mosquita muerta
English translation: snake in the grass
| GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 15:10 Sep 4, 2019 |
| Spanish to English translations [Non-PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / conversation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
|  Selected response from: Cecilia Gowar United Kingdom | ||||||
Grading comment
| |||||||
| Summary of answers provided | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 +2 | snake in the grass |
| ||
| 4 | to have no backbone |
| ||
| 3 | butter wouldn't melt |
|
| Summary of reference entries provided | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Refs. |
|
| Discussion entries: 2 | |
|---|---|
Answers
16 mins confidence: 
butter wouldn't melt Explanation: I think the meaning of this expression in English conveys quite accurately what "mosquita muerta" means in Spanish: someone who tries to look innocent, but is in fact responsible for something. "Top definition Butter Wouldn’t Melt The original expression was “Butter wouldn’t melt in his/her mouth”. What this means is when you find someone, a child or animal who is quite obviously responsible for some misdemeanour and they deny it and look at you with an expression of angelic innocence and, in spite of all the evidence continue to lie, that’s when you say that Butter Wouldn’t Melt. “It wasn’t me that broke the jug, it was the dog.” “We haven’t got a dog.” “It came in from outside, it wasn’t me.” “Oh yeah, and I suppose butter wouldn’t melt!” -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 17 mins (2019-09-04 15:27:22 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Butter Would... |
| |
| Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) | ||
36 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
peer agreement (net): +2snake in the grass Explanation: A snake in the grass may be a sneaky person who appears harmless or even friendly but in fact, is treacherous. https://grammarist.com/idiom/a-snake-in-the-grass/ mosca muerta 1. f. coloq. Persona, al parecer, de ánimo o genio apagado, pero que no pierde la ocasión de su provecho. https://dle.rae.es/?id=Pt3ozF8 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Grading comment
| |||||||||||||||||||
10 hrs confidence:
| |||||||||||||||||||
18 mins |
| Reference: Refs. Reference information: Some ideas only. Tricky word perhaps to describe with one word. https://www.reddit.com › linguistics › comments › what_animals_does_yo... Bird (pájaro) - a cunning person. Bitch (perra) - Bitch. Bug (bicho) - Nasty, mean, weirdo (several meanings). ***Dead fly (mosquita muerta) - A two-faced person.** (two-faced, cunning, sly are options that come to mind). Brand New Memory - Page 107 - Google Books Result https://books.google.com.jm › books Elías Miguel Muñoz If you were called mosquita muerta, the little dead fly, that meant you were cunning, conniving and hypocritical. (But how could a dead fly be so evil?). https://www.celebitchy.com/524847/kelly_rutherfords_bankrupt... “mosquita muerta”. in Venezuela, Mosquita Muerta= she who acts like she doesnt break a plate the Pic of feigned innocence). “acts like butter would not melt in her mouth.” |
| |
| Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) | ||
Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
KudoZ™ translation help
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.
See also:
Search millions of term translations
Your current localization setting
English
Select a language
Close search