IdiomFood & Drink
Spanish
SpanishEstar en el ajo
Meaning: To be in on a secret or scheme.
Literally: To be in the garlic
Example: “Solo tres empleados estaban en el ajo de la fusión.” — Only three employees were in the know about the merger.
English equivalent: To be in the know
Origin: Being in the garlic is being in on a matter, usually a secret or not entirely clean one. The usual explanation is the cook's: garlic flavors and scents everything it touches, so whoever is "in the garlic" has been mixed up in the business. No source documents the origin.
Equivalents in other languages
Dutch: weten waar Abraham de mosterd haalt Literally: To know where Abraham gets the mustard
English: be in the know
More Spanish idioms
- Ser la oveja negra To be the outcast of the family or group.
- Echar leña al fuego To make a bad situation worse.
- Tener más cara que espalda To be utterly shameless and brazen.
- Buscarle tres pies al gato To overcomplicate things; to look for trouble.
- Estar frito To be fed up or worn out.
- No dar pie con bola To get everything wrong; to do nothing right.
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