Showing results for seco
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- secar
seco
dry
Reviewed by: David WestfallCofounder
Something with the water taken out of it
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
visual
desiccant
packet that keeps things dry
+
-o
adjective suffix
Seco means dry and is related to the English word desiccant0, the little packet that keeps things dry. A dessicant is a des-SECO-ant.
seco
dry
Describes something that has no water left in it.
La ropa ya está seca, puedes guardarlaThe clothes are dry now, you can put them away
El río se quedó seco después de tantos meses sin lluviaThe river went dry after so many months without rain
dried (food)
Food that has had its moisture pulled out so it keeps longer.
Compré tomates secos para la ensaladaI bought dried tomatoes for the salad
El bacalao seco se conserva durante mesesDried cod keeps for months
dry (alcoholic drinks)
Wine and spirits with no sweetness left in them, which English also calls "dry."
Prefiero un vino blanco seco con el pescadoI prefer a dry white wine with fish
Este jerez es demasiado seco para mi gustoThis sherry is too dry for my taste
curt, brusque, cold (a person or a reply)
A person or an answer with all the warmth dried out of it, leaving only the bare words.
Me respondió con un "no" seco y colgóHe answered me with a curt "no" and hung up
Su jefa es muy seca con los clientes nuevosHer boss is very brusque with new clients
sharp, abrupt (a sound or a blow)
A noise or a hit that ends the instant it happens, with nothing wet to soften it.
Se oyó un golpe seco en la puertaA sharp knock was heard at the door
La caja cayó al suelo con un ruido secoThe box hit the floor with an abrupt sound
a secas
just, simply
Something said with nothing added to it, like saying someone's name without their title. English does the same thing with "the dry facts," meaning the plain thing with nothing dressing it up.
No lo llames doctor, dile Miguel a secasDon't call him doctor, just call him Miguel
Me dijo que no, a secas, sin explicar nadaHe simply told me no, without explaining anything
en seco
abruptly, dead
Stopping all at once, with no slowing down first. Braking "in dry" conditions leaves no water to slide on, so you stop right where you are.
El coche frenó en seco al ver al perroThe car braked abruptly when it saw the dog
Se paró en seco en medio de la calleHe stopped dead in the middle of the street
dry (without water)
Doing something "in dry" conditions instead of in water.
Este vestido hay que lavarlo en secoThis dress has to be dry cleaned
El barco quedó en seco cuando bajó la mareaThe boat was left dry when the tide went out