Tener la sartén por el mango
Meaning: To be the one in control.
Language: Spanish
Literally: To hold the frying pan by the handle
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: Whoever grips the pan's handle commands it without getting burned, picturing who truly holds the power.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: faire la pluie et le beau temps — literally: to make the rain and fair weather
- English: call the shots
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Седьмая вода на киселе (Sed'maya voda na kisele) — A very distant relative.
- 누워서 떡 먹기 (nuwoseo tteok meokgi) — An extremely easy task.
- 호박이 넝쿨째 굴러 들어왔다 (Hobagi neongkuljjae gulleo deureowatda) — Unexpected great fortune fell into your lap.
- Een appeltje voor de dorst — Savings put by for hard times.
- Πιάστηκε στα πράσα — Caught red-handed.
- Gdzie kucharek sześć, tam nie ma co jeść — Too many cooks spoil the broth.
More Spanish idioms
- ojito derecho — A person's favorite or most beloved person, especially a child.
- tener más conchas que un galápago — To be extremely cunning or crafty; to have many tricks up one's sleeve.
- en la cuerda floja — To be in a precarious or dangerous position; to be walking a fine line between safety and…
- de aquellos polvos, estos lodos — Consequences or problems arise later from careless or harmful actions taken earlier; misd…
- a contracorriente — To act or think in opposition to prevailing opinion, custom, or the natural course of eve…
- romper la baraja — To abandon a game or situation in frustration; to take one's ball and go home.