No ser moco de pavo

/no seɾ ˈmo·ko ðe ˈpa·βo/

Not to be turkey mucus.

Frequency

ConversationVery common

JournalismOccasional

LiteraryRare

AcademicVery rare

In English

to be no small feat; **to be no small feat**; **to be no joke**; **to be quite something**; **to be no trivial matter**; **to be nothing to sneeze at**

Meaning

No ser moco de pavo means not to be insignificant, not to be a trivial matter, to be quite something, to be no small feat, or to be no joke.

Examples

Aprobar esa oposición no es moco de pavo.

Passing that civil service exam is no small feat.

Ganar un campeonato mundial no es moco de pavo.

Winning a world championship is no joke.

Cien mil euros no son moco de pavo.

One hundred thousand euros is nothing to sneeze at.

Llevar una empresa así no es moco de pavo.

Running a company like that is quite an achievement.

It stresses that something deserves respect because it is difficult, important or impressive.

Used when

a difficult achievement
a large amount of money
an important responsibility
an impressive accomplishment
a challenging situation

Origin

Like many everyday expressions, it took shape in ordinary speech rather than from any single traceable source.

The most widely accepted explanation relates to the fleshy red appendage hanging over a turkey's beak, popularly known as moco de pavo because of its appearance.

Since this feature was considered unattractive and of little importance, the phrase no ser moco de pavo came to mean that something is not insignificant or ridiculous.

Whatever its precise origin, the idiom has been firmly established in Spanish for well over a century.

Cultural note

The expression is almost always used to emphasise admiration or respect.

It often appears after mentioning:

difficult examinations,
impressive achievements,
demanding jobs,
or large sums of money.

Despite its humorous wording, the meaning is entirely serious.

Did you know?

Spanish has several expressions that emphasise the importance of something:

No ser moco de pavo → to be no small feat.
No ser cualquier cosa → to be no ordinary matter.
Tener su mérito → to deserve recognition.
No estar al alcance de cualquiera → not to be within everyone's reach.

Among them, no ser moco de pavo is one of the most recognisable because its bizarre literal image makes it especially memorable while conveying the simple idea that something deserves genuine respect.

For English speakers

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

It's not turkey mucus.

Instead, use expressions such as:

It's no small feat.
It's no joke.
It's nothing to sneeze at.
That's quite something.
It's no trivial matter.

Choose the translation according to the context.