Hello, #Vivers! If you are learning Spanish, you have probably known the word milk for a long time. However, did you know that we use it for many more things than just referring to food? When it comes to speaking Spanish fluently, it is important that you know common expressions, this will allow you to speak Spanish fluently. Below we show you the most used expressions with milk and you probably don't know some of them yet:
Be the milk.
When we say that something or someone “is the milk” we mean that it is extraordinary, excellent. However, and depending on the context, we could also express that it is terrible, horrible. So if I say “Pepe es la leche”, it could be interpreted both ways, which is why it is important to take the context into account.
Have a bad temper / be in a bad mood
This expression has its origin in wet nurses, the women who were formerly in charge of breastfeeding the children of other families. It is a profession older than we believe and very common among upper class families. In the past it was thought that a person's character was determined by the milk they had drunk, so if the person turned out to have a bad character, was always in a bad mood or had a strong temperament, it was thought that it was because the milk they had drunk As a child I was not good and hence the expression. When we refer to a specific situation, that is, someone is circumstantially in a bad mood for some reason, we will say that he is in a bad mood (today).
Shit in the milk (that they gave you, that you sucked).
This is a VERY VULGAR expression and the origin is related to the previous expression. You say this when you are very angry with someone or a situation. So if you “shit in the milk” you are referring to the milk that person sucked, and in some way you are cursing them.
Go full steam ahead/Go pouring milk.
This expression is related to milk delivery people. In the past, when we did not have refrigeration systems at home, we had to consume some foods more quickly, such as milk. Likewise, milk deliverers needed to transport it quickly so that its consumption was immediate. Hence, when in Spanish we say “go full steam ahead” we are saying that we are going at a fast or accelerated pace.
Give someone milk.
It means giving a “blow.” The origin of this expression is not clear, but it is quite common and colloquial. In the same way we can transform the verb into a pronominal in this way: “give yourself a milk.” It also means “to hit oneself,” but to oneself by accident.
It is worth mentioning that, in all of these previous expressions, we can replace the word “milk” with the word “host”, they would have the same meaning, but they would become very vulgar expressions so be careful when using them!
If you want to see other uses of the word milk, you can do so at This Video that we published a few weeks ago on our social networks. Follow us on Instagram or in Tik Tok to see more videos like this with which you can improve your Spanish.
Now that you have read about the Spanish expressions with the word milk, you are a little closer to being able to speak fluent Spanish. In our Spanish classes In Madrid we carry out a total linguistic immersion, from level A1 you will be learning practical Spanish for everyday life. If you are interested, you can write to us at spanish@luis-vives.es, send us a Whatsapp or complete our form contact.
