This month I’ve chosen some expressions
and idioms with animal references…
Con la cola entre las
patas:
Es la típica forma de huir que tienen la
mayoría de los perros, manteniendo el rabo metido entre las patas traseras. Se aplica a la persona que
abandona un lugar totalmente humillado.
There’s exactly the same expression in
English, with the same meaning: With one’s tail between one’s legs.
After claiming that she could speak
Russian fluently, she walked away with her tail between her legs when she didn’t understand the Russian tourists.
Cuando el gato no está, los
ratones se divierten:
Habla de la necesidad de estar siempre
atento y vigilando a quienes deben cumplir una tarea, porque cuando uno tiene obligaciones, es responsable de que se cumplan.
Again, in English it would seem that the
meaning is more or less the same, although we use it more to express our awareness (and acceptance) that if a boss/parent isn’t present, the workers/children won’t be doing what they should.
When the cat’s away, the mice will play is often used in response to someone’s surprise at the result of them being away – as if to remind the person complaining that it’s common
knowledge that people don’t work unless they feel an external obligation. It’s one of the most typical expressions to only use the first half of, as we know that the other person will understand the
rest.
“I can’t believe that the kids made
such a mess!”
“When the cat’s
away...”
Cuando las ranas críen
pelos:
O sea, nunca. Poca es la posibilidad de que, naturalmente, a las ranas les crezca el vello sobre su piel, por eso, la frase se usa para expresar
la escasa (o ninguna) posibilidad de que algo suceda.
I wish this expression existed in
English, but ‘when frogs grow hair’ doesn’t...yet...
To transmit the same level of
impossibility we would use: When hell freezes over.
“Do you think we’ll get a raise in
our salaries?”
“When hell freezes
over.”
Cortar el
bacalao:
Ser el que manda en una sociedad o
cualquier grupo de personas. El bacalao fue, durante mucho tiempo, un elemento básico en la alimentación
de los pobres, por eso, la misión de cortarlo era reservada a los jefes de familia.
In English this fishy reference about
the person who has the power in a situation or group changes to a cheesy one. We would say someone is: The big cheese. In the 19th Century ‘cheese’ was used to praise
something – it didn’t matter if it was big or small! Strangely enough, nowadays if we describe something as ‘cheesy’ it means that it’s clichéd or artificial.
If you need to get a quick answer,
talk to John – he’s the big cheese around here.
Cuando (o donde) menos se
piensa salta la liebre:
Para cazar liebres, el perro avanza
sigilosamente por el campo hasta que, en determinado momento, la presa salta y comienza su huida para evitar ser abatida por el disparo del arma del hombre. Para ello, hay que estar preparado, esperando ese momento. En la vida, sucede lo mismo: debemos estar listos para enfrentar momentos
cruciales.
This is one of those expressions that
have absolutely no equivalent in English, we’d say: You never know (what might happen), with the last part often omitted.
According to the book: A Dictionary
of English and Romance Languages Equivalent Proverbs by Teodor Flonta it is: The hare starts when a man least expects it. But I can honestly say that I have never heard the
expression in my life.
“What’s the point in going to the
interview? There are 600 other applicants.”
“You never
know…”