IdiomBody & Senses
Spanish
SpanishTener más cara que espalda
Meaning: To be utterly shameless and brazen.
Literally: To have more face than back
Example: “Pidió el aumento el primer día; tiene más cara que espalda.” — He asked for a raise on his first day; he's got a nerve.
English equivalent: To have a nerve
Origin: In colloquial Spanish cara (face) means nerve or cheek, as in tener cara or qué cara tiene. Having more face than back is having a face out of all proportion to the rest of the body: being utterly shameless. It is colloquial and has no particular story behind it.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Être gonflé Literally: To be inflated / not to be short of air
English: have a nerve
More Spanish idioms
- Tener mala uva To have a nasty temper or ill intentions.
- Ponerse como una sopa To get soaked to the bone.
- Estar hasta en la sopa To be everywhere; impossible to avoid.
- 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.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Eres todo un personaje Said with deep affection: you're unforgettable, one of a kind, impossible to replace.
- Eres un aguafiestas You're a killjoy — you pour cold water on everyone's fun the moment you arrive.
- ¡Qué cara más dura! You've got incredible nerve and cheek — the audacity is almost impressive.
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