Idioms

Recently on Highways & Byways…

From the BUSINESS section: IDIOMS

By Drew Crosby

Idiom: a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand how important idioms are when communicating in Spanish, and the same goes for English.

That’s why on most programs I teach a few idioms from the world of business, but you can also use them in any situation.

Here are a few that I’ve recently discussed:

- To be / feel like a fish out of water (Sentirse como un pulpo en un garage)

This is when you feel uncomfortable with your surroundings, or you’re very different from the people around you.

All the other guests at the party came from upper-class families and attended prestigious universities, and he was starting to feel like a fish out of water.

- It’s all Greek to me (Me suena a chino)

This is what you say when you can’t understand something you’ve heard or something you’ve read.

My computer crashed, so I called the IT department. Joe, the department supervisor, started explaining how to fix the problem, but I didn’t understand anything. It was all Greek to me.

- To get the hang of something (Cogerle el tranquillo a algo)

This expresses the idea of learning how to do something after practicing it.

Having used alpine skis my entire life, it took me a couple of days to get the hang of my new parabolic skis.