English Vocabulary

Vocabulario y frases hechas que quiero fijar o sobre el que suelo dudar.

sway

influenciar. Ejemplo: it is a bad thing to try to sway a jury.

ticked off

enfadado. Es la versión educada de pissed off.

peck

picotear. Ejemplo: don't peck at your food!. Ejemplo: woodpecker (picapinos)

coaxing

animar, atraer. Ejemplo: he coaxed the snake into the trap. Puede ser sinonimo de luring.

word of mouth

boca a boca

stingy

tacaño

bump off

matar. Ejemplo: They bumped off that russian guy. Tiene connotaciones de juego sucio, espías.

word for word

al pie de la letra. Ejemplo: we need to follow the rules word for word. Sinonimo: to the letter.

blinkers

lo que se usa en los ojos de los caballos para que solo miren al frente.

to be blinkered

metaforicamente, que solo ve en una direccion.

pundit

experto en una materia. Example: he is a political pundit.

to scrap

mandar al desguace, descartar, tirar: Example: it is time to scrap your car. Scrap that idea, is useless.

to scrape; raspar. Example

it was freezing last night, you will need to scrape your windshield.

to be on the fence

en medio, en una postura intermedia entre dos.

drop a bombshell

metaforicamente soltar una bomba, una noticia impactante.

something is not a patch on something

ni punto de comparacion. Bush is not a patch on Obama.

to be on the wane

ir a desaparecer. Example: Analog mobile phones are on the wane.

to lag behind

quedarse atras.

pull your (his/her/...) socks up

improve, increase performance (ponerse las pilas)

to be (or not) up to scratch

to meet (or not) expectations. I think that my boss thinks that I am not up to scratch.

to work flat out

to work at maximum performance, to be swamped. Example: If you are already working flat out on a project, you cannot take any more tasks.

to mull over something

give things some time to think about them. Example: I am not ready to give you an answer, I am going to mull it over.

to bring/take something up with someone

traer algo a la atencion de alguien. Example: I'd like to bring some of the project issues up with you.

outlay

total cost of something (always used for cost). Example: I'd like to know the project's outlay now, I don't enjoy surprises.

to work out

calculate something. Example: please work out the project's outlay and send it to me ASAP.

to add up to

ascender a (en el sentido de suma, generalmente dinero). The bill adds up to $500.

to go about something

to approach something. Example: how should we go about working up the project's outlay? It is a difficult task.

medical/dental/law practice

buffete, S.L.. Example: my friend is starting a medical practice at Segovia.

tort law

ley civil.

tort crime

crimen civil.

to put up with someone/something

soportar

to get by with

salirte con ello, superar una dificultad. Example: it is a quick hack but we will get by with it.

to take on something

encargarse. Example: I want to report this to my manager so it is assigned and someone takes on it.

Antiguo

Aquellos que ya he ido asimilando y en teoría ya me se y soy capaz de usarlos. Conservados aquí por si acaso :)

bold

brave, adventurous.

witty

good with words. Example: Buenafuente is a quite witty guy.

whimsical

light music, something not to be taken seriously.

under the weather

enfermo. Example: I am under the weather.

nuances

matices

ballpark figure

cifra muy a groso modo

tight

tacaño

sink or swim

apañatelas tu solito. Ejemplo: they put me in a sink or swim situation.

throw somebody at the deep end

sinonimo de sink or swim.

yardstick

algo contra lo que medirse o compararse.Ejemplo: that will be our yardstick for this project.

to make do

salirte con ello. Example: is not the best solution but it will make do.

to put out

apagar, para luces, fuego, mechero, cigarro.