IdiomAnimals
Spanish
Spanishpico de oro
Meaning: someone with exceptional eloquence or persuasive speech.
Literally: Beak of gold
Example: “El abogado es un pico de oro: convenció al jurado en diez minutos.” — The lawyer has the gift of gab; he convinced the jury in ten minutes.
English equivalent: The gift of gab
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir de la tchatche Literally: To have some tchatche
Dutch: niet op zijn mond gevallen zijn Literally: To not have fallen on one's mouth
English: the gift of gab
Origin: Pico (beak) is colloquial Spanish for the mouth, especially a talkative one, and a golden one speaks beautifully and persuasively. The compliment is an old one: the 4th-century preacher Saint John Chrysostom was nicknamed in Greek "golden mouth" for his eloquence, though no source shows the Spanish phrase came from him.
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