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Libro Street Talk 1 - Una Mirada Más Cercana: Lección 4

Revisión

Tarjetas de memoria

formas

Ortografía

Cuestionario

Empezar a aprender
Street Talk 1
to [bring] home the bacon

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

ganarse el pan, mantener a la familia

ganarse el pan, mantener a la familia

Ex: It is hard to bring home the bacon on a low salary. 

Con un sueldo bajo es difícil ganarse el pan.

to beef up
to beef up
[Verbo]

make strong or stronger

reforzar, fortalecer

reforzar, fortalecer

beef
beef
[Sustantivo]

a disagreement, argument, or ongoing conflict between people, often involving hostility or rivalry

rencilla, pique

rencilla, pique

Ex: They settled their beef after a long talk. 
beefy
beefy
[Adjetivo]

with a strong body and well-built muscles

fornido, cachas

fornido, cachas

Ex: Mary's beefy uncle worked as a construction worker, his powerful frame well-suited for the job. 

El tío fornido de Mary trabajaba como obrero de la construcción, su poderosa complexión bien adaptada para el trabajo.

to [put] the bite on {sb}

to put pressure on someone to do something, particularly in order to get money from them

Ex: The alumni association of my old university puts the bite on me once or twice a year looking for a donation. 
to [bite|snap] {one's} head off

to angrily reply or react to someone

contestar de mala manera, soltar una mala contestación

contestar de mala manera, soltar una mala contestación

Ex: Sarah was so stressed that she bit her friend's head off for making a lighthearted comment. 

Cuando mencioné los archivos perdidos, me soltó una mala contestación.

to [bite|hold] {one's} tongue

to not say something, against one's wish, in order to avoid causing an argument or upsetting someone

callarse a tiempo, guardarse el comentario

callarse a tiempo, guardarse el comentario

Ex: Sometimes you have to hold your tongue at work, even when you're right. 

A veces en el trabajo hay que callarse a tiempo, aunque tengas razón.

to [bite] the bullet

to start to deal with an inevitable challenge or difficulty

hacer de tripas corazón, afrontar lo inevitable

hacer de tripas corazón, afrontar lo inevitable

Ex: After months of delay, the city finally bit the bullet and repaired the bridge. 

Tras meses de retrasos, la ciudad por fin hizo de tripas corazón y reparó el puente.

to [bite] the dust

to die or no longer exist

morder el polvo, estirar la pata

morder el polvo, estirar la pata

Ex: The once-mighty empire gradually crumbled and eventually bit the dust, giving way to new nations. 

El villano muerde el polvo en la escena final.

the (best|greatest) thing since sliced bread

a thing or person that one believes to be extremely good, useful, interesting etc.

la maravilla del siglo, una pasada

la maravilla del siglo, una pasada

Ex: The latest gadget from that tech company is being marketed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, promising to revolutionize daily life. 

Habla de su nuevo asistente como si fuera la maravilla del siglo.

bread
bread
[Sustantivo]

money, cash, or earnings

pasta, plata

pasta, plata

Ex: Don't worry about the cost; we've got enough bread to cover it. 

No te preocupes por el costo; tenemos suficiente pasta para cubrirlo.

to [have] a bun in the oven

to be expecting a child

estar embarazada, esperar un bebé

estar embarazada, esperar un bebé

Ex: I think my sister has a bun in the oven. 

Creo que mi hermana está embarazada.

buns
buns
[Sustantivo]

the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

nalgas, trasero

nalgas, trasero

cakewalk
cakewalk
[Sustantivo]

an easy accomplishment

pan comido, juego de niños

pan comido, juego de niños

big cheese
big cheese
[Sustantivo]

someone of great importance or influence

pez gordo, persona influyente

pez gordo, persona influyente

Ex: The big cheese will make the final decision. 

El pez gordo tomará la decisión final.

cheesecake
cheesecake
[Sustantivo]

a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire

foto de una mujer atractiva con poca ropa, imagen de una belleza en ropa mínima

foto de una mujer atractiva con poca ropa, imagen de una belleza en ropa mínima

cheesy
cheesy
[Adjetivo]

having very low quality

de mala calidad, cursi

de mala calidad, cursi

Ex: The cheesy fabric of the costume ripped as soon as she put it on. 

La tela de mala calidad del disfraz se rompió en cuanto se lo puso.

to [cut] the cheese

to emit wind from one's anus

tirarse un pedo, soltar gases

tirarse un pedo, soltar gases

Ex: He always manages to cut the cheese at the most inopportune times, making everyone around him laugh. 

Se tiró un pedo en clase y todos empezaron a reírse.

to chew out

to strongly criticize someone in an angry manner

regañar, reprender

regañar, reprender

Ex: The teacher chewed out the entire class for the disruptive behavior. 

El profesor regañó a toda la clase por el comportamiento disruptivo.

to [chew] the fat

to enjoy a friendly talk with a person for a long period of time

charlar largo y tendido, echar una buena charla

charlar largo y tendido, echar una buena charla

Ex: Old friends enjoy getting together to chew the fat and reminisce about the good old days. 

Después de cenar, se pusieron a charlar largo y tendido sobre sus tiempos de escuela.

clam
clam
[Sustantivo]

a piece of paper money worth one dollar

un billete de un dólar, un dólar

un billete de un dólar, un dólar

to clam up
to clam up
[Verbo]

to suddenly become silent or refuse to talk, often because of nervousness, fear, or a desire to keep information secret

cerrarse, callarse de repente

cerrarse, callarse de repente

Ex: When discussing her personal life, Sarah tends to clam up and change the subject. 

Cuando se habla de su vida personal, Sarah tiende a encerrarse en sí misma y cambiar de tema.

(as|) happy as a clam (at hot water|)

(of a person) very pleased or satisfied

feliz como una perdiz, muy contento

feliz como una perdiz, muy contento

Ex: After getting the promotion, she was as happy as a clam. 

Después de obtener el ascenso, estaba muy contenta.

to [wake] up and [smell] the coffee

to recognize the reality of a situation, no matter how unpleasant it may be

abrir los ojos a la realidad, dejar de engañarse

abrir los ojos a la realidad, dejar de engañarse

Ex: Wake up and smell the coffee; they are not going to change their minds. 

Abre los ojos a la realidad; no van a cambiar de opinión.

to cook up
to cook up
[Verbo]

to prepare food quickly, often in an informal or creative manner

preparar rápidamente, improvisar una comida

preparar rápidamente, improvisar una comida

Ex: With only a few ingredients, she managed to cook up a tasty meal in just 15 minutes. 

Con solo unos pocos ingredientes, logró cocinar una comida sabrosa en solo 15 minutos.

to [be] cooking with gas

to be doing very well or functioning effectively

ir de maravilla, funcionar a pleno rendimiento

ir de maravilla, funcionar a pleno rendimiento

Ex: The new manager has the department cooking with gas. 

El nuevo gerente ha hecho que el departamento funcione de maravilla.

to [catch] {sb} with {one's} [hand] in the cookie jar

to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or inappropriate

pillar con las manos en la masa, coger in fraganti

pillar con las manos en la masa, coger in fraganti

Ex: The auditors caught the accountant with her hand in the cookie jar, embezzling company funds. 

La auditoría pilló a varios funcionarios con las manos en la masa.

(smart|sharp) cookie

a person who is clever and has a strong personality

persona lista, espabilado

persona lista, espabilado

Ex: That smart cookie found a way to cut costs without hurting quality. 

Esa persona lista encontró una forma de reducir costes sin afectar la calidad.

that is the way the cookie crumbles (in the market|)

said after an unfortunate event to mean one must accept the situation as it is

a veces las cosas salen así, hay que aceptarlo tal como viene

a veces las cosas salen así, hay que aceptarlo tal como viene

Ex: I wanted the corner office, but someone else got it; that's the way the cookie crumbles. 

Yo quería la oficina de la esquina, pero se la dieron a otra persona; a veces las cosas salen así.

to [toss] {one's} cookies

to empty what is in one's stomach through one's mouth

vomitar, potar

vomitar, potar

Ex: After eating too much cake, the little boy tossed his cookies. 

Después de comer demasiada tarta, el niño pequeño vomitó.

tough cookie
tough cookie
[Sustantivo]

a person who is strong, resilient, and determined, often in the face of challenging circumstances

persona fuerte y decidida, duro de roer

persona fuerte y decidida, duro de roer

Ex: He looks quiet, but he's a tough cookie when life gets hard. 

Parece tranquilo, pero cuando la vida se pone difícil, es duro de roer.

crackers
crackers
[Adjetivo]

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

loco, chiflado

loco, chiflado

dough
dough
[Sustantivo]

money, cash, or financial resources

pasta, plata

pasta, plata

Ex: The restaurant's success brought in a lot of dough for the owners. 

El éxito del restaurante les trajo mucha pasta a los dueños.

to [eat] {one's} words

to take back something one has said previously

tragarse sus palabras, admitir que se equivocó

tragarse sus palabras, admitir que se equivocó

Ex: After the election upset, the pundits who claimed the outcome was decided had to eat their words. 

Te tragarás tus palabras cuando veas lo bien que funciona el nuevo sistema.

big enchilada
big enchilada
[Sustantivo]

an individual who is very famous or influential

el pez gordo, la persona más influyente

el pez gordo, la persona más influyente

Ex: The big enchilada made the final call. 

El pez gordo tomó la decisión final.

the whole enchilada

***the whole situation; everything

Ex: The team has a good chance in the playoffs and may win the whole enchilada this year. 
chicken feed
chicken feed
[Sustantivo]

an extremely small amount of money

calderilla, una miseria

calderilla, una miseria

Ex: The bonus sounded nice, but after taxes it was chicken feed. 

El bono sonaba bien, pero después de impuestos era calderilla.

to [feed] {one's} face

to eat more food than one's body needs or can handle

atiborrarse de comida, ponerse hasta arriba de comida

atiborrarse de comida, ponerse hasta arriba de comida

Ex: Instead of going out for dinner, let's stay in, order some pizza, and feed our faces while watching a movie. 

Me atiborré de snacks mientras veía la película.

to spoon-feed

***to give someone so much help or information that that person does not need to try himself or herself

dar todo masticado, alimentar con cuchara

dar todo masticado, alimentar con cuchara

Ex: By giving out printed sheets of facts and theories, the teachers spoon-fed us with what we needed for the exam. 

Al entregar hojas impresas de hechos y teorías, los profesores nos alimentaron con cuchara con lo que necesitábamos para el examen.

a different kettle of fish

an issue or subject that is not in any way connected to what one was talking about

otro asunto aparte, otra cosa distinta

otro asunto aparte, otra cosa distinta

Ex: The delay is annoying, but the legal problem is a different kettle of fish. 

El retraso es molesto, pero el problema legal es otro asunto aparte.

fishy
fishy
[Adjetivo]

suggestive of dishonesty or something dubious

sospechoso, extraño

sospechoso, extraño

Ex: They dismissed the fishy explanation as mere excuses. 

Desestimaron la explicación sospechosa como meras excusas.

(as|) nutty as a fruitcake

(of a person) crazy or exhibiting odd behavior

como una cabra, chiflado

como una cabra, chiflado

Ex: He acts nutty as a fruitcake at every party. 

En cada fiesta se comporta como una cabra.

gravy
gravy
[Sustantivo]

a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

ganga, chollo

ganga, chollo

gravy train
gravy train
[Sustantivo]

a situation in which making a lot of money becomes possible with minimal time or effort

chollo, mina de oro

chollo, mina de oro

Ex: The gravy train ended when the company went bankrupt. 

El chollo se acabó cuando la empresa quebró.

ham
ham
[Sustantivo]

an actor with an exaggerated theatrical style

actor sobreactuado

actor sobreactuado

to ham it up

exaggerate one's acting

to [sell|go] like hot cakes

to sell very quickly and in large amounts

Ex: The limited-edition shoes sold like hot cakes at the store. 
to [cut] the mustard

to meet expectations or perform satisfactorily in a given task or situation

dar la talla, estar a la altura

dar la talla, estar a la altura

Ex: The team needs a striker who can cut the mustard in big matches. 

El equipo necesita un delantero que dé la talla en los grandes partidos.

noodle
noodle
[Sustantivo]

informal terms for a human head

coco, melón

coco, melón

knuckle sandwich
knuckle sandwich
[Sustantivo]

used to refer to a punch that is hit in a person's mouth

puñetazo en la boca, un puñetazo en la cara

puñetazo en la boca, un puñetazo en la cara

Ex: During the boxing match, the champion delivered a powerful punch to his opponent, essentially serving him a metaphorical knuckle sandwich. 

En el dibujo animado, el marinero le ofreció al villano un puñetazo en la boca.

in a stew
in a stew
[Frase]

in a very troubled or nervous state

hecho un manojo de nervios, muy preocupado

hecho un manojo de nervios, muy preocupado

Ex: He got in a stew when he realized he had lost his passport. 

Se puso hecho un manojo de nervios al darse cuenta de que había perdido el pasaporte.

to sugarcoat

cause to appear more pleasant or appealing

endulzar, suavizar

endulzar, suavizar

sugar daddy
sugar daddy
[Sustantivo]

a rich older man who gives money or gifts to a younger partner for companionship or intimacy

papi azucarado, sugar daddy

papi azucarado, sugar daddy

Ex: A sugar daddy covered all her shopping bills. 

Un sugar daddy cubrió todas sus cuentas de compras.

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