Compound Forms:
|
back the wrong horse v expr | figurative (be mistaken in judgment) (figurado) | apostar por el caballo perdedor expr |
| | equivocarse⇒ v prnl |
| (coloquial) | pifiarle v prnl |
bark up the wrong tree v expr | figurative, informal (follow a mistaken idea) (coloquial) | mear fuera del tiesto, mear fuera del tarro expr |
| | estar equivocado loc verb |
Note: Often used in continuous tenses. |
| The boss thinks Sharon stole the money but he's barking up the wrong tree--she wasn't even in the office that day. |
be barking up the wrong tree v expr | figurative, informal (be mistaken) (figurado) | apuntar fuera del tiesto expr |
| (AR, figurado) | mear fuera del tarro expr |
do no wrong v expr | (make no mistakes) | no equivocarse loc verb |
| He believed that the Red Sox could do no wrong and they would win the series. |
| | no cometer errores loc verb |
do no wrong v expr | (do nothing improper) | no hacer nada inadecuado loc verb |
| He was convinced that his daughter could do no wrong. |
| Estaba convencido de que su hija no podía hacer nada inadecuado. |
| | no hacer nada impropio loc verb |
| | no hacer nada inapropiado loc verb |
| Estaba convencido de que su hija no podía hacer nada impropio. |
do wrong vtr + n | (commit a crime) (formal) | delinquir⇒ vi |
| | cometer un delito loc verb |
do wrong vtr + n | (commit a sin) | pecar⇒ vi |
| | cometer un pecado loc verb |
do [sb] wrong vtr + n | informal (betray, harm) | ser desleal loc verb |
| Frankie and Johnny were lovers, but he was doing her wrong with Nellie Bly. |
| Frankie y Johnny eran amantes, pero él le era desleal con Nellie Bly. |
| | engañar⇒ vtr |
| Frankie y Johnny eran amantes, pero él la engañaba con Nellie Bly. |
| | traicionar⇒ vtr |
| Frankie y Johnny eran amantes, pero él la traicionaba con Nellie Bly. |
get off on the wrong foot v expr | figurative (have a bad start) | empezar con el pie izquierdo loc verb |
| | empezar con mal pie loc verb |
get out of bed on the wrong side, get up on the wrong side of the bed v expr | figurative, informal (be irritable) | levantarse con el pie izquierdo expr |
| | estar irritable loc verb |
get [sth] wrong vtr + adj | (be mistaken about [sth]) | equivocarse⇒ v prnl |
| If you actually read the instructions, you'll be less likely to get it wrong. |
| Si lees las instrucciones hay menos chances de que te equivoques. |
go down the wrong way v expr | (swallowing: windpipe instead) | irse por mal camino loc verb |
go the wrong way v expr | (move in incorrect direction) | ir en sentido contrario vi + loc adv |
| | ir en la dirección equivocada vi + loc adv |
| (CO, EC, HN; tráfico) | ir en contravía vi + loc adv |
go wrong v expr | (person: fail) | equivocarse⇒ v prnl |
| If you follow the instructions, you can't go wrong. |
| Si sigues las instrucciones, no puedes equivocarte. |
go wrong v expr | (project, attempt, etc: fail) | salir mal loc verb |
| My attempt to apologise to Ruby went wrong when I accidentally trod on her foot. |
| Mi intento de disculparme con Ruby salió mal cuando por accidente le pisé el pie. |
go wrong v expr | (appliance, device: stop working properly) | andar mal vi + adv |
| | funcionar mal vi + adv |
| My computer's gone wrong; the screen is completely blue. |
| Mi computadora anda mal, la pantalla está completamente azul. |
be in the wrong v expr | (mistaken) | estar equivocado loc verb |
| Jack admitted that he had been in the wrong about Arthur and apologized for not trusting him. |
| Jack admitió que había estado equivocado sobre Arthur y se disculpó por no confiar en él. |
be in the wrong v expr | (to blame) | ser culpable loc verb |
| Louise was in the wrong when she took Eric's car without his permission. |
| Louise fue culpable de llevarse el coche de su amigo Eric sin su permiso. |
prove [sb] wrong vtr + adj | (show that [sb] is incorrect) | demostrar lo contrario loc verb |
| | demostrar que no es verdad loc verb |
| My father said I would never be an athlete; I'm determined to prove him wrong. |
| Mi padre dijo que nunca podría ser atleta y estoy determinado a demostrar lo contrario. |
right and wrong npl | (sense of morality) | el bien y el mal expr |
| | lo bueno y lo malo loc nom m |
| We have to know the difference between right and wrong. |
| Debemos conocer la diferencia entre el bien y el mal. |
rub [sb] the wrong way, rub [sb] up the wrong way v expr | figurative, informal (irritate) | hacer enojar a loc verb + prep |
| | molestar a, irritar a, enfadar a vtr + prep |
| | caerle mal a loc verb + prep |
| My colleague's habit of whistling as he works rubs me up the wrong way. |
sense of right and wrong n | (morality) | conciencia de lo bueno y lo malo, conciencia del bien y el mal nf + loc adj |
| At around the age of four, children start to demonstrate a sense of right and wrong. |
| Alrededor de los cuatro años los chicos empiezan a mostrar una conciencia de lo bueno y lo malo. |
| | sentido moral nm + adj |
| Alrededor de los cuatro años los chicos empiezan a mostrar un sentido moral. |
| | sentido del bien y del mal nm + loc adj |
| Alrededor de los cuatro años los chicos empiezan a mostrar un sentido del bien y del mal. |
sing a wrong note v expr | (sing off key) | desafinar⇒ vi |
| (AR, coloquial) | pifiar una nota loc verb |
| | cantar fuera de tono loc verb |
| | calar una nota loc verb |
take [sth] the wrong way v expr | (misunderstand, be upset by: a remark) | malinterpretar algo vtr |
| (ofenderse) | tomarse algo a mal loc verb |
tell right from wrong v expr | (have a sense of morality) | tener conciencia del bien y del mal loc verb |
the wrong way expr | (incorrect position or direction) (hacer algo) | de manera incorrecta, de forma equivocada loc adv |
| (ir, conducir...) | en sentido contrario loc adv |
the wrong way around, also, UK: the wrong way round expr | (positioned, held: incorrectly) | al revés loc adv |
| That's the wrong way around; this bit is meant to go at the front. |
the wrong way around, also, UK: the wrong way round expr | figurative (opposite of what is correct) | al revés loc adv |
| No, you've got it the wrong way round. Susan didn't cheat on Karl; he cheated on her. |
What's wrong? expr | informal (What is the matter?) | ¿Qué pasa? loc interj |
| | ¿Qué tienes? loc interj |
| What's wrong? You look as though you've been crying. |
wrong answer n | (incorrect response) | respuesta incorrecta nf + adj |
| | contestación incorrecta nf + adj |
| | respuesta equivocada nf + adj |
the wrong end of the stick expr | (mistaken idea) | es un malentendido expr |
| I'm not having an affair with your wife! I was just comforting her because she was upset; you've got hold of the wrong end of the stick. |
wrong end to, wrong-end-to adv | US (backwards) | al revés loc adv |
| The flashlight didn't work because he had put in the battery wrong end to. |
| La linterna no funcionaba porque había puesto las pilas al revés. |
wrong impression n | (false idea) | falsa impresión adj + nf |
| I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. |
| Espero no haberte dado una falsa impresión. |
| | impresión equivocada, impresión errónea nf + adj |
| Espero no haberte dado una impresión equivocada (or: impresión errónea). |
wrong move n | informal (error) (figurado) | mala jugada loc nom f |
| | error nm |
| Telling me to follow his advice was definitely a wrong move. |
| I realize now that buying that new car was a wrong move. |
| Decirme que siguiera su consejo fue definitivamente una mala jugada. // Ahora me doy cuenta de que comprar ese auto nuevo fue una mala jugada. |
wrong number n | (telephone: call to wrong person) | número equivocado nm + adj |
wrong number n | ([sb] reached through mistaken call) | número equivocado nm + adj |
wrong side, wrong side of [sth] n | (incorrect side) | lado equivocado de nm + adj + prep |
| | lado incorrecto de nm + adj + prep |
| The old man was driving on the wrong side of the road. |
| El anciano estaba conduciendo por el lado equivocado de la carretera. |
the wrong side of the tracks expr | (poor section of city) | lado equivocado nm + adj |
| | lado malo nm + adj |
wrong time n | (inopportune moment) | mal momento adj + nm |
| The job offer simply came at the wrong time. |
| I get paid on the first of the month, so the end of the month is the wrong time to ask me for a loan. |
| La oferta de trabajo simplemente llegó en mal momento. |
wrong time n | (not appointed time) | hora equivocada nf + adj |
| She showed up for her interview on the right day, but at the wrong time. |
| Se presentó a la entrevista el día correcto, pero a la hora equivocada. |
the wrong way expr | (incorrectly) (hacer algo) | de manera incorrecta, de forma equivocada loc adv |
| (ir, conducir...) | en sentido contrario loc adv |
wrong-foot [sb]⇒ vtr | (make [sb] lose balance) | hacer tropezar a loc verb |
| The tennis player hit a shot across the court that wrong-footed his opponent. |
wrong-foot [sb] vtr | figurative (make [sb] appear wrong) | hacer parecer equivocado a loc verb |
| The author wrong-footed critics when his book became a surprise bestseller. |
wrongheaded (US), wrong-headed (UK) adj | (person: misguided) | equivocado y terco loc adj |
| | que persiste en un error loc adj |
| | obstinado en el error loc adj |
| | descaminado y obstinado loc adj |
wrongheaded (US), wrong-headed (UK) adj | (policy, idea: ill conceived) | erróneo/a adj |
| | mal concebido loc adj |
| | equivocado/a adj |