Spanishéramos pocos y parió la abuela
Meaning: as if that wasn't enough, things went from bad to worse.
Literally: We were few and grandmother gave birth
Example: “Se fue la luz y, éramos pocos y parió la abuela, empezó a llover dentro.” — The power went out and then, to add insult to injury, it started raining indoors.
English equivalent: To add insult to injury
Equivalents in other languages
English: To add insult to injury
Origin: Literally "there were few of us and grandma gave birth": ironic, since a crowded household is now joined by an impossible new baby. The RAE dictionary lists it, with the variant parió mi abuela, for a bad situation getting suddenly worse. An older, milder form, no cabemos al fuego y parió mi suegra (there's no room by the fire and my mother-in-law gave birth), is said to appear in a 15th-century proverb collection attributed to the Marquis of Santillana, but this could not be confirmed.
More Spanish idioms
- de un plumazo suddenly or in a single swift action, as if accomplished with one stroke of a pen.
- mal trago a difficult or unpleasant experience; a bitter pill to swallow.
- en dos patadas very easily or effortlessly.
- ni a tiros absolutely not; under no circumstances.
- a la buena de Dios To proceed carelessly or without proper planning, leaving the outcome to chance or fate.
- con pies de plomo To proceed with extreme caution or wariness; to tread carefully in a delicate situation.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Nunca llueve a gusto de todos You can't please everyone.
- Quien espera, desespera Waiting anxiously makes time drag and wears you down.
- Dos no pelean si uno no quiere A quarrel needs two willing sides.
Keep exploring