buscarle tres pies al gato

Ex: This volume is too long, contains too many lengthy theoretical arguments that often split hairs, and is written in a tedious prose style.

Ex: Some people have a neurotic, exaggerated sense of self-importance and will nitpick and make a row over just everything in every shop or restaurant.

te han dado gato por liebre — you've been had o conned *, you've been done *

no había más que cuatro gatos — there was hardly anyone o a soul there

esta gripe me tiene para el gato — I'm in a really terrible state with this flu *

gato callejero — stray cat, alley cat ( esp EEUU)

cuatro gatos — (fam) a handful of people

defenderse como gato panza arriba — (fam) to defend oneself fiercely

estar para el gato — (Chi fam) to be in a bad way (colloq)

lavarse como los gatos — to make do with a lick and a promise (colloq)

le dieron gato por liebre — he was conned o had! (colloq)

llevarse el gato al agua — (fam) to pull it off (colloq)

cuatro gatos — (fam) a handful of people

defenderse como gato panza arriba — (fam) to defend oneself fiercely

estar para el gato — (Chi fam) to be in a bad way (colloq)

lavarse como los gatos — to make do with a lick and a promise (colloq)

le dieron gato por liebre — he was conned o had! (colloq)

llevarse el gato al agua — (fam) to pull it off (colloq)

Ex: Parentheses help to clarify complex search requests, e.g. dog and ( cat or kitten) vs. (dog and cat) or kitten.

Ex: All of the 13 people killed in accidents involving car jacks were males aged between 30 and 89.

Ex: Indexing languages may be of three distinct types.

poner el pie en el acelerador — (lit) to step on the gas *; (fig) to speed things up, step up the pace

pies de cerdo — (Culin) (pig's) trotters

• a pie — on foot

• estar de pie — to be standing (up)

• en pie, llevo en pie desde las cuatro — I've been up since four

mantenerse en pie — [persona] to stay standing o on one's feet; [objeto] to remain upright

ganado en pie — LAm cattle on the hoof

• a pie enjuto — † (lit) dry-shod; (fig) without danger, without any risk

• a pie firme † —

• ponerse de o en pie — to stand up

gente de a pie — common o ordinary folk

soldado de a pie — ( Hist) foot-soldier

hacer algo con los pies * —

al pie del monte — at the foot o bottom of the mountain

al pie de la obra — (Com) including delivery charges

• dar pie a — to give cause for

• estar en pie de igualdad — to be on an equal footing ( con with)

estar en pie de guerra — (lit) to be on a war footing, be ready to go to war; (fig) to be on the warpath

a sus pies, señora — (frml) at your service, madam (frml)

hoy ando a pie — (AmL) I'm without wheels today

al pie — (Col) very close, just round the corner

en pie: estoy en pie desde las siete I've been up since seven o'clock; no puedo tenerme en pie I can hardly walk/stand; sólo la iglesia quedó en pie only the church remained standing; queda en pie la cita our date is still on; mi oferta/promesa sigue en pie my offer/promise still stands; ganado en pie (AmL) livestock, cattle on the hoof; andarse con pie(s) de plomo (fam) to tread very carefully o warily; a pie pelado (Chi) barefoot, in one's bare feet; a pie(s) juntillas: seguí a pies juntillas sus indicaciones I followed his instructions to the letter; creerse algo a pies juntillas to blindly believe something; buscarle tres or cinco pies al gato (fam) ( buscar complicaciones) to complicate matters; cojear del mismo pie (fam) to be two of a kind (colloq); con los pies (fam) badly; lleva la empresa con los pies he's making a hash o mess of running the company (colloq); con los pies por or para delante (fam & euf) feet first; con los pies sobre la tierra with one's feet on the ground; con mal pie or con el pie izquierdo: empezó con mal pie she got off to a bad start; hoy me levanté or empecé el día con el pie izquierdo I got up on the wrong side of the bed today (AmE), I got out of bed on the wrong side today (BrE); no le des pie para que te critique don't give him cause o reason to criticize you; dar pie a algo murmuraciones/especulaciones to give rise to something; esto dio pie a una discusión this caused o was the cause of an argument; darle pie a alguien: de a pie common, ordinary; el ciudadano de a pie the man in the street, the average man/person; de la cabeza a los pies or de pies a cabeza from head to foot o toe, from top to toe (colloq); echar pie atrás (Chi) to back down; en pie de guerra on a war footing; en (un) pie de igualdad on an equal footing; estar a pie (Chi fam) to be lost (colloq); estar atado de pies y manos to be bound hand and foot; estar con un pie en el estribo (fam) to be about to leave; estar con un pie en la tumba or la sepultura or el hoyo to have one foot in the grave; hacer pie to be able to touch the bottom; írsele los pies a alguien: cuando empezó la música se me iban los pies once the music began I couldn't keep my feet still; leche al pie de la vaca (AmL) milk fresh from the cow; levantarse/empezar con buen pie or con el pie derecho to get off to a good start; nacer de pie to be born under a lucky star; no doy/da pie con bola (fam) I/he can't get a thing right; no tener ni pies ni cabeza to make no sense whatsoever; un plan sin pies ni cabeza a crazy o an absurd plan; pararle a alguien los pies (Esp) to put somebody in his/her place (colloq); perder pie ( en el agua) to get out of one's depth; ( resbalarse) to lose one's footing; pies de barro feet of clay; poner (los) pies en polvorosa (fam) to take to one's heels (colloq); poner los pies en un lugar to set foot in a place; por mi/tu/su (propio) pie unaided, without any help; saber de qué pie cojea alguien (Esp fam) to know somebody's faults o weak points; ser más viejo que andar a pie — (CS fam) to be as old as the hills (colloq)

una nota a or al pie de página — a footnote

al pie or a los pies de la montaña — at the foot of the mountain

sigue mis instrucciones al pie de la letra — follow my instructions to the letter o exactly

a sus pies, señora — (frml) at your service, madam (frml)

hoy ando a pie — (AmL) I'm without wheels today

al pie — (Col) very close, just round the corner

en pie: estoy en pie desde las siete I've been up since seven o'clock; no puedo tenerme en pie I can hardly walk/stand; sólo la iglesia quedó en pie only the church remained standing; queda en pie la cita our date is still on; mi oferta/promesa sigue en pie my offer/promise still stands; ganado en pie (AmL) livestock, cattle on the hoof; andarse con pie(s) de plomo (fam) to tread very carefully o warily; a pie pelado (Chi) barefoot, in one's bare feet; a pie(s) juntillas: seguí a pies juntillas sus indicaciones I followed his instructions to the letter; creerse algo a pies juntillas to blindly believe something; buscarle tres or cinco pies al gato (fam) ( buscar complicaciones) to complicate matters; cojear del mismo pie (fam) to be two of a kind (colloq); con los pies (fam) badly; lleva la empresa con los pies he's making a hash o mess of running the company (colloq); con los pies por or para delante (fam & euf) feet first; con los pies sobre la tierra with one's feet on the ground; con mal pie or con el pie izquierdo: empezó con mal pie she got off to a bad start; hoy me levanté or empecé el día con el pie izquierdo I got up on the wrong side of the bed today (AmE), I got out of bed on the wrong side today (BrE); no le des pie para que te critique don't give him cause o reason to criticize you; dar pie a algo murmuraciones/especulaciones to give rise to something; esto dio pie a una discusión this caused o was the cause of an argument; darle pie a alguien: de a pie common, ordinary; el ciudadano de a pie the man in the street, the average man/person; de la cabeza a los pies or de pies a cabeza from head to foot o toe, from top to toe (colloq); echar pie atrás (Chi) to back down; en pie de guerra on a war footing; en (un) pie de igualdad on an equal footing; estar a pie (Chi fam) to be lost (colloq); estar atado de pies y manos to be bound hand and foot; estar con un pie en el estribo (fam) to be about to leave; estar con un pie en la tumba or la sepultura or el hoyo to have one foot in the grave; hacer pie to be able to touch the bottom; írsele los pies a alguien: cuando empezó la música se me iban los pies once the music began I couldn't keep my feet still; leche al pie de la vaca (AmL) milk fresh from the cow; levantarse/empezar con buen pie or con el pie derecho to get off to a good start; nacer de pie to be born under a lucky star; no doy/da pie con bola (fam) I/he can't get a thing right; no tener ni pies ni cabeza to make no sense whatsoever; un plan sin pies ni cabeza a crazy o an absurd plan; pararle a alguien los pies (Esp) to put somebody in his/her place (colloq); perder pie ( en el agua) to get out of one's depth; ( resbalarse) to lose one's footing; pies de barro feet of clay; poner (los) pies en polvorosa (fam) to take to one's heels (colloq); poner los pies en un lugar to set foot in a place; por mi/tu/su (propio) pie unaided, without any help; saber de qué pie cojea alguien (Esp fam) to know somebody's faults o weak points; ser más viejo que andar a pie — (CS fam) to be as old as the hills (colloq)

una nota a or al pie de página — a footnote

al pie or a los pies de la montaña — at the foot of the mountain

sigue mis instrucciones al pie de la letra — follow my instructions to the letter o exactly

Ex: She was tapping with her foot on the carpet.

Ex: Soon, however, the collection outgrew its meagre quarters and a full-fledged library occupying a 40x60 foot area came into being.

Ex: The chief members of the impression carriage were two upright cheeks about 2 m. high and placed 60-65 cm. apart, carrying between them the winter and, above it, the head, two massive cross timbers mortised into the cheeks which contained the vertical thrust of the impression.

estuvieron buscando a los montañeros — they were searching for o looking for the mountaineers

el ejército busca a un comando enemigo — the army is searching for o looking for an enemy commando unit

lo busqué entre el público pero no lo vi — I tried to spot him o looked for him in the crowd but I didn't see him

no sé lo que buscas con esa actitud — I don't know what you're aiming to o trying to achieve with that attitude

con esta novela se busca la creación de un estilo diferente — this novel attempts to o aims to create a different style

solo buscaba su dinero — he was only out for o after her money

• buscar excusas — to make excuses

• buscar hacer algo — to seek to do sth, try to do sth

siempre buscaba hacerlo lo mejor posible — she always sought o tried to do the best possible thing

• ir a buscar algo/a algn, ha ido a buscar una servilleta — she's gone to fetch o get a napkin

ve a buscar a tu madre — go and fetch o get your mother

vino buscando pelea — he was looking for trouble o a fight, he was spoiling for a fight *

¿vais a ir a buscarme a la estación? — are you going to pick me up o fetch me from the station?

vino a buscar sus plantas — she came to pick up o fetch her plants

¡busca! — [al perro] fetch!

vengo a buscar mis cosas — I've come to collect o pick up my things

el libro busca destruir ese mito — the book sets out o tries o attempts to explode that myth

busca en el cajón — look o have a look in the drawer

el que busca encuentra or busca y encontrarás — seek and ye shall find

debería buscarse (a) alguien que le cuidara los niños — she should look for o find somebody to look after the children

buscársela(s) — (fam)

te la estás buscando — you're asking for trouble, you're asking for it (colloq)

vengo a buscar mis cosas — I've come to collect o pick up my things

el libro busca destruir ese mito — the book sets out o tries o attempts to explode that myth

busca en el cajón — look o have a look in the drawer

el que busca encuentra or busca y encontrarás — seek and ye shall find

debería buscarse (a) alguien que le cuidara los niños — she should look for o find somebody to look after the children

buscársela(s) — (fam)

te la estás buscando — you're asking for trouble, you're asking for it (colloq)

Ex: Also, in controlled indexing language data bases, there is often an assumption that a user will be prepared to chase strings of references or to consult a sometimes complex thesaurus.