IdiomAnimals
Spanish
Spanishperder los estribos
Meaning: To lose one's temper or composure; to become angry or agitated.
Literally: To lose the stirrups
Example: “Perdió los estribos cuando le pisaron las flores.” — He flew off the handle when someone trampled his flowers.
English equivalent: To fly off the handle
Equivalents in other languages
French: Sortir de ses gonds Literally: To come off its hinges
Portuguese: virar bicho Literally: To turn animal
English: fly off the handle- French: Prendre la mouche Literally: To take the fly
Origin: A rider who loses the stirrups (estribos) loses balance and control of the horse at once. Spanish once said perder los estribos de la paciencia (to lose the stirrups of patience), and the short form now means losing one's temper. Portuguese perder as estribeiras and Catalan perdre els estreps use the same image.
More Spanish idioms
- 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.
- vender la moto To trick or deceive someone, often by persuading them to believe a false story.
- codo con codo Standing shoulder to shoulder, side by side in close proximity.
- llevar la contraria To argue against or contradict someone habitually.
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- Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres Follow the customs of the place you are in.
- El que no llora, no mama If you don't ask or complain, you won't get what you need.
- Genio y figura hasta la sepultura People keep their character all their lives.
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