Refranes - or idioms as they are known in English - form part of the rich tapestry of language. Here you can find an extensive list of Spanish idioms along with their English translations that we have collected over the years. Idioms vary in usage between Spanish speaking countries and even different areas of Spain, just as they do within dialects of English. If you spot a refrán that is used differently where you come from, we would also love to hear from you - you can find a form at the bottom of the page.
A
A caballo regalado no le mires el diente Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
A cada cerdo le llega a su San Martín He'll get what's coming to him
A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando God helps those who help themselves
A dios rogando y con el mazo dando The Lord helps those who help themselves
A enemigo que huye, puente de plata Don't let the door hit you on the way out
A falta de pan, buenas son tortas Half a loaf is better than none, beggars can't be choosers, make do
A la cama no te irás sin saber una cosa más Learn something new everyday
A mal tiempo, buena cara Put a brave face on
A otro perro con ese hueso! Don't give me that! Come off it!
A otro perro con ese hueso/ ni hablar Come off it/ get out of here/ I don't believe you
A palabras locas oidos sordos Turn a deaf ear to crazy words
Abrir la mano To loosen up/ open up, let your standards slip
Acostarse con las gallinas To go to bed very early
Agachar las orejas/ bajar la cabeza/ dar el brazo a torcer To hang your head/ back down
Agarrar/ coger el toro por los cuernos To take the bull by the horns
Agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo To do anything out of desperation/ a last ditch attempt/ last hope
Agua pasada no mueve molino No use crying over spilt milk, it's finished, it's water under the bridge
Aguantar carros y carretas/ aguantar lo que le echen To put up with anything/ to endure everything that life has to throw at you
Ahogarse en un vaso de agua To make a mountain out of a molehill
Ahogarse en un vaso de agua. agobiarse por nada To make a mountain out of a molehill
Al decir las verdades se pierdan las amistades Friendships are lost when the truth is told
Al pie de la letra/ a pies juntillas To the letter
Alzarse con el santo y la limosna To clear off with everything
Anda despacio que tengo prisa Make haste slowly
Andar con pies de plomo To tread carefully
Andar de Herodes a Pilatos To go from bad to worse
Andar pisando huevos To walk on egg shells, very slowly
Andarse por las ramas To beat around the bush/ to go around the houses
Ande yo caliente y ríase la gente I dress for comfort, not for show (clothes), I do my own thing and I don't care what people say (behaviour)
Antes do hablar es bueno pensar Think before you speak
Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces Look before you leap
Apretarse el cinturón To tighten your belt (financially)
Aquel hombre lleva una vida de perros That man leads a dogs life
Aquello fue llegar y besar el santo It was like taking candy from a baby
Aquellos son ricos que tienen amigos Those who have friends are rich
Aquí el que no corre, vuela You have to be quick off the mark
Aquí hay gato encerrado There's something fishy going on here
Armarse hasta los dientes To be armed to the teeth
Armarse la gorda (se armó la gorda) To make a big fuss (all hell broke loose)
Arrimar uno el ascua a su sardina To look out for number one
Atar cabos To put two and two together
Atar los perros con longanizas / empedrar el suelo con huevos fritos The streets are not paved with gold/ the land of milk and honey
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you can't polish a turd
B
Bailar con la más fea To draw the short straw
Bailar en la cuerda floja To walk the tightrope, to be on a knife edge
Bajar los humos a alguien To take somebody down a peg or two/ take the wind out of somebody's sails
Besar el suelo To idolise someone/ fall flat on your face
Bien está lo que bien acaba Alls well that ends well
Buscar las cosquillas To bug/ annoy somebody
Buscarle pelos al huevo To find fault with everything, nitpick
C
Cada día se aprende algo nuevo You learn something new every day
Cada maestrillo tiene su librillo To each, his own
Cada ollero alaba su puchero To blow your own trumpet
Cae en la cueva el que a otro lleva a ella He who sets the trap, falls into it himself/ what goes around, comes around
Caer chuzas de punta To rain cats and dogs
Caer chuzos de punta To rain cats and dogs
Caer de bruces Hit fall flat on your face (literal/ figurative)
Caer en la cuenta (de algo) To catch on/ see the point (of something)
Caerse de su burro To admit one's mistake
Caerse de un guindo/ chuparse el dedo/ acabar de nacer/ caerse del nido To be born yesterday
Caerse del burro To admit defeat
Caerse del nido To be completely surpised, you don't say!
Caérsele a uno las alas de corazón To become discouraged
Caésele la casa encima To feel trapped/ the walls are caving in on me
Cajón de sastre This is a mess/ jumble/ disorganised
Cambiar de chaqueta To change sides
Cambiar el chip To change your mindset
Cantar de plano To spill the beans
Cantarle las cuarenta To give someone a talking to/ tell them what you think of them/ haul them over the coals
Cargarle con el mochuelo To be stuck with something, to give someone the hardest job, to get landed with something
Casa con dos puertas mala es de guardar A house with two doors is difficult to guard (literal)
Cazar/ coger algo al vuelo To be quick to understand something/ to catch on quickly
Chupar la sangre a alguien To take advantage of someone/ be a parasite
Coger a alguien con las manos en la masa To catch someone red-handed
Comer para vivir y no vivir para comer Eat to live, not live to eat
Como caído del cielo At the right time/ in my moment of need/ as if from heaven
Como pez en el agua To be in one's element
Con el agua al cuello To be up to your neck in it
Con el corazón en la mano With your heart in your hand/ on your sleeve/ open and honestly
Con los manos en la masa/ in fragranti Caught red-handed/ with your hand in the cookie jar
Con los pies en la tierra To be down-to-earth
Con pan y vino se anda el camino Things never seem so bad after a good meal
Conocer algo como la palma de la mano To know something like the back of your hand
Consultar algo con la almohada To sleep on it
Cortar el bacalao To be the boss/ have the final say/ give the orders
Cortar los lazos To cut off all contact
Cortarle un traje a uno To put someone down
Cortarse la coleta To quit, retire
Costar un ojo de la cara To cost an arm and a leg
Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos To bite the hand who feeds you?
Cruzar el charco To cross the pond (Atlantic)
Cruzársele los cables To get confused/ mixed up (when you're nervous)
Cuando el diablo no tiene que hacer, con el rabo mata moscas The devil makes work for idle thumbs
Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan When the cat's away, the mice will play
Cuando el gato va a sus devociones, bailan los ratones When the cat's away the mice will play
Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas pelar pon tus rayas a remojar Forearmed is forewarned/ you might be next
Cuando las ranas críen pelo When pigs fly
Cuénta se lo a tu abuela You are pulling my leg
D
Dar calabazas To reject someone/ give them the brushoff/ to fail an exam
Dar con la puerta en las narices To slam the door in someone's face
Dar el pie y tomarse la mano Give somebody and inch and they will take a mile
Dar en el clavo To hit the nail on the head
Dar en un hueso To hit a snag
Dar gato por liebre/ dársela con queso To con/ swindle/ trick/ fool someone
Dar jabón/ untar jabón/ hacerle la pelota To suck up to/ flatter/ butter up
Dar la lata/ la murga/ la latazo/ la paliza/ la tabarra To annoy/ bother/ pester someone/ to get on someone's nerves/ be a pain in the neck
Dar luz verde To give the green light/ go ahead
Darle a uno una buena lejía To give someone a good scolding
Darle perro a uno To stand someone up, break a date
Darse con un canto en los dientes To think/ count yourself lucky
Darse la mano To shake hands
De decir a hacer hay muchos que ver There is a great difference between saying and doing
De muy alto, grandes caídas se dan The bigger they are/ the higher they rise, the harder they fall
De nada sirve/ no vale nada) llorar sobre la leche derramada (There's no use) crying over spilt milk
De noche todos los gatos son pardos All cats are grey in the dark/ we're all the same
Decirle a alguien cuatro verdades To give someone a piece of one's mind
Dejar a uno en la estacada To leave someone in the lurch
Dejar algo en manos de alguien To leave something in someone's hands
Desafortunado en el juego, afortunado en amores Unlucky in the game, lucky in love
Descubrir el polvorín To uncover the secret
Desnudar a un santo para vestir a otro To rob Peter to pay Paul
Después de comer ni un sobre escrito leer After eating don't even read an envelope
Destornillarse de risa To split one's sides laughing
Devolver la pelota To turn the tables on someone/ to get revenge
Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are
Dime qué comes y te diré quien eres Tell me what you eat and I wil tell you who you are
Dinero llama dinero Money attracts money?
Donde hay humo hay fuego Where there's smoke there's fire
¿Dónde va Vicente? Dónde va la gente Monkey see, Monkey do/ to follow the crowd
Dormir como un lirón To sleep like a log/ baby
Dormirse en los laureles To rest on your laurels
E
Echar agua al mar To be pointless
Echar balones fuera To dodge the issue/ avoid the question
Echar el gancho To hook/ capture somebody (romantically)
Echar el guante To catch somebody
Echar leña al fuego To add fuel to the fire
Echar margaritas a los cerdos To cast pearls before swine
Echar sapos y culebras (por la boca) To turn the air blue
Echar un capote/ echar una mano/ echar un cable To lend a helping hand
Echar un mano To lend a hand
Echarse a los pies To bow down to/ Ask very nicely
El ejercicio hace al maestro Practice makes perfect
El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma The bad workman blames his tools
El mundo es un pañuelo It's a small world
El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija It pays to have friends in high places?
El que la hace la paga You have to pay the consequences, you made your bed, now lie on it
El que mal canta bien le suena He who sings badly likes what he hears
El que más tiene más quiere The more one has the more one wants
El que mucho duerme poco aprende He who sleeps a lot learns little
El que parte y reparte, se queda con la mejor parte The person in charge of the sharing out always keeps the biggest bit for himself
El que se viste de verde, por guapo se tiene Those who wear green are beautiful?
El que todo lo quiere todo lo pierde He who wants everything loses everything
El tiempo perdido no se recobra One can never recover lost time
Empezar con buen/ mal pie To get off on the right foot
Empezar la casa por el tejado To get ahead of yourself
En boca cerrada no entran moscas Keep your mouth shut/ Silence is golden
En dos patadas In a flash
Encogerse de hombros To shrug your shoulders
Encomendar las ovejas al lobo To put the fox in charge of the henhouse
Encontrar la horma de su zapato/ encontrar su media naranja To meet your match, to meet your perfect partner
Ensartar perlas To waste one's time
Enseñar/ mostrar los dientes To show your claws, turn nasty
Estar al pie del cañón To be ready for anything/ whatever may come
Estar como boca de lobo To be pitch black
Estar como sardinas en lata To be packed in like sardines
Estar como un fideo To be as thin as a rake
Estar de veinticinco alfileres To be dressed to kill
Estar en buenas manos To be in good hands
Estar en el séptimo cielo To be in seventh heaven
Estar en el séptimo cielo/ estar en la gloria To be in seventh heaven
Estar en época de vacas gordas (flacas) In times of plenty (and times of want)
Estar en la edad del pavo To be at a difficult teenage age
Estar en la luna/ en las nubes To have your head in the clouds
Estar en las nubes To have your head in the clouds
Estar en su (propia) salsa To be in your element
Estar entre dos aguas To be undecided
Estar entre dos fuegos To be between a rock and a hard place
Estar entre la espada y la pared To be caught between a rock and a hard place
Estar entre la espada y la pared/ Estar entre el yunque y el martillo To be between a rock and a hard place/ the devil and the deep blue sea
Estar entre Pinto y Valdemoro To be in two minds/ to be undecided
Estar hasta en la sopa There is no getting away from someone
Estar hasta las narices (de algo) To be fed up (of something)
Estar la pelota en el tejado The ball is in your court
Estar más loco que una cabra To be totally crazy
F
Faltarle a uno un tornillo To be nuts
Faltarle un tornillo To have a screw loose
Fumarse una clase To skip a class
G
Gato con guantes no caza ratones A cat with gloves catches no mice/ Sometimes you need more than to be polite to get what you want/ Don't ask don't get
H
Ha llovido mucho desde entonces A lot has happened since then, water under the bridge
Haberle visto las orejas del lobo To have had a narrow escape, a close shave
Hablar con el corazón en la mano To speak from the heart
Hablar por los codos To be a chatterbox
Hacer buenas migas con alguien To get along well with someone, hit it off
Hacer buenas/ malas migas To get on well/ badly
Hacer de Celestina To be a matchmaker
Hacer leña del árbol caído To kick somebody when he's down
Hacer puente To take a day off between bank holidays
Hacer su santa voluntad To do as one pleases
Hacerle la cama a alguien To set someone up
Hacerle sombra a alguien To overshadow/ upstage someone
Hacerse un lío To make a mess of things
Hasta que no lo veas no lo creas Don't believe it until you see it
Hay cuatro gatos There's hardly anyone, hardly a soul
Hinchársele las narices To blow your top, hit the roof
Hinchársele las narices a alguien To make someone lose his/ her temper
I
Ir al grano To get to the point
Ir al grano/ ir al meollo del asunto To get straight to the point/ Get to the crux of the matter
Ir de la Ceca a la Meca To chase about all of the place, to be nonstop/ to go here, there and everywhere
Ir pisando huevos To go slowly/ to walk on eggshells
Ir por lana y volver trasquilado To get more than you bargained for/ to backfire
Ir sobre ruedas To go smoothly
Ir sobre ruedas/ ir como la seda To go smoothly/ swimmingly/ without a hitch
Ir viento en popa To have the wind in your sails/ be succeeding
Irse de la lengua To let the cat out of the bag
Irse por los cerros de Úbeda/ andarse con rodeos/ irse/salirse por la tangente To beat around the bush/ stray off the subject/ go off on a tangent/ dodge the issue
Írsele el santo al cielo To forget what you're about to say/ to lose your train of thought
Írsele la olla To lose your head/ to lose the thread
J
Jugar con fuego To play with fire
L
La amistad no se compra Friendship cannot be bought
La cabra siempre tira al monte A leopard doesn't change its spots
La jaula nunca puede ser nido The cage can never be a nest
La pelota está aún en el tejado The game isn't over yet, the ball is in your court
La prensa rosa Gossip columns/ tabloids
La última gota que hace rebosar la copa The last straw
Lágrimas de cocodrilo (llorar, derramar) Crocodile tears
Largar al otro el mochuelo To pass the buck
Las paredes tienen oidos Walls have ears
Lavar el cerebro/ comer el coco To brainwash
Lavarse las manos To wash your hands of something
Levantar la liebre To let the cat out of the bag
Levantarse con el pie izquierdo To get up on the wrong side of the bed
Llamar al pan pan y al vino vino To call a spade a spade
Llegar y besar el santo To pull it off at the first attempt/ beginner's luck/ to be as easy as pie
Llenar la cabeza de pajaritos To fill someone's head with empty talk
Llenarle la cabeza de pajaritos To fill somebody's head with nonsense
Llevar al huerto To swindle, dupe, pull a fast one/ lead astray
Llevar una torrija To be drunk
Llevarse calabazas To lose
Llevarse el gato al agua To win the day, pull it off, to succeed at something difficult
Llorar lágrimas de cocodrilo To shed crocodile tears
Llueve sobre mojado It never rains but it pours
Lo que hoy se pierde se gana mañana What is lost today is won tomorrow
Lo que mal comienza, mal acaba What starts badly ends badly
Los mismos perros con distintos collares Same old song and dance/ same old same old/ nothing really changes, same s**t, different day
Luchar con uñas y dientes/ luchar sin cuartel To fight tooth and nail/ to battle to the death
M
Mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos That's no conselation/ Only a fool takes comfort in the misery of others
Mandar al quinto pino To not care what happens to somebody, to go to hell
Mandar al quinto pino/ mandar a freír esparragos/ mandar a la porra/ mandar a hacer puñetas/ mandar a paseo/ mandar a tomar morcillas/ mandar a viento fresco To send someone packing, to go to hell, tell somebody to get lost, get stuffed
Mandarle a alguien a freír espárragos To tell someone to go jump in the lake
Mantenerse en sus trece/ erre que erre/ no apearse del burro To stand your ground/ stick to your guns/ stubbornly, pigheadedly
Más feo que el pecado As ugly as sin
Más vale maña que fuerza Brain is better than brawn
Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando One bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Más vale saber que haber Knowing is better than having
Matar dos pájaros de un tiro To kill two birds with one stone
Matar el gusanillo To snack/ take the edge off of your hunger
Matar el gusanillo/ tomar un tentempié To take the edge off your hunger/ to have a snack
Me cae gordísimo I can't stand him
Me salió del almo I said it without thinking, it just came out
Me suena a chino It's all greek to me
Meter la cuchara To stick your oar in
Meter la pata To put your foot in it
Meterse a alguien en el bolsillo To have somebody eating out of your hand
Mirar por encima del hombro To look down your nose at someone
Montar un numerito/ montar una escena To make a scene, kick up a fuss
Morder el anzuelo/ picar el alzuelo To take the bait
Morder el polvo Eat dust
Mucho ruído y pocas nueces All bark and no bite
Mucho ruido y pocas nueces All talk/ all bark and no bite/ full of hot air/ much ado about nothing
N
Ni caber ni un alfiler/ ni una mosca/ estar a tope/ hasta el tope/ hasta los topes To be packed out/ full up/ no room to swing a cat
No dejes para manana lo que puedes hace hoy Don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today
No dejes para mañana lo que puedes hacer hoy Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today
No es cosa del otro mundo It's nothing to write home about
No es más rico el que más tiene, sino el que menos necesita To find contentment with little is the greatest wealth
No es oro todo lo que reluce All that glitters is not gold
No estar para las fiestas To be in no mood for fun and games
No hay rosa sin espina There's no rose without a thorn
No llegarle a uno al tobillo Not to be able to hold a candle to anyone
No oír ni el vuelo de una mosca You could have heard a pin drop
No partir peras con nadie To act alone in one's interest, to go out on one's own
No pegar ojo To not sleep a wink
No pintar nada To feel out of place, insignificant, undervalued
No poder ver a alguien ni en pintura Not to be able to stand the sight of someone
No poder ver ni en pintura To not stand the sight of someone
No saber ni papa de To know nothing about
No se ganó Zamora en una hora Rome wasn't built in a day
No se hizo la miel para la boca del asno Pearls before swine/ Some people don't appreciate quality
No ser nada del otro mundo/ del otro jueves It's nothing special to write home about
No tener pelos en la lengua Not to mince your words
No todo el monte es orégano Life isn't a bed of roses
(No) caérsele los anillos To (not) be beneath you (work, chores, etc)
O
Oler mal To sense trouble brewing/ alterior motives/ to have serious suspicions
P
Paga lo que debes y sabrás lo que tienes Pay what you owe and you'll know what you have
Pagar el pato To carry the can
Para saber hablar, hay que saber escuchar In order to know how to talk one must know how to listen
Parecerse como dos gotas de agua To be like two peas in a pod
Pasar al otro barrio To pass away, kick the bucket, snuff it
Pasar la noche en blanco/ pasar la noche en vela/ no pegar ojo To have a sleepless night
Pedirle peras al olmo/ pedir la luna To ask for the impossible
Pegarse como una lapa To stick to somebody like glue/ a limpet
Pegársele a alguien las sábanas To oversleep
Perder el hilo To lose track/ lose the thread
Perder las riendas To lose control
Perder los estribos To lose your temper
Perro que anda encuentra hueso If you want something, go and get it/ No pain no gain
Poco a poco se anda lejos One step at a time
Poner a alguien/ algo por las nubes To praise someone/ something to the skies
Poner el dedo el la llaga To touch a raw nerve
Poner el dedo en la llaga To hit the nail on the head
Poner la mano en el fuego To risk your neck for someone/ to stake your life on them being innocent
Poner los cuernos a alguien To cheat on somebody
Poner los puntos sobre las íes To mind ones p's and q's
Poner toda la carne en el asador To put everything into it, to put all your eggs in one basket
Ponerle los dientes largos/ dar envidia To make somebody green with envy
Ponerse como una sopa To be soaking wet
Ponerse de jarras To put your arms on your hips, arms akimbo
Ponerse las botas To strike it rich/ hit the jackpot/ pig out
Ponerse morado To stuff your face
Ponerse rojo como un tomate To go red/ to blush
Ponersele la mosca detrás de la oreja To have one's suspicions aroused
Por si las moscas Just in case
Q
…que da gloria ...wonderfully
Qué mosca le ha picado? What's rattled his cage?
Quedar en la altura de su zapatilla To be a failure
Quedarse bizco To be gobsmacked
Quedarse en números rojos To be in debt
Quedarse para vestir santos To remain an old maid
Quedarse sin techo To be homeless
Quemarse las pestañas To burn the midnight oil
Querer es poder Where there's a will there's a way
Quien canta su mal espanta When you sing you drive away your grief
Quien come y canta, algún sentido le falta Don't talk with your mouth full
Quien como carne, que roa el hueso To take the rough with the smooth
Quien no se arriesga no pasa la mar Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Quien se pica, ajos come If the shoe fits, wear it?
R
Rascarse el bolsillo To put your hand in your pocket
Reír con risa de conejo To force a laugh
Romperse los cuernos To work your butt off/ break your back working
S
Saber dónde aprieta el zapato (Ahí le aprieta el zapato) To know which side your bread is buttered
Saber es poder Knowledge is power
Saber latín To be nobody's fool
Sacar las castañas del fuego To get somebody out of trouble/ off the hook
Sacarle alguien de sus casillas To drive you crazy, up the wall
Sacarse un as/ algo de la manga To pull an ace/ something out of your sleeve
Sacudir la mosca To cough up the dough
Sacudirse las moscas To forget your worries/ troubles
Salir de Guatamala y meterse en Guatapeor To go from bad to worse, out of the frying pan in to the fire
Salir de Málaga y entrar en Malagón/ saltar de la sartén al fuego Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Saltar chispas To make sparks fly
Se la va la fuerza por su boca He's all talk and no trousers
Se le cayó el alma a los pies His heart sank
Ser cabeza de turco To be the scapegoat
Ser como un libro abierto To be like an open book
Ser de sangre azul (tener sangre azul) To belong to the aristocracy
Ser el benjamín de la casa To be the youngest child
Ser el pan de cada día To be someone's bread and butter
Ser el perejil de todas las salsas To be everywhere, to want to be the centre of attention, to stick your nose in
Ser el talón de Achiles To be your Achiles heel
Ser el talón de Aquiles To be your Achilles' heel
Ser la gallina de los huevos de oro To be the goose that lays the golden eggs
Ser la media naranja To be someone's better half
Ser la oveja negra To be the black sheep
Ser pan comido To be very easy/ a piece of cake
Ser un buitre To be selfish
Ser un cero a la izquierda To be useless, to be a nobody, a waste of space, insignificant
Ser un manazas To be clumsy/ all thumbs
Ser un pedazo de pan To be a real sweetie
Ser un pez gordo To be rich
Ser un sol To be a person person
Ser un viejo verde To be a dirty old man
Ser una caza de brujas To be a witch hunt
Ser una gallina To be a coward
Ser una hormiguita To be very hardworking
Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito There is no accounting for taste
Solo haber cuatro gatos The place is dead, empty, there's hardly a soul there
Son como chanchos They're as thick as thieves
Subirse a la parra To blow one's top, hit the roof
Subirse por las paredes To climb the walls/ go mad
Subírsele los humos a la cabeza To let something go to your head
T
Tascar el freno To show impatience, champ at the bit
Te conozco bacalao aunque vengas disfrazado I know what your little game is
Temblar como un flan To shake like a leaf
Tener ángel To be charming
Tener buena percha To have a nice figure
Tener cara dura/ tener más cara que espalda To have a lot of cheek/ nerve/ to be a cheeky devil
Tener el alma en un hilo To have your soul on a string
Tener el corazón hecho pedazos To be heartbroken, broken- hearted
Tener el santo de cara/ de espalda To have good luck/ bad luck
Tener el santo de espaldas To be unlucky
Tener entre ceja y ceja a alguien To have it in for somebody
Tener la lengua larga To have a big mouth/ sharp tongue
Tener la mosca detrás de la oreja To smell a rat
Tener la sartén por el mango To call the shots
Tener las manos largas To be light-fingered
Tener mal templada la guitarra To be in a bad mood
Tener mala pata To be unlucky
Tener manga ancha To be easy-going, too lenient, unscrupulous
Tener muchas tablas To be an old hand/ be experienced
Tener ojos en la nuca To have eyes in the back of your head
Tener salero To have panache/ charm
Tener siete vidas como un gato To have nine lives
Tener telarañas en los ojos To be blind
Tener un tornillo flojo To be crazy
Tirar de la lengua To make somebody talk
Tirar la casa por la ventana To spare no expense
Tirar la toalla To throw in the towel
Tirar la toalla/ arrojar la toalla/ la esponja To throw in the towel
Tirar los tejos To make a play for somebody, to hit on somebody, make a pass at somebody
Todo va viento en popa All is going well
Todos los caminos conducen a Roma All roads lead to Rome
Todos los santos tienen novena One's time wil come
Tomar algo con pinzas To take something with a pinch of salt
Tomar el pelo To pull somebody's leg
Tomarle el pelo a uno To pull someone's leg
Tragar la tierra To disappear off the face of the earth
Tragarle a uno la tierra To disappear into nowhere
U
Un clavo saca otro clavo One nail drives out another - out with the old, in with the new
Un solo golpe no derriba un roble Rome wasn't built in a day/ An oak is not felled with one stroke
Un viento de mil demonios A howling gale
Unos nacen con estrella y otros nacen estrellados Some are born lucky and some are not
Unos tienen la fama y otros cardan la lana Some do the work and others get all the credit
Untar a alguien To bribe/ to grease somebody's palm
V
Vaciar el costal To get it off one's chest
Vender humo To brag, talk big, all smoke and mirrors
Venir con músicas To tell tales
Ver es creer Seeing is believing
Ver las estrellas To see stars
Verle las orejas al lobo To get a sudden fright/ to see the writing on the wall/ to see trouble ahead
Verlo todo de color de rosa To see everything through rose-tinted glasses
Vivir como un pachá/ un rey/ vivir a cuerpo de rey To live like a king
Vivir en el quinto pino To live at the back of beyond/ miles away
Z
Zapatero, a tus zapatos Mind your own business/ you don't know anything about this/ keep your nose out