10 Spanish expressions you need to know

At idiomatic expressions (idioms) are language resources where we use a phrase whose meaning goes far beyond its literal sense.

Therefore, the interpretation of an idiom must be done as a whole; one cannot try to base it on understanding each word in isolation.

O All Matter has prepared a selection of 10 of the most used expressions in Spanish, where you will find, in addition to the meaning, the origin of each expression.

1. Be hecho un ají. (Being very angry.)

Aji means pepper, which is a fruit usually red in color.

As far as the symbology of colors is concerned, red is the one to which feelings of fury, anger and irritation are associated.

This can be noticed even on social networks, where the emojis that indicate this feeling are practically always red in color.

Therefore, the expression be hecho un ají, indicates that a person is extremely angry, furious, angry.

2. Being the one of the candles. (Being hard.)

be in the candles it is an expression that, if translated literally, means “to be between two candles”. However, as an idiomatic expression, it means to be hard; be smooth; be out of money.

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Although this expression from the Spanish language has different versions to explain its origin, one of the best known is related to the financial conditions of a person's family deceased.

The wake of a member of a wealthy family is usually very pompous, with a decoration full of flowers and candles on all sides.

However, when the deceased's family does not have many resources, sometimes the deceased is veiled between only two candles.

3. Unless he sings a gallo. (In a blink of an eye.)

The expression unless he sings a gallo is used to refer to something that happens suddenly; quickly; in a blink of an eye.

It is not known, for sure, how long this rooster crow lasts, but the idea is that, just as it usually starts without anyone waiting, it also ends suddenly. In other words, it's a very fast singing.

The idiomatic phrase indicates that something is done quickly, possibly in less time than that used by a rooster to crow.

4. From such palo, such astilla. (Like father Like Son.)

In Spanish, the word palo means “piece of wood”. already the word astilla, means splinter (of wood).

The main idea of using the expression is to indicate that a astilla it always has similarities to the stick it came from.

The expression makes an analogy with the similarities between parents and children, whether these similarities are physical or in the way of being and acting.

Therefore, the expression is used to say that children, in one way or another, always end up looking like their parents.

5. Walking through the branches. (Go around; curl.)

In Spanish, the word branch means "branch" (of tree). In many trees, the branches end up growing so far away from the main trunk.

The meaning of the expression is given by analogy to this situation and the way certain people report facts and events.

The expression is used to indicate a situation where, instead of going straight to a certain subject, the person is beating around the bush, circling and winding up to say what he really wants or needs to say.

In other words, with the roundabouts, it ends up distancing itself from the main subject (just as the branches distance themselves from the trunk).

6. Being in the city of the pavo. (Being in annoyance.)

If literally translated, the expression means “to be in the age of the peacock”. However, we can say that be in the city of pavo, can be translated into Portuguese as “being in boredom.”

In adolescence, young people undergo changes in behavior, social and ways of reacting, which can occur due to hormonal changes and maturation, common at this time of life.

The analogy with the peacock is due to the fact that it is an animal very susceptible to reactions depending on changes that occur in its surroundings. It is an animal sensitive, for example, to weather, noise, light, etc., which sometimes causes it to have unexpected and surprising reactions.

In other words, the peacock reacts to what happens to it, just as teenagers react to hormonal changes and other changes they go through.

7. Be pan eaten. (Be easy.)

This expression is meant to say that something is very easy to do; very easy to be done.

The analogy, in this case, is made taking into account the act of eating bread.

It is such a simple task that even a child can do it; it is not an action that requires a lot of effort.

If we compare, for example, the act of eating a loaf of bread to the act of eating a lobster, the first action is much easier to perform.

8. Being hecho octopus. (Being very tired.)

The word octopus means dust. Be hecho octopus it could be literally translated as "being reduced to dust" or "being just the dust".

It is said that the origin of the expression is related to the story of an elderly person who had to walk home because the car that would take her was involved in an accident. Upon reaching her destination, she uttered the expression because she was exhausted.

The expression is used to indicate that someone is extremely tired, exhausted, in the latter (with regard to mood, energy). An analogy is probably made to the fact that “the dust”, in some situations, gives the idea of something that has come to an end.

The expression can also be used to refer to someone who is very depressed or depressed because of an illness or some other problem.

9. Do not give pie with the ball. (Don't give one inside.)

No pie with the ball is one of the most used popular expressions in Spanish.

It indicates that a person tries, countless times, to do something and still doesn't get it right, that is, as we say in Portuguese, “don't give it a go”.

The origin of the expression is quite complex and there are several versions that try to explain it.

Currently, the expression is seen as an analogy to a move in a football match, where a player tries several times to hit the ball to score a goal, but is unsuccessful.

10. At tener Abuela. (Don't be modest.)

The literal translation of the expression would be "not having a grandmother", however, it is used to indicate that a person is not modest; which is a bit arrogant.

Grandmothers are famous for pampering their grandchildren to the extreme. For them, their grandchildren are the prettiest, the smartest, the most educated and so on.

It is believed that those who pay such compliments to themselves do so because they do not have a grandmother to do them.

In other words, in the absence or non-existence of a grandmother, the person himself tries to elevate himself in a non-modest way.

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