Estar de toma pan y moja
To be of "take bread and dip".
to be really something; **to be really something**; **to be quite a sight**; **to be unbelievable**; **to be something else**; **to be a real piece of work** (negative contexts)
Estar de toma pan y moja means to be something else, to be unbelievable, to be extraordinary, to be really something, or to be quite a sight.
La película está de toma pan y moja.
That film is really something.
Lo que pasó ayer fue de toma pan y moja.
What happened yesterday was unbelievable.
Ese chico está de toma pan y moja.
That guy is quite a character.
La bronca que montaron fue de toma pan y moja.
The argument they had was something else.
Depending on the context, it may be used positively (excellent) or negatively (ridiculous, outrageous or shocking).
- a situation is extraordinary
- someone behaves in an astonishing way
- something is exceptionally good
- an event is unbelievably ridiculous
- emphasising how remarkable something is
The expression comes from traditional Spanish cuisine.
When a meal has an especially delicious sauce, diners often finish by taking bread and dipping it into the remaining sauce.
Something de toma pan y moja was therefore considered especially enjoyable or noteworthy.
The metaphor gradually expanded beyond food to describe any remarkable situation.
The meaning depends heavily on the context.
It can express admiration:
¡Ese concierto estuvo de toma pan y moja!
or criticism:
La discusión fue de toma pan y moja.
The common idea is always that something is far from ordinary.
Spanish has several food-based idioms expressing admiration or emphasis:
- De toma pan y moja → really something.
- No tener desperdicio → to be priceless.
- Estar para chuparse los dedos → to be delicious (literally or figuratively).
- Ser la guinda del pastel → to be the icing on the cake.
Among them, de toma pan y moja is especially characteristic because it originates in the deeply rooted Spanish custom of finishing a good meal by soaking up every last drop of sauce with a piece of bread.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
It's take-bread-and-dip.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- It's really something.
- It's unbelievable.
- It's quite a sight.
- He's a real piece of work. (negative context)
Choose the translation according to whether the tone is admiring or critical.
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