SpanishTener mala uva
Meaning: To have a nasty temper or ill intentions.
Literally: To have bad grape
Example: “Cuidado con el portero, tiene mala uva por las mañanas.” — Careful with the doorman; he has a short fuse in the mornings.
English equivalent: To have a short fuse
Origin: Uva (grape) was once colloquial for drunkenness, since wine was the drink that got tavern regulars drunk, and estar de mala uva described a passing bad mood. Tener mala uva, having bad grape, is stronger: a nasty character and bad intentions. That is the explanation the wine writer Vinetur gives; it is not confirmed by a dictionary. It belongs with tener mala leche, from the old belief that a wet nurse's milk passed on her temper.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Être soupe au lait Literally: To be milk soup
Finnish: Olla pinna kireällä Literally: To have the spoke tight
English: have a short fuse
More Spanish idioms
- Buscarle tres pies al gato To overcomplicate things; to look for trouble.
- Estar frito To be fed up or worn out.
- No dar pie con bola To get everything wrong; to do nothing right.
- Estar en Babia To be daydreaming and miles away.
- Tener la sartén por el mango To be the one in control.
- ojito derecho A person's favorite or most beloved person, especially a child.
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