Spanishtener más conchas que un galápago
Meaning: To be extremely cunning or crafty; to have many tricks up one's sleeve.
Literally: To have more shells than a Galápagos tortoise
Example: “No intentes engañarlo: tiene más conchas que un galápago.” — Don't try to trick him; he's as sly as a fox.
English equivalent: Sly as a fox
Equivalents in other languages
Swedish: Att ha en räv bakom örat Literally: To have a fox behind the ear
English: sly as a fox
Origin: Concha is a shell, and Spanish has long used tener conchas (to have shells) for a person who is crafty and hard to catch out, as if protected by layers of armor; the RAE dictionary lists tener alguien más conchas que un galápago, o muchas conchas. The galápago, a freshwater turtle, carries the hardest shell of all, so this is the strongest form of the compliment, or of the warning.
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