Coger con pinzas

back

/ko·ˈxeɾ kon ˈpin·θas/

To pick up with tweezers.

Frequency

ConversationCommon

JournalismCommon

LiteraryOccasional

AcademicRare

In English

to take with a pinch of salt; **to take with a pinch of salt**; **to take with a grain of salt** (American English); **to treat with caution**; **to be sceptical about**; **not to take at face value**

Meaning

Coger con pinzas means to treat something cautiously, not accept it at face value or regard it with scepticism.

Examples

Esa información hay que cogerla con pinzas.

You should take that information with a pinch of salt.

Todo lo que dice ese periódico conviene cogerlo con pinzas.

Everything that newspaper says should be taken with a grain of salt.

Sus declaraciones deben cogerse con pinzas.

His statements should be treated with caution.

Es un rumor; cógelo con pinzas.

It's only a rumour—don't take it at face value.

It usually refers to information, rumours, statistics or claims whose reliability is uncertain.

Used when

rumours
unverified news
doubtful information
exaggerated claims
statements that require careful interpretation

Origin

The expression comes from the literal act of using tweezers to handle something delicate or potentially harmful.

Spanish transferred this image to ideas and information.

Just as fragile objects require careful handling, doubtful information should also be handled cautiously.

Cultural note

The expression does not necessarily mean that something is false.

Rather, it advises the listener not to accept it immediately as completely true.

It is particularly common when discussing rumours, social media, political statements and sensational headlines.

Did you know?

Spanish has several expressions that recommend caution before believing something:

Coger con pinzas → to take with a pinch of salt.
Poner en duda → to question.
No poner la mano en el fuego por alguien → not to vouch for someone.

All encourage scepticism, but coger con pinzas is the most common idiom when talking about uncertain information.

For English speakers

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

Take it with tweezers.

Instead, use expressions such as:

Take it with a pinch of salt.
Take it with a grain of salt.
Treat it with caution.
Don't take it at face value.

The emphasis is on healthy scepticism.