LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

I often hear "We don't say that in English" and, in Spanish, "Eso no se dice en español" from the lips of native speakers who, as I have often said, are a language's worst enemies. I have also often paraphrased Ortega's idea that the horizon of our language is not the horizon of language itself. There is always more beyond the limits of our own linguistic knowledge. The average native speaker is convinced that if he or she has never heard a word or turn of phrase, it simply does not exist. Take the idiom to the manner born , for example. It may be rendered in Spanish as venir de buena cuna , ser de buena cuna , or ser de alcurnia . Here is a recent example: "Ian Fleming was to the manner born. His grandfather was one of the wealthiest merchant bankers..." ( Los Angeles Times , April 4, 2024). And, just in case a native English speaker still has doubts about its genuineness, here is another citation: "Geoff Cowan was, in many respects, to...

  Ir a por todas Go for broke, go the whole hog, pull out all the stops, do or die, jump in feet first, play for keeps, double down Decidimos ir a por todas y compramos la casa más grande We decided to go the whole hog and buy the big house — “Entonces, Miguel Angel salió a por todas mientras que Luis estaba clasificado para la final.” El Correo Digital (Álava) - 23 Dic 2003. Esp. || “Tienes que ser humilde, pero saber ir a por todas.” Tiempo, 22/10/1990. Esp. || “… un torrente de entusiasmo y convicción de que había que ir a por todas…” Gonzalo López, El relevo , 2002. Esp.

  Some words, expressions, and idioms, seem to shadow us and be everywhere. Of late, "my word is my bond" dangles in front of me constantly. I hear it in films, TV programs, and conversations, and even I read it in print.  Of course, it's just sheer chance I encounter the expression so often. Random linguistic encounters happen all the time but it is a coincidence that the present Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has sent politics and ethics topsy-turvy, down the drain, by declaring that he does not lie or go back on his word... he simply changes his mind. "Mi palabra es sagrada" would be a good Spanish equivalent, although not for Mr. Sánchez, because "my word is my bond" is a meaningless phrase no longer in use and which, as far as he is concerned, has no credibility. He has upended the basic foundations of society. La palabra ya no es sagrada and my word is no longer my bond. Time to reread George Orwell and  1984. 

  Our external appearance often conceals our inner woes because we do not wish to share our troubles with others because of respect. We keep our woes to ourselves or spare people our inner drama. Spanish has a very descriptive idiom for that feeling: "La procesión va por dentro." Religious processions or parades are stern, gloomy, and sad, after all, they normally occur during Holy Week. "I may look good and happy but... I am keeping my troubles to myself and not sharing them." "Puede que tenga buen aspecto y parezca feliz, pero la procesión va por dentro." Below is my entry PROCESIÓN in my Phraseological Dictionary: Ir la procesión por dentro Spare people one’s inner drama (troubles), keep one’s woes to oneself, grin and bear it, take it in stride, take it on the chin Pongo a mal tiempo buena cara, pero la procesión va por dentro I put a good face on a bad business but I spare people my inner drama — “Parece ser muy controlada, cuando dice que es ...

  Se habla de a mutual admiration society cuando dos se alaban y se echan flores, y se emplea de manera sarcástica. “A mutual admiration society, eh?” says Ruth Rendell about two people who compliment each other, in her book The best man to die. ” (London: Arrow Books Ltd, 1981). La expresión la hizo popular la obra de Broadway Happy Hunting (1956) y la letra decía:  We belong to a Mutual Admiration Society My baby and me We belong to a Mutual Admiration Society   I think he’s handsome and he’s smart I think that she’s a work of art I say that he’s the greatest man And likewise I’m her biggest fan I say her kisses are like wine ............................................. Cosas curiosas del idioma que todo nativo sabe o debiera saber.

English has invented the humorous expression enough to choke a horse to express the idea of an excessive quantity.  Spanish has para parar un tren to express the idea that the amount is so excessive that it could stop a train in its tracks: tiene dinero para parar un tren . Enough and to spare , enough to sink a ship, plenty and then more  are English variations. Para dar y tomar , para dar, vender y regalar are Spanish alternatives. Enough to choke a horse Para parar un tren I have a lot of work, enough to choke a horse Tengo mucho trabajo, para parar un tren — “Here’s a fine idea, much better than killing you, he said with venom enough to  choke a horse . ” Ian Irvine, A Shadow on  he Glass , 2009. US.  Para parar un tren (carro) Enough to choke a horse (to sink a ship), plenty and then more Tengo trabajo para parar un tren I have enough work to choke a horse — “Hay pruebas como para parar un tren.” Víctor Chamorro, El muerto resucitado , 1984. Esp. ...

  Today, I feel as if I am dying on my feet. I went for a morning stroll and saw what a rotten day it was. This neighborhood is the pits, really. And it all boils down to the Spanish "asco": Morirse de asco Dying on its feet El espéctáculo se muere de asco The show is dying on its feet — “… a costa de que otros sigan muertos de asco.” Tiempo, 11/06/1990. Esp. Qué asco de… What a rotten… Qué asco de vida What a rotten life — “¿Cómo es que se llama? Qué asco de memoria tengo.” Humberto Moreno-Durán, El toque de Diana , 1981. Colom. Ser algo un asco Be the pits Trabajar nueve horas al día es un asco Working nine hours a day is the pits — “La vejez es un asco. Los viejos se vuelven unos cobardes.” Proceso, 19/01/1997. Méx.

  Clip someone’s wings Cortarle las alas a uno We must clip David’s wings so that he stops acting up Tenemos que cortarle las alas a David para que deje de portarse mal — “... just clipped his wings a little, that’s all.” A. Gay, The Brooch of Azure Midnight , 1993. UK. Give wings to Dar alas a His father gave him wings and now David is I jail Su padre le dio alas y ahora David está en la cárcel — “Make me a bird too, Daddy, let me give wings to your heart.” The Kenyon Review, vol. 18, 1996. US. On a wing and a prayer A ver qué pasa, a ver si cuela, esperando lo mejor I have handed the teacher my poor paper on a wing and a prayer He dado mi redacción mal hecha al profesor a ver qué pasa — “… held together by hope and launched on a wing and a prayer.” The Times, Nov., 22, 2023. UK. Take someone under one’s wing Proteger, tomar bajo la protección de uno I’ll take him under my wing, don’t worry Yo le protegeré, no te preocupes — “Raul revealed how English-...

  As the ambitious young entrepreneur embarked on his latest venture, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. The enormity of the project's implications, both for his career and the industry at large, gave him pause. In this time of great pith and moment , he realized the need to kick over the traces of conventional thinking and embrace innovation wholeheartedly. Despite the challenges that lay ahead, he was determined to make a mark that would fall into place in the annals of business history. Mores the pity that many doubted his unconventional approach, but he remained steadfast in his belief that success would eventually come to those who dared to break free from the established norms.

  Make (a) noise Hacer (meter) ruido, armar barullo Don´t make a noise! They are all sleeping ¡No hagas ruido! Están todos durmiendo — “… made a noise like the beating of a tin board with sticks.” Louis Hughes, Thirty Years a Slave , 2004. US. Make a noise in the world Tener éxito en la vida, ser alguien en la vida I´m sure your son is going to make a noise in the world Estoy seguro de que tu hijo va a ser alguien en la vida — “ That busy animal that makes such a stir and such a noise in the world…” “Matthew Henry et al., The NIV Matthew Henry… , 1992. US.

Of late I´ve gotten into the habit of lulling myself to sleep by listening to CBS Mystery Theater Radio programs of the 60s and 70s on YouTube, hosted by the late actor E. G. Marshall (1914-1998). The acting is top-notch and more often than not, the plots are clever and well-thought-out, and I say this in spite of the fact that I don´t go for this kind of literature.  When I am drowsing off, some expressions and turns of phrase bring me back from my slumbers and I quickly jot them down for morning perusal. May I add that I seldom get to the mystery's denouement because halfway I fall into a deep sleep? Last night a woman character cracked a bottle of champagne and said to her partner: " Here´s looking at you! " I sprang up and jotted the expression down in my notebook, thinking the meaning was "here´s mud in your eye", and that´s probably what the scriptwriter had in mind. But this morning I rolled up my sleeves and did serious research, and to my astonishment...

All those who are green with envy about other people´s success, riches, accomplishments, make up phrases like " nacer con un pan bajo el brazo ." The expression denotes that the person in question did not make an effort to have whatever he has, but that it was by birth, by sheer luck. The English, who are also envious, say: " he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth ." "Pan" and "silver spoon" mean that she was born lucky, "nació de pie," feet first. "Se dice tradicionalmente que los niños traen su pan bajo el brazo." (Armando Carranza, Comprender los sueños de los niños, 1903.) "I wasn´t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, she says." (Racked.com, Jan., 26, 2016. US)      

I am updating, and improving my 1995 A Phraseological Dictionary , English and Spanish. The tools I have now greatly help my efforts: Online dictionaries, databases, Google Translate, DeepL, and others, but, alas, fraught with serious shortcomings. The labors of a bilingual lexicographer are manyfold, and they must be on the lookout for translations and equivalencies that pop up anywhere, anytime. My Instagram colleague "adventuresafter70" was telling us about a trip to London and, at the end, she mentions that the streets in London are not paved with gold. It suddenly reminded me of "no atar los perros con longanizas." We may know both expressions, but the trick is to bring them together. The brain, after all, is not a computer hard disk.  "Atar los perros con longanizas": Información exagerada acerca de la riqueza que disfruta un lugar. "The streets are paved with gold": said about a place where it is easy to get rich, where people think r...

Se tiende a emplear frases en vez de palabras. Ignoro el porqué, pero sería interesante estudiar este fenómeno. Como ejemplo daré "de toda la vida", que tiene cuatro palabras, por "siempre" o "de siempre". "Mi abuela hace el caldo de toda la vida". Mi abuela hace el caldo "de siempre", el caldo que conocemos, el caldo al que estamos acostumbrados. "Le dice a su novia las mentiras de toda la vida". Le dice las mentiras de siempre, las que se dicen a las novias. "Mis padres son republicanos de toda la vida". Son republicanos de siempre, o casi de siempre, desde mucho. "Esta es la gramática inglesa de toda la vida". Esta es la gramática añeja que siempre se ha estudiado. Esta fraseología demuestra la imprecisión del lenguaje, su vaguedad que gusta de la hipérbole.

Using two words when one will do, or employing a long phrase when one word will sufice, is peculiar to all languages. And H.W. Fowler called "siamese twins" those words which linked in pairs by "and" and "or" convey one single meaning. For example: --heart and soul (the essence) --leaps and bounds (rapidly, fast) --lo and behold (exclamation of surprise) --fair and square (honestly, fairly) --odds and ends (miscellaneous articles) --spic and span (very clean) --part and parcel (essential part, the whole thing) and Fowler tells us we should be on our guard when writing. In Spanish we have --a trancas y barrancas, terminaron la casa a trancas y barrancas --ir y venir, el ir y venir de la gente me daba dolor de cabeza --dar y regalar, tiene libros para dar y regalar --alto y claro, se lo repetí alto y claro --muerto y enterrado, el asesino ya está muerto y enterrado

In general -there are exceptions- people are reluctant to compliment others. They are eager to see the mote in their brother's eye rather than the beam in their own eye (Luke, 6:37). But this is not the way to make friends and influence people. Everybody loves to be liked, appreciated, patted on the back, complimented... So, please, be generous with your compliments. That's a nice tie you are wearing. Women seldom say this. They'd rather say the contrary: I don't like the the tie you are wearing . Grave mistake. What a beautiful accent you have! You can say this whether the person has an Alamaba droll, a Cockney slur, or speaks New Yorkese, or even if she stutters. We all think that our accent is the best and are proud of it. Varieties with which you can never go wrong: Your English is so very good! You sound like an authentic Oxford don! Your English is like music to my ears! You have a great sense of humor. We all think we are witty and funny and love to...

Hablamos con frases , phrases , he dicho en otra parte. Las frases inglesas , English phrases , como las españolas, casi siempre no tienen sentido si las tomamos al pie de la letra. Así, I would not do that for all the tea in China, y en castellano ni por todo el oro del mundo haría yo una cosa así. Claro que yo no tengo pelos en la lengua and I usually tell it like it is . Hago las cosas contra viento y marea , through thick and thin . I hope nobody gets wind of my intentions , se huela mis intenciones . Sin embargo a veces las frases se parecen mucho, como Tocar madera – to touch wood The whys and wherefores – el cómo y el porqué Weather permiting – si el tiempo lo permite To pour cold water on – echar un jarro de agua fría A la vuelta de la esquina – around the corner Otras las frases hechas no se parecen en nada: No tener ni voz ni voto – not to have a say in it Volver en sí – to come to Hacer uno su santa volutad – to get away with murder Mi ...

El verbo to cast, cast, cast, lanzar, arrojar, echar, depositar, desechar, descartar, se emplea menos que to throw y principalmente en expresiones como: To cast the dice , echar los dados To cast an eye over , echar una ojeada To cast lots , echar a suertes To cast doubt on something , arrojar duda sobre To cast aside , hacer a un lado To cast light on something , arrojar luz sobre algo To cast a net , echar la red To cast a vote , depositar un voto To cast a shadow over , arrojar sombra sobre To cast a spell , echar una maldición, encantamiento To cast a glance , echar una mirada To cast the evil eye , echar el mal de ojo To cast problems from one's mind - desechar problemas de la mente  No confundir con caste , casta, que tiene igual pronunciación.