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Home » Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Expressions » Page 4

Estar trabajando para el inglés

A dead-end job, there is no future in what the person is doing.

Estar soñando con pajaritos preñados

To be dreaming of unattainable things.

Estar probando su propia medicina

A taste of his own medicine, What comes around goes around. The same bad thing happens to someone, after he/she already made someone else experience it.

Estar como cucaracha en baile de gallinas

To be really, really lost. I guess cockroaches and chickens never socialize together.

Estar más perdido que un juey bizco

Apparently cross-eyed crabs get lost regularly so if you’re more lost than the poor crab, you’re in big trouble. Lost refers not only to directions, but also in situations when a person does not follow the conversation or an idea.

Estar más pelado que el culo de un mono

Apparently someone did the research, and realized that monkey’s asses have no hair on them, so this phrase means to be completely bald.

Estar más jalado que un timbre de guagua

A really thin person. The person is thinner than the cord pulled to advise the bus driver that you want to get off at the next stop.

Estar más emperifollada que la puerca de Juan Bobo

To be dressed extremely gaudy, have too much makeup on, to wear large, ugly accessories.

Estar más combinado que un cuadro del hipodromo

Dressed to the nines. Describes someone that is extremely well dressed, everything coordinates perfectly.

Estar entre la espada y la pared

Between a rock and a hard place. To be in a difficult, if not impossible, situation.

Estar en la procesión y quiere tocar las campanas

The person wants to be in charge of everything and will not give up responsibility for some things.

Estar con la soga al cuello

To be in jam. To be in a difficult situation. Also means to be financially strapped or drained.

Estar como sapo de letrina

To be stuffed or full, to over eat.

Está hecho una ladilla

He is a leech. The person is a freeloader.

Está como el matapiojo

Someone that is annoying, bothersome and pisses you off.

Está como el arroz blanco, en todas las partes

All over the place. You’re everywhere.

Está buscando lo que no se le ha perdido

Don’t wish too hard, you might just get it. Even though you may believe that you want something to happen, be careful because it may turn out different from what you expected.

Eso son otros veinte pesos

That’s a whole different story. Phrase used when one person tries to compare two things, and the second person believes that they are completely unrelated.

Eso es harina de otro costal

That’s a whole different story. Comment used to interrupt someone when that person is trying to compare two situations but they really have nothing in common.

Eso es como pedirle peras al olmo

You cannot get a quart into a pint pot, You cannot get blood from a stone [turnip]. You are asking for something impossible.

Eso es como llover sobre mojado

To sound like a broken record. To repeat yourself constantly without being heard, especially in situations where you give advice or reprimand someone, but they do nothing to correct their actions.

Ese no es santo de mi devoción

Not be a fan of. To not be interested in maintaining a friendship with someone, implies that the person is not good. Generally there is bad blood, or a history between the two people.

Escoba nueva barre bien

New broom sweeps clean. Someone that is just learning a task will be much more energetic than someone that has been doing it for a longer time.

Es un peligro estar vivo

Since some things can happen beyond your control, you should ignore them and focus on the things that you can change.

Es mejor precaver que tener que remediar (lamentar)

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You will be better off by planning ahead and avoiding problems, than by having to fix problems that appear.

Es mejor malo conocido que bueno por conocer

Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know. It is sometimes better to stick with what you know, even if it is not perfect, rather than running the risk of changing, and finding something even worse.

Es mejor dar que recibir

It is better to give than to receive.

Es más vago que la quijá de arriba

Since the upper jaw never moves, it is extremely lazy. Imagine being lazier than that!

Es más terco que una mula

As stubborn as a mule. Mules are really stubborn, so the person in question must be worse.

Es más feo que un caso de drogas

As ugly as sin. To be a really bad situation.

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