mosca

f.

1 fly.

aflojar o soltar la mosca (figurative) to cough up, to fork out

cazar moscas (figurative) to twiddle one's thumbs

estar con o tener la mosca detrás de la oreja (informal) to be suspicious o distrustful

no se oía ni una mosca (informal) you could have heard a pin drop

por si las moscas (informal) just in case

¿qué mosca te ha picado? (informal figurative) what's up with you?

mosca muerta (informal figurative) slyboots, hypocrite

mosca tse-tsé tsetse fly

2 money.

* * *

mosca

► nombre femenino

1 fly

2 (barba) tuft

3 familiar (dinero) dough

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FRASEOLOGÍA

aflojar/soltar la mosca familiar to fork out money, cough up

caer como moscas to drop like flies

estar con la mosca detrás de la oreja to be suspicious

estar mosca familiar (sospechar) to be suspicious 2 (estar enfadado) to be cross

no se oía una mosca you could have heard a pin drop

por si las moscas just in case

¿qué mosca te (le, etc) ha picado? familiar what's bugging you (him, etc)?

mosca muerta figurado hypocrite

* * *

noun f.

fly

* * *

1. SF

1) (=insecto) fly

pescar a la mosca — to fish with a fly, fly-fish

asarse las moscas —

se asaban las moscas — it was baking hot

- caer como moscas

- cazar moscas

- mandar a algn a capar moscas

- papar moscas

- por si las moscas

me llevaré el impermeable por si las moscas — I'll take my raincoat just in case

- ¿qué mosca te/le ha picado?

- tener la mosca en o detrás de la oreja

mosca artificial — [en pesca] fly

mosca azul, mosca blanca — whitefly

mosca de burro — horsefly

mosca de España — Spanish fly, cantharides

mosca de la carne — meat fly

mosca de la fruta — fruit fly

mosca doméstica — house fly

mosca drosofila — drosophila, fruit fly

mosca muerta — = mosquita

mosca tsetsé — tsetse fly

2) * (=pesado) pest

3) † (=dinero) dough *

- aflojar o soltar la mosca

4) † (=barba) small goatee beard

5) pl moscas (=centellas) sparks

moscas volantes — spots before the eyes, floaters

6) Méx * (=parásito) sponger *

2.

ADJ INV Esp

*

- estar mosca

- estar mosca con algn

* * *

I

adjetivo invariable

a) (Esp fam) (preocupado) uneasy, edgy (colloq); (enfadado) sore (AmE colloq), cross (BrE colloq)

b) (Ven fam) (alerta) alert

II

femenino

1)

a) (Zool) fly

no se oía ni una mosca — you could have heard a pin drop (colloq)

caer como moscas — to drop o fall like flies

es incapaz de matar una mosca — she wouldn't harm o hurt a fly

estar con la mosca en or detrás de la oreja — to be wary, be on one's guard

papar moscas — (fam) to mooch around (colloq)

por si las moscas — (fam) just in case (colloq)

¿qué mosca te/le ha picado? — (fam) what's got into o what's up with you/him? (colloq)

sentirse como mosca en leche — (Andes fam) to feel like a fish out of water

venir or acudir como moscas — to swarm round like flies; ver tb mosquita

b) (para pescar) fly

- mosca tsé-tsé or tsetsé

2) (Esp fam) (dinero) dough (colloq)

afloja la mosca — cough up (colloq)

III

masculino y femenino (Ur fam) freeloader (colloq), sponger (BrE colloq)

* * *

= fly [flies, -pl.].

Ex. From 'Huckleberry Finn' to 'Catcher in the Rye', from 'Coral Island' to 'The Lord of the Flies,' from 'Aesop's Fables' to 'Animal Farm': we can all find family trees for dozens of books.

----

* caer como moscas = drop like + flies.

* incapaz de matar una mosca = wouldn't hurt a fly.

* mosca de la fruta = fruit fly.

* mosca negra = black fly.

* oír una mosca = hear a pin drop.

* pesca con mosca = fly fishing.

* por si las moscas = just in case, on spec.

* * *

I

adjetivo invariable

a) (Esp fam) (preocupado) uneasy, edgy (colloq); (enfadado) sore (AmE colloq), cross (BrE colloq)

b) (Ven fam) (alerta) alert

II

femenino

1)

a) (Zool) fly

no se oía ni una mosca — you could have heard a pin drop (colloq)

caer como moscas — to drop o fall like flies

es incapaz de matar una mosca — she wouldn't harm o hurt a fly

estar con la mosca en or detrás de la oreja — to be wary, be on one's guard

papar moscas — (fam) to mooch around (colloq)

por si las moscas — (fam) just in case (colloq)

¿qué mosca te/le ha picado? — (fam) what's got into o what's up with you/him? (colloq)

sentirse como mosca en leche — (Andes fam) to feel like a fish out of water

venir or acudir como moscas — to swarm round like flies; ver tb mosquita

b) (para pescar) fly

- mosca tsé-tsé or tsetsé

2) (Esp fam) (dinero) dough (colloq)

afloja la mosca — cough up (colloq)

III

masculino y femenino (Ur fam) freeloader (colloq), sponger (BrE colloq)

* * *

= fly [flies, -pl.].

Ex: From 'Huckleberry Finn' to 'Catcher in the Rye', from 'Coral Island' to 'The Lord of the Flies,' from 'Aesop's Fables' to 'Animal Farm': we can all find family trees for dozens of books.

* caer como moscas = drop like + flies.

* incapaz de matar una mosca = wouldn't hurt a fly.

* mosca de la fruta = fruit fly.

* mosca negra = black fly.

* oír una mosca = hear a pin drop.

* pesca con mosca = fly fishing.

* por si las moscas = just in case, on spec.

* * *

mosca¹

adj inv

1 (Esp fam) (preocupado) uneasy, edgy (colloq); (enfadado) sore (AmE colloq), mad (AmE), cross (BrE colloq)

2 (Ven fam) (alerta) alert

hay que estar mosca you have to be alert o (colloq) keep on your toes

mosca²

feminine

A

1 (Zool) fly

no se oía ni una mosca you could have heard a pin drop (colloq)

caer como moscas to go down o drop o fall like flies

es incapaz de matar una mosca she wouldn't harm o hurt a fly

estar con la mosca en or detrás de la oreja to be wary, be on one's guard

ir de mosca (Méx): atrás del trolebús iban dos muchachos de mosca two boys were hanging off the back of the trolleybus

papar moscas (fam); to mooch around (colloq)

por si las moscas (fam); just in case (colloq), just to be on the safe side (colloq)

¿qué mosca te/le ha picado? (fam); what's got into o what's up with you/him? (colloq), what's eating you/him? (colloq)

sentirse como mosca en leche (Col fam); to feel like a fish out of water

venir or acudir como moscas to swarm round like flies

ver tb mosquita

2 (para pescar) fly

Compuestos:

● mosca blanca

whitefly

● mosca húmeda or mojada

wet fly

● mosca seca

dry fly

● mosca tsé-tsé or tsetsé

(Med) tsetse, tsetse fly

B (fam) (dinero) dough (colloq), dosh (BrE colloq)

afloja la mosca cough up (colloq)

C (Ven fam) (escolta) escort

mosca³

masculine and feminine

(Ur fam)

freeloader (colloq), sponger (BrE colloq)

* * *

 

mosca sustantivo femenino
fly;

◊ no se oía ni una mosca you could have heard a pin drop (colloq);

por si las moscas (fam) just in case (colloq)
mosca
I sustantivo femenino
1 (insecto) fly
2 fam fig (dinero) cash, dough
aflojar la mosca, to stump up
3 fam (recelo) estar con la mosca (detrás de la oreja), to smell a rat, to be suspicious
II adj (estar) (enfadado) annoyed
(inquieto) worried
(intrigado) suspicious
♦ Locuciones: familiar ¿qué mosca le ha picado?, what's biting him?
familiar por si las moscas, just in case

'mosca' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
gusano
- volar
- pescar
- peso
- por
English:
bite
- eat
- fly
- flyweight
- pin
- blue
- house

* * *

mosca

♦ adj inv

1. [en boxeo]

peso mosca flyweight

2. Esp Fam

estar mosca [con sospechas] to smell a rat;

estoy mosca con su oferta, no me inspira confianza there's something fishy about his offer, I don't trust it

3. Esp Fam

estar mosca [enfadado] to be in a mood;

está mosca conmigo she's in a mood with me;

está mosca porque se ha vuelto a estropear el ordenador he's in a mood because the computer's broken again

4. Ven Fam [alerta] on the ball;

para ganar dinero hay que estar muy mosca if you want to make money you've got to be on the ball

♦ nmf

[en boxeo] flyweight

♦ nf

1. [insecto] fly

Comp

mosca escorpión scorpion fly;

mosca de la fruta fruit fly;

Fam Fig mosca muerta:

con lo mosca muerta que parecía y el novio tan guapo que se ha buscado she's a dark horse, you'd never have thought she'd end up with a good-looking boyfriend like that;

parece una mosca muerta he looks very innocent;

mosca tse-tsé tsetse fly

2. [en pesca] fly

3. RP Fam [dinero] dough;

estoy sin mosca I'm flat broke, Br I'm skint

4. Comp

aflojar o [m5]soltar la mosca to cough up, to fork out;

cazar moscas to twiddle one's thumbs;

Fam

estar con o [m5]tener la mosca detrás de la oreja to be suspicious o distrustful;

no se oía ni una mosca you could have heard a pin drop;

Fam

¿qué mosca te ha picado? what's up with you?, who's rattled your cage?;

Fam

por si las moscas just in case;

Méx Fam

viajar de mosca = to ride for free on a bus by clinging to the outside of it

♦ interj

Ven Fam watch it!

* * *

mosca

f fly;

mosca muerta fam hypocrite;

estar mosca fam smell a rat fam ;

estar con o

tener la mosca detrás de la oreja fam smell a rat fam ;

por si las moscas fam just to be on the safe side;

¿qué mosca te ha picado? what’s biting you?;

soltar o

aflojar la mosca fam pay up, cough up fam ;

caer o

morir como moscas fig drop like flies;

estar papando moscas fam be miles away fam ;

no es capaz de matar una mosca he wouldn’t hurt a fly

* * *

mosca nf

1) : fly

2)

mosca común : housefly

* * *

mosca n fly [pl. flies]

estar mosca to be annoyed

por si las moscas just in case