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Through thick and thin

¡Contigo pan y cebolla!

To wear the pants, have the last say

Cortar el bacalao

To tell someone to get lost

Mandar a freír espárragos

To be a piece of cake

Ser pan comido

To have a heart of gold

Ser un trozo de pan

To beat yourself up

Comerse el coco

To play by the book

El agua clara y el chocolate espeso

To pass the hot potato

Pasar la patata caliente

With your hands in the cookie jar

Con las manos en la masa

To not give a damn

Importar un pepino

To be really old

Ser del año de la pera

To be at an awkward age

La edad del pavo

Half a loaf is better than none

A falta de pan, buenas son tortas

Don't bite off more than you can chew

Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta

It's the same everywhere

¡Aquí se cuecen habas!

To turn as red as a beet

¡Ponerse rojo/a como un tomate!

To have your cake and eat it too

Pedir el oro y el moro

To stick out like a sore thumb

Cantar como una almeja

To tighten your belt

Apretarse el cinturón

To be the apple of your eye

Ser la niña de sus ojos

To be stuffed

Ponerse morado

Cortar el bacalao

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The common expression cortar el bacalao, literalmente to cut the cod, means to rule or lead in a group and have the last word in important decisions and situations. This expression is used in all kinds of contexts, namely, work, family, relationships.

En temas económicos, en mi casa, la persona que corta el bacalao es mi madre.

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