Talking some

sense into
Idioms!

DEFINITION OF IDIOM:
An expression that cannot be understood from the
meanings of its separate words but that has a separate
meaning of its own (Merriam-Websters Online)

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT FOR TRANSLATIONS?

*Because translators and editors often misinterpret them.
*They can appear in any type of text.

* A Chip On Your Shoulder:Being upset for something

that happened in the past.Estar acomplejado.

* A Doubting Thomas: A skeptic who needs physical or personal

evidence in order to believe something. A reference to theApostle

Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus
hadappeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel
thewounds received by Jesus on the Cross. Ser escptico.

http://www.idiomsite.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Doubting_Thomas

*A Slap on the Wrist:A very mild punishment. Un reto

leve.

*A Toss-Up:A result that is still unclear and can go

either way. Estar echado a la suerte. Estar muy
parejo. Haber un 50 % de posibilidades de
xito. Cualquier cosa puede pasar.

* An Axe To Grind: To have a dispute with someone.

Tener que discutir un temita o solucionar un
problema.

*As High As A Kite:Anything that is high up in the sky.

Estar contento.

* Back Seat Driver:People who criticize from the sidelines,

much like someone giving unwanted advice from the back
seat of a vehicle to the driver. Es ms fcil criticar que
hacer. Es de los que critican todo, pero nada hacen.

* Baker's Dozen:Thirteen. The practice of baking 13 items

for an intended dozen was insurance against the items
being lower than the statutory weight, or of lower than
usual quality, which could cause the baker to be fined.
Trece.

* Bend Over Backwards:Do whatever it takes to help.

Willing to do anything. Volverse loco para satisfacer
a alguien. Hacer lo imposible para ser til. Ser
exageradamente servicial.

* Beat A Dead Horse:To force an issue that has already

ended. No tiene sentido insistir con eso.

*A cup of Joe:A cup of coffee. Un caf/una tasa de

caf.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cup_of_joe

Possibly a shortening of "cup ofjamoke", fromJava+Mocha: this

origin was given in a military officer's manual from 1931, around
when the term first appeared.
Alternatively, perhaps a use ofjoe(fellow, guy), signifying that
coffee was the drink of the common man.
It may refer to Josephus Daniels (1862-1948), the Secretary of the
U.S. Navy who abolished the officers' wine mess and thus made
coffee the strongest drink available on ships. But this is unlikely
because there is seemingly no attestation of the phrase "cup of
joe" until 1930, 16 years after the 1914 order banning the wine
mess. Confusingly, some other sources consider the Daniels
derivation unlikely for the opposite reason: they say "cup of
joe"predates the order.
Another theory suggests that US soldiers in WWI (1914-1918)
referred to a serving of instant coffee made by the "G.
Washington's Refining Coffee Company" as a "cup of George", and
that the common abbreviation of the name "George" ("Geo.") was
then read as "Joe".
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cup_of_joe

*Charley Horse:Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp.Tener

un calambre.

http://www.idiomsite.com/

'Charley horse' is an American phrase and originated in the sport

of baseball. The term is very much American and not in use in
many other English-speaking countries.
Possible origins:
*A lame horse named Charley pulled the roller on the Chicago
White Sox ballpark in the 1890s. That's the most commonly
repeated version but appears to be false as we can put the
phrase before the horse, so to speak.
*Policemen in 17th century England were supposed to be called
Charleys and the term migrated to America. The amount of
walking the police were required to do gave them aching legs.
However, in this version, there is no link to baseball.
*The pitcher Charley Radbourne was nicknamed Old Hoss. He
got a cramp during a baseball game in the 1880s. This at least
is plausible.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/charley-horse.html

* Cut to the Chase:Leave out all the unnecessary details and

just get to the point. The phrase originated from earlysilent

films. Films, particularlycomedies, often climaxed in chase
scenes. Some inexperienced screenwriters or directors would
pad the film with unnecessary dialog, which bored the
audience and prolonged the time before the exciting chase
scene. "Cut to the chase" was a phrase used by studio
executives, meaning don't bore us with the dialog - get to the
interesting scenes without unnecessary delay. Ir al grano.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut_to_the_chase

* Buy A Lemon:To purchase a vehicle that constantly

gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.

This use of the word lemon dates back to a 1960s
Volkswagen campaign created Julian Knig and Helmut
Krone. Comprar una batata.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_(automobile)

The Volkswagen missed the boat.

The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must
be replaced. Chances are you wouldn't have noticed it; Inspector
Kurt Kroner did.
There are 3,389 men of our Wolfsburg factory with only one job; to
inspect Volkswagens at each stage of production. (3,00 Volkswagens
are produced daily; there are more inspectors than cars.)
Every shock absorber is tested (spot checking won't do), every
windshield is scanned. VWs have been rejected for surface scratches
barely visible to the eye.
Final inspection is really something! VW inspectors run each car off
the line onto the Funktionsprfstand (car test stand), tote up 189
check points, gun ahead to the automatic brake stand and say "no"
to one VW out of fifty.
This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and
requires less maintenance, by and large, than other cars. (It also
means a used VW depreciates less than any other car.)
We pluck the lemons; you get the plums.

* Blood Is Thicker than Water:The family bond is

closer than anything else. La sangre tira.

* Cock and Bull Story:An unbelievable tale. It

originates in the 17th century. Probably refers to

some fable featuring a cock and a bull. Pura
mentira. Un invento.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cock-and-bull+story
http://www.idiomsite.com/

* Cant/Doesnt cut the mustard:Not adequate enough

to compete or participate. No es suficientemente
bueno. No tiene las habilidades necesarias.

http://www.idiomsite.com/

* The chief mustard maker orMustardeerwould make

their mustard in large oaken barrels, allowing each

barrel to mature for a number of months. This
maturing of the mustard produced a thick, leathery
crust at the top of the barrel which would need to
be removed before the contents could be
tested.When it was time to remove the topcrust the
senior Mustardeer would instruct his apprentice to
pass him the blade and would attempt to slice
thorough the top leathery layer. The Mustardeer
would know immediately if the blade was not
sufficiently keen to complete the task and he would
pass the blade back to the apprentice and say to
him "I'm sorry, but That Doesn't Cut the Mustard"

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Doesn
%27t+Cut+the+Mustard

FINAL TIPS:
Make sure no meaning gets lost in
translation.
Make sure you can always cut the mustard.
If in doubt, cut to the chase.
If your computer breaks down, go to your
brothers house to finish the job (because
blood is thicker than water).
Oh, but do remember not to trust any
lemons. You might get there faster on foot.

Thank you!