For those of you who speak Spanish (or appreciate linguistics!), I'm going to be randomly posting words/phrases/colloquialisms that I find interesting. I'll include a translation and the situation in which I heard it if applicable.
ver las orejas al lobo--literally: to see the ears of the wolf. Basically, it means to foresee danger. I've read that it's comparable to the English phrases to "see storm clouds on the horizon" or "see the writing on the wall."
disfrutar--literally: to take the fruit. It means "to enjoy." One of the speakers at Fulbright Orientation pointed out the origins of this word. I think it's interesting to consider the idea of enjoyment in such a concrete way. It's difficult to explain the exact connotations that this word has in English. However, for me, it highlights the attitude of enjoying the simpler things in life--like eating a good meal, or reading a good book.
pijo/a--snooty
tiquismiquis--literally: for me, for you. Apparently, it originally comes from Latin. It is used to refer to someone as being picky. I think that it specifically refers to someone who's picky about the way in which things are done. For example, if you are a person who is kind of a perfectionist and wants every little detail to be taken care of.
Y vivieron felices y comieron perdices...--literally: and they lived happily and ate partridge. It is used at the end of stories to say "and they lived happily ever after."
solapar--my dictionary translates this verb as "to overlap." However, my teacher used this word in class to mean something more specific than "overlap." She asked me if there were an equivalent in English. I told her that I didn't know the word and she explained that it meant "to fold the corners together." I had to admit that I couldn't think of a discrete word that would capture that meaning.
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