Estar curado de espanto
To be cured of fright.
to have seen it all; **to have seen it all**; **to be battle-hardened**; **to be unfazed**; **to be hard to shock**; **to be beyond being surprised**
Estar curado de espanto means to have seen it all, to be unfazed, to be hard to shock, to be battle-hardened, or to be no longer easily frightened or surprised.
Después de tantos años en urgencias, está curado de espanto.
After so many years in the emergency department, he's seen it all.
Ya estoy curado de espanto.
I've seen it all by now.
No me impresiona; estoy curado de espanto.
That doesn't impress me anymore.
Los veteranos están curados de espanto.
The veterans are battle-hardened.
It usually refers to someone who has gained resilience through experience.
- has faced many difficult situations
- is no longer easily shocked
- remains calm under pressure
- has become emotionally resilient
- reacts with indifference to problems that would surprise others
The expression combines curado ("cured") with espanto ("fright", "terror" or "shock").
The metaphor suggests that repeated frightening experiences eventually "cure" a person of fear by making them accustomed to difficult situations.
Over time, it came to describe people who are no longer easily surprised or intimidated.
The expression often carries a positive nuance.
Being curado de espanto suggests maturity, experience and emotional resilience rather than cynicism.
It is frequently used to describe professionals such as doctors, police officers, journalists and teachers, as well as anyone who has overcome many challenges.
Spanish has several expressions describing resilience gained through experience:
- Estar curado de espanto → to have seen it all.
- Curtido en mil batallas → battle-hardened.
- Tener muchas tablas → to have plenty of experience.
- No asustarse fácilmente → not to be easily frightened.
Among them, estar curado de espanto is especially expressive because it presents experience as a kind of "vaccine" against surprise, fear and emotional shock.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would not normally say:
I'm cured of fright.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- I've seen it all.
- Nothing surprises me anymore.
- I'm battle-hardened.
- I'm not easily shocked.
Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on experience, resilience or emotional detachment.
There are five hundred more.
The complete collection — no ads, on paper or Kindle.
Get the book on Amazon