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caer chuzos

English translation: to bucket down/pelt down/pelt rain

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:caer chuzos
English translation:to bucket down/pelt down/pelt rain
Entered by: Claudia Vale

17:19 Apr 21, 2008
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Spanish term or phrase: caer chuzos
Every morning the character, who was hardworking, awoke early and slipped off to the bazaar, whatever the weather:

Lo mismo si hacía frío, que lo hacía y mucho, nevaba y caían chuzos, que si ardía el aire.

I know a "chuzo" is a kind of sharp stick but does it refer to heavy rain or sleet or something else?
Claudia Vale
United Kingdom
to bucket down/pelt down/pelt rain
Explanation:
Yes, the expression is well known in Spain.

Plenty to choose from, inevitably in rainy British English. But it is rain, not sleet.

Also available are "chucking it down" (more colloquial), "coming down in stair rods" (a bit old fashioned these days).





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Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-21 19:00:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry: coming down LIKE stair rods - FTR.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-21 19:01:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And sorry again, I'd gone into teacher mode - of course you know all the registers of these expression in English, you just need to be reassured about the meaning of chuzos!! Anyway, it may be useful for someone else consulting the future.
Selected response from:

Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 17:25
Grading comment
It was a toss up between 'pelting down with rain' and 'raining cats and dogs' but I like the sharp element of 'pelting', as in Rosina's definition of 'chuzos'. Many thanks everyone! :0)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +8it was raining cats and dogs
María T. Vargas
5 +1pouring rain
Y. Peraza
5rain cats and dogs
Lynda Tharratt
4 +1to bucket down/pelt down/pelt rain
Noni Gilbert Riley
4pelting sleet
trans4u


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
pouring rain


Explanation:
Heavy rain.

Y. Peraza
Local time: 17:25
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jude dabo
9 mins
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +8
it was raining cats and dogs


Explanation:
The full Spanish (from Spain) idiom is: "caer chuzos de punta", it was raining heavily, or like the other colleague said. God luck.

María T. Vargas
Spain
Local time: 17:25
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jason Hall: I was juuuuust about to say that! http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=524762
1 min
  -> Thanks, Cuenca
agree  Lynda Tharratt: oops didn't see your answer when I put mine
2 mins
  -> Thanks, Lynda. It doesn't matter.
agree  Beatriz Pérez: completamente de acuerdo
3 mins
  -> Gracias, Beatriz
agree  Egmont
9 mins
  -> Thanks, colleague
agree  Carol Gullidge: yes!
27 mins
  -> Thanks, Carol. Un abrazo, Pampi
agree  jacana54 (X)
49 mins
  -> Thanks, Lucia
agree  Laura Gómez
2 hrs
  -> hanks, Laura
agree  moken: :O)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Alvaro
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
rain cats and dogs


Explanation:
there are references to this on the Internet (see below) :)


    Reference: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=524762
Lynda Tharratt
Local time: 11:25
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pelting sleet


Explanation:
chuzo
m. Palo armado con un pincho de hierro que se usa como defensa o para atacar.
Carámbano, trozo de hielo.
http://www.wordreference.com/definicion/chuzo


CNN.com - TranscriptsFeb 14, 2007 ... PHILLIPS: Blowing snow, pelting sleet, and bone-chilling cold, and it's only going to get worse in Upstate New York.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pelting sleet

trans4u
Local time: 09:25
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  moken: Nothing to do with sleet in the way it's used in Spain - might mean this elsewhere, but never heard it myself. :O)
2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to bucket down/pelt down/pelt rain


Explanation:
Yes, the expression is well known in Spain.

Plenty to choose from, inevitably in rainy British English. But it is rain, not sleet.

Also available are "chucking it down" (more colloquial), "coming down in stair rods" (a bit old fashioned these days).





--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-21 19:00:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry: coming down LIKE stair rods - FTR.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-04-21 19:01:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And sorry again, I'd gone into teacher mode - of course you know all the registers of these expression in English, you just need to be reassured about the meaning of chuzos!! Anyway, it may be useful for someone else consulting the future.

Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 17:25
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80
Grading comment
It was a toss up between 'pelting down with rain' and 'raining cats and dogs' but I like the sharp element of 'pelting', as in Rosina's definition of 'chuzos'. Many thanks everyone! :0)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  moken: As you said, could be useful in to someone else in the future. :O)
44 mins
  -> :o)
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