Echarle morro

to have a lot of nerve; **to have a lot of nerve**; **to have the cheek**; **to have the gall**; **to have the audacity**; **to brazen it out**

Echarle morro means to have a lot of nerve, to be shamelessly bold, to have the cheek, to have the audacity, or to brazen something out.

It usually implies that the person behaves with excessive confidence despite not having the right to do so.

• asks for something unreasonable
• behaves shamelessly
• takes advantage of others
• lies without embarrassment
• succeeds thanks to sheer audacity

The expression comes from the figurative use of morro ("snout").

In Spanish, the animal snout became associated with impudence and shameless behaviour, perhaps because animals push their snouts forward without hesitation.

From this image developed expressions such as:

• tener mucho morro
• echarle morro

both referring to bold, cheeky behaviour.

The expression is often used with a mixture of criticism and admiration.

Someone may disapprove of another person's shamelessness while secretly admiring their confidence.

The exact tone depends heavily on the context.

Spanish has several expressions describing shameless confidence:

• Echarle morro → to have a lot of nerve.
• Tener mucho morro → to be cheeky.
• Tener mucha cara → to have a lot of cheek.
• Quedarse tan ancho → to say or do something outrageous without embarrassment.

Among them, echarle morro is especially common because it often suggests that confidence alone allows someone to achieve things that would seem impossible to more reserved people.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

He put snout into it.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• He had a lot of nerve.
• She had the cheek to ask.
• He's got a lot of gall.
• She brazened it out.

Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on confidence, shamelessness or audacity.