In this vocabulary section we’ll learn the parts of the body. As in many languages, a lot of Spanish idioms are formed with parts of the body. Let’s play a matching game.
Try to draw a line from each Spanish figure of speech to its literal translation, and then another line to the meaning of the phrase. Ready? ¡Manos a la obra!
| tener mucha cara | To not paste an eye | To be fed up with something | ||
| estar hasta las narices | To have a fly behind one’s ear | To speak one’s mind | ||
| estar con el agua al cuello | To be up to one’s noses | To suspect something | ||
| no pegar ojo | To not have hair on one’s tongue | Not get a wink of sleep | ||
| tener la mosca detrás de la oreja | To have a lot of face | To talk a lot | ||
| nacer con un pan bajo el brazo | To be with water to the neck | To have a lot of nerve | ||
| no tener ni pies ni cabeza | To bring the shoulder closer | To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth | ||
| no tener pelos en la lengua | To talk with one’s elbows | To be in over one’s head | ||
| hablar hasta por los codos | To be born with bread under one’s arm | To help out | ||
| arrimar el hombro | To have neither feet nor head | To make no sense |
