arrimar el ascua a su sardina
Meaning: To arrange matters selfishly in one's own favor; to look out for oneself at others' expense.
Language: Spanish
Literally: to draw the hot coal toward one's sardine
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: The image pictures someone using a hot coal to pull a sardine (or prize) toward themselves, risking nothing while gaining benefit.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- die Suppe versalzen — To ruin a plan or situation through careless excess.
- mela marcia — A person who is corrupt or morally bad and whose influence damages those around them.
- cavare le castagne dal fuoco — To help someone out of a dangerous or difficult situation, often at one's own risk or eff…
- a cereja do bolo — the crowning touch; something wonderful that completes something already good.
- nem carne nem peixe — Something or someone that does not fit into any clear category and remains ambiguous or u…
- water bij de wijn doen — to compromise or make a concession in a dispute or negotiation.
More Spanish idioms
- contante y sonante — Money in ready cash; actual payment rather than promises or credit.
- lobo con piel de cordero — A person who appears harmless or trustworthy but is actually dangerous or deceitful.
- dar coces contra el aguijón — To resist or rebel futilely against something stronger or inevitable.
- no ganar para sustos — To be plagued by constant troubles and misfortunes; to suffer setback after setback.
- perder la chaveta — To go crazy; to lose one's grip on sanity or self-control.
- de Pascuas a Ramos — Once in a blue moon; extremely rarely or at great intervals.
From our untranslatable words
- Querencia — A place where you feel safe, grounded, and most fully yourself — a sanctuary from which y…
- Estrenar — The specific pleasure of wearing, using, or showing off something brand new for the very…
- Friolero — A person who feels the cold far more than everyone else — always the first to reach for a…