Expressões com 'nose' and 'ear'

I was reading an VOA article and found some expressions that I don't know the portuguese translation (even with the explanation).

"Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone works very hard. This can help a worker keep his nose clean or stay out of trouble."

"Play it by ear also means to decide what to do at the last minute instead of making detailed plans."

"We might even put a bug in your ear or give you an idea about something."

"Some people are said to be hard-nosed. They will not change their opinions or positions on anything."

"We also say that sometimes a person cuts off his nose to spite his face. That is, he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry."

http://www1.voanews.com/learningenglish ... 40517.html

INGLÊS PARA VIAGENS
A professora Marcela Miranda, mais conhecida como a Tia do Inglês, ensina nesta aula introdutória o vocabulário básico de inglês para viagens. Está se preparando para sua próxima viagem? A sua jornada começa aqui! ACESSAR AULA
3 respostas
Ordenar por: Data
Marcio_Farias 1 24 214
Re: the first paragraph sentence your wrote. marky, you might think of correcting it. Or rephrasing it. How about "While I was reading a VOA article I came across some expressions of which I don't know the translation..." and
"... expressions I found hard to translate into Portuguese"?

"Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone..." = "o trabalho nos mantém longe de três grandes males: o tédio, o vício e a pobreza” -- Voltaire

"Play it by ear..." = "Improvisar, ter jogo de cintura para improvisar até mesmo no últ. minuto"

"Some people are hard-nosed..." = "Algumas pessoas têm a cabeça dura..."

"... a person cuts off his nose to spite his face..." = "O feitiço pode virar contra o feiticeiro" (Tentar trapacear no jogo e sair perdendo constitui um exemplo disso. Tentar dar uma fechada no trânsito e acabar levando uma ainda pior constitui outro.)

Please note that native speakers of English/mother tongue users of English would rather ask a question without any doubt. Check out the difference between doubt and question.
Donay Mendonça 23 127 1.7k
Olá Pessoal,

Complementando...

Put a bug in your ear:Fazer uma sugestão,dar um aviso sobre algo que ainda vai acontecer,avisar.

Boa sorte!
Thanks Márcio and Donay. I'll try use another words (to write better). Marcio, thanks for correct my introduction.
Very useful the tip about "doubt and question".