MERCHE GARCÍA LLEDÓ (www.traducirco.com)

APUNTES DE VOCABULARIO:

PROFICIENCY EXAM

A mixed blessing:

A moment’s delay

A quantum leap: enorme mejora, salto espectacular

A turn-up for the books: que no se espera

Acquisitive: materialista

Again and time/again

Agree ON

Allaying your fears

alliances

An armchair traveller

Another string for a bow: segunda baza

arguably: podría decirse…

Arm in arm: cogidos del brazo

As right as rain

As though: as if (you behave as though you were…)

At odds with: en desacuerdo con

At one time: en un momento del pasado

At the expenses of: a costa de

Philosophical: sereno

At the expenses of: a costa de

Philosophical: sereno

At the turn of the century: a finales de siglo

Bad omen: mal augurio

Be coming along: make good progress

Be in the lap of luxury: nadar en la abundancia

Be in the right

Bearing: comportamiento, modos /// Demeanour: conducta, comportamiento

BenefiCial (no benefitial)

MISfortune (no UNfortune)

Bliss: felicidad, gozo, dicha

Blue chips: acciones solventes

Bottle up emotions: reprimir las emociones

Bowl over: dejar atónito

Break out in a cold sweat: comenzar a tener sudores fríos (miedo de repente)

Burn the midnight oil: trabajar hasta las tantas de la noche

Burn your bridges: acabar con las relaciones de algo (dejar atrás y no volver)

Burn a hole in your pocket: dinero quemando en el bolsillo (gastarlo cuanto antes)

By no means: de ninguna manera

By rights

By Word of mouth: de palabra

Carve: trinchar carne

Cautionary: cautelar

Change clothes

Change hands (cambiar de dueño)

Carry away: dejarse llevar

Change places with sb

Change ways

Change your mind

Changes subject (no topic)

Chocke back: contener las lágrimas

Clutch at straws: aferrarse a cualquier esperanza

Cold, hard cash: dinero contante y sonante

Come around: agree to an idea

Come in for something: ser criticado por algo que has hecho.

Come off: resultar (be successful)

Come out in sympathy with sb: stop working to show support for other workers on strike

Come over: expresar claramente

Come to light: salir a la luz

Come to terms: llegar a un acuerdo

Come up against: tropezar con, vérselas con (situación difícil)

Concerted action: acción conjunta

Congratulate ON

Converge: reunirse, juntarse

Converge: reunirse, juntarse

Crucial to the success: crucial PARA el éxito

Crude sense of humour.

Cut across: rebasar (lo establecido), atajar (camino)

Cut back in = cut down = hacer recortes

Cut back in = cut down = hacer recortes

Cut corners: ahorrar

Cut down to size: bajar lo humos

Cut down: reducir, cortar

Cut down: talar

Cut in: interrumpir conversación

Cut off without a penny: desheredar a alguien

Cut off without a penny: desheredar a alguien

Cut off: cortar (circulación, sangre)

Cut out: recortar

Cut out: recortar, cortarse (electricidad)

Cut short: suspender

Cut their teeth: ir entrando en materia

Cut through red tape: limitar la burocracia

Cut through: acortar (paseo más corto)

Cut up into: cortar en (trozos)

Decidedly

Deem (view as): considerar, juzgar, estimar

Dejection: abatimiento

Dejection: abatimiento

Discerning

Disclose: revelar, divulgar

Disquiet: inquietud, desasosiego

Dissatisfied: insatisfecho

Dog-eat-dog: muy competitivo

Don’t know which way to turn: no saber qué hacer

Don’t know which way to turn: no saber qué hacer

Down and out: no tener donde caerse muerto

Dread: pavor

Eat humble pie: tragarse el orgullo y pedir perdón

Elbow sb aside: empujar a alguien

foot the bill: pay for something:

Exploded with rage

Faced the music

Fame and fortune

Far cry from: a años luz de; nada que ver

Fatuous remark:

Fend off the problema: esquivar el problema

Festoon with: adornado con

Fetch: ir a buscar

Few, if any…

Fiddling while Rome burns

Final nail in the coffin: el último clavo en el ataúd

Find something amiss: encontrar algo inadecuado

First and foremost: antes que nada, ante todo, primeramente

For a song: por cuatro perras

For a song: por cuatro perras

Fork out: apoquinar

Frequent traveller

Funny feeling: sensación extraña

Get (sth) off: enviar algo (paquete). Informal.

Give off: emanar, desprender

Get across: expresar, hacer entender

Get around: se corre la voz de algo

Get by on a shoestring Budget: presupuesto muy ajustado

culture vulture: cultureta

Get cold feet: echarse atrás en el último momento (tipo en el altar)

Get eff on your face: avergonzarse

Get in: conseguir meter baza (hablar), conseguir hacer algo aunque no tengas mucho tiempo,

ir a comprar algo

Get into gear: ponerse en marcha

Get my goat: poner de los nervios

Get nowhere fast: no llegar a ningún lado

Get off the beaten track: apartados del mundanal ruido

Get sb down: make someone feel unhappy

Get your fingers burnt

Give and take

Give the cold shoulder: dar la espalda

Glaring error/fault

Go according to plan: salir como estaba planeado

Go down the tubes: irse al traste

Go down with: pillar (enfermedad)

Go in for: soler gustar

Go off: estropearse

Go over: analizar

Golden hello: prima de bienvenida

Got to grips with: enfrentarse con algo

Grasp the nettle on: coger el toro por los cuernos

Green shots: brotes verdes

Hard-pushed to: ser difícil algo (me será difícil hacer la maleta tan rápido)

Haunted by guilt

Have a nice turn of phrase: tener una forma agradable de decir las cosas

Have a nice turn of phrase: tener una forma agradable de decir las cosas

Have bigger fish to fry: tener cosas más importantes que hacer

Have money to burn

In all likelihood…

In any event: in any case

In due course: a su debido tiempo

hefty: pesado

In due course: a su debido tiempo

hefty: pesado

In no uncertain terms: sin rodeos, directamente

In the hot seat: en la picota, en el punto de mira

In tune with: en armonía con

In tune with: en armonía con

Incomparable

Inconclusive

Independent traveller

INexcusable

Inexhaustible

Insist ON

Intrepid

Inveterate: habitual

It was a rough ride: fue un viaje bastante incómodo

It’s (high/about) time she DID her homework

It’s a foregone conclusión: es previsible que

It’s a foregone conclusión: es previsible que

It’s doubtful that…

It’s nowhere near as (good, much): dista mucho de ser tan (…)

Keep up the pretence: mantener la mentira

Kinship: parentesco, familia

Laid-back: a la bartola

Lay rules down: establecer normas

Leave high and dry: dejar tirado

Life and soul of the party: el alma de la fiesta

Live by your wits: vivir del cuento

Live down: superar la vergüenza

Live it up: disfrutar de la vida

Live on: perdurar

Live through: resistir, soportar

Loathing: odio, aversión, asco

Loathsome: asqueroso

Lofty: noble, idealista

Lore: sabiduría tradicional, popular

Lose grip of: perder fuerza, agarre.

Lose track of: perder la pista de algo o alguien, perder la noción de.

Maelstrome: voágine, torbellino

Magnum opus: obra maestra

Make inroads into sth: irrumpir

Make off with: robar, escaparse con algo

Make up for: compensar

Many’s the time you have… (there have been many times that…)

No leanings towards: inclinación

Not least: en particular

Not to turn a hair: no inmutarse

Omen: presagio

On an equal footing: en pie de igualdad

On the verge of: a punto de, al borde de

opinionated: terco

willfully: a propósito

arguably: podría decirse…

Other than: aparte de, además de

Outcome: resultado

Outnumber: superar en número (verbo)

Outset: comienzo, inicio

People aside

Play right into: dar ventaja

Powerless: incapaz, inepto, impotente…

Progress up the rungs: subir en la escalera profesional

Pull a fast one: jugar una mala pasada

Pull the other one!: ¡Venga ya!

Pull the strings: mover los hilos (control)

Pull your socks up: esforzarse, poner empeño

Pull your weight: hacer tu parte, lo que te corresponde

Put in jeopardy/put at risk: poner en peligro

Put forward: postularse

Put on a brave face: mantener la cabeza alta

Put paid to sth: marcar un objetivo como completado

Qualp: escrúpulo, recelo

Qualp: escrúpulo, recelo

Red ink: balance negativo

Relieve the tedium

Rely thoroghly on:

Revulsion: asco, repugnancia, repulsión

Right on time

Right under his nose

Roadworthy: coche en condiciones (ha pasado la itv)

Blurt out: soltar, largar, desembuchar (decir algo de repente)

Rough it: vivir sin lujos

Run a tight ship: ser muy eficiente

Run counter to: estar en contra de algo / ser opuesto a

Run rings around: dar mil vueltas a alguien

Run the risk of: correr el riesgo de

Scholarly: erudito, entendido

Seasoned traveller

Second sight: clarividencia

See eye to eye: agree about sth /with sb

Self-contained: independiente

Sell like hot cakes: se venden como rosquillas

Seriously underfunded: carecer de financiación

Set a dangerous precedent: sentar un precedente peligroso

Set in stone: inamovible, definitivo, escrito a fuego

Set off: salir

Set out your stall: exponer lo que se ofrece

Set sights on sth: poner las miras en

Set the record straight: dejar las cosas claras

Set the scene: sentar las bases

Set the wheels in motion: poner las cosas en marcha

Set the world on fire: comerse el mundo

Set your heart on: querer a toda costa X

Set your sights on: echarle el ojo a

Set your teeth on edge: dar dentera/grima

Setback: contratiempo

Settle the score: ocuparse de un asunto pendiente

Shoot down accusations

shoot your bolt: quemar los últimos cartuchos (energía)

Shorten: (long, time, text): acortar

Shoulder a burden: soportar una carga

Sink or swim: lograrlo o fracasar

Slither: reptar

Small hours: altas horas de la madrugada

Sneaking suspicion: ligera sospecha

SO AS TO: IN ORDER TO

Soak up the atmosphere: empaparse del ambiente

Someone of note: famous

Spill the beans: descubrir el pastel

Splash out: tirar la casa por la ventana

Spring up: rebelarse, alzarse

Squelch: chapotear

Staggering: impactante, asombroso

Stand out: destacar

Stepping in for someone: reemplazar a alguien

Stomach/face the idea

Strange as it MAY seem

Streak: vena

Strike a chord with: marcar (inolvidable)

Strike it lucky: tener suerte

Strike the right note: calar hondo

Submissively: sumisamente

Sure sign: clara señal

Sweeten the pill: endulzar la píldora

Take a stand: posicionarse

Take a turn for the better: start to improve

Take exception to: oponerse a algo

Take issue with: discrepar de/mostrarse en desacuerdo con

Take notice: prestar atención

Take on: contratar

Take one’s place: ocupar el lugar de uno

Take pride IN: estar orgulloso de

Take retirement: jubilarse

Take retirement: jubilarse

Take something a pinch of salt: no creerse a pies juntillas, coger con pinzas

Take the view: opinar, considerar

Tell off: echar la bronca

The chance are that…

The rain trickles… la lluvia cae (slow movement of water)

There’s a slim/faint chance that

There’s a slim/faint chance that

There’s every likelihood

Through thick and thin: en la salud y en la enfermedad

Time and again / time after time: una y otra vez

To a large extent: en gran medida

To all intents and purposes

To be dead set on something/ing: decidido a > I’m dead set on going to Univ.

To be in awe of: fearful and respefctful of sb or sth

To be in hot water: tener el agua hasta el cuello

To be nose to tail: pegados (tráfico)

To be ON cloud nine

To be suspected OF something

To call a spade a spade: llamar a las cosas por su nombre

To feel the pinch: (empezar a) pasar apuros

To gith tooth and nail: luchar con uñas y dientes

To have a heart to heart: conversación íntima

To live from hand to mouth: vivir precariamente

To set foot on: poner el pie en

To shoulder: cargar, asumir

To take it in turns: turnarse

Toe the line: acatar las normas

Toss and torn: dar vueltas en la cama

Touch and go: situación crítica

Touch-and-go situation: situación crítica

Try my hand at (writing): probar suerte en algo

Twist the knife: hurgar en la herida

Ubiquituous setback: ubicuo

Undertake: empezar

Unobstrusive: discreto

Unsatisfactory

Unwary: incauto

Unwieldly: difícil de manejar

Up for grabs: disponible

Vent your frustration with me

Watch your step: tener más cuidado

Weak link in the chain: punto débil, talón de Aquiles.

Weary

Well and truly: completamente

Well into the 1980s… (far into…)

White godos: electrodomésticos

White knight: caballero blanco (economía)

willfully: a propósito

With that being said…

Within hours: en cuestión de horas

ESTRUCTURASWere she my daughter… > IF SHE WERE my daughter

Should you change your mind > IF YOU SHOULD CHANGE your mind…

Had I realised > IF I had realised…

- SHOULD:

In case your mother should stay > Equivalente británico al subjuntivo americano.

In case we should happen/happened to find to find a pool > Por si nos encontrábamos una psicina

- Have no expectatioN that…

- Después de “if”, se suele poner más WERE que WAS: If my mother were here…

- Mid-position adverbs: cuando el verbo está formado por dos auxiliares, va detrás del

primero: She would NEVER have been promoted if she hadn’t…You have definitely been…

- To be about to + infinitve

To be on the brink of + noun: The government is on the brink of collapse.To be on the point/verge of gerund/noun: She was on the verge of bursting into tearsto be likely/unlikely to + infinitive: She is likely to pass the exam.

INVERSIÓN

Never before have I felt as contented as I do now

Only once in my life have I regretted taking a trip.

Scarcely had the clock struck midnight WHEN the lights went out

No sooner had I put my raincoat on THAN sun came out again

Hardly had I sat down before someone else hammered on the door

Not until last month did I feel in control of my workload

Seldom do any birds visit the garden, due to the number of cats around

Rarely will there be any opportunity for proper discussion

Had it not been for the fact that my cousil was coming to the party, I would have stayed at home