Ser pan comido
Meaning: To be extremely easy.
Language: Spanish
Literally: To be eaten bread
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: The exact origin isn't documented, but the phrase is generally traced to medieval Spain, when bread was the most basic and universally available staple food — genuinely one of the easiest things a person could eat, requiring no skill, tools, or particular effort. A related, older Spanish saying is already on record by the 1300s: "el pan comido, la compañía deshecha" (once the bread is eaten, the company breaks up), describing companionship that dissolves the moment its practical purpose ends. The specific modern sense of "pan comido" for something effortlessly easy is generally dated to the 1800s, evolving gradually out of that older saying's shared imagery of bread as the plainest, least demanding food available.
Equivalents in other languages
- Korean: 식은 죽 먹기 (Sigeun juk meokgi) — literally: Eating cold porridge
- French: Les doigts dans le nez — literally: To do it with fingers in the nose
- Polish: Bułka z masłem — literally: A roll with butter
- Japanese: 朝飯前 (Asameshi mae) — literally: Before breakfast
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Dar calabazas — To reject someone romantically.
- Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco — Things don't always go as planned.
- Cadere a fagiolo — To arrive at exactly the perfect moment.
- Acqua in bocca — Keep it secret; don't tell anyone.
- 눈에 콩깍지가 씌다 (nun-e kongkkakjiga sseuida) — To be blinded by love.
- Не вешай лапшу на уши (Ne veshay lapshu na ushi) — Don't lie to me; stop trying to deceive me.
More Spanish idioms
- Estar como una cabra — To be completely crazy.
- Tirar la casa por la ventana — To spare no expense; to go all out.
- Meter la pata — To make a blunder or put your foot in it.
- Tomar el pelo — To pull someone's leg; to tease.
- Ponerse las botas — To stuff yourself with food or to profit greatly.
- estar en la luna de Valencia — Completely distracted or absent-minded, oblivious to what's happening around you.
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