Will you be ‘pushing the boat out’ this Christmas – eating a lot of food, drinking a lot of wine or buying things you don’t need? Like many English idioms ‘pushing the boat out’ has nautical origins dating back to around the 1750’s. Students of English and Spanish history will know that our two countries …
To “add fuel to the fire” is an English expression conveying the act of worsening a situation, usually by making conflict or disagreement more intense. It’s like pouring metaphorical fuel on an already burning fire, exacerbating tensions. Example: Consider a heated argument between friends. Instead of trying to calm the situation, someone making provocative remarks …
One of the most famous English novels was published in 1834. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol tells the story of a rich man called Ebenezer Scrooge who treats his workers poorly and does not believe in Christian charity. It was written at a time when a lot of the Christmas traditions we celebrate in England …
This idiom dates back to the First World War 1914-18. The war reached a ‘stalemate’ very early on, with both sides realising they could not keep on advancing. The only way to hold on to the land that had been captured was to dig trenches. The trenches were hundreds and miles long, and deep enough …
“Fun” is different from “funny”. “Fun” is something that is enjoyable in the sense of an activity (es divertido en el sentido de entretenido). “Funny” is what you may say about a joke or the behaviour of Mr. Bean (a diferencia a “funny” que es divertido en el sentido de gracioso). Some examples: Shark fishing …
Ducks (patos) you may know. Also a row (fila). Translated literally you might say that “ducks in a row” means “patos en una fila”. But “ducks in a row” is an expression. If a mortal “gets all his ducks in a row”, it means that everything has been organized or prepared for an event or …
The answer must be yes. To bimble is to go for a leisurely walk, with no special or particular purpose. That means walking at a leisurely pace. Bimble is a verb and the nearest word in Spanish would be “pasear”. You could substitute “wander” where bimble is used. Perhaps, in your spare time, you bimble …
Horse (caballo ) you will know. The expression “hold your horses” is an imperative (imperativa) expression. It means to stop or slow down. Its origin comes from Homer´s “Iliad”, where the writer refers to someone who is driving his chariot (carruaje) like a maniac (maníaco). Here are some expressions. Hold your horses (para el carro)! …
