To pull someone's leg

Tomar el pelo

There's something fishy going on

Aquí hay gato encerrado

To show off

De cara a la galería

To be fickle, to flip-flop

Cambiar de chaqueta o ser un "chaquetero"

To not mince your words

No tener pelos en la lengua

To say something without meaning it

Decir algo con la boca pequeña

To play by the book

El agua clara y el chocolate espeso

To swindle, cheat

Dar gato por liebre

To take the rap

Pagar el pato

To call a spade a spade

Al pan, pan y al vino, vino

What a crook!

¡Qué chorizo!

To be a charlatan

Ser un cantamañanas

You can't take it back

Santa Rita, Rita, lo que se da, no se quita

You made your bed, now lie in it

Que cada palo aguante su vela

To look innocent

Tener cara de no haber roto nunca un plato

To stick to your guns

Seguir en sus trece

To cut to the chase

Ir al grano

For every law there's a loophole

Hecha la ley, hecha la trampa

To be an open book

Ser como un libro abierto

To beat around the bush

Ir/Andar(se) por las ramas

To be a snake in the grass

Ser una mosquita muerta

No gimmicks, no tricks

Sin trampa ni cartón

Tomar el pelo

The popular expression tomar el pelo is highly used in Spanish language. Its actual meaning cannot be inferred by its literal meaning “to take hair” which is not self-explanatory. Tomar el pelo is mainly conveyed in English by the expression to pull someone's leg. Other possible translations in English are to make fun of someone, to poke fun at someone, to joke, to tease someone, to take someone for a ride, to deceive someone, to mess with someone, to mess around, to kid someone.

No le creas, te está tomando el pelo.
Do not believe him, he's pulling your leg/he's having you on/he's putting you on.

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