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o
o ara o mai: now or never
o caixa o faixa: all or nothing

obeir: obeir al fet que — be due to, arise from the fact that

obert
a cel obert: outdoors, in the open air
com un llibre obert: like an open book; easy to get to know
dormir amb un ull obert: sleep with one eye open
veure el cel obert: see one's way out of a difficulty; come out smelling like a rose

obliga: qui promet s'obliga — a promise is a promise

oblit
per oblit: by/through an oversight, inadvertently
relegar a l'oblit: relegate to obscurity
treure de l'oblit: rescue from oblivion, bring to light

obra
mà d'obra: manpower
obra de consulta: reference book
obra de teatre: play
per obra de: through the work of
per obra i gràcia de: through/by the kind offices of
posar en obra: carry out, achieve, perform
posar mans a l'obra: to get started on something, to get working at something
ser l'obra de la seu: be long drawn-out, interminable, never-ending

obres: fer obres a — [una casa] work on, reform, fix up, repair

obrir
en un tancar i obrir d'ulls: quickly, fast; in the blink of an eye; in two shakes of a lamb's tail, in a flash/jiffy
obrir el camí: open the way
obrir el cor: bare one's soul
obrir el meló: deal with a troublesome problem; open a can of worms
obrir els ulls: 1 [vigilar] be alert, be on the lookout 2 [desenganyar-se] see the light, see things as they really are
obrir els ulls a algú: wise someone up, warn someone
obrir els ulls a la llum: be born
obrir en canal: slit open, from top to bottom; [fig.] excoriate, severely criticize
obrir la caixa de Pandora: open a Pandora's box
obrir la mà: [moderar el rigor] ease off, give some slack, lighten up
obrir la marxa: lead the way, head the procession
obrir (pas/camí): pave the way
obrir un bufet: [llei] hang out one's shingle
obrir-se camí: make one's way
obrir-se una via d'aigua: spring a leak

obstant
no obstant això: however, nevertheless; be that as it may; all the same
no obstant: in spite of, despite (ex.: No obstant l'impediment, es va poder casar = In spite of the difficulty, he was able to get married)

obtenir: obtenir a pols — achieve through personal effort

ocàs: l'ocàs de la vida — the declining years, senescence

ocasió
d'ocasió: secondhand
en ocasió de: on the occasion of

ocell
a vista d'ocell: bird's-eye view
ocell de nit: night owl
ocell de pas: [persona] wanderer, rambler, roamer, rover; rolling stone
val més un ocell a la mà que cent a volar: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

ociositat: l'ociositat és la mare de tots els vicis — the devil finds work for idle hands

ofegar: ofegar-se en un got d'aigua — make a mountain out of a molehill

ofegats: pèsols ofegats — stewed peas

ofensiva: prendre l'ofensiva — go on the offensive

oferta
d'oferta: on sale (at a reduced price)
l'oferta i la demanda: supply and demand

ofici
gangues de l'ofici: occupational hazards
sense ofici ni benefici: worthless, good-for-nothing

oficis
bons oficis: good word, commendation, favorable mention
dotze oficis, tretze misèries: jack of all trades, master of none
home de molts oficis, (pobre segur / mestre de res): jack of all trades, master of none

ogre: menjar com un ogre — eat like a horse

ois: fer ois — be disgusting, sickening, revolting

oli
com posar oli en un llum: be smooth/plain sailing; be a perfect fit, be just what the doctor ordered
com una bassa d'oli: smooth, quiet, tranquil
de pa sucat amb oli: mediocre, bogus, shabby, second-rate, two-bit
estendre's/escampar-se com una taca d'oli: spread like wildfire
haver begut oli: have had it, be done for, be sunk
no tenir sal ni oli: be dim-witted; be slow on the uptake
passar de taca d'oli: overdo it, go overboard, go too far; run something into the ground
peix que es porta l'oli: quick-witted, clever, astute
qui oli mesura/remena, els dits se n'unta: he who deals with money is often tempted to keep some for himself
una i oli!: never more!

òliba: com una òliba — solitary

olives
canviar l'aigua de les olives: answer the call of nature, take a leak
olives farcides: stuffed olives

olla
cul d'olla: dunce, blockhead, bonehead, numskull, fool, simpleton
destapar l'olla: tell all; spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag
fart d'olla: glutton, hog
fer bullir l'olla: make ends meet, muddle through
no haver trencat cap plat ni cap olla: butter wouldn't melt in (one's) mouth (ex.: va sortir del jutjat amb posat de no haver trencat mai cap plat ni cap olla = he came out of court looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth)
no poder tirar pilota a l'olla: not be able to (make ends meet / get|scrape by)
no poder-ne tirar cap tros a l'olla: not be able to (make ends meet / get|scrape by)
olla de grills/cols: raucous gathering/assembly/meeting; tumult, clamor
ser de l'olla: be among those in power; rule the roost, be in control
treure faves d'olla: recover, recuperate, show improvement; [salut] get better/well, convalesce
vatua l'olla!: what the heck!, what the hell! [vulg.]; darn it!, dammit! [vulg.]; fuck! [tabú]

olles
els testos s'assemblen a les olles: like father, like son
saber del llim de les olles: know the score/ropes, know one's (way around / stuff)

olor: fer olor de cremat/socarrim — arouse suspicion, raise doubt, cause apprehension

om: demanar peres a l'om — ask for the impossible

ombra
a l'ombra: secretly, surreptitiously, stealthily, undercover, furtively
fer ombra: 1 [sombrar] provide shade 2 [superar] eclipse, overshadow, outshine 3 [protegir] watch over, look after, keep safe
una ombra de: a tiny amount, a smidgen, a wee bit, a scintilla

ombres: dur les ombres mortes — look (discouraged / crestfallen / dispirited / in the dumps)

omís: fer cas omís de — take no notice of, ignore, overlook, neglect

omplir
omplir el cap a algú: talk someone's ear off; annoy/upset someone by talking too much
omplir el cor: delight, enchant, please, thrill
omplir el pap: have a meal, chow down, fall to, fill one's belly
omplir la mesura: be the last straw, to top it off; go to extremes
omplir (la panxa / el pap): eat, chow down, have a meal
omplir les aspiracions d'algú: fulfill someone's wishes, gratify someone
omplir una vacant: fill a post
omplir-se les butxaques: make a lot of money, make money hand over fist, do a land-office business

on
on sant Pere va perdre l'espardenya: in the middle of nowhere, in the boondocks, in/at the back of beyond
on va la corda va el poal: inseparable, thick as thieves
on vas a parar!: you've gone too far!, you're going overboard!, that's over the top!

operacions: operacions d'iniciats — insider trading

opinió: canviar d'opinió — have second thoughts, change one's mind

oportú: al moment oportú — at the right time

oposició: en oposició amb — opposed to (ex.: Les seves idees estan en oposició amb les meves = His ideas are opposed to mine)

oques
anar al cel de les oques: go where those who don't believe in God go after death
sempre han tingut bec les oques: there's always been evil in the world

or
a pes d'or: at a high price
d'or: excellent, wonderful (ex.: un consell d'or = excellent advice)
el temps és or: time is money
fer-se d'or: get rich, make a lot of money, make a bundle
fer-se la barba d'or: make a fortune, make a bundle
no és d'or tot el que lluu: all that glitters is not gold
no per tot l'or del món: not for all (the world / the tea in China)
noces d'or: golden wedding anniversary
val més or que no pesa: be worth one's/its weight in gold

oracions: trencar les oracions a algú — interrupt someone, make them lose their train of thought

ordiga: l'ordiga sempre espiga — a bad penny always turns up

ordinari: d'ordinari — usual

ordre
cridar a l'ordre: call to account, hold accountable/responsible
de l'ordre de: on the order of
en ordre a: with a view to
mot d'ordre: 1 [lema] watchword, rallying cry 2 [contrasenya] password
ordre públic: law and order
sense ordre ni concert: haphazardly, willy-nilly, chaotically

orella
a cau d'orella: in a whisper
anar calent d'orella: be drunk, loaded, tight, bombed, pissed [Br.]
burxar l'orella a algú: egg someone on, goad someone
dir a cau d'orella: whisper in someone's ear
donar/prestar orella: listen; take notice; lend an ear
dur d'orella: hard of hearing
ensenyar l'orella: show one's true colors; involuntarily reveal one's hidden intentions/agenda
entrar per una orella i sortir per l'altra: go in one ear and out the other
fer l'orella sorda: ignore, turn a deaf ear, look the other way, pay no attention, take no notice
mal d'orella: earache
orella baix: timid, timorous, pusillanimous

orelles
amb un pam d'orelles: all ears
calent d'orelles: drunk, tipsy, loaded, tight, bombed, pissed [Br.]
dreçar les orelles: pay attention
estirar les orelles a algú: scold someone, give someone a slap on the wrist, rap someone's knuckles
femella d'orelles: wing nut
fer orelles de (cònsol / marxant / paret): ignore, turn a deaf ear, look the other way, pay no attention, take no notice
les parets tenen orelles: the walls have ears
parar orelles: prick up one's ears
regalar les orelles: flatter, sweet-talk, play up to
tenir les orelles a cal ferrer: be deaf/oblivious, pay no attention/mind, disregard; [fingint] ignore, turn a deaf ear
tot orelles: all ears
treure's la son de les orelles: get on the ball, get with it
una escalfada/fregada d'orelles: a chewing out, a talking to, a scolding
veure les orelles del llop: be in danger, at risk
veure's les orelles: get back on one's feet, be up and about; take heart, pluck/gather up one's courage
xiular-li a algú les orelles: to have one's ears ring
xiular-li les orelles (a algú): someone's ears burn

oremus: perdre l'oremus — lose control of oneself; get disoriented, confused

oreneta: una oreneta no fa estiu — one swallow doesn't make a summer

orgue
no es pot manxar i tocar l'orgue: you can't have your cake and eat it too
orgue de gats: raucous gathering/assembly/meeting; tumult, clamor

orgues: no estar per orgues — be in no mood for jokes; not want to get involved

oriol: renegar com un oriol — swear like a sailor

orni: fer l'orni — [desentendre's] ignore, turn a deaf ear, look the other way, pay no attention, take no notice; [dissimular] play dumb, pretend not to understand

orri
a/en orri: galore; in abundance, aplenty, in profusion
fer orri: to milk sheep

orris: anar-se'n en orri(s) — go to rack/wrack and ruin, go to hell in a handbasket [vulg.]

orsa: anar a l'orsa — 1 [navegar] to luff 2 [anar malament] go to rack/wrack and ruin

orxata: tenir sang d'orxata — be sluggish, lethargic, listless

os
fins al moll (d'os / de l'os / dels ossos): to the core, to the marrow
no tenir cap os sencer: be exhausted, done in, all in, dead tired
no tenir més que (ossos / la pell i l'os): be skin and bones
no trencar-s'hi cap os: act/work sluggishly, slothfully, lethargically
os pedrer!: good gosh! goodness gracious!
tenir l'os bertran: be lazy, bone idle, slothful
tenir un os a l'esquena: be lazy, bone idle, slothful
un os dur de rosegar: a tough nut to crack; a tough/difficult question, a difficult problem

ós: vendre la pell de l'ós abans de caçar-lo — count one's chickens before they hatch

osques: anar lluny d'osques — be mistaken, off the beam, wide of the mark

ossos
de carn i ossos: flesh and blood
en carn i ossos: in the flesh
fins al moll (d'os / de l'os / dels ossos): to the core, to the marrow
maleir els ossos (d'algú): curse/revile (algú); damn (algú) [vulg.] (ex.: Els veïns ens devien maleir els ossos per la festa d'anit = The neighbors must have cursed us for last night's party)
no tenir més que (ossos / la pell i l'os): be skin and bones
no tenir més que ossos: be skin and bones
qui no té tall rosega els ossos: any port in a storm
rosegar els ossos: bear the brunt
tornar els ossos al lloc: get back on one's feet, be up and about
un sac d'ossos: very thin, skin and bones

ostentació: fer ostentació — be presumptuous, show off, flaunt, grandstand

ostra: avorrir-se com una ostra — be bored stiff

ou
al rovell de l'ou: right in the center
amagar l'ou: hide one's intentions, dissemble
assemblar-se com un ou a una castanya: be completely unlike, dissimilar
beu-te aquest ou, que l'altre es cou!: put that in your pipe and smoke it!
com un ou i una castanya: as different as chalk and cheese
costar un ou [vulg.]: be very difficult, grueling, backbreaking
el rovell de l'ou: coses o persones preeminents
no haver sortit de l'ou: be a babe in the woods; be a greenhorn
pela aquest ou que l'altre ja es cou: it's no big deal; don't make a federal case of it
ple com un ou: full to bursting, jam-packed, very crowded, chock-a-block

ous
buscar/trobar pèls als ous: split hairs, nitpick, complicate things unnecessarily; quibble, be finicky and hard to please
coure-s'hi ous: so hot you can fry an egg (on the sidewalk)
fer els ous en terra: screw up, foul up, blunder, make a mess/hash of something
ja pots cridar ous a vendre: you can save your breath
la mare dels ous: origin, root, lineage
tenir ous [vulg.]: have guts
tocar a algú els ous [vulg.]: hassle, bother, harass, plague someone; fuck with someone [tabú]
trobar pèls als ous: split hairs, nitpick, complicate things unnecessarily; quibble, be finicky and hard to please

ovella
per Nadal cada ovella al seu corral: everyone should be home for Christmas
ser un llop amb pell d'ovella: be a wolf in sheep's clothing
tenir cara d'ovella i urpes de llop: be a wolf in sheep's clothing

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