De perdidos al río

In for a penny, in for a pound.; **In for a penny, in for a pound.**; **Might as well.**; **Nothing to lose.**; **Go for broke.** (depending on the context); **We may as well go all the way.**

De perdidos al río means in for a penny, in for a pound or we might as well go all the way.

It is used when someone decides to take a further risk because the situation is already bad or there is nothing left to lose.

• a risky decision has already been made
• failure already seems inevitable
• someone decides to go all in
• there is little left to lose
• continuing seems no more dangerous than stopping

The picture it paints is so clear that the meaning follows on its own.

The traditional image is of a traveller who has already lost their way.

Faced with a river blocking the path, they decide to cross it because their situation cannot become much worse.

Whether historical or not, the metaphor clearly conveys the idea of taking one final risk when there is little left to lose.

The expression is not necessarily reckless.

It often reflects a practical calculation:

"If failure is already likely, taking one more risk may actually improve our chances."

For that reason, it appears frequently in business, sport and politics.

Spanish has several idioms expressing determination despite adversity:

• De perdidos al río → in for a penny, in for a pound.
• El que no arriesga no gana → nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• Hasta el final → all the way to the end.

All encourage persistence, but de perdidos al río specifically highlights taking one last risk when there is little left to lose.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

From being lost, to the river.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• In for a penny, in for a pound.
• We've got nothing to lose.
• We might as well go all the way.
• Let's go for broke. (when appropriate)

The emphasis is on accepting one more risk because the situation is already difficult.