence: cerca, vallado

Ring-fencing occurs when a portion of a company's assets or profits are financially separated without necessarily being operated as a separate entity. This might be for:

Front 100

closely (adv)

If you listen closely you can distinguish many birds by their different songs.
The final draft ITS on closely correlated currencies identify a list of relevant closely correlated currencies

Back 100

1(physically close) cerca, cerca de
2 (related, relationship) estrechamente, íntimamente
3 (in time) próximo, inmediato
4 (observe): cuidadosamente, detenidamente, atentamente [very closely: von muy atencion]