Idioms with Numbers
Posted on 23. Dec, 2008 by Adir in Spanish Culture, Spanish Vocabulary
There are several idioms formed with numbers. Check them out!
Cero
ser un cero a la izquierda – to be useless
Uno
una y no más, Santo Tomás – once is enough
Dos
cada dos por tres – very frequently
estar entre dos fuegos – to be caught in the crossfire
estar entre dos aguas – to sit on the fence
estar a dos velas – to be without something (money, sex)
como dos y dos son cuatro – as sure as eggs is eggs
Tres
dar tres cuartos al pregonero – to let a secret out
buscar tres pies al gato – to make things more complicated than they are
donde Cristo dio las tres voces – in a very distant, solitary place
A la tercera va la vencida – third time lucky
Ni a la de tres – Nothing doing!
no ver tres en un burro – to see nothing (because it is so dark)
Cuatro
echar un cuarto a espadas – to intervene, give an opinion
estar a la cuarta pregunta – to be pennyless
Estaban/había cuatro gatos. – There were very few people ther
Cinco
Choca esos cinco – Give me five!
Siete
hacerse un siete en la ropa – to have a tear your clothes
estar en el séptimo cielo – to be in seventh heaven
andar/recorrer las siete partidas – to keep going over (an idea)
tener siete vidas – to have nine lives
pícaro de siete suelas – helluva rascal
Diez
hacer las diez de últimas - to end up with nothing
Once
meterse en camisa de once varas – to poke your nose in (where it is not your concern)
trece
mantenerse en sus trece – to stick to your guns
martes y trece – Tuesday the thirteenth (considered an unlucky day, like Friday the thirteenth in the English-speaking world)
Cuarenta
cantarle las cuarenta – to give someone a piece of your mind
Cien
poner a uno a cien – to (cause to) get in a state of high excitement
Dentro de cien años todos calvos. - in the future it won’t matter
Mil, millón
Mil gracias /Un millón de gracias – Many thanks
Vendrá a las mil quinientas. – He’ll come well beyond the agreed time.
Nos vemos prontito!
Great list!
One of my favorites is “estar más solo que la una”.
“Buscarle cinco patas al gato” is another one I’ve seen, meaning “to complicate matters.”