IdiomAnimals
Spanish
Spanishhambre canina
Meaning: Extreme, ravenous hunger.
Literally: Dog hunger
Example: “Después de la caminata teníamos un hambre canina.” — After the hike we were so hungry we could eat a horse.
English equivalent: I could eat a horse
Equivalents in other languages
French: Une faim de loup Literally: A wolf's hunger- French: Crever la dalle Literally: To burst the gullet
English: I could eat a horse
Origin: Latin medical writers called pathological, insatiable hunger fames canina (dog's hunger), and the term passed into Spanish as hambre canina. Dogs bolt their food as if they may never eat again, which is the image behind it. In everyday speech it simply means being ravenous.
More Spanish idioms
- 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.
- de grado o por fuerza Whether one likes it or not; willingly or unwillingly.
- mandarse a mudar (Latin American Spanish) To leave abruptly or without notice; to depart hastily.
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