as a matter of fact- de hecho

Pat lives in Australia. As a matter of fact, she's been living there since 1998.

as a rule- por lo general

As a rule, we don't let any strangers in when my parents aren't home.

as clean as a new pin – limpio como cristal

Glenn washed the car today and he left it as clean as a new pin.

as clean as a whistle- Tener un historial limpio

Campbell is an honest man. I've investigated all his deeds. He's as clean as a whistle.

as clear as cristal- limpio como vidrio

Don't worry, the instructor gave us all the instructions. He was as clear as crystal.

as clear as mud- Clarisimo

The teacher explained it in class, but it was all as clear as mud. Can you help me?

as cool as a cucumber - más fresco que una lechuga

After a weekend getaway in the country, I came home as cool as a cucumber.

as dead as a doornail/the dodo- más muerto que mi abuela

We arrived at the disco and there was nobody there. It was as dead as a doornail.

as different as night and day- ser la noche y el día

My mom and dad are as different as night and day, but they really get along.

as dull as ditchwater- más aburrido que chupar un clavo

That play was as dull as dithcwater. Next time we'll go dancing!

as easy as pie- pan comido

Crossing the lake was as easy as pie. We had a little boat and rowed to the other shore.

as far as I know - por lo que sé

Grace didn't tell me she was in Madrid. As far as I know, she was in Paris with Ann.

as fit as a fiddle - rebosante de salud

My grandad is 89 years old and he rides his bike everyday. He's as fit as a fiddle.
as full as a boot/tick - ebrio como una cuba

Peter went to the pub last night and he came home as full as a tick.

as mad as a hatter - más loco que una cabra

My mother-in-law is as mad as a hatter. First, she loves me; then, she hates me!

as poor as a church mouse- más pobre que las ratas

Will's uncle had money but he gambled a lot and lost it. He died as poor as a church mouse.

as pretty as a picture - como de postal

We visited an old medieval town in Florence, it was as pretty as a picture!

as quiet as a mouse – sin siquiera decir ‘mu’

Sally's dad told her off for coming home late and she went to her room as quiet as a mouse.

as red as a beetroot - rojo como un tomate

Whenever I have to deliver a speech, I get as red as a beetroot, I can't help it!

as (if) to the manner born - como si hubiera nacido para ello

Are you sure you'd never surfed before? You do it as to the manner born!

as usual- como de costumbre

Last night I came home as usual, had a shower and went to dinner with some friends.

as ugly as sin- más feo que pegarle a la madre

Rose went out on a blind date the other night and the poor guy was as ugly as sin!

at a a glance - de un vistazo

Everything looked fine at a glance, so we just kept on walking.

at a loss for words- sin palabras

When Fran told me her husband was gone, I was at a loss for words.

at ease - a gusto

We tried to make John feel at ease while he was staying with us.

at fault - en falta

I wasn't at fault! Tom was! He left the office early and missed the meeting!
at first glance - a primera vista

At first glance, she seems to be fine. We'll have to run some tests to make sure she's fine

at first light- al rayar el día

Wake me up at 5 o'clock. We must leave at first light.

at full throttle- a todo gas

The factory was opened in May and now it's working at full throttle.

at heart- en el fondo

Phil might seem tough but he's really sweet at heart.

at least- por lo menos

Dave and Sue invited us to dinner, we should at least take a bottle of wine.

at odds- en desacuerdo

Everyone at the office is at odds because of the new project.

at once - de inmediato

You must deliver this package at once. Go! Stop wasting time!

at one time- en un tiempo

At one time we were all living in a little apartment in New York.

at peace – en paz.

Mary's always shouting and fighting. Will she ever be at peace?

at rest - en reposo.

If you use the machine for a long period of time, leave it at rest for a few minutes, ok?

at stake – en juego.

I'm not going to risk my job. I 've got a family to support. There's a lot at stake.

at the crack of dawn- al amanecer

When I was in the army, I used to get up at the crack of dawn. Sometimes earlier!

at the eleventh hour - en el último momento

Al's mom needed a heart transplant and was about to die, but at the eleventh hour they found a
donor.
at Will -a voluntad

You can take whatever you want from the fridge at will.

at your fingertips - al alcance de la mano

I like having everything I need at my fingertips. I don't want to get up whenever I need something.

beyond a doubt - sin duda

This is, beyond a doubt, the best birthday party I've ever had!

beyond comparison - sin comparación, incomparable

You should try the Bloody Mary here, it's beyond comparison!

beyond measure – desmesurado

The oufit she chose for the evening was ridiculous beyond measure!

beyond one's means – mas allá de los propios medios

I can't afford a trip to the Alps! It's way beyond my means!

beyond question – sin duda

Emma was, beyond question, the most beautiful girl at the ball.

beyond recall – completamente perdido

The building is completely beyond recall. It'll have to be demolished.

beyond reproach – irreprochable

Molly's attitude towards all the gossip about her is beyond reproach.

by a hair – por un pelo

It was an exciting race. We won it by a hair, I thought we'd come in the second place!

by all accounts – al decir de todos

By all accounts, The Beatles are one of the most important rock 'n' roll bands in history.

by all means – por supuesto

Do you want an apple? By all means, take as many as you wish!

by and by – pronto, enseguida

These shirts may be fashionable nowadays but by and by no one will wear them anymore.
by and large - en términos generales

By and large, the immigration in the country came from Spain and Italy.

by any means- por cualquier medio

Chuck's determined to get that job by any means.

by chance - por casualidad

I was walking down High Street and I came across Lucy by chance.

by coincidence -por coincidencia

Paul and I were at the theater last night and we met Joe and Vicky by coincidence

by dint of - a fuerza de

You're not going to make your children obey just by dint of beating them.

by far – por lejos

London is, by far, the most exciting city I've ever been to.

by force of habit – por costumbre

I took down the clock from the wall but I keep looking that way by force of habit.

by hand – a mano

These leather sandals were completely made by hand. Aren't they gorgeous?

by heart - de memoria

We have to learn these four poems by heart for next class.

by hook or by crook - por las buenas o por las malas

Tina says she's going to see Oasis in concert by hook or by crook.

by means of - por medio de

We were able to raise the money by means of a raffle.

by mistake – por equivocación

Oh, no! Jack's cell phone is the same as mine and I took his by mistake!

by no means - de ningún modo

Going on a job interview is by no means a guarantee of actually getting the job.
by reason of - a causa de

I was absent from the meeting by reason of another engagement.

by request – por petición

The package was delivered at these address by request of Mr. Allen.

by the same token -del mismo modo

I'm going to work more hours but, by the same token, I'll earn more money.

by the skin of your teeth – por poco, por los pelos

The thief was faster and he got away by the skin of his teeth.

by the way – a proposito

Oh, by the way, don't forget to pick up your suit from the dry cleaner's!

by virtue of – en virtud de

The concert was postponed by virtue of extreme weather conditions.

by way of – por medio de

I had to give my old car by way of payment for the new one.

down and out - en la miseria

There were times in my life when I had absolutely nothing, I was down and out.

down in the dumps – deprimido

Hank's lost his job, that's why he's been down in the dumps lately.

down on one's luck – de mala racha

Andy's house burned down and she has no insurance. She really is down on her luck.

down the hatch! – salud

Here's a toast to you, Frank! Down the hatch!

down to earth – con los pies en la tierra, centrado

I like Ben, he's a nice, sensible, down to earth guy.

down to the wire - hasta el último momento

Both teams are playing very well, the game can be won by either of them, it'll go down to the wire.
for a change - para variar

This summer I'd like to go to the mountain for a change.

for a song – a precio de saldo

Can you believe Ian bought that fabulous sports car for a song?

for all one is worth - con todas sus fuerzas

You can sit there wishing for a miracle for all you're worth, but it doesn't mean it'll happen.

for better or (for) worse – por bien o por mal

Mr. Miller's decision will affect all of us, for better or worse.

for certain- con seguridad

The police have some clues but the girl's whereabouts aren't known for certain.

for crying out loud- ¡pero, será possible

For crying out loud! Can't you see I'm on the phone? Stop shouting!

for fear of – por miedo a

We brought an extra bottle of water for fear of running out of it.

for fun/laughs – por placer

Mark paints but he only does it for fun. He doesn't intend to sell his paintings.

for God's/gosh/heaven's sake! – por el amor de dios !

For heaven's sake! Turn the volume down! I'm trying to sleep!

for good/keeps – por siempre

It's time we put an end to this situation for good.

for good measure – por añadidura

Dad gave me twenty dollars to buy a skirt and mom gave me twenty more for good measure

for kicks – para divertirse

We were bored so we decided to bake some cookies for kicks.

for long- por mucho tiempo

Sam came back yesterday but he said he wouldn't stay for long.

for my money - en mi opinion

For my money, Mary should've married John and not Robert.

for once- por una vez

Will you stop criticizing me for once in your life?

for openers – para empezar

For openers, we'll visit the Eiffel Tower, and then the Louvre.

for real- en realidad, de verdad

This is not a joke, Alex, this is for real!

for sure- de seguro

Becky's going to love the earrings I bought her in India, for sure!

for shame – que vergüenza

Can't those people see the "No smoking" sign over there? For shame!

for that matter – en realidad

My dad won't let me go to the party, and neither will my mom, for that matter.

for the asking – a pedir de boca

If you want the tickets, call the radio and they're yours for the asking!

for the fun of it- por diversion

Nowadays, there are few kids and teenagers who read just for the fun of it.

for the hell of it – por que si

Jack likes taking pictures all the time, just for the hell of it

for the momento- por el momento

For the moment I'm just going to buy the shirt, I'll leave the jeans for next month.

for the most part – en la mayor

Amy's friends are 30-year-old women, for the most part.

when all is said and done - a fin de cuentas

Ann's a very good mother, when all's said and done, that's what matters.
when it comes to – cuando se trata de..

Peter is very careful when it comes to his work.

when hell freezes over-

I can't stand Rob! I'll go out with him when hell freezes over!

when least expected- cuando uno menos lo espera

It's true that love comes to you when least expected.

when one's back is turned - a espaldas de uno

Sue tells you that she likes you but, when your back's turned, she'll run you down.

when my ship comes in/home - cuando me saque la loteria

Yeah, I'll buy a Ferrari when my ship comes home.

when/if the push comes to the shove – en caso de apuro

You can call Mr. Ferguson only when the push comes to the shove.

when the chips are down- a la hora de la verdad

They're here now but when the chips are down, none of them is my real friend.

when the dust has settled - cuando haya pasado la tormenta

You should go, they're very upset, I'll call you when the dust has settled.

up a gum tree/shit creek/the creek- en un aprieto

Tom's report was full of mistakes and the boss is mad, he's up a gum tree.

up and about/around- en Buena forma

With a bit of rest this flu will be gone and I'll be up and about again.

up and coming- prometedor

This is one of our up-and-coming artists, he's just signed a record deal.

up for grabs – libre

We've got five 100-dollar vouchers up for grabs, so call us now!

up front- por adelantado

Frank paid five hundred dollars up front and the rest in monthly installments.
up in arms- poner el grito al cielo

The whole neighborhood was up in arms when the old library was going to be demolished.

up in smoke- esfumarse, desvanecerse

Our whole plans for an outdoor weekend went up in smoke because of the rain.

up in the air- en el aire

Kate's plan to redecorate the house is still up in the air.

up in years- entrando en años

Arthur's father is up in years but he's still a handsome man.

up to a point – hasta cierto punto

Andrea is right but only up to a point.

up to date- actualizado, al corriente

I like reading the newspaper on the internet because it's always up to date.

up to no Good- en nada bueno

We were always up to no good when we were kids.

up to one's ears – hasta la coronilla

The kids are up to their ears with school; homework, tests, etc.

up to one's old tricks - volver a hacer de las suyas

Dan's out of jail but he's up to his old tricks again.

up to par/scratch/snuff - llegar a la media

Paul's latest novel wasn't up to par.

up to something - tramando algo

Lilly's been acting very strange, I think she's up to something.

up to speed -al tanto

John kept me up to speed while I was away from the office.

up your alley/Street- ideal para ti

Mick wants to find a course of studies that's right up his alley