Comment from Elle

Love this one! Right… off to squeeze it into a conversation somewhere today!
Thanks guys – as always!
Elle xx

Comment from Hollis

I stepped in a bar to see the Tour de France in late July and after watching a few minutes of grueling climbing an older gentleman seated next to me said, “Hay que tener dos huevos,” which translates that one has to have “two balls” (i.e. huevos) [to be a cyclist].

A cyclist myself I took a second to nod affirmatively and then added, “But you know Lance Armstrong only has one right?”

Comment from Jaques Grobler

thanks for this one.. Peace

Comment from Froukje

Just love the graphic earthiness of the Spanish language!

Comment from Sarah Spencer

Great post Ben. My trouble is that I live in a small village in the Cádiz province and when older folk pipe up with comments like these, I have trouble understanding the words, let alone the meaning!
However, I do work with Spanish-speakers and a recent phrase that I loved was: “en cuanto saque un hueco…” which I would probably translate as “as soon as I get a moment…”
Now I just have to use it myself for it to cement in place!
Saludos,
Sarah

Comment from Martha

A friend of mine was telling me about how her young daughter ate up a plate of spicy patatas bravas at our favorite restaurant. She wrote, “las comió sin salsa, pero se puso las botas.” “Ponerse las botas” apparently means “to get full”or “to become satiated.” Any expression that mixes two of the best things in life — footwear and eating — can’t be half bad.

Comment from Antonio

Ben you should travel south…you will find plenty of phrases…there are complete books about it …even dictionaries to understand people from the South.
As an example … if you order a coffee in Malaga the mixture coffee/milk percentage has a name for each colour.
So you can order:
solo(alone) – Black coffee
mitad(half) – Half coffee/half milk
cortado(cut) – less milk than before
sombra(shadow) – more milk than coffee
manchado(stained) – just a bit of coffe or sometimes milk…
nube(cloud) – Just plain milk.
On top you need to choose the size…
sencillo/doble ( single /double)
vaso/taza (glass/cup)

I normally order a “sombra sencillo en vaso”
Similar story with the bread …. I will let you know another day.

Comment from Niall

These are little gems, many thanks. I use almost everyday ‘planchar la oreja’ which I have left here before I think but I love it. ‘To have a nap’
I’ve just been reading BBC Sport and Benitez said “We have a saying in Spanish: ‘White liquid in a bottle has to be milk’,” Can you help me and tell me what it is in Spanish, it sounds great.

Comment from Andrew

From El Pais
Patxi ..ha sido un convidado de piedra en este negociacion

Comment from John

I was walking our dogs recently and bumped into the owner of a thriving local home landscaping company. He was checking on some of the day’s work, and I complimented him on a very beautiful home his team was completing.

He pointed to my dogs and said, “Con el dinero baila el perro.” He saw I was confused and jokingly explained the relationship between dogs, dancing and money. “With money, the dogs will dance!”, or “With money, all things are possible.”

I’ll use your expression with my wife the next time we’re shopping !

Thanks,

John

Comment from Marta

@Nial: What Benitez said in Spanish is: BLANCO Y EN BOTELLA…. It means: it’s clear, there’s no option, only one thing can be: milk.

Comment from Mick

Lulú, our cleaning lady “de cada quince dias” greeted me the other day as she came in with: ¿Aparte de nada, que haces? ¿Pura chicana? Si, ¡mas que un chile pepín!

Comment from Niall

Cheers Marta, I think I’m going to enjoy using this one.
And BEN so far you’re the only one picking up phrases in public loo’s

Comment from ANTHONY KENDALL

My friend was very annoyed with someone and said he was going to tell him a few home truths. The expression used was: Voy a contarle unas cuarentas……

Comment from ANTHONY KENDALL

I also heard a very crude one about a lady’s nether regions sweating which I was told meant “I’m not impressed/bothered”
I’m afraid I’m too English to bring myself to reproduce it here. But it begins with “me sudo el………”
Sorry if this offends anyone.

Comment from Andrew

“To sharpen your pencil on anything”, lol I never would’ve guessed. Interesting.

Comment from Ben

Thanks for all the comments, there are some fantastic phrases here! And most of them discovered in more ‘normal’ places than public lavatories I’m glad to see!

Comment from Margaret Nahmias

One of my favorites becaus it includes one of my favorite vegetables irse a freír esparragos which is way telling someone to leave you alone

Comment from Ariane

Does tela marinera count? I used to hear the English teacher at the high school where I worked, use that phrase all the time when she was scolding the students.

Comment from Ariane

Oh, y las matan callando is another expression that I heard not too long ago from my housemate in reference to one of her students who is very sneaky.

And add mosquita muerta to the list as well.

Comment from Mark

As always Ben a continuous learning experience. The best one I heard a while ago was : “Que se me va el santo al cielo”, which I was told translates to “I’m losing the plot”.

Comment from Ben

@Mark, that is one of my favourites!