LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

In 1994 Ediciones del Serbal published my Phraseological Dictionary, English-Spanish after signing a five-year contract, which I did not renew because I wanted to rewrite, update, and make it definitive. Four years ago I finally rolled up my sleeves, spit on my hands, and tackled the much-postponed revision. Four years at an average of 5 hours daily have resulted in 30,700 phrases, and idioms, in both languages. The ms is made up of 766,000 words and 1430 screen pages. While looking for a publisher, I am still revising and editing it, and I believe it is the definitive work on bilingual phraseology that trumps all the existing dictionaries. Una y no más, Santo Tomás , estar al pie del cañón , darle cien vueltas a alguien , a ojo de buen cubero or, in English, a horseback opinion , give someone a leg up , be up to scratch , cut to the chase ... are included here, of course. The burning question is: Will I be able to publish it?

Similes or comparisons Más largo que un día sin pan is a Spanish simile where something long is compared to a day without eating which may seem long to a hungry person. Similes compare two things using the words as or like. Similes are found in both languages in speech and in writing: Spanish : Claro como el agua. Hablar como un loro. Comer como una lima. Sordo como una tapia. Oscuro como boca de lobo. Más fresco que una lechuga. Pelearse como el perro y el gato Más contento que unas Pascuas English : As busy as a bee (or beaver.) As happy as a king (or clam or lark.) As brave as a lion. As clear as a bell. Dry as a bone. As sick as a dog. As deaf as a post. As blind as a bat. Fight like cats and dogs. (Los franceses dicen que alguien que habla el francés mal, lo habla como una vaca española: "Parler français comme une vache espagnole."