Hacerle la cama
To make someone's bed.
to set someone up; **to set someone up**; **to stab someone in the back**; **to undermine someone**; **to plot against someone**; **to pull the rug out from under someone**
Hacerle la cama (a alguien) means to set someone up, to undermine someone behind their back, to stab someone in the back, to plot against someone, or to engineer someone's downfall.
Le hicieron la cama y acabó perdiendo el trabajo.
They set him up and he ended up losing his job.
Creo que alguien me está haciendo la cama.
I think someone is plotting against me.
Entre los compañeros le hicieron la cama al jefe.
His colleagues undermined the boss behind his back.
No me gusta trabajar con gente que hace la cama a los demás.
I don't like working with people who stab others in the back.
It usually refers to secret actions intended to harm another person's position or reputation.
- conspires against a colleague
- secretly tries to get another person fired
- sabotages someone's reputation
- manipulates events behind someone's back
- betrays someone for personal advantage
As often happens with colloquial sayings, a clear mental picture carried it into common use.
Several theories exist, but the most accepted is that the expression developed from the idea of secretly preparing a trap for someone while everything appears normal on the surface.
Over time, hacer la cama came to describe hidden manoeuvres designed to damage another person's position without confronting them openly.
The original literal meaning has disappeared completely in the idiomatic use.
The expression is especially common in workplace and political contexts.
It usually implies betrayal, disloyalty and secret manipulation rather than open disagreement.
Someone who hace la cama often appears friendly while acting against another person's interests.
Spanish has several expressions describing hidden betrayal:
- Hacerle la cama → to set someone up.
- Clavar un puñal por la espalda → to stab someone in the back.
- Jugar una mala pasada → to play a nasty trick on someone.
- Poner zancadillas → to put obstacles in someone's way.
Among them, hacerle la cama is one of the most frequently heard in professional and political settings because it describes covert manoeuvres intended to remove someone from a position of trust or responsibility.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
They made his bed.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- They set him up.
- They stabbed him in the back.
- They undermined him.
- They plotted against him.
Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on betrayal, conspiracy or professional sabotage.
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