IdiomDaily Life
Spanish
Spanishde tres al cuarto
Meaning: Worthless, shoddy, or of poor quality.
Literally: Of three to the quarter
Example: “Compró unos auriculares de tres al cuarto que duraron un día.” — He bought some headphones that weren't worth a hill of beans; they lasted a day.
English equivalent: Not worth a hill of beans
Equivalents in other languages
English: not worth a hill of beans
French: Ne pas valoir un pet de lapin Literally: Not to be worth a rabbit's fart- French: Ne pas valoir tripette Literally: Not to be worth a little tripe
Origin: The cuarto was an old Spanish copper coin worth four maravedís, so small that it was the coin of everyday purchases. Something de tres al cuarto sold at three for a cuarto, a price so low that it could only be junk. The phrase means cheap, worthless or second-rate, like de pacotilla.
More Spanish idioms
- estar entre dos aguas To be undecided or unable to choose between two options; to sit on the fence.
- arrimar el ascua a su sardina To arrange matters selfishly in one's own favor; to look out for oneself at others' expen…
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- 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.
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