no cabe ni un alfiler

Ex: Another nautical phrase is ' no room to swing a cat' and refers to the fact that on the cannon decks of most naval ships there was no room to administer punishment by use of the cat o'nine tails.

alfiler de gancho — Arg safety pin

alfiler de seguridad — LAm safety pin

alfiler nodriza — Col safety pin

no caber ni un alfiler: no cabía ni un alfiler en la sala the hall was filled to bursting; prendido con alfileres — < teoría> shaky

no caber ni un alfiler: no cabía ni un alfiler en la sala the hall was filled to bursting; prendido con alfileres — < teoría> shaky

Ex: 'That's not realistic,' he said and looked at her, as if to indicate that the balloon of her argument had suddenly had a pin stuck in it, and was expiring with a hiss.

Ex: Many of the stories told about fairies seem to be cautionary tales, showing that they can be very helpful, as long as you stay on the right side of them.

Ex: However, UDC is by no means always applied to this degree of detail in libraries.

en este baúl no cabe — it won't fit in o go into this trunk, there's no room for it in this trunk

no cabe en sí de contento o gozo — he's beside himself with joy, he's over the moon

cabe preguntar si... — one might o could ask whether...

nos llevamos bastante bien, dentro de lo que cabe — we get on quite well, under the circumstances o considering

• no cabe duda de que... — there is o can be no doubt that...

• no cabe más que, no cabe más que esperar a ver lo que pasa — we can only wait o all we can do is wait o the only thing for it is to wait and see what happens

• cabe la posibilidad de que..., ¿no cabe la posibilidad de que usted haya sido utilizada? — is it not possible that you might have been used?

• si cabe, a mí me parece que es aún mejor, si cabe — I think it's even better, if that's possible

esto aquí no cabe — this won't fit o go (in) here

caber en algo: no cabe en la caja it won't fit in the box; en esta botella caben diez litros this bottle holds ten liters; ¿cabe otro en el coche? is there room for one more in the car?; no caber en sí: no cabía en sí de alegría — she was beside herself with joy

2 entre 3 no cabe — 3 into 2 won't o doesn't go

esto aquí no cabe — this won't fit o go (in) here

caber en algo: no cabe en la caja it won't fit in the box; en esta botella caben diez litros this bottle holds ten liters; ¿cabe otro en el coche? is there room for one more in the car?; no caber en sí: no cabía en sí de alegría — she was beside herself with joy

2 entre 3 no cabe — 3 into 2 won't o doesn't go

• afirmar con la cabeza — to nod (one's head)

• agarrarse la cabeza — to hold one's head in one's hands

• asentir con la cabeza — to nod (one's head)

• caer de cabeza — to fall headfirst o headlong

marcar de cabeza — (Dep) to score with a header

• lavarse la cabeza — to wash one's hair

• levantar la cabeza — (=mirar) to look up

• negar con la cabeza — to shake one's head

• por cabeza, cinco dólares por cabeza — five dollars a head, five dollars per person

• se me va la cabeza — I feel giddy

• volver la cabeza — to look round, turn one's head

al oírlos volví la cabeza — when I heard them I looked round o turned my head

• me da vueltas la cabeza — my head's spinning

estar mal de la cabeza *, no estar bien de la cabeza * —

se le ha metido en la cabeza hacerlo solo — he's taken o got it into his head to do it alone

• a la cabeza de, a la cabeza de la manifestación — at the head o front of the demonstration

• ir en cabeza — to be in the lead

cabeza de biela — (Mec) big end

cabeza de dragón — (Bot) snapdragon

cabeza de escritura — (Tip) golf ball

cabeza de impresión — (Inform) head, printhead

cabeza de plátanos — LAm bunch of bananas

cabeza impresora — (Inform) head, printhead

es cabeza de las fuerzas armadas — he's head o the leader of the armed forces

cabeza cuadrada — * bigot

cabeza de chorlito — * scatterbrain

cabeza de serie — (Dep) seed

cabeza de serrín — * airhead *

cabeza pelada — ( Hist) Roundhead

un día vas a perder la cabeza — (fam & hum) you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on (colloq & hum)

de la cabeza a los pies — from head to toe o foot

pararse en la or de cabeza — (AmL) to do a headstand

le lleva or saca una cabeza a su hermana — he's a head taller than his sister

tú estás mal de la cabeza — you're out of your mind

andar or ir de cabeza — (fam)

ando de cabeza con tanto trabajo — I'm up to my eyeballs o eyes in work

anda de cabeza por ella — he's crazy about her

calentarle a algn la cabeza con algo — (fam) to fill sb's head with sth

calentarse la cabeza — (fam) to get worked up (colloq)

cortar cabezas: en cuanto asumió el cargo entró a cortar cabezas as soon as she took up her post, heads started to roll; darse (con) la cabeza contra la pared ver cabezazo; ir con la cabeza ( bien) alta to hold one's head high; írsele a algn la cabeza: se me va la cabeza I feel dizzy; jugarse la cabeza (RPl fam): va a llegar tarde, me juego la cabeza you can bet your bottom dollar she'll be late (colloq); levantar cabeza (fam) ( superar problemas) to get back on one's feet; levantar la cabeza: ha estado estudiando sin levantar la cabeza she's had her head buried in her work; si tu padre levantara la cabeza! if your father was alive today...!; meterse de cabeza en algo (fam) to throw oneself into sth; no caberle a algn en la cabeza (fam): no me cabe en la cabeza que te guste I just can't understand how you can like it; en qué cabeza cabe! how could anyone be so stupid!; perder la cabeza: no perdamos la cabeza let's not panic o lose our heads; perdió la cabeza por esa mujer he lost his head over that woman; quebrarse la cabeza (Andes fam) to rack one's brains; quitarle a algn algo de la cabeza to get sth out of sb's head; quitarse algo de la cabeza < idea> to get sth out of one's head; romperse la cabeza (fam) ( preocuparse) to rack one's brains; ( lastimarse) to break one's neck (colloq); sentar (la) cabeza (fam) to settle down; subírsele a algn a la cabeza vino/éxito to go to one's head; tener la cabeza sobre los hombros (fam) to have one's head screwed on tight (AmE colloq) o (BrE colloq) screwed on; tener la cabeza llena de pájaros (fam) to have one's head in the clouds; tengo/tiene la cabeza como un bombo (fam) (me/le duele) my/his/her head feels ready to burst (colloq); (estoy/está confundido) my/his/her head's spinning; traer or llevar a algn de cabeza (fam) to drive sb crazy (colloq); nadie escarmienta en cabeza ajena — people only learn from their own mistakes