Ir de culo
backTo go ass-first / to go on one's arse.
to be run off one's feet; **to be run off one's feet**; **to be rushed off one's feet**; **to be snowed under**; **to be up to one's ears in work**; **to be in a mess**; **things are going badly**
Ir de culo has several related meanings depending on context:
Esta semana voy de culo con el trabajo.
I'm rushed off my feet with work this week.
Llevo todo el día yendo de culo.
I've been run off my feet all day.
Desde que nació el niño van de culo.
They've been overwhelmed since the baby was born.
Con todos estos problemas, vamos de culo.
With all these problems, we're in a real mess.
El proyecto va de culo y no llegamos a tiempo.
The project is going badly and we're not going to make the deadline.
- To be extremely busy or overwhelmed, especially because one has too much work.
- To be in a very difficult or chaotic situation.
- To be going badly / to be going downhill.
- In some contexts, to be rushing around desperately trying to get things done.
The most common modern use in Spain is:
Estar / ir de culo con algo → to be completely overwhelmed with something.
- has far too much work
- is rushing from one thing to another
- has no time to stop
- is overwhelmed by problems
- is having a particularly bad period
The expression belongs to the large group of Spanish idioms that use culo ("arse", "ass") to express physical or metaphorical extremity.
The original image is that of someone moving or falling awkwardly, with their backside leading.
The expression subsequently acquired the figurative sense of being in a chaotic, desperate or overwhelming situation.
In Spain, ir de culo is considerably stronger and more colloquial than simply saying:
Estar muy ocupado.
It is especially natural when someone is complaining about having too much to do:
«No puedo quedar esta semana; voy de culo.»
This does not necessarily mean that anything serious is wrong. It can simply mean:
«I'm absolutely snowed under.»
It is also possible to intensify it:
Voy de puto culo.
This is considerably more vulgar and emphatic.
Spanish uses culo in a surprisingly large number of colloquial expressions:
- Ir de culo → to be rushed off one's feet / to be in a mess.
- Estar de culo → to be in a bad situation.
- Caerse de culo → to be absolutely astonished.
- No ver tres en un burro → to be unable to see properly.
- Tener el culo pelado → to be very experienced at something.
These expressions are highly characteristic of informal spoken Spanish and should generally be avoided in formal contexts. ```
Do not translate:
Voy de culo.
literally.
A natural translation would usually be:
I'm rushed off my feet.
I'm snowed under.
I'm run off my feet.
When the context is that things are going badly:
Things are going to hell.
or:
We're in a real mess.
The correct English expression therefore depends strongly on the context.
There are five hundred more.
The complete collection — no ads, on paper or Kindle.
Get the book on Amazon