IdiomDaily Life
Spanish
Spanishmandarse a mudar
Meaning: (Latin American Spanish) To leave abruptly or without notice; to depart hastily.
Literally: To order oneself to move
Example: “Al oír la sirena, el vendedor se mandó a mudar.” — When he heard the siren, the vendor made himself scarce.
English equivalent: To make oneself scarce
Equivalents in other languages
Catalan: Tocar el dos Literally: To touch the two
Dutch: zich uit de voeten maken Literally: To make oneself away with the feet
English: make oneself scarce
Origin: Literally "to order oneself to move," as one tells someone to clear off, here turned on oneself. Wiktionary records it in Latin American Spanish and in the Canary Islands, alongside mandarse a cambiar. It has no particular story behind it.
More Spanish idioms
- perder los estribos To lose one's temper or composure; to become angry or agitated.
- caérsele el alma a los pies to be deeply disappointed or dismayed.
- dorar la píldora to make something unpleasant more palatable by presenting it attractively.
- oler a chamusquina a situation is becoming tense or dangerous; trouble is brewing.
- cazar al vuelo To seize or take something quickly before someone else can.
- codo con codo Standing shoulder to shoulder, side by side in close proximity.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
- Embarazada Actually means 'pregnant'. For embarrassed, say avergonzado/a.
- Constipado Actually means 'having a head cold'. Estoy constipado = I have a cold.
- Éxito Actually means 'success'. An exit is una salida.
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