IdiomBody & Senses
Spanish
SpanishSer uña y carne
Meaning: To be inseparable; the closest of friends.
Literally: To be fingernail and flesh
Example: “Esas dos vecinas son uña y carne desde el colegio.” — Those two neighbors have been thick as thieves since school.
English equivalent: Thick as thieves
Origin: The nail and the flesh under it are so tightly joined that pulling them apart hurts. Two people who are uña y carne are inseparable friends; the RAE dictionary lists ser uña y carne dos o más personas. It has no particular story behind it.
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: unha e carne Literally: Fingernail and flesh
French: S'entendre comme larrons en foire Literally: To get on like thieves at a fair
English: thick as thieves
More Spanish idioms
- Dar gato por liebre To swindle by passing off something inferior as the real thing.
- Importar un pepino To not care in the slightest.
- Ponerse las pilas To get your act together and start working hard.
- Estar en el ajo To be in on a secret or scheme.
- Ser la oveja negra To be the outcast of the family or group.
- Echar leña al fuego To make a bad situation worse.
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