Irse por los cerros de Úbeda

/ˈiɾ·se poɾ los ˈθe·ros ðe ˈu·βe·ða/

To go off through the hills of Úbeda.

Frequency

ConversationVery common

JournalismCommon

LiteraryOccasional

AcademicRare

In English

to go off on a tangent; **to go off on a tangent**; **to beat around the bush**; **to dodge the question**; **to get sidetracked**; **to wander off the point**

Meaning

Irse por los cerros de Úbeda means to go off on a tangent, to dodge the question, to change the subject, to beat around the bush, or to avoid the point by talking about something unrelated.

Examples

No te vayas por los cerros de Úbeda.

Don't go off on a tangent.

Cada vez que le preguntan, se va por los cerros de Úbeda.

Every time he's asked, he dodges the question.

Estábamos hablando del presupuesto y se fue por los cerros de Úbeda.

We were discussing the budget, and he completely changed the subject.

Contesta la pregunta y deja de irte por los cerros de Úbeda.

Answer the question and stop beating around the bush.

It usually suggests deliberate or unnecessary digression.

Used when

avoids answering a question
starts talking about irrelevant matters
digresses during an explanation
changes the subject to avoid an uncomfortable issue
loses sight of the main point

Origin

According to a popular legend, the expression dates back to the Middle Ages.

During the Reconquista, a knight supposedly disappeared before an important battle. When asked afterwards where he had been, he claimed he had become lost in the hills around Úbeda.

It perfectly illustrates someone giving an excuse instead of answering directly.

Over time, the expression became a metaphor for avoiding the point.

Cultural note

The town of Úbeda, in the province of Jaén, is famous today for its Renaissance architecture, but throughout Spain its name is equally well known because of this idiom.

The expression is often used humorously and does not necessarily imply dishonesty—sometimes it simply describes someone who talks too much and loses the thread of the conversation.

Did you know?

Spanish has several expressions describing indirect or evasive speech:

Irse por los cerros de Úbeda → to go off on a tangent.
Andarse por las ramas → to beat around the bush.
Escurrir el bulto → to dodge responsibility.
Cambiar de tema → to change the subject.

Among them, irse por los cerros de Úbeda is one of the most picturesque because it preserves the memory of a famous medieval legend while vividly describing the habit of wandering away from the point instead of giving a direct answer.

For English speakers

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

He went through the hills of Úbeda.

Instead, use expressions such as:

He went off on a tangent.
She's beating around the bush.
He's dodging the question.
She got sidetracked.

Choose the translation according to whether the speaker is digressing accidentally or deliberately avoiding the issue.