Spanish Idioms

A curated set of 137 idioms in Spanish — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.

Explore all Idioms →

Estar en la edad del pavo — To be at an awkward teenage phase. Literally: To be in the age of the turkey.
Tener mala leche — To be in a foul mood or have bad intentions. Literally: To have bad milk.
No tener pelos en la lengua — To speak very bluntly and honestly. Literally: To have no hairs on the tongue.
Ser pan comido — To be extremely easy. Literally: To be eaten bread.
Dar calabazas — To reject someone romantically. Literally: To give someone pumpkins.
Estar como una cabra — To be completely crazy. Literally: To be like a goat.
Tirar la casa por la ventana — To spare no expense; to go all out. Literally: To throw the house through the window.
Meter la pata — To make a blunder or put your foot in it. Literally: To put the paw in.
Tomar el pelo — To pull someone's leg; to tease. Literally: To take someone's hair.
Ponerse las botas — To stuff yourself with food or to profit greatly. Literally: To put on the boots.
estar en la luna de Valencia — Completely distracted or absent-minded, oblivious to what's happening around you. Literally: to be in the moon of Valencia.
irse por los cerros de Úbeda — To digress or wander off-topic during conversation without purpose or reason. Literally: to go off into the hills of Úbeda.
comerse un rosco — To fail completely or strike out; to get nothing at all in a romantic or competitive context. Literally: to eat a ring-shaped pastry.
estar más claro que el agua — Something is obvious, evident, and beyond any doubt or confusion. Literally: to be clearer than water.
tener un rabo de paja — To feel guilty or anxious about something, fearing exposure of a personal fault or secret. Literally: to have a straw tail.
Hablar por los codos — To talk nonstop. Literally: To talk through the elbows.
Costar un ojo de la cara — To be outrageously expensive. Literally: To cost an eye from the face.
No hay tu tía — There's no way around it; nothing can be done. Literally: There is no your aunt.
Estar de Rodríguez — To be a husband left working in town while the family is on holiday. Literally: To be a Rodríguez.
Quedarse de piedra — To be stunned speechless. Literally: To be left as stone.
Ser uña y carne — To be inseparable; the closest of friends. Literally: To be fingernail and flesh.
Dar gato por liebre — To swindle by passing off something inferior as the real thing. Literally: To give cat instead of hare.
Importar un pepino — To not care in the slightest. Literally: To matter a cucumber.
Ponerse las pilas — To get your act together and start working hard. Literally: To put your batteries in.
Estar en el ajo — To be in on a secret or scheme. Literally: To be in the garlic.
Ser la oveja negra — To be the outcast of the family or group. Literally: To be the black sheep.
Echar leña al fuego — To make a bad situation worse. Literally: To throw wood on the fire.
Tener más cara que espalda — To be utterly shameless and brazen. Literally: To have more face than back.
Tener mala uva — To have a nasty temper or ill intentions. Literally: To have bad grape.
Ponerse como una sopa — To get soaked to the bone. Literally: To get like a soup.
Estar hasta en la sopa — To be everywhere; impossible to avoid. Literally: To be even in the soup.
Buscarle tres pies al gato — To overcomplicate things; to look for trouble. Literally: To look for three feet on the cat.
Estar frito — To be fed up or worn out. Literally: To be fried.
No dar pie con bola — To get everything wrong; to do nothing right. Literally: To not give foot to ball.
Estar en Babia — To be daydreaming and miles away. Literally: To be in Babia.
Tener la sartén por el mango — To be the one in control. Literally: To hold the frying pan by the handle.
ojito derecho — A person's favorite or most beloved person, especially a child. Literally: little right eye.
tener más conchas que un galápago — To be extremely cunning or crafty; to have many tricks up one's sleeve. Literally: to have more shells than a Galápagos tortoise.
en la cuerda floja — To be in a precarious or dangerous position; to be walking a fine line between safety and disaster. Literally: on the loose rope.
de aquellos polvos, estos lodos — Consequences or problems arise later from careless or harmful actions taken earlier; misdeeds eventually catch up with you. Literally: from those dusts, these muds.
a contracorriente — To act or think in opposition to prevailing opinion, custom, or the natural course of events. Literally: against the current.
romper la baraja — To abandon a game or situation in frustration; to take one's ball and go home. Literally: to break the deck of cards.
cachicamo diciéndole a morrocoy conchudo — Calling out someone's faults when the accuser has the very same fault, especially when the fault is undeniably true of both. Literally: armadillo telling tortoise shell-backed.
a todo gañote — At the top of one's voice; very loudly. Literally: at full throat.
fuera de sí — to be in a state of extreme emotion, either elation or distress, such that one loses composure. Literally: outside of oneself.
curva de la felicidad — excess abdominal fat; a protruding belly caused by overeating or drinking. Literally: curve of happiness.
armar la de san Quintín — to start a violent fight or brawl; to cause a huge commotion. Literally: to arm the one of Saint Quintín.
cuentas de la lechera — plans or hopes based on fantasy rather than reality; wishful thinking that ignores practical obstacles. Literally: accounts of the dairymaid.
en la estacada — abandoned or left in a difficult situation without help. Literally: in the stake.
ahogarse en poca agua — to panic or overreact to a minor problem. Literally: to drown in little water.
morder el polvo — to be defeated or to die. Literally: to bite the dust.
dale que te pego — relentlessly; without stopping or holding back. Literally: hit that I hit you.
tira y afloja — a back-and-forth negotiation or struggle where each side gives and takes. Literally: pull and loosen.
a escondidillas — in secret; covertly or without someone's knowledge. Literally: at hidden-little-things.
como pez en el agua — perfectly at ease in a situation; in one's natural element. Literally: like a fish in the water.
de pitiminí — something trivial or of insignificant value. Literally: of small pittance.
no haber color — there is no comparison; one option is vastly superior to another. Literally: there is no color.
cada muerte de obispo — extremely rarely; once in a blue moon. Literally: each death of bishop.
arroz con mango — a chaotic, confused mess or pandemonium. Literally: rice with mango.
pico de oro — someone with exceptional eloquence or persuasive speech. Literally: beak of gold.
no decir ni pío — to remain completely silent or say nothing at all. Literally: to not say not even a peep.
sacar las castañas del fuego — to rescue someone from a difficult situation or to solve a problem at one's own risk or expense. Literally: to pull the chestnuts out of the fire.
arma de doble filo — something that has both positive and negative consequences, or can harm the user as easily as the opponent. Literally: weapon of double blade.
tirar de la manta — to reveal a secret or expose something hidden; to blow the lid off a situation. Literally: to pull the blanket.
poner el broche de oro — To add a final, perfect touch that completes or perfects something. Literally: to put the golden clasp.
correrse una juerga — To live wildly or indulge in a bout of revelry and excess. Literally: to run oneself a spree.
llevar la delantera — To be ahead of others; to hold a lead or advantage. Literally: to carry the front part.
irse de las manos — To spiral beyond control; to become unmanageable or chaotic. Literally: to go away from the hands.
no tener vuelta de hoja — To be conclusive and beyond dispute; to admit no alternative interpretation. Literally: to have no turning of the page.
a montones — In vast quantities; abundantly available and unremarkable. Literally: in piles.
a ojo — By rough estimate or visual judgment, without precision. Literally: at eye.
dar el pistoletazo de salida — To officially begin or launch something. Literally: to give the pistol shot of departure.
vérsele el plumero — Someone's true nature or hidden faults become glaringly visible. Literally: to see the feather for him.
salga el sol por donde quiera — It does not matter what happens or what difficulties arise; one will accept whatever comes. Literally: let the sun rise wherever it wants.
darse de cabezadas — To struggle uselessly against an impossible problem or obstacle. Literally: to give oneself head-blows.
poner la proa — To set one's aim or course deliberately toward something; to target or pursue. Literally: to put the prow.
ley del hielo — A state of deliberate coldness or refusal to speak to someone as a form of punishment or rejection. Literally: law of ice.
ir que chuta — Something is working excellently or progressing at great speed; matters are proceeding better than needed. Literally: to go that it shoots.
pasarlo teta — To have an excellent, carefree time. Literally: to pass it breast.
con el pie derecho — To make a good start or beginning. Literally: with the right foot.
a uña de caballo — To move or travel at great speed. Literally: at horse's hoof.
írsele la onda — To lose focus or to forget an important point. Literally: to go away the wave.
ser culo de mal asiento — To be restless and unable to stay still. Literally: to be bottom of bad seat.
hambre canina — Extreme, ravenous hunger. Literally: dog hunger.
poner a los pies de los caballos — To betray or abandon someone to harm or ridicule. Literally: to put at the feet of the horses.
no pegar ni con cola — To be conspicuously out of place or unsuitable. Literally: to not stick even with glue.
volver la espalda — To reject, abandon, or refuse to help someone. Literally: to turn the back.
tener su miga — To have hidden depth or complexity; to be more complicated than it appears. Literally: to have its crumb.
con el rabo entre las piernas — In a state of shame, defeat, or humiliation; cowed and demoralized. Literally: with the tail between the legs.
quedarle cuerda — To still have plenty of energy, vitality, or usefulness left. Literally: to remain rope to it.
de grado o por fuerza — Whether one likes it or not; willingly or unwillingly. Literally: of grace or by force.
de caballo — Enormous; of impressive or overwhelming size or intensity. Literally: of horse.
mandarse a mudar — To leave abruptly or without notice; to depart hastily. Literally: to order oneself to move.
a pesar de los pesares — Despite all difficulties and hardships; no matter what obstacles arise. Literally: in spite of the sorrows.
sin cuartel — Without mercy or restraint; ruthlessly and completely. Literally: without quarter.
perder los estribos — To lose one's temper or composure; to become angry or agitated. Literally: to lose the stirrups.
caérsele el alma a los pies — to be deeply disappointed or dismayed. Literally: the soul falls to one's feet.
dorar la píldora — to make something unpleasant more palatable by presenting it attractively. Literally: to gild the pill.
oler a chamusquina — a situation is becoming tense or dangerous; trouble is brewing. Literally: to smell of a scorch or singe.
cazar al vuelo — To seize or take something quickly before someone else can. Literally: to hunt in flight.
vender la moto — To trick or deceive someone, often by persuading them to believe a false story. Literally: to sell the motorcycle.
a vida o muerte — In a desperate, all-or-nothing struggle where the stakes are the highest possible. Literally: at life or death.
codo con codo — Standing shoulder to shoulder, side by side in close proximity. Literally: elbow with elbow.
llevar la contraria — To argue against or contradict someone habitually. Literally: to carry the contrary.
para andar por casa — Makeshift, temporary, or of poor quality; fit only for casual home use. Literally: for walking around the house.
salvar las apariencias — To maintain an outward show of respectability or normalcy despite underlying problems. Literally: to save the appearances.
crecer como la espuma — To increase or expand very rapidly and dramatically. Literally: to grow like foam.
por la cara — Boldly and undeservedly; without earning it or paying for it; purely out of audacity or shamelessness. Literally: for the face.
a todo mecate — At full speed; with maximum effort; going all out. Literally: at full rope.
viva estampa — An exact likeness; someone or something that looks exactly like another. Literally: living picture.
éramos pocos y parió la abuela — as if that wasn't enough, things went from bad to worse. Literally: we were few and grandmother gave birth.
de un plumazo — suddenly or in a single swift action, as if accomplished with one stroke of a pen. Literally: with a single feather stroke.
mal trago — a difficult or unpleasant experience; a bitter pill to swallow. Literally: bad swallow.
en dos patadas — very easily or effortlessly. Literally: in two kicks.
ni a tiros — absolutely not; under no circumstances. Literally: not even by gunshots.
a la buena de Dios — To proceed carelessly or without proper planning, leaving the outcome to chance or fate. Literally: to the good of God.
no sé qué y no sé cuánto — An undefined or vague something; an indescribable quality or collection of things. Literally: I don't know what and I don't know how much.
con pies de plomo — To proceed with extreme caution or wariness; to tread carefully in a delicate situation. Literally: with feet of lead.
cuéntame una de vaqueros — A challenge to someone to stop lying or exaggerating; an equivalent of "pull the other one" or "tell me another one." Literally: tell me one of cowboys.
tomar el toro por los cuernos — To face a difficult problem directly and courageously rather than avoiding it. Literally: to take the bull by the horns.
cortar por lo sano — To sever a problem decisively rather than manage it halfway, making a clean break or radical decision. Literally: to cut for the healthy.
caer en gracia — To charm someone instantly or be liked right away. Literally: to fall in grace.
de tres al cuarto — Worthless, shoddy, or of poor quality. Literally: of three to the quarter.
venir mal dadas — For things to go wrong or turn out badly. Literally: to come badly given.
hacer antesala — To wait in an outer room or lobby, often in a position of subordination or anticipation. Literally: to make antechamber.
lío de faldas — A romantic or sexual entanglement with a woman; an affair. Literally: a tangle of skirts.
estar entre dos aguas — To be undecided or unable to choose between two options; to sit on the fence. Literally: to be between two waters.
sacar el ascua con mano ajena — To get someone else to do one's dirty work or take the blame for one's own wrongdoing. Literally: to draw the hot coal with another's hand.
arrimar el ascua a su sardina — To arrange matters selfishly in one's own favor; to look out for oneself at others' expense. Literally: to draw the hot coal toward one's sardine.
contante y sonante — Money in ready cash; actual payment rather than promises or credit. Literally: ready and ringing.
lobo con piel de cordero — A person who appears harmless or trustworthy but is actually dangerous or deceitful. Literally: wolf with sheep's skin.
dar coces contra el aguijón — To resist or rebel futilely against something stronger or inevitable. Literally: to give kicks against the goad.
no ganar para sustos — To be plagued by constant troubles and misfortunes; to suffer setback after setback. Literally: to not earn for frights.
perder la chaveta — To go crazy; to lose one's grip on sanity or self-control. Literally: to lose the pin.
de Pascuas a Ramos — Once in a blue moon; extremely rarely or at great intervals. Literally: from Easter to Palm Sunday.
con lo puesto — With nothing but the clothes on one's back; in a state of complete destitution. Literally: with what is worn.
Buscar una aguja en un pajar — To search for something you have almost no chance of finding, because the thing is tiny and the place holding it is vast. Literally: To look for a needle in a haystack.

Loading the full interactive collection…