LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

When a situation gets out of control or goes too far for its own good, we say it is beyond a joke: "Oh, come on, Easter, this is beyond a joke!" (TV Movie, Queen, 1993.)  "Ah, venga, Easter, esto se pasa de castaño oscuro."  Be beyond a joke Pasarse de castaño oscuro The way you treat your parents is beyond a joke La manera que tratas a tus padres se pasa de castaño oscuro — “In Suffolk, the number of potholes is now beyond a joke.” East Anglian Daily Times, 6 January, 2024. UK. || “Everybody has just got really humorous about it now because it’s beyond a joke. It’s absolutely horrendous.” Mirror, 20 February, 2024. UK.

  Asomar la jeta Show up, make the scene, show one's face David y su mujer asomaron la jeta a las seis de la tarde David and his wife showed up at six in the evening — “… el aburrimiento empezó a asomar la jeta.” El País, 26/07/1997. Esp. Por la jeta (cara, patilla, morro) Scot-free, for nothing, gratis, for free Han venido a la fiesta por la jeta, sin pagar nada They’ve come to the party for free, without paying anything — “… sacudirse los moscones que le piden entradas por la jeta.” El Mundo, 12/05/1999. Esp. Tener la jeta (cara, morro, desfachatez) Have the cheek (nerve) Tuvo la jeta de decirme que siempre llego tarde He had the cheek to tell me I am always late — “… además de tener la jeta de llamarse periodistas…” El Mundo, 10/11/2004. Esp.

  “Respecto al comunismo puro autoritario fui hostil a él por temperamento y por ideas. Pensar que un hombre o un grupo de hombres pueden saber lo que le conviene al mundo entero me parece una prueba de petulancia y de osadía verdaderamente repulsiva.” Pío Baroja, “La formación psicológica de un escritor.” Cruz y Raya, 12/5/1935.

 Del Acertijero antológico español , de Garter y Fernández, entresaco estas definiciones jocosas que, bien mirado, tienen mucha enjundia: Pezón : un pez grandullón. Orejas : asas de la cabeza. Moroso : señor que defiende a los moros. León : persona que no para de leer. Monólogo : mono que habla solo. Cartón : carta enorme. Cartera : mujer del cartero. Universo : poema muy breve. Limón : lima muy grande.

 Compiling a comprehensive bilingual dictionary is never a simple undertaking, but when the focus is on phraseology, the task becomes particularly demanding. Phraseology includes idioms, collocations, locutions, proverbs, sayings, set phrases, clichés, similes, exclamations, puns, and countless other fixed or semi-fixed expressions that give a language its distinctive character. In many respects, phraseology constitutes what might be called la entraña viva, la esencia comunicadora de una lengua ,   the living core, the communicative essence of a language. Native speakers do not communicate by stringing together isolated dictionary words alone; they rely on habitual combinations, inherited turns of phrase, and culturally shared expressions that carry shades of meaning impossible to capture through literal translation. For that reason, a bilingual phraseological dictionary cannot limit itself to offering simple lexical equivalents. Such a work must go further. It should provid...

Human beings seem naturally inclined to dodge responsibility and skirt the blame. When things go wrong, there is always something in the way: circumstances, family obligations, bad luck, society, health, destiny — you name it. Rarely are we simply at fault. Languages, of course, reflect this very human tendency. Both English and Spanish abound in idioms suggesting burdens, impediments, or invisible chains that prevent us from acting freely or successfully. We are not responsible, the expressions imply; we are weighed down by forces beyond our control. Take the English idiom an albatross around one’s neck , made famous by Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner . The albatross symbolizes a heavy psychological or moral burden from which one cannot easily escape. Spanish offers several close equivalents: llevar una cruz a cuestas , llevar una pesada carga , or even tener la soga al cuello . “I wasn’t ready to wear my failure like an albatross around my neck.” -Haggai Carmon , The ...