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Now, the VOA Special English
program "Words and Their Stories". |
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Americans use many
expressions with the
word
"dog".
People in the United
States love their
dogs and treat
them well. They
take their dogs
for walks, let
them play outside and
give them good
food and medical
care. However, dogs
without owners to
care for them lead a
different kind of
life. The expression,
to
lead a dog's life,
describes a person
who has an unhappy existence. |
treat them well: los tratan bien; for walks: a dar paseos; let them play outside: les permiten jugar afuera; medical care: atención sanitaria; however: sin embargo; without owners: sin dueños; who care for them: que se interesen por ellos; lead a different kind of life: llevan una clase de vida muy diferente; to lead a dog's life: llevar una vida de perros; |
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Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog. |
dog-eat-dog world: mundo competitivo (un perro muerde a otro perro); like good jobs: como los buenos puestos de trabajo; to be successful: para tener éxito; to work like a dog: trabajar como una bestia (como un condenado, como una mula, etc. según cada país); very hard: muy intensamente; such hard work: el trabajo tan intenso; can make people: pude hacer que la gente se sienta; dog-tired: rendido, exhausto; would be even worse if: sería aún peor si; sick as a dog: muy enfermo; |
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Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things. |
still: a pesar de todo; every dog has its day: todos tenemos un momento de gloria (cada perro tiene su día); enjoys: goza de; new skills: nuevas habilidades, destrezas u oficios; yet: no obstante; you can never teach an old dog new tricks: adaptarse a las nuevas tendencias, cambiar de costumbres (enseñar nuevos trucos a un perro viejo); will not change: no cambiarán; the way they do: la forma de hacer (las); |
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Some people are
compared to dogs in bad
ways. People who
are unkind or uncaring
can be described as
meaner than a
junkyard dog.
Junkyard
dogs live in places
where people throw
away things they
do not want. Mean
dogs are often
used to guard this property.
They bark or
attack people who
try to enter the
property. However, sometimes
a person who
appears to be mean and threatening
is really not so
bad. We say
his bark is worse
than his bite.
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compared to dogs: comparadas con los perros; unkind: poco amable, descortés; uncaring: indiferente; meaner than a junkyard dog: más feroz que un perro guardián; throw away: descarta; mean dogs: perros feroces; to guard: custodiar, vigilar; bark or attack: ladran o atacan a; who try to enter: que intentan ingresar a; mean and threatening: perverso y amenazador; his bark is worse than his bite: perro que ladra no muerde (su ladrido es peor que su mordedura); |
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A
junkyard is not a fun
place for a dog.
Many dogs in the United
States sleep in
safe little houses
near their owners'
home. These
doghouses provide shelter.
Yet they can
be cold and lonely in the
winter. |
junkyard: galpón, depósito de chatarra; fun place: lugar divertido; safe little houses: casetas libres de riesgos; their owners' home: en la casa de sus dueños; doghouses: casetas para perros; provide shelter: dan protección; can be cold: pueden tener frío; lonely: solos y tristes; |
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Husbands and wives
use this
doghouse
term when they
are angry at each
other. For example, a woman
might get angry
at her husband for
coming home late or
forgetting their
wedding anniversary. She might
tell him that he
is
in the
doghouse.
She may not
treat him nicely
until he apologizes.
However, the husband
may decide that it is
best to leave
things alone and not create
more problems. He
might decide
to
let sleeping dogs
lie. |
doghouse term: palabra "perrera"; angry at each other: enojados, enfrentados; might get angry at: podría enojarse con; wedding anniversary: aniversario de bodas; might tell him: podría decirle; to be in the doghouse: estar castigado, no ser bien visto; she may not treat him nicely: es posible que ella no lo trate bien; until he apologizes: hasta que se disculpe; to leave things alone: dejat las cosas como están (esperar que pase la tormenta); and not create: y no generar; to let sleeping dogs lie: no hurgar en la herida (dejar tranquilos a los perros que duermen); |
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"Dog" expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs. |
the dog days of summer: los días más calurosos y más largos del verano; the hottest: los más bochornosos; rainstorm: tormenta; may cool: puede refrescar; to rain too hard: llover intensamente; to rain cats and dogs: diluviar, llover a mares. |
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