Compound Forms:
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the be-all and end-all of [sth],
the be-all end-all of [sth] expr | (most important part or goal) | lo más importante loc nom m |
| | | lo principal, lo fundamental loc nom m |
| | Helping kids to make the best of themselves should be the be-all and end-all of education. |
| | Ayudar a los niños a sacar lo mejor de sí mismos debería ser lo más importante de la educación. |
the be-all and end-all,
the be-all end-all expr | (the very best) | lo mejor loc nom m |
| | When it comes to books about Appalachian history, that professor's work is the be-all and end-all. |
| | En lo que respecta a libros sobre la historia de los Apalaches, la obra de ese profesor es lo mejor. |
bead and reel,
reel and bead n | (architecture) (arquitectura) | moldura nf |
| bed and board n | (living quarters and meals) | casa y comida loc nom f |
| | | techo y sustento loc nom m |
| bed and board n | dated (marital home) (matrimonio) | cuerpo y bienes expr |
| | Henry said that what his wife did was no longer his concern, as she had left his bed and board. |
| | Henry dijo que lo que hizo su esposa ya no es más asunto suyo, ya que había dejado su cuerpo y bienes. |
| bed and breakfast n | (small guesthouse) | hotel de media pensión, media pensión loc nom m |
| | (voz inglesa) | bed and breakfast loc nom m |
| | (ES) | alojamiento y desayuno loc nom m |
| | | posada nf |
| | I like to stay in a bed and breakfast instead of in a big hotel. |
| | Me gusta quedarme en un media pensión, y no en un gran hotel. |
| | Me gusta quedarme en un alojamiento y desayuno, y no en un gran hotel. |
| | | hostal nm |
| | Me gusta quedarme en un hostal, y no en un gran hotel. |
| bed and breakfast n | uncountable (lodging with morning meal) | alojamiento y desayuno loc nom m |
| | | posada nf |
| | Several houses in this village offer bed and breakfast. |
| beginning and end n | (totality of [sth]) | todo nm |
| | | el principio y el final grupo nom |
| | That's the beginning and end of the matter, I won't discuss it further. |
| | Eso es todo, no voy a seguir discutiendo. |
| bells and whistles npl | figurative, informal (extras) | parafernalia nf |
belt and suspenders (US),
belt and braces (UK) npl | figurative, informal (double measures as a precaution) | precaución nf |
| | | seguridad nf |
| between a rock and a hard place expr | (facing two bad choices) | entre la espada y la pared expr |
| between now and then adv | (from now until a future time) | desde ahora hasta entonces, de ahora a entonces, de este momento hasta entonces, desde este momento loc adv |
| | You'd better do a lot of work between now and then. |
| | Más te vale trabajar mucho desde ahora hasta entonces. |
between the devil and the deep blue sea,
between a rock and a hard place,
between Scylla and Charybdis expr | figurative (facing a dilemma) | entre la espada y la pared expr |
between you and me,
between ourselves adv | (confidentially, in confidence) | entre nosotros loc adv |
| | | entre tú y yo loc adv |
| | Between you and me, I think Stella has fallen in love with him. |
| | Entre nosotros, creo que Estela se ha enamorado de él. |
| betwixt and between adv | (in between, indeterminate) | entre una cosa y otra loc adv |
| bill and coo v expr | (talk and kiss lovingly) | acurrucarse⇒ v prnl |
| | (MX) | apapacharse⇒ v prnl |
bits and pieces,
bits and bobs npl | informal, UK (assorted small items) | cosas, cositas nfpl |
| | I'm off to the shops to buy a few bits and pieces for the party. |
| black and blue adj | informal, figurative (badly bruised) | lleno de moretones loc adj |
| | (ES) | lleno de moratones loc adj |
| | (coloquial) | lleno de morados loc adj |
| | | lleno de cardenales loc adj |
| | The bullies beat the unfortunate child until he was black and blue. |
| | Los matones golpearon al pobre muchacho y lo dejaron lleno de moretones. |
| black and tan adj | UK (drink: mixed beers) (MX) | campechana nf |
| | Black and tans are made with Guinness and an ale of your choice. |
| black and white n | (grayscale) | escala de grises grupo nom |
| | He asked the director why she had chosen to use black and white for her movie. |
| | Le preguntó a la directora por qué había elegido utilizar la escala de grises para su película. |
black and white,
black-and-white adj | (in grayscale) | en blanco y negro loc adj |
| Note: Hyphens are used when the adjective precedes the noun. |
| | Black-and-white photography relies on composition rather than color. |
| | Las fotografías en blanco y negro dependen de la composición en lugar del color. |
black and white,
black-and-white adj | figurative (clear, defined) | meridianamente claro loc adj |
| | | blanco y negro loc adj |
| | The situation may seem very black and white to you, but actually it's more complicated. |
| | La situación puede parecer meridianamente clara, pero en realidad es complicada. |
black and white,
black & white n | US, informal (police car) | coche de policía, carro de policía nm + loc adj |
| | | patrulla nf |
| | (AR) | patrullero nm |
black-and-white film,
black-and-white movie n | (movie: without colour) | película en blanco y negro nf + loc adj |
| | | film en blanco y negro nm + loc adj |
| | I love watching silents, those old black-and-white films with no sound. |
| black-and-white film n | (camera film: without colour) | filmación en blanco y negro nf + loc adj |
| | All our early home movies were on black-and-white film. |
| black-and-white photography n | (taking photos without colour) | fotografía blanco y negro grupo nom |
| | He specialized in black-and-white photography. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Mi fotógrafo preferido es Balthasar Burkhard. Me fascinan sus fotografías blanco y negro. |
| black-and-white television n | (TV set: cannot display colors) | televisor en blanco y negro nm + loc adj |
| | My parents remember the days when black-and-white television was the only type of TV available. |
| | Mis padres recuerdan los días en que sólo había televisores blanco y negro. |
| black-and-white television n | uncountable (TV shows in black and white) | televisión en blanco y negro nf + loc adj |
| block and tackle npl | (ropes, chains used to hoist) | aparejo nm |
| | | aparejo de poleas nm + loc adj |
| | | polispasto, polipasto nm |
| blood and guts n | informal (gore) (gore, figurado) | casquería nf |
| | Me gustan las películas de miedo, pero no las que hay mucha casquería. |
| blood and guts n | informal, figurative (violent struggle, effort) (coloquial) | con todo lo que tiene, sin guardarse nada expr |
| | (coloquial) | jugarse la vida, ponerlo todo expr |
| | It takes blood and guts to win a war. |
| blood and thunder n | figurative (violence, intensity) | violencia nf |
| | | intensidad nf |
| | For all his blood and thunder on the football field, Mark is a kind and gentle man. |
| blood-and-thunder n as adj | figurative (violent, intense) | dramático/a adj |
| | | intenso/a adj |
| | Tonight's match is set to be a blood-and-thunder encounter. |
| blow hot and cold v expr | figurative (waver, vacillate) (figurado, informal) | ser un veleta expr |
| blur the boundaries between [sth] and [sth] v expr | figurative (make less distinct) | desdibujar los límites loc verb |
| blur the lines between [sth] and [sth] v expr | figurative (make less distinct) | desdibujar los límites entre una cosa y otra loc verb |
| board and batten n | (wood siding) | revestimiento exterior de madera grupo nom |
| | The modest house was finished in weathered board and batten. |
bob,
bob along,
bob up and down vi | used in compounds (move up and down: on water) | mecerse⇒ v prnl |
| | | balancearse⇒ v prnl |
| | The toy boat bobbed along on the surface of the lake. |
| | El barco de juguete se mecía en la superficie del lago. |
| body and soul adv | figurative (completely, with all one's being) | en cuerpo y alma loc adv |
| | Fue un creador dedicado en cuerpo y alma a la música. |
| boom-and-bust cycle n | (economy: alternating extremes) (ES) | altibajos nmpl |
| | Arnold's life had followed a boom-and-bust cycle, rich one moment, broke the next. |
| | (AR) | auge y decadencia loc nom m |
| boots and saddles expr | (call for formation) | botasilla nf |
| | | botasillas nf inv |
| | The soldiers stood still, waiting for the sound of boots and saddles. |
Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bosnia and Herzegovina n | (Bosnia: Balkan republic) | Bosnia-Herzegovina n propio f |
| both ... and adj | (one and the other: person) | tanto... como loc conj |
| | | y conj |
| | Both he and his brother are left-handed. |
| | Tanto él como su hermano son zurdos. |
| | Él y su hermano son zurdos. |
| both ... and adv | (equally) | tanto… como loc conj |
| | | tan... como conj |
| | | no solo... sino también loc conj |
| | He's both tall and handsome. |
| | Es tanto guapo como alto. |
| | Es tan alto como guapo. |
| both ... and conj | (equally) | tanto... como loc conj |
| | | los dos por igual expr |
| | She's admired both for her kindness and for her talent. |
| | A ella se la admira tanto por su amabilidad como por su talento. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Los quiero a los dos por igual. |
bound hand and foot,
tied hand and foot expr | (with hands and feet tied) | atado de pies y manos expr |
| | The kidnappers left him bound hand and foot in the trunk of the car. |
| | Los secuestradores lo dejaron atado de pies y manos en el maletero del coche. |
be bound hand and foot,
be tied hand and foot v expr | (have hands and feet tied together) | estar atado de pies y manos expr |
| | The criminal was bound hand and foot so he couldn't escape. |
| | El criminal estaba atado de pies y manos para no poder escapar. |
| be bound hand and foot v expr | figurative (inescapably obligated) (figurado) | estar atado de pies y manos expr |
| | Every child is bound hand and foot by their parents' rules. |
| | Todo niño está atado de pies y manos por las reglas de sus padres. |
| | | no tener escapatoria expr |
| | Los niños no tienen escapatoria a las reglas de sus padres. |
| bow and arrow n | (archery: weapon) | arco y flecha loc nom m |
| Note: Used with a singular verb when referring to a system of weaponry, but with a plural verb when indicating the articles themselves. |
| | The crossbow replaced the bow and arrow as a weapon. |
| | La ballesta sustituyó al arco y flecha. |
| bow and scrape v expr | figurative (be servile) | rebajarse⇒ v prnl |
box plot,
box-and-whisker plot n | (statistics diagram) | diagrama de caja loc nom m |
| | | diagrama de caja y bigotes loc nom m |
| bread and butter n | (bread with butter spread on it) | pan con mantequilla nm + loc adj |
| | (AR) | pan con manteca nm + loc adj |
| | A glass of milk with bread and butter for breakfast is the best. |
| | Para desayunar no hay nada mejor que un vaso de leche y pan con mantequilla. |
| bread and butter n | figurative, informal (livelihood) (coloquial) | ganarse el pan loc verb |
| | (ES, coloquial) | ganarse las lentejas, ganarse las habichuelas loc verb |
| | Cooking is his bread and butter; he's a chef. |
| | Se gana el pan cocinando; es un chef. |
| | (ES) | el pan y la sal expr |
bread and butter,
bread-and-butter adj | figurative, informal (staple, basic) | principal adj mf |
| | | básico/a adj |
| | The company prioritises its local, bread-and-butter customers. |
| | La compañía da prioridad a sus clientes principales. |
| | (producto) | de primera necesidad loc adj |
| | | de uso diario loc adj |
| | | esencial adj mf |
| bread and butter pudding n | UK (dessert made with bread and eggs) | budín de pan y mantequilla nm + loc adj |
| | | pan de mantequilla nm + loc adj |
| break down and cry v expr | (burst into tears) | estallar en llanto loc verb |
| | | romper en llanto loc verb |
| | Helen broke down and cried when she heard the sad news. |
| | Helena estalló en llanto cuando oyó las tristes noticias. |
| | | largarse a llorar loc verb |
| | | echarse a llorar loc verb |
| | | romper a llorar loc verb |
| | Helena se largó a llorar cuando oyó las tristes noticias. |
| breaking and entering n | (breaking into property) (derecho) | allanamiento de morada, allanamiento de propiedad loc nom m |
| | The youth was arrested on suspicion of breaking and entering the victim's home. |
| | El joven fue arrestado por sospecha de allanamiento de morada en la casa de la víctima. |
| bribery and corruption n | (crime: abuse of legal power) | soborno y corrupción grupo nom |
| | Mayor Price's term in office was marked by many cases of bribery and corruption. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Miembros del Consorcio San Lorenzo rechazaron ayer cualquier participación en actos de soborno y corrupción. |
| bricks and mortar npl | (building materials) | ladrillos y mortero loc nom m |
| | (AR) | ladrillos y mezcla loc nom m |
| Note: Igual que en inglés: "ladrillos" en plural y "mortero" en singular |
| | We can either erect a fence around the garden or build a wall with bricks and mortar. |
| | Podemos levantar una barda alrededor del jardín, o construir un muro de ladrillos y mortero. |
bricks-and-mortar,
brick-and-mortar n as adj | (made of bricks and mortar) | de ladrillo loc adj |
| | Most houses here are stick-built, but in countries where wood is expensive, they're bricks-and-mortar buildings. |
| | La mayoría de las casas aquí son de madera, pero en países donde la madera es cara, se construyen edificios de ladrillo. |
| bricks-and-mortar n as adj | figurative (existing physically: not virtual) (figurado) | físico/a adj |
| | It's so easy to buy books on the internet but I prefer browsing in a bricks-and-mortar store on the High Street. |
| | Es tan fácil comprar libros en internet, pero yo prefiero rebuscar en una tienda física del centro. |
| bride and groom n | (woman and man on their wedding day) (boda) | los novios grupo nom |
| | | el novio y la novia, la novia y el novio grupo nom |
| | The bride and groom were showered in confetti as they left the church. |
| | Bañaron a los novios en confeti cuando salían de la iglesia. |
| bright and early adj | informal (at an early hour) (coloquial) | tempranito adv |
| | | bien temprano loc adv |
| | Let's start the hike bright and early so we can finish before it gets too hot. |
| | | a primera hora loc adv |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. La salida para el recorrido de campo será mañana a primera hora. |
| | (ES) | de buena mañana loc adv |
bright eyed and bushy tailed,
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed adj | informal, figurative (eager) | espabilado/a, enérgico/a adj |
| | | con energía, con entusiasmo loc adj |
| | | alegre adj mf |
| brother and sister npl | (male and female siblings) | hermano y hermana grupo nom |
| | You can tell they're brother and sister; in fact, they both look just like their mother. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Yo creí que eran hermano y hermana, son muy parecidos. |
| | | hermanos nmpl |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Pablo y Mariana son hermanos. |
| bubble and squeak n | UK (vegetable dish) (voz inglesa) | bubble and squeak loc nom m |
| | Bubble and squeak originated as a way to use up leftover cabbage and potatoes. |
| buy and sell v expr | (trade) | comercio nm |
| | | compraventa nf |
| buying and selling n | (trade, business) | comercio nm |
| | | compraventa nf |
| by and by adv | (in a short while) | en un rato loc adv |
| | | dentro de un rato loc adv |
| | | de aquí a un rato loc verb |
| | | poco más tarde loc adv |
| | Josie asked a stranger in the waiting room if he knew what time it was; by and by, the two of them were chatting like old friends. |
| | Josie le preguntó a unac extraña en la sala de espera si sabía qué hora era, y en un rato las dos estaban charlando como viejas amigas. |
| by and by adv | (eventually) | luego adv |
| | Be patient! I'll get around to it by and by. |
| | ¡Ten paciencia! Nos vemos luego. |
| | | dentro de un rato loc adv |
| | ¡Ten paciencia! Me encargaré de ello dentro de un rato. |
| by and large adv | (in general, on the whole) | en líneas generales, en términos generales loc adv |
| | | en general loc adv |
| | Not everything about my job is good, but by and large, I enjoy it. |
| | No todo en mi trabajo es bueno, pero en líneas generales me gusta. |
by leaps and bounds,
in leaps and bounds expr | (rapidly) | rápidamente, velozmente adv |
| | | precipitadamente adv |
| | The city has grown by leaps and bounds--the population has doubled in the last ten years. |
| | La ciudad ha crecido rápidamente, la población se ha multiplicado en los últimos diez años. |
calico (US),
tortoiseshell-and-white (UK) n as adj | (cat: with colored markings) (gato) | calicó adj mf |
| | | tricolor adj mf |
| | The cat gave birth to one calico kitten and two white. |
| | La gata parió un gato calicó y dos blancos. |
calico colored,
calico-colored (US),
tortoiseshell and white,
tortoiseshell-and-white (UK) adj | US (cat: tortoiseshell and white) (tipo de gato) | calicó adj |
| Note: A hyphen is used when the term precedes the noun |
calm and collected,
cool,
calm and collected adj | (person: composed) (persona) | tranquilo/a, sereno/a, sosegado/a, templado/a adj |
| cap and gown n | (formal academic clothing) | toga y birrete loc nom f |
| | Héctor se tomará una foto con su toga y birrete. |
| cap-and-trade adj | (denoting carbon trading) | de derechos de emisión loc adj |
| carriage and pair n | historical (vehicle pulled by two horses) | carruaje de dos caballos nm |
| | Before the car was invented a popular form of transport was a carriage and pair. |
| | Antes de que se inventara el coche, el carruaje de dos caballos era una forma común de transporte. |
cash-and-carry,
cash and carry n | countable (kind of store) | autoservicio mayorista nm + adj mf |
| | | autoservicio de venta al por mayor nm + loc adj |
cash-and-carry,
cash and carry adj | uncountable (paid at time of purchase) | al contado loc adj |
| Castile and León n | (Spanish region) (región de España) | Castilla y León n propio f |
| cat and mouse expr | figurative (gamelike relationship) | como el gato y el ratón expr |
| cat and mouse n | (children's game) | juego del gato y el ratón loc nom m |
| play cat and mouse with [sb] v expr | (toy with [sb]) | jugar al gato y al ratón con loc verb |
| play cat and mouse with [sb] v expr | (use strategy on opponent) (estrategia) | jugar al gato y al ratón loc verb |
| cause and effect n | (principle of causality) | causa-efecto loc nom mf |
| | The law of cause and effect (Karma) is an important principle in Buddhism. |
| | La ley de causa-efecto es un principio importante del budismo. |
| cease and desist v expr | (stop) (legal) | cese y desista loc nom m |
| cease-and-desist letter n | (law: letter to stop) | carta de cese y desista nf + loc adj |
| | | carta de cese y desistimiento nf + loc adj |