SpanishTirar la casa por la ventana
Meaning: To spare no expense; to go all out.
Literally: To throw the house through the window
Example: “Para los noventa años de la abuela tiraron la casa por la ventana.” — For Grandma's ninetieth birthday, they pulled out all the stops.
English equivalent: To pull out all the stops
Origin: Throwing the house out of the window is spending as if money did not matter, usually on a celebration. The story usually told links it to the Spanish lottery, set up under Charles III in 1763: winners are said to have thrown their old furniture out of the window because they could now buy new. The anecdote is widely repeated but no period source confirms it. Spanish also says echar la casa por la ventana.
Equivalents in other languages
English: To pull out all the stops
Swedish: sätta till alla klutar Literally: To set all the sails
French: Faire flèche de tout bois Literally: To make an arrow of any wood
More Spanish idioms
- Tomar el pelo To pull someone's leg; to tease.
- estar en la luna de Valencia Completely distracted or absent-minded, oblivious to what's happening around you.
- irse por los cerros de Úbeda To digress or wander off-topic during conversation without purpose or reason.
- comerse un rosco To fail completely or strike out; to get nothing at all in a romantic or competitive cont…
- estar más claro que el agua Something is obvious, evident, and beyond any doubt or confusion.
- tener un rabo de paja To feel guilty or anxious about something, fearing exposure of a personal fault or secret.
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