Clothes idioms podcast Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That's English!, the Spanish Ministry of Education's official distance learning English course. To find out more about That's English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. Kate: Hi Drew! Do you have a minute? Drew: Yeah, sure. What do you need? Kate. Well, I'm working on a collection of idiomatic expressions in English and their possible equivalents or translations in Spanish. Drew: [ironic] That sounds like fun. Kate: Well, it IS! Drew: OK, so how can I be of help? Kate: I'd be really grateful if you could give me a hand and tell me all the idioms you can think of related to clothes. Can you spare me a few minutes? Drew: Indeed I can. How should we start? From top to bottom? Kate: That's a good idea. Let's start with hat. Drew. How about at the drop of a hat? You asked for assistance and here I am, helping you at the drop of a hat. Kate: That's true - you always help me straight away, without hesitating, at the drop of a hat. I'm really grateful. And do you think there's an equivalent in Spanish? Drew: Well, I'm not sure. Maybe we could use "de inmediato " or "en un santiamén." We'll need to check with our Spanish listeners. Kate: That's a good idea. Maybe our listeners could help by sending their suggestions to us on Facebook or Twitter. Drew: Yeah, that would be really great. Another expression that we use in the States is hat in hand, you know, when somebody asks for a favour, usually money, in a humble way. Kate: That's right. In the UK, I think it's more common to say cap in hand, but the idea is the same. We could say: Even though he hadn't spoken to his parents for a couple of years, he finally had to go cap in hand and ask for help with his mortgage. Drew: Yeah, we use it in the same way. And how could we translate this? "Mendigar pasta" sounds a bit too colloquial, don't you think? Kate: Yes, it does. And, I think, the Spanish expression "pasar la gorra" is used more for voluntary contributions, you know, when you pass the hat round for a joint present for a friend, for example. In any case, I think hat or cap in hand really refers to the humble posture so I would use "se presentó con la cabeza gacha." What do you think? Drew: I don't know. Let's see what our listeners suggest. Kate: OK. Can you think of any other expressions with hat? Drew: Well, you can also say to take your hat off to somebody when we admire or respect them. For example, I always take my hat off to any musician who's got the courage to go on stage and play in front of an audience. Kate: Me too. And in Spanish I think you can also say: "quitarse el sombrero" with the same meaning. Can you think of any other expressions with hat? Drew: No, I can't but I can think of a few with shirt and sleeve. You have, for example, the expression to give someone the shirt off one's back, which we use for really kind and generous people who will give you or do anything to help you, even though they may have very little themselves. I remember, for example, that I was trekking in the Himalayas, the Nepali people were incredibly hospitable and always shared whatever food they had with us. They would give us the shirt off their back. Kate: Yes, it's often the case that people who have very little are much more generous than people who are really well-off. Do you know if there's an equivalent expression in Spanish? Drew: I'm not sure, maybe "quitárselo para dártelo" or "dar a manos llenas." But one expression there is a direct equivalent of is to have an ace up one's sleeve. You can say "tener un as bajo la manga" in exactly the same way. Kate: That's right. I'm hoping that my boss will have an ace up her sleeve when the customer asks her why we haven't met the deadline with the translation we should have sent last week. Drew: Sounds like she will need it. You also have the expression off the cuff, meaning to improvise. For example, TV presenters often have to make off-the-cuff remarks on live shows as anything can happen. Kate: Too true. And how would you say that in Spanish? Drew: I think "improvisar sobre la marcha." And another expression with sleeve is to wear one's heart on one's sleeve, you know, when somebody talks about their feelings in an open and sincere way. Kate: That's right, and in Spanish I think we could use "con el corazón en la mano" in the same way. That's great, Drew. What other idioms can you think of with clothes? Drew: How about below the belt ? You know, when somebody is mean and unfair. You see many examples in the presidential campaigns in the States when politicians wash their opponents' dirty linen in public. It's really below the belt. Kate: Very good Drew. You've given me two idioms for the price of one! How would you translate the example you've just given me? Drew: Let me see..."cuando los políticos airean los trapos sucios de sus contrincantes en público es realmente un golpe muy bajo." Kate: OK. Another idiom with belt is to tighten one's belt, you know when you have to reduce how much money you spend. Drew: Oh yeah, I always have to tighten my belt in January, after the Christmas vacation, as I end up spending a lot on presents and partying. And in Spanish you have the equivalent expression: "apretarse el cinturón." Kate: That's right. Then, we have the expression to wear the trousers. Drew: Or wear the pants, as we say in the States, or "llevar los pantalones", as they say in Spanish. Kate: Who wears the trousers in your house, Drew? Drew: Oh my wife definitely does. I always do as I am told. Kate: Hah! Hah! All you men say the same. Another expression we use with pants is to have ants in your pants, to describe someone who is really restless and fidgety. Drew: Yeah, that's a funny one. I use it a lot to describe my nephew 'cause he can never sit still for more than five minutes at a time. Maybe in Spanish you could say "ser un culo inquieto." Kate: And another funny one which I love is to be in one's birthday suit, meaning to be naked. Drew: Oh yeah, I agree. That's a really good one. They could put up signs on nudist beaches saying Access only for people in their birthday suits. Kate: And how would you translate this expression into Spanish? Drew: Well you can say "en cueros", for example, but I think the best equivalent would be "como Dios los trajo al mundo." Kate: That's great Drew. And to finish off, can you think of any idioms with socks or shoes? Drew: Well, if we tell somebody to pull their socks up, we are saying that they have to make more of an effort to improve their work or studies. In my case, for example, I remember at high school my maths teacher was always telling me to pull my socks up. Kate: So you were told to "ponerte las pilas." Drew: That's right...and he was right! I much preferred to read a book... And with shoes, you could include in your collection to step into someone's shoes, which we use when one person replaces another in a post. In family businesses, it used to be common for the eldest son to step into his father's shoes and take charge of the company. Kate: And what would you use in Spanish? Drew: I don't know. Maybe "tomar el relevo" or "ocupar su puesto." Kate: And sometimes once the son is the boss, he gets too big for his boots, that is to say, he becomes arrogant. Drew: Or too big for his britches, as we also say. And in Spanish maybe we could use the expression "subírsele los humos." Kate: Exactly! Well, thank you very much, Drew. You've been really helpful. Drew: My pleasure, Kate. Are you going to treat me to a coffee then in return for my hard work? Kate: Of course. You've earned it. Let's go. Drew: We hope you have found this podcast useful. If you would like to make any suggestions on how to translate the idiomatic expressions that we have talked about, please contact us on Facebook or Twitter. We really look forward to hearing from you. We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!