vacas flacas
Spanish
Etymology
Literally, “lean cows”; an allusion to the story in Genesis, chapter 41, in which Pharaoh has a dream in which seven lean cows devour seven fat cows. The dream is interpreted by Joseph to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine (see Joseph (Genesis) § Joseph in prison). Compare French vaches maigres.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌbakas ˈflakas/ [ˌba.kas ˈfla.kas]
- Syllabification: va‧cas fla‧cas
Noun
vacas flacas f pl (plural only)
- (idiomatic) leanness, little prosperity
- los años de las vacas flacas ― the lean years
Antonyms
See also
- cuando vienen mal dadas
- pintan bastos
Further reading
- “vacas flacas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
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