IdiomAnimals
Spanish
Spanisha uña de caballo
Meaning: To move or travel at great speed.
Literally: At horse's hoof
Example: “Salió a uña de caballo para no perder el tren.” — He left at full tilt so as not to miss the train.
English equivalent: At full tilt
Other ways to say this
- Spanish: a todo mecate Literally: At full rope
Italian: a gambe levate Literally: At raised legs
French: En quatrième vitesse Literally: In fourth gear
English: at full tilt
Origin: Uña (nail, claw) here is the horse's hoof, so going a uña de caballo is riding as fast as the horse can go, usually to escape. Galdós and the Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma both used it of characters fleeing, and it now means getting away at top speed by any means.
More Spanish idioms
- írsele la onda (Latin American Spanish) To lose focus or to forget an important point.
- ser culo de mal asiento To be restless and unable to stay still.
- no pegar ni con cola To be conspicuously out of place or unsuitable.
- volver la espalda To reject, abandon, or refuse to help someone.
- tener su miga To have hidden depth or complexity; to be more complicated than it appears.
- quedarle cuerda To still have plenty of energy, vitality, or usefulness left.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano Some things can't be rushed; extra effort won't make them happen before their time.
- Más vale prevenir que lamentar It is better to take precautions than to be sorry afterwards.
- El que algo quiere, algo le cuesta Anything worth having costs effort or sacrifice.
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