Getting Negative: Some Spanish slang for your dark moods



Negative Slang

You're getting on my nerves

Dar la paliza [Familiar] Lit. To give (someone) the thrashing. To bug/hassle (someone).
Example: Se pasa el día dándome la paliza en el trabajo [Familiar] She spends the day bugging me at work.

Un tío/Una tía paliza, pesado/a, pelma [Very Familiar] An annoying man/woman.

Ser un plomo/plomazo [Familiar] Lit. To be (as heavy as) lead. To be very dull and boring. Applies to both people and things.
Su última Example: novela es un auténtico plomazo [Familiar] His latest novel is an absolute yawn.

Ser un muermo [Familiar] Something or someone so quiet and/or boring that you fall asleep.
Example: La discoteca fue un muermo total [Familiar] The nightclub was dead.

Me importa un pimiento/pepino/comino/pito/tres cojones [Vulgar] Lit. I care as much as a pepper/cucumber/cumin seed/a whistle/three testicles. In other words, I don't give a damn.
Example: Nuestra opinión le importa un pepino [Familiar] Our opinion means nothing to him.

Get lost

Cabrearse [Familiar] To get pissed off.
Estar cabreado [Very Familiar] To be pissed off.
Me estás cabreando [Familiar] You're pissing me off.
Estoy cabreado [Familiar] I'm pissed off.

Tocar los huevos/las narices (**/*) Lit. To touch (someone's) testicles/noses. To piss (someone) off.
Example: Lleva todo el día tocándome las narices y se va a arrepentir [Familiar] She's been getting on my nerves all day and she's going to regret it.

Dar la lata/ser una lata [Familiar] Lit. To give the tin/ be a tin. To be a pain.
Example: Deja ya de dar la lata y vete a dormir [Familiar] Lit. Stop giving the tin and go to sleep. Stop being such a pain and go to sleep.

El horno no está para bollos [Familiar] Lit. The oven is not ready for buns. It means you're not in the mood for any nonsense.

¡Pírate! ¡Lárgate! ¡Piérdete! [Very Familiar] Ways of saying: Get lost!

¡Déjame en paz! [Familiar] Lit. Leave me in peace! Leave me alone.

¡Vete a freír espárragos! [Familiar] Lit. Go off and fry asparagus. Basically disappear and do whatever you want as long as it's out of my sight!

¡Vete a hacer puñetas! [Very Familiar] Lit. Go off and make lace cuffs! Las puñetas were very fashionable in the olden days, with very intricate designs requiring meticulous and patient job. Hence a way of telling someone to get lost.

¡Vete a la mierda! [Plain Rude] Lit. Go off to the shit! Obviously the rudest expression of the lot.

Looking for trouble

Borde [Familiar] Lit. Edge. Used when someone has a bad attitude.
Example: Es una tía super borde [Familiar] She's a girl with really bad attitude.

Tener mala sangre/leche/uva [Familiar] Lit. To have bad blood/milk/grape. To be a bad-tempered, nasty person.
Example: Hay que tener mala uva para echarla así de casa [Familiar] You need to be quite nasty to kick her out of home like that.

Un animal, un/una bestia, un/una bruto/a [Familiar] Lit. An animal, a brute. Used to describe someone when they use unnecessary force.
Example: ¡Tío, eres un bestia, lo has vuelto a romper! [Familiar] Dude, you're too much, you've broken it again!

Cabrón/Cabrona [Very Familiar] Lit. Goat. With the intensifier, it means "bastard/bitch".
Example: La muy cabrona le robó el dinero [Very Familiar] The bitch stole his money.

Poner los cuernos [Very Familiar] Lit. To put horns (on somebody). To cheat on somebody.