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LEARNING SPANISH

La mosca: Eight buzzing Spanish expressions to do with flies

For some reason, there are lots of expressions in Spanish that are derived from the word for fly (mosca) - unsurprisingly many of them related to anger or annoyance - all of which are worth learning.

spanish expressions mosca
'Estar mosqueado' means to be angry in Spanish. Photo: Deca Zafra/Pexels

Estar mosqueado/a: A very common and colloquial adjective to express that you’re angry, or pissed off rather. It’s also possible to call this anger un mosqueo. Some people also shorten estar mosqueado/a to estar mosca, which has exactly the same meaning.

Example:

Está super mosqueada porque perdieron el partido.

She’s really pissed off because they lost the match. 

Por si las moscas: It’s another very popular way of saying por si acaso, just in case in English. Apparently the ‘just in case the flies’ expression was born as a result of having to cover food with a cloth to prevent the flies from eating it.

Example:

Llévate el paraguas, por si las moscas. 

Take the umbrella, just in case. 

¿Qué mosca te ha picado?: A bit like saying ‘What’s got into you?’, an exclamation of surprise at moody or unfriendly behaviour on the part of someone.

Example:

¿Qué mosca te ha picado? Estás de un humor de perros.

¿What’s got into you? You’re in a terrible mood.

Con la mosca detrás de la oreja: Literally meaning ‘with the fly behind the ear’, it refers to the feeling of being on guard, suspicious or unsettled by something.

Example: Después de escuchar como hablaban de él a sus espaldas, se quedó con la mosca detrás de la oreja.

After hearing how they spoke about him behind his back, he had his guard up. 

Cazar moscas: In its literal sense it means to hunt flies, but in reality it refers to wasting time or occupying one’s time doing useless things. 

Example:

No da un palo al agua, se pasa la vida cazando moscas.

He doesn’t lift a finger, he spends his life procrastinating.

En boca cerrada no entran moscas: ‘Flies don’t go into a closed mouth’ is a Spanish saying that basically means if you keep your mouth shut, you can avoid problems. It’s slightly different to the English saying ‘A closed mouth gathers no feet’ as this applies more to keeping quiet in order to not say anything embarrassing.

Example:

Yo que tú, no diría nada. En boca cerrada no entran moscas.

If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything. Better to keep quiet and avoid problems.

Aflojar la mosca: To ‘loosen the fly’ really means to pay for something, sometimes somewhat reluctantly, be it a debt or a round of drinks. 

Example:

¡Venga, afloja la mosca que te toca!

¡Go on, pay up as it’s your turn!

Mosquita muerta: A ‘small dead fly’ is actually a way of referring to a two-faced person in Spanish, someone who plays the victim or pretends to be innocent but who in fact has other Machevelian plans.

Example:

Cuidado con Javier, se hace la mosquita muerta pero tiene bastante culpa en el asunto.

Careful with Javier, he plays innocent but he’s fairly guilty in the matter.

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LEARNING SPANISH

La lengua: Eight everyday Spanish expressions with the word tongue

What on earth does it mean when someone says in Spanish that they ‘don’t have hair on their tongue’? Here are some of the most widely used idioms in Spanish to do with the word 'lengua'.

La lengua: Eight everyday Spanish expressions with the word tongue

The Spanish word lengua can mean both tongue (the part of the mouth) and language (communication system). 

La lengua is arguably one of the most used words in the Spanish language and one that you’ll learn early on. You may also be familiar with trabalenguas (tongue-twister), lengua de signos (sign language) or lengua materna (mother tongue). 

But there are lots of idioms with lengua that are used all the time but you won’t necessarily pick up that easily unless someone explains them to you. 

Here are some of the best Spanish expressions with the word lengua:

No tener pelos en la lengua: to talk straight and not hesitate to say what’s on one’s mind, even though its literal translation means ‘to not have hair on the tongue’. No morderse la lengua (not bite one’s tongue) is another way of conveying the same meaning.

Example:

Ese político no tiene pelos en la lengua, por eso lo apoya la derecha.

That politician is a straight talker, hence why the right supports him.

Tener la lengua muy larga: When someone says you have ‘a very long tongue’, they most likely mean that you’re no good at keeping secrets, that you’re a blabbermouth.

Example:

Tienes la lengua muy larga, eso te lo he contado en privado.

You’re a blabbermouth, I told you that in private.

Lo dicen las malas lenguas: ‘The bad tongues say it’, meaning ‘it’s rumoured that’ or ‘rumour has it’. 

Example:

Dicen las malas lenguas que se ha ido con otro.

Rumour has it that she’s run off with someone else.

Se ha comido la lengua el gato: Pretty much the same as when someone says in English ‘Has the cat got your tongue?’, as a way of expressing that a person isn’t speaking and should be. 

Example: 

¿Te ha comido la lengua el gato, Jaime? ¿Por qué no hablas?

Has the cat got your tongue, Jaime? Why aren’t you speaking?

Tirar de la lengua: And if you manage to get the person to speak, you say tirar de la lengua

Example:

Voy a tirarle de la lengua, seguro que me dice quien lo ha roto.

I’m going to make her talk, I’m sure she’ll tell me who has broken it. 

Irse de la lengua: A bit like saying ‘to let one’s tongue run off’, in the sense that you’ve spoken too much or let the cat out of the bag or shot your mouth off about something. 

Example:

Te has ido un poco la lengua con lo del viaje, ¿no?

You shot your mouth off about the trip, right? 

Buscar la lengua a alguien: If someone is ‘trying to find your tongue’ in Spanish, they’re trying to pick a fight with you. 

Example:

Este tío te está buscando la lengua, no piques. 

That guy is looking for a fight with you, don’t fall for it. 

Tener algo en la punta de la lengua: Another expression that’s the same as in English, to have something on the tip of your tongue.

Example:

Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua. ¿Como era?

I’ve got it on the tip of my tongue. What was it again?

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