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-Webster´s 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 the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the Cross. Ser escéptico.

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

http://www.idiomsite.com/

*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 éxito. 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 más fácil 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 útil. 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 café/una tasa de café.

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

• Possibly a shortening of "cup of jamoke", from Java + Mocha: this origin was given in a military officer's manual from 1931, around when the term first appeared.

• Alternatively, perhaps a use of joe (“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 early silent films. Films, particularly comedies, 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 König 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 Funktionsprüfstand (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/

*Can´t/Doesn´t 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 or Mustardeer would 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 brother´s 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!