Every country, region and language has its own colorful expressions. I confess that I am completely enamored of the popular sayings and phrases of Andalusia, which never fail to make me laugh and marvel at the creativity of the human mind. I don't really know if these are uniquely andaluz, common throughout Spain, or just made up by my acquaintances, but wherever they come from, I love them. Here are some of my favorites:
Más lento que el caballo del malo - Slower than the bad guy's horse (what a great visual: really, when is the bad guy's horse EVER faster than the good guy's?)
No sabía si tirarme al tren o al maquinista - I couldn't decide whether to throw myself under the train or at the engineer. An eloquent and slightly salacious expression indicating a state of confusion so great that you don't know whether to throw in the towel or go for broke (in this case, by jumping into the engineer's lap!).
Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo - Literally, the devil knows more because he's old than because he's the devil. The senior citizen's clever way of saying, "I've been around long enough to know what I'm talking about, you insolent young pup."
Salud y pesetas, lo demás son puñetas - Health and wealth, to hell with everything else. No comment needed.
Es más listo que los ratones coloraos - He's smarter than colored mice. I still haven't figured out why colored mice are supposed to be smart, or exactly where one would find a colored mouse. Maybe because a mouse would have to be pretty smart to figure out a way to dye its fur?
Más contento que un tonto con un lápiz. Literally, "Happier than an idiot with a pencil", the equivalent being our "Happier than a pig in mud".
El que no llora no mama. He who doesn't cry doesn't suckle. Something like, "If you don't speak up you won't get what you want."
Feel free to comment on your own favorites (in Spanish or English)...
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