saber+a+la+madera

• política de palo y zanahoria — carrot and stick policy

palo de amasar — Arg, Uru rolling pin

• dar o pegar un palo a algn — (=golpear) to hit sb with a stick; * (=timar) to rip sb off *

los críticos le dieron un palo a la obra — the critics slated the play *

vaya palo me pegaron en ese restaurante — they really ripped me off in that restaurant *

ni a palos * —

ni a palos va a aprender la lección — there's no way he's going to learn the lesson *

ni a palos me voy yo de aquí dejándote sola — wild horses wouldn't make me go off and leave you on your own, there's no way I would go off and leave you on your own *

es un palo que te bajen el sueldo — it's a real bummer ** o nightmare * that they're cutting your salary

¡qué palo si suspendo! — it'll be a real bummer ** o nightmare * if I fail!

• dar palo, me daría palo que se enterase — I would hate it if he found out

• llevarse un palo, nos llevamos un palo muy gordo cuando descubrimos la verdad — it was a real blow when we found out the truth

no pasa un día a palo seco — Ven he never goes a single day without a drink

palo del triunfo — trump suit, trumps pl

palo de hule — CAm rubber tree

palo grueso — big shot *

echar un palo — to have a screw ***

cayó un palo de agua — the rain came pouring down, there was a huge downpour *

(flaco) como un palo — (fam) as thin as a rake o rail

más tieso que un palo — as stiff as a board

de tal palo, tal astilla — a chip off the old block, like father like son (o like mother like daughter etc)

a palo seco — (fam)

no está el palo para cucharas — (Col fam) the time isn't right

lo molieron a palos — they beat him till he was black and blue

dar palos de ciego — ( al pelear) to lash o strike out blindly; ( al resolver un problema) to grope in the dark

ni a palo(s) — (AmS) no way

palos porque bogas, palos porque no bogas — you can't win

darle or pegarle un palo a alguien — to rip somebody off (colloq)

(flaco) como un palo — (fam) as thin as a rake o rail

más tieso que un palo — as stiff as a board

de tal palo, tal astilla — a chip off the old block, like father like son (o like mother like daughter etc)

a palo seco — (fam)

no está el palo para cucharas — (Col fam) the time isn't right

lo molieron a palos — they beat him till he was black and blue

dar palos de ciego — ( al pelear) to lash o strike out blindly; ( al resolver un problema) to grope in the dark

ni a palo(s) — (AmS) no way

palos porque bogas, palos porque no bogas — you can't win

darle or pegarle un palo a alguien — to rip somebody off (colloq)

Ex: The ball pelts, which were usually sheepskin, were fixed to the handles with nails which were only lightly knocked in, and were removed after the day's work (and often during the midday break as well).

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.

Ex: This has been the case with newspapers which suddenly find that their audiences are both growing older and dwindling in size and they are facing great difficulty appealing to the new electronic generation.

canela en rama — cinnamon sticks pl

rama de olivo — (lit, fig) olive branch

andarse/irse por las ramas — to beat about the bush

andarse/irse por las ramas — to beat about the bush

Ex: Thus we all agree that one component of a building is a roof (and not vice versa!), and that chemistry is a branch of science.