sale(s)s problems

cómprate otro abrigo, el que llevas es un auténtico saldo — you should get yourself another coat, the one you're wearing has had it *

eres un auténtico saldo, no sabes ni freír un huevo — you're hopeless o you're a dead loss, you can't even boil an egg *

Ex: Publishers increasingly worried about the bottom line and hesitate to publish books that may be an invitation for backlash from groups opposed to homosexuality.

Ex: So far as possible the international traders exchanged books, but sometimes the balance was unequal and accounts were settled in money.

• menos aún — even less

• menos de — [con sustantivos incontables, medidas, dinero, tiempo] less than; [con sustantivos contables] fewer than

llegamos en menos de diez minutos — we got there in less than o in under ten minutes

• en menos de nada — in no time at all

• menos que — less than

• al menos — at least

• de menos, hay siete de menos — we're seven short, there are seven missing

me dieron un paquete con medio kilo de menos — they gave me a packet which was half a kilo short o under weight

• echar de menos a algn — to miss sb

• ir a menos — to come down in the world

• lo menos diez — at least ten

• eso es lo de menos — that's the least of it

• ¡menos mal! — thank goodness!

• era nada menos que un rey — he was a king, no less

• no es para menos — quite right too

• por lo menos — at least

• ¡ qué menos!, -le di un euro de propina -¡qué menos! — "I tipped her a euro" - "that was the least you could do!"

• quedarse en menos, no se quedó en menos — he was not to be outdone

• tener a menos hacer algo — to consider it beneath o.s. to do sth

• venir a menos — to come down in the world

• y menos, no quiero verle y menos visitarle — I don't want to see him, let alone visit him

• ¡ ya será menos! — come off it!

• menos... que, A tiene menos ventajas que B — A has fewer advantages than B

no soy menos hombre que él — * I'm as much of a man as he is

este es menos coche que el anterior — * this is not as good a car as the last one

• ser menos que, ganaremos porque son menos que nosotros — we'll win because there are fewer of them than there are of us

cinco menos dos — five minus o less two

• a menos que — unless

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

ahora lo vemos menos — we don't see him so often o we don't see so much of him now

menos (...) que: un hallazgo no menos importante que éste a find which is no less important than this one; ella menos que nadie puede criticarte she of all people is in no position to criticize you; menos (...) de less than; pesa menos de 50 kilos it weighs less than o under 50 kilos; no lo haría por menos de cien mil I wouldn't do it for less than a hundred thousand; éramos menos de diez there were fewer than ten of us; los niños de menos de 7 años children under seven; es menos peligroso de lo que tú crees — it's not as dangerous as you think

cuando menos lo esperábamos — when we were least expecting it; para locs ver menos III 2)

ya hace menos frío — it's not as o so cold now

menos (...) que: tengo menos tiempo que tú I haven't as o so much time as you; menos estudiantes que el año pasado fewer students than last year; yo no soy menos que él — he's no better than me

de menos: me ha dado 100 pesos de menos you've given me 100 pesos too little; me has cobrado de menos you've undercharged me; lo menos (fam) at least; menos mal just as well, thank goodness; menos mal que no me oyó just as well o it's a good thing he didn't hear me; por lo menos at least; ir a menos to go downhill; ser lo de menos: eso es lo de menos, a mí lo que me preocupa es... that's the least of it, what worries me is...; la fecha es lo de menos the date is the least of our/their problems; tener a alguien en menos to feel somebody is beneath one; tener algo a menos to think something is beneath one o beneath one's dignity; venirse a menos — to come down in the world

firmaron todos menos Alonso — everybody but Alonso signed, everybody signed except o but Alonso

menos estos dos, todos están en venta — apart from o with the exception of these two, they are all for sale

Ex: Service to the whole community implies positive discrimination towards those who through social or educational deprivation are least adept at using information tools.

• salir [de] — to leave

• salir [para] — to set off for

la pelota salió fuera — (Ftbl) the ball went out (of play)

• salió [corriendo] (del cuarto) — he ran out (of the room)

• salir [de], nos la encontramos al salir del cine — we bumped into her when we were coming out of the cinema

• salir de [paseo] — to go out for a walk

• salir [a], sale a ocho euros el kilo — it works out at eight euros a kilo

• salir [por], me salió por 1.000 pesos — it cost me 1,000 pesos

• salir [bien], el plan salió bien — the plan worked out well

• salir [mal], salió muy mal del tratamiento — the treatment wasn't at all successful

"sale el rey" — [acotación] "enter the king"

salió corriendo or disparada — (fam) she was off like a shot (colloq)

salió por la puerta de atrás — he went out o left by the back door

no salgo de trabajar hasta las siete — I don't finish o leave work until seven

¿a qué hora sales de clase? — what time do you get out of class o finish your class?

me salieron granos — I broke out o (BrE) come out in spots

¿te sale sangre? — are you bleeding o is it bleeding?

yo no se lo pedí, salió de él — I didn't ask him to do it, it was his idea o he offered

ya salió aquello — you (o he etc) had to bring that up; (+ me/te/le etc)

me salió en alemán — it came o I said it in German

salió por or en (la) televisión — she was o appeared on television

sale de pastor — he plays o he is a shepherd

salir con algo: mira con qué sale éste ahora! did you hear what he just said?; no me salgas ahora con eso — don't give me that (colloq)

ahora mismo no me sale su nombre — (fam) I can't think of her name right now

las cosas salieron bien — things turned out o worked out well

sale muy caro — it works out o is very expensive

salir bien/mal en un examen — (Chi fam) to pass/fail an exam; (+ me/te/le etc)

¿cómo te salió el examen? — how did you get on o do in the exam?

salir de algo: para salir del apuro in order to get out of an awkward situation; está muy mal, no sé si saldrá de ésta she's very ill, I don't know if she'll pull through; no sé cómo vamos a salir de ésta I don't know how we're going to get out of this one; me ayudó a salir de la depresión he helped me get over my depression; (+ compl) salió bien de la operación she came through the operation well; salieron ilesos del accidente they were not hurt in the accident; salió airosa del trance she came through it with flying colors; salir adelante negocio to stay afloat, survive; propuesta to prosper; fue una época muy dura, pero lograron salir adelante — it was a difficult period but they managed to get through it

cierra el grifo, que se va a salir el agua — turn off the faucet (AmE) o (BrE) tap, the water's going to overflow

salirse de algo: el camión se salió de la carretera the truck came/went off the road; el río se salió de su cauce the river overflowed its banks; la pelota se salió del campo de juego the ball went into touch o out of play; procura no salirte del presupuesto try to keep within the budget; te estás saliendo del tema — you're getting off the point

salirse de algo: se está saliendo el aire del neumático the air's coming o leaking out of the tire; se me salió el hilo de la aguja — the needle's come unthreaded

se le salían los ojos de las órbitas — his eyes were popping out of his head

salirse de algo — de asociación to leave something

salirse con la suya — to get one's (own) way

salió corriendo or disparada — (fam) she was off like a shot (colloq)