Cruzársele los cables

to snap; **to snap**; **to lose it**; **to have a mental short circuit**; **to lose one's head**; **to suddenly lose control**

Cruzársele los cables means to snap, to lose control, to suddenly stop thinking clearly, to have a mental short circuit, or to react irrationally without warning.

It usually refers to a sudden and temporary loss of judgement or self-control.

• suddenly becomes very angry
• reacts irrationally
• behaves unexpectedly
• momentarily loses self-control
• makes an absurd or impulsive decision

The expression comes from electrical engineering.

When electrical wires become crossed, a device may malfunction or behave unpredictably.

Spanish adopted this image as a metaphor for the human mind, comparing irrational or impulsive behaviour to an electrical fault in the brain.

Because of its technological origin, the expression is relatively modern compared with many traditional idioms.

The expression often refers to anger, although it can also describe any sudden loss of judgement.

Unlike estar como una regadera, it usually describes a temporary reaction rather than a person's general character.

It is one of the most common colloquial ways of explaining unexpected irrational behaviour.

Spanish has several expressions based on the idea of temporary mental malfunction:

• Cruzársele los cables → to snap.
• Írsele la olla → to lose it.
• Perder los papeles → to lose one's composure.
• Quedarse en blanco → to go blank.

Among them, cruzársele los cables is the most technological metaphor, comparing the human brain to an electrical system that suddenly stops working properly because its connections have become crossed.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

His wires got crossed.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• He snapped.
• She lost it.
• He suddenly lost control.
• She completely lost her head.

Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on anger, impulsiveness or irrational behaviour.