Spanishponer a los pies de los caballos
Meaning: To betray or abandon someone to harm or ridicule.
Literally: To put at the feet of the horses
Example: “El jefe puso al becario a los pies de los caballos ante el cliente.” — The boss threw the intern under the bus in front of the client.
English equivalent: To throw someone under the bus
Equivalents in other languages
English: throw someone under the bus
Origin: The picture is of a rider knocked down in battle or in the bullring, lying under the horses' hooves; in the bullfights Goya drew, picadors thrown from their mounts lie helpless at the animals' feet. To poner a alguien a los pies de los caballos is to throw them down there, abandoning or betraying them to be trampled. No source documents which arena the phrase came from.
More Spanish idioms
- no pegar ni con cola To be conspicuously out of place or unsuitable.
- volver la espalda To reject, abandon, or refuse to help someone.
- tener su miga To have hidden depth or complexity; to be more complicated than it appears.
- quedarle cuerda To still have plenty of energy, vitality, or usefulness left.
- de grado o por fuerza Whether one likes it or not; willingly or unwillingly.
- mandarse a mudar (Latin American Spanish) To leave abruptly or without notice; to depart hastily.
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