1 week Ago By Valen Iricibar
Before getting into the translation troubles I just wanted to shout out those who came to our Argentina-themed Pictionary championship , where translation troubles featured prominently. Watching Argentine terms and phrases bloom — or bust — as hurried illustrations desperately trying to convey their meaning was both hilarious and endearing. Cantarle los cuarenta This one that came up in our Pictionary championship but I hadn’t gotten around to writing up here: my plumber said it to me a few weeks ago and it just stuck in my mind.
In Argentina, it should be said that cantar doesn’t just mean “sing.” It can also mean to accurately predict or to declare something. For example, if a friend says their breakup was cantado (“sung”), they apparently saw it coming.
In the card game, you “sing” or announce your bet. Cantar los cuarenta comes from a card game called “tute.” In tute, the person with the highest number of points wins and the highest-value cards add up to 40: which a player will communicate to the rest out loud, “singing” it, indicating that they are likely going to win.
Outside of game night, cantarle los 40 means to give someone a deserved dressing down, a proper telling off, especially when the other person doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Quemarse las pestañas In honor of the spring equinox, known as “Spring Day” or “Students’ Day” in Argentina, here’s a classic: “burning one’s eyelashes.” We’ve talked about burning the midnight oil, or as we say in Spanish entre gallos y medianoche , but the evocative “I burnt my eyelashes” refers to just how much you’ve strained your eyes working on something.
Maybe you’ve pulled an all-nighter — perhaps several — studying before an exam or spent weeks trying to understand a certain concept. The point is you’ve made a dedicated effort. Some sources claim the frame stems from the fact that we used to do everything by candlelight, where there was a distinct danger of leaning too close to the flame.
Honestly, I reckon the burning sensation in your eyes after reading intensely for hours on end is enough to warrant the phrase, even if it’s just figurative. So happy students’ day to all who celebrate and for those “burning eyelashes” — been there. Have some eye drops on hand and make rest a priority.
You can do it!.
