sponge

spugna

Un materiale morbido e poroso che assorbe acqua, o un pezzo usato per pulire.

In inglese semplice: A soft material with many small holes that holds water, or a piece of it used for cleaning.

• Clean the table with a sponge.
• She squeezed the water out of the sponge.
• These cushions contain thick layers of sponge.

Espressioni comuni: wet sponge, kitchen sponge, sponge material

spugna marina

Un animale marino semplice, con tanti piccoli fori nel corpo, che vive solitamente attaccato a una roccia.

In inglese semplice: A simple sea animal with many tiny holes in its body, usually attached to a rock.

• A sponge grew on the rock.
• Divers photographed colourful sponges on the reef.
• This sponge filters tiny food particles from seawater.

Sinonimi: poriferan, porifer

Espressioni comuni: sea sponge, marine sponge, living sponge

vivere alle spalle di, scroccare

Dipendere dagli altri in modo ingiusto per avere denaro, cibo o un posto dove vivere.

In inglese semplice: To depend unfairly on other people for money, food, or somewhere to live.

• Stop sponging off your friends.
• She accused him of sponging on the family.
• He sponged off us without ever offering to help.

Come si usa: sponge off/on someone (He has been sponging off his parents for years.)

Sinonimi: freeload, mooch

Espressioni comuni: sponge off someone, sponge on someone

scroccare

Ottenere qualcosa da un’altra persona senza pagare, spesso approfittando della sua gentilezza.

In inglese semplice: To get something from another person without paying, often by taking advantage of their kindness.

• He managed to sponge a meal.
• She sponged a few pounds from a friend.
• They tried to sponge drinks off the other guests.

Come si usa: sponge something from/off someone (He sponged a free lunch off his uncle.)

Sinonimi: scrounge, mooch, cadge

Espressioni comuni: sponge a meal, sponge something from someone