no ganar para sustos
Meaning: To be plagued by constant troubles and misfortunes; to suffer setback after setback.
Language: Spanish
Literally: to not earn for frights
Category: The Absurd
Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase pictures someone so beset by shocks and scares that they might as well be paid for enduring them.
More idioms — The Absurd
- perder la chaveta — To go crazy; to lose one's grip on sanity or self-control.
- nur Bahnhof verstehen — to understand nothing at all of what is being said.
- alles im grünen Bereich sein — Everything is functioning well or is satisfactory.
- um die Ecke denken — To think creatively or unconventionally, to solve problems by approaching them from unexp…
- was das Zeug hält — with maximum intensity or speed; to the absolute limit of one's capacity.
- die Faxen dicke haben — To be fed up; to have had enough of someone's nonsense or misbehavior.
More Spanish idioms
- de Pascuas a Ramos — Once in a blue moon; extremely rarely or at great intervals.
- con lo puesto — With nothing but the clothes on one's back; in a state of complete destitution.
- Buscar una aguja en un pajar — To search for something you have almost no chance of finding, because the thing is tiny a…
- Estar en la edad del pavo — To be at an awkward teenage phase.
- Tener mala leche — To be in a foul mood or have bad intentions.
- No tener pelos en la lengua — To speak very bluntly and honestly.
From our false friends
- Once — Actually means 'eleven'. For once (one time), say una vez.
- Vaso — Actually means 'a drinking glass'. A vase (for flowers) is un jarrón or florero.
- Embarazada — Actually means 'pregnant'. For embarrassed, say avergonzado/a.