Apr
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Wood to the monkey, it’s made of rubber
One of the things I love about Spanish are all the funny expressions that cannot be translated literally to English. Here’s a random list of some of my favorites:
1. Leña al mono que es de goma = Wood to the monkey, it’s made of rubber
This Spanish phrase literally means to take a piece of wood and beat the crap out of a stuffed-animal monkey because it’s made out of rubber. It is an idiomatic expression used to cheer somebody on, to get them fired up. Very loosely translated it would be something along the lines of “Go for it! Crank it up! Kick some ass!” Unfortunately, there is no colorful equivalent in English. Could it be the PETA effect? Beating a monkey, even a rubber one, is definitely not PC.
2. Pongo un circo y me crecen los enanos = I start a circus and the dwarfs grow up [height-wise] on me.
This is the Spanish way of saying “When it rains, it pours.”
Just think about it…what’s the worst thing that could happen to you if you opened a circus? The little people in your workforce experiencing a tremendous growth spurt! No government bailout is going to help you overcome that problem!
3. Lo pasamos como enanos = We had fun like midgets
The Spanish seem to have a thing for midgets. (Exhibit A: Las Meninas by Velázquez). Well, little people are used once again, this time to illustrate having fun. Lo pasamos como enanos means “We had a smashing good time” or “We enjoyed ourselves immensely.”
4. Nunca digas ‘de esta agua no beberé’….y que ‘este cura no es mi padre.’ = Never say “Of this water, I will not drink” and that “this priest isn’t my biological father.”
An extremely wordy way of saying “Never say never” in Spanish. But what a subversive expression it is en castellano.
5. pegársele las sábanas a alguien = The bedsheets stick to someone
A phrase that means “to oversleep” in Spanish. “Llegué tarde al trabajo porque se me pegaron las sábanas.” (Literally: “I arrived late to work because the sheets on the bed got stuck on me.” English meaning: “I arrived late because I overslept.”)
6. ponerse las botas = to put on one’s boots
This idiomatic expression means to stuff oneself with food. For example, “Me pongo las botas en la cena del día de Acción de Gracias.” (I stuff myself with food on Thanksgiving. I eat ’til I burst on Thanksgiving.)
What does putting on boots have to do with overeating? Ni idea.
7. pensar en la inmortalidad del cangrejo = to think about the immortality of the crab
This expression has been around for many, many years and is a humorous way to refer to daydreaming.
Do you have any personal favorite Spanish sayings that sound funny when translated literally to English or to your native language? Share them with us in the comments section below!
Photo: Confused Organutan, under license from iStockPhoto.com. Crab comic from Wikipedia.
You’ve made my morning! I’ve been tweeting some of these while laughing hilariously, because honestly, I’ve never heard many of these. Thanks so much for this post – in both making my day brighter, and for educating me
I laughed. (Some of these could most definitely never be said in the U.S. and I don’t know about elsewhere. Politically incorrect.) It’s reading lists like this, though, that make me think I will never master Spanish. And maybe I never will, but I can still learn an awful lot of it and manage pretty well, I think.
Uuum “Cada cabeza un mundo.” Not so funny but I always liked it.
Each head a world. So true.
The first one I thought of from Chile:
estar con la caña (sugar cane) = hungover
Hi guys,
Glad you laughed at this entry. Thanks for the additional phrases!
“una mirada dice mas que mil palabras” which means “a picture tells 1000 words”.
“no poder estar en un lugar solo por estar” means “you can’t fall off the turnip truck”.
“hacer todo a ultima hora” means “do things at the last minute”
“(algo) estar para chuparse los dedos” means “(some food) finger licking good”.
“vivir al centavo” means “live hand to mouth”
“camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente” means “you snooze, you lose”. SALUDOS A TODOS Y TODAS!!!!
Marilyn,
Although idioms are an important part of learning a language, I don’t think you have to worry about knowing all of them in order to be considered fluent. This is particularly true with languages like Spanish and English. In both languages, idioms often differ considerably from country to country, but someone from one place can rapidly pick up expressions from another if they are exposed to them. Not knowing every idiom out there doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not, for practical purposes, fluent in the language.
My fav is one of the most commonly used phrases in Mexico…
“Que pedo?” – “What farts?”