pista di fortuna

che fortuna! — colloq. you lucky thing!

non ho la fortuna di conoscerla — (in espressioni di cortesia) I don't have the pleasure of knowing you

fare fortuna — to strike it rich, to make one's pile colloq.

costare una fortuna — to cost a fortune o the earth colloq.

la fortuna aiuta gli audaci — prov. who dares wins, fortune favours the brave

prendere un colpo in o alla testa — to bump one's head

un colpo di coda — (di cavallo) a flick of the tail

ti venisse un colpo! fam — drop dead!

ricevere un colpo in testa — to get a bang o knock on the head

sparare un colpo di — to let off [fucile, pistola]

sparare un colpo su o contro qcn., qcs. — to fire o take a shot at sb., sth

essere un duro colpo, un colpo terribile — to be a blow (per qcn. to, for sb.)

colpo di testa — (nel calcio) header

mi ha fatto venire un colpo! — it gave me quite a turn o a nasty turn!

a mamma piglierà un colpo — my mum's going to have a cow scherz.

colpo apoplettico — med. stroke

colpo basso — (nella boxe) blow below the belt (anche fig.)

colpo di calore — heat exhaustion o stroke

colpo di fortuna — lucky break o strike, stroke of luck

colpo di scena — twist, turnup for the books BE

- i di sole — cosmet. highlights

senza esclusione di -i — [ lotta] with the gloves off

fare colpo su qcn. — to make a hit with o an impression on sb.

perdere -i — [ motore] to miss

• perder el conocimiento — to lose consciousness

• perder la costumbre — to get out of the habit

• perder algo de vista — to lose sight of sth

• tienen o llevan todas las de perder — they look certain to lose

• saber perder — to be a good loser

• salir perdiendo, salí perdiendo en el negocio — I lost out on the deal

• echarse a perder — [comida] to go off; [sorpresa] to be ruined, be spoiled

lo perdió la curiosidad — his curiosity was his undoing o his downfall

más se perdió en la guerra — (fr hecha) it's not the end of the world

perder la vida — to lose one's life, to perish; cabeza, vista II, III

llegas tarde, para no perder la costumbre — (iró) you're late, just for a change (iro)

tienes que perderles el miedo a los aviones — you have to get over o to overcome your fear of flying

perder el ritmo — (Mús) to lose the beat; ( en trabajo) to get out of the rhythm

la que sale perdiendo soy yo — I'm the one who loses out o comes off worst

no hay por dónde perderse — (Chi fam) there's no question about it

lo perdió la curiosidad — his curiosity was his undoing o his downfall

más se perdió en la guerra — (fr hecha) it's not the end of the world

perder la vida — to lose one's life, to perish; cabeza, vista II, III

llegas tarde, para no perder la costumbre — (iró) you're late, just for a change (iro)

tienes que perderles el miedo a los aviones — you have to get over o to overcome your fear of flying

perder el ritmo — (Mús) to lose the beat; ( en trabajo) to get out of the rhythm

la que sale perdiendo soy yo — I'm the one who loses out o comes off worst

no hay por dónde perderse — (Chi fam) there's no question about it

Ex: One of the hardest tasks of a curator is to make a precis of the information about a particular object without losing any essential information.

• tierra adentro — inland

• por tierra — overland, by land

atravesar un país por tierra — to go overland o by land across a country

• tomar tierra — to reach port, get in

• tocar tierra — to touch down

• tomar tierra — to land

tierra firme — (=no aire) solid ground; (=no agua) land

• caer a tierra — to fall down

• caer por tierra — [persona] to fall to the ground; [argumento, teoría] to fall apart

• dar con algo en tierra — to knock sth over

• echar a tierra — [+ construcción, rival] to knock down

• echarse a tierra — to throw o.s. on o to the ground

con los zapatos llenos de tierra — (=polvo) with his shoes covered in dust; (=barro) with his shoes covered in mud

viviendas con suelo de tierra — houses with earth o dirt floors

• sacudir la tierra — Cono Sur, Méx to dust

le vienes a echar tierra a mi carro con tu descapotable — your convertible makes my car look ridiculous o really bad

tierra caliente — LAm land below 1000m approximately

tierra fría — LAm land above 2000m approximately

tierra quemada — (Pol) scorched earth

tierra templada — LAm land between 1000m and 2000m approximately

todo refugiado siente nostalgia de su tierra — every refugee feels homesick for or misses his native land o homeland

• de la tierra — [vino, queso] local, locally produced; [fruta, verduras] locally grown

la expropiación de tierras palestinas — the expropriation of Palestinian land o lands

conectar un aparato a tierra — to earth o (EEUU) ground an appliance

tierra labrantía or de cultivo — arable o cultivated land

poner tierra de por medio — to make oneself scarce (colloq)

ésta es muy buena tierra — this is very good land o soil

un camino de tierra — a dirt road o track

cuerpo a tierra! — hit the ground! (colloq)

echar algo por tierra — <edificio/monumento> to pull o knock down; < planes> to wreck, ruin; < argumentos> to demolish, destroy; < esperanzas> to dash

echarle tierra a algo/alguien — (Col fam) to put something/somebody to shame, make something/somebody look bad

echar tierra a or sobre algo — ( ocultarlo) to cover o hush something up; ( olvidarlo) to forget about something

tragarse la tierra a alguien: como si se lo hubiera tragado la tierra as if he'd vanished off the face of the earth; deseé que me tragara la tierra — I just wanted the earth to open and swallow me up

estar conectado a tierra or (AmL) hacer tierra — to be grounded o earthed

tierra a la vista! — land ho o ahoy!

viajar por tierra — to travel overland o by land

decidió volver a su tierra — he decided to return to his homeland o to his native land

costumbres de aquellas tierras — customs in those places o countries

tierra labrantía or de cultivo — arable o cultivated land

poner tierra de por medio — to make oneself scarce (colloq)

ésta es muy buena tierra — this is very good land o soil

un camino de tierra — a dirt road o track

cuerpo a tierra! — hit the ground! (colloq)

echar algo por tierra — <edificio/monumento> to pull o knock down; < planes> to wreck, ruin; < argumentos> to demolish, destroy; < esperanzas> to dash

echarle tierra a algo/alguien — (Col fam) to put something/somebody to shame, make something/somebody look bad

echar tierra a or sobre algo — ( ocultarlo) to cover o hush something up; ( olvidarlo) to forget about something

tragarse la tierra a alguien: como si se lo hubiera tragado la tierra as if he'd vanished off the face of the earth; deseé que me tragara la tierra — I just wanted the earth to open and swallow me up

estar conectado a tierra or (AmL) hacer tierra — to be grounded o earthed

tierra a la vista! — land ho o ahoy!

viajar por tierra — to travel overland o by land

decidió volver a su tierra — he decided to return to his homeland o to his native land

costumbres de aquellas tierras — customs in those places o countries

Ex: Until recently all libraries and some architects have maintained that an academic library should be capable of extension and that land should be reserved for future expansion.