Darse con un canto en los dientes

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/ˈdaɾ·se kon un ˈkan·to en los ˈðjen·tes/

To hit oneself in the teeth with a stone.

Frequency

ConversationOccasional

JournalismOccasional

LiteraryCommon

AcademicOccasional

In English

to count oneself lucky; **to count oneself lucky**; **to consider oneself fortunate**; **to be grateful**; **to thank one's lucky stars**; **to be lucky it wasn't worse**

Meaning

Darse con un canto en los dientes means to count oneself lucky, to consider oneself fortunate, to be grateful for what one has, or to realise that things could have been much worse.

Examples

Con la nota que has sacado, puedes darte con un canto en los dientes.

Considering your mark, you should count yourself lucky.

Deberías darte con un canto en los dientes después de lo que pasó.

After what happened, you should consider yourself fortunate.

Si consigue ese trabajo, ya puede darse con un canto en los dientes.

If he gets that job, he'll be lucky.

Tal como estaban las cosas, nos podemos dar con un canto en los dientes.

Given the circumstances, we should be grateful things turned out this well.

It often implies that complaining is inappropriate because the outcome, while imperfect, is actually favourable.

Used when

expects too much
complains despite having been fortunate
achieves a modest but satisfactory result
escapes a much worse situation
should appreciate what they have received

Origin

The image behind it is transparent enough that it never needed a written pedigree.

One traditional explanation suggests that a person who still had enough healthy teeth to strike with a stone should already consider themselves fortunate.

Another interpretation sees the stone as a symbolic reminder that the outcome could have been much more painful.

Whatever its precise history, the idiom has long expressed the idea that one should appreciate a relatively favourable outcome instead of complaining.

Cultural note

The expression often has a mildly ironic tone.

It is frequently used when someone is dissatisfied even though they have actually been quite lucky.

For that reason, it can sound slightly critical, suggesting that the listener should adjust their expectations.

Did you know?

Spanish has several expressions encouraging people to appreciate their good fortune:

Darse con un canto en los dientes → to count oneself lucky.
No es para tanto → it's not that bad.
Dentro de lo malo... → all things considered...
Más vale eso que nada → better than nothing.

Among them, darse con un canto en los dientes is the most idiomatic because it combines humour, irony and the reminder that reality could always have been much worse.

For English speakers

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

You should hit yourself in the teeth with a stone.

Instead, use expressions such as:

You should count yourself lucky.
You should consider yourself fortunate.
You should thank your lucky stars.
It could have been much worse.

Choose the translation according to the context.