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perder la chaveta

Meaning: To go crazy; to lose one's grip on sanity or self-control.

Language: Spanish

Literally: to lose the pin

Category: The Absurd

Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase pictures a machine or mechanism rendered useless when its securing pin is lost, applying the metaphor to the mind.

More idioms — The Absurd

  • 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.
  • eine Schraube locker haben — To be slightly eccentric or mentally unbalanced.

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.
  • 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.
  • Ser pan comido — To be extremely easy.

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