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Ojo billar

English translation: Keep your eye peeled!

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:Ojo billar
English translation:Keep your eye peeled!
Entered by: Manuel Aburto

01:37 Sep 30, 2018
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / General conversation (Slang)
Spanish term or phrase: Ojo billar
Hola estimados colegas,

Antes que todo les proporciono el vínculo relacionado con mi consulta:

https://ortegareyes.wordpress.com/2007/12/08/¡ojo-billar/

Sin embargo, de repente entró en acción la mercadotecnia moderna y comenzaron los ganchos, los engaños y la buena intención que se mantenía en la comunicación, cayó en completo desuso. La premisa básica con que trabajan los especialistas de la mercadotecnia de hoy, es que ellos son más inteligentes que el resto de la población y que por lo tanto, pueden manipular sus frágiles mentes.

Así pues, en la Nicaragua actual, al igual que en muchas partes del mundo, usted debe andar con mucho cuidado a la hora de interpretar los mensajes que recibe, pues llevan escondidas intenciones subliminales y por demás oscuras, que pueden llevarlo fácilmente al engaño. Es por eso que aquí cabe la célebre expresión tan nica: ¡Ojo billar!

Estaba pensando traducirlo como *Watch out* pero creo que en este caso no se ajusta al contexto.

Alguna sugerencia más aterrizada al contexto.
Manuel Aburto
Nicaragua
Local time: 17:55
Keep your eye peeled!
Explanation:
Another possibility. Literally, it means 'don't even blink'.

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/keep one's eyes peeled
keep your ˈeyes open/peeled/skinned (for somebody/something) watch carefully (for somebody/something): Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see anything suspicious, call the police immediately.
See also: eye, keep, open, peel, skinned
Selected response from:

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 16:55
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6Keep your eye peeled!
Muriel Vasconcellos
3 +2Be careful!
Barbara Cochran, MFA
3Pay attention!
Thomas Walker
Summary of reference entries provided
Algo así como "no coma cuento"
Jairo Payan

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Be careful!


Explanation:
Might work in this case.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 19:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jairo Payan: Una de las tantas opciones pero creo que esta es la idea básica
9 mins
  -> Gracias, Jairo.
agree  JohnMcDove
3 hrs
  -> Thank you, John.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
Keep your eye peeled!


Explanation:
Another possibility. Literally, it means 'don't even blink'.

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/keep one's eyes peeled
keep your ˈeyes open/peeled/skinned (for somebody/something) watch carefully (for somebody/something): Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see anything suspicious, call the police immediately.
See also: eye, keep, open, peel, skinned

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 16:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 199

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  JohnMcDove
39 mins
  -> Thank you, John!
agree  Marie Wilson: I think eyes peeled is perfect.
58 mins
  -> Thank you, Marie!
agree  Isamar: I agree with Marie that it should be 'eyes'.
4 hrs
  -> Yes, that was actually a typo.
agree  AllegroTrans: The eyes have it
7 hrs
  -> Thank you!
agree  David Hollywood
16 hrs
  -> thank you, David!
agree  Jairo Payan: Esté pila, esté abeja, diríamos en Colombia
18 hrs
  -> Thank you, Jairo!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Pay attention!


Explanation:
I think this may be a decent rendering for this phrase in this context.
See my Reference posting below for an explanation of the origins of the phrase.

Thomas Walker
United States
Local time: 16:55
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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Reference comments


48 mins peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Algo así como "no coma cuento"

Reference information:
https://ortegareyes.wordpress.com/2007/12/08/¡ojo-billar/
¡Ojo billar!

Cuando observe un enorme rótulo que anuncia descuentos hasta del 50%, no se haga ilusiones, generalmente se trata de un gancho que lo obliga a ingresar al establecimiento e interesarse por algún producto; sin embargo, cuando usted pregunta por el gran descuento anunciado, lo llevan a un rincón en donde se encuentran casi escondidos los escasos productos, que parecieran haber sido sacados del camión de la basura y que aún a esos precios rebajados, resultan caros.

Jairo Payan
Colombia
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  JohnMcDove
3 hrs
  -> Gracias John
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