limpios de solemnidad

English translation: poor as church mice, flat broke

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:limpios de solemnidad
English translation:poor as church mice, flat broke
Entered by: Michelle Wolfson

03:20 Apr 11, 2018
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general) / Newspaper Article from Venezuela
Spanish term or phrase: limpios de solemnidad
This appears twice in a newspaper article from Venezuela from 10+ years ago about corruption in the petroleum industry. The first sentence where it appears is "...muchachos que hasta el 2002 eran unos limpios de solemnidad hoy son ostentosos, que no esconde su nueva riqueza..." And the second is: "Lo más alarmante... es que los señores, 'Los limpios de solemnidad", devenidos en chavistas por conveniencia..."
Michelle Wolfson
United States
Local time: 06:26
poor as church mice
Explanation:
via DRAE
pobre de solemnidad

1. m. pobre que acudía a pedir limosna en las fiestas solemnes.
Selected response from:

patinba
Argentina
Local time: 10:26
Grading comment
Thank you for the suggestions, discussion and references. It was very helpful in understanding the general meaning of the phrase. I ended up using "flat broke" in my document.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2poor as church mice
patinba
Summary of reference entries provided
Refs.
Taña Dalglish

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
poor as church mice


Explanation:
via DRAE
pobre de solemnidad

1. m. pobre que acudía a pedir limosna en las fiestas solemnes.


patinba
Argentina
Local time: 10:26
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 648
Grading comment
Thank you for the suggestions, discussion and references. It was very helpful in understanding the general meaning of the phrase. I ended up using "flat broke" in my document.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marie Wilson: I've never heard the Spanish expression, but this makes sense in the context.
7 hrs
  -> Thank you, Marie!

agree  David Hollywood: that's on the button Pat
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, David!
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Reference comments


2 hrs
Reference: Refs.

Reference information:
Some additional references:

http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/historico/ladrones_61437
Los principios que hicieron florecer a la clase empresarial formada en el trabajo, el esfuerzo y la frugalidad se han trastocado para dar paso a la acumulación inmediata, a la rapiña, al contrato favorecedor y al tráfico de influencias. ***Limpios de solemnidad***, hoy son flamantes empresarios sin haber arriesgado lo que no tenían. Todo su capital ha sido amasado como por arte de magia a la sombra del Estado, que es donde los nuevos ricos han encontrado su acogedor hábitat. El de antes era un empresario austero y comedido. El nuevo rico es suntuoso, vicioso y ostentoso.

http://venezuelareal.zoomblog.com/archivo/2007/05/03/pdvsa-m...
-Es de suponer que lo que se va en comisiones no se reporta tampoco.
-El problema de la corrupción es sumamente grave porque tienes a una gente que eran unos ***limpios de solemnidad*** y que ahora son unos potentados, una gente que se ha hecho rica en muy poco tiempo. Y esto ha institucionalizado la matraca, porque las comisiones que eran del 10% hoy son del 20%. Nadie se explica, por ejemplo, el problema de Pdvsa Occidente es sumamente grave, más de 300 fugas de gas en el Lago de Maracaibo, una producción que viene en bajada porque tú tienes que utilizar como método de levantamiento la inyección de gas para la producción. Entonces si tienes fugas de gas y si tienes un problema en las plantas de Tía Juana, que están completamente inoperativas.

Taña Dalglish
Jamaica
Does not meet criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 174
Note to reference poster
Asker: Thank you for the references.

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