Poner a caldo
backTo put someone in broth.
to tear someone to pieces; **to tear someone to pieces**; **to rip someone apart**; **to slag someone off** (British English); **to bad-mouth someone**; **to lay into someone**
Poner a caldo (a alguien) means to tear someone to pieces, to rip someone apart verbally, to slag someone off, to bad-mouth someone, or to criticise someone harshly.
Lo pusieron a caldo por llegar tarde.
They tore him to pieces for arriving late.
Siempre pone a caldo a sus compañeros.
She's always slagging off her colleagues.
En cuanto terminó la reunión, empezaron a ponerlo a caldo.
As soon as the meeting ended, they started bad-mouthing him.
La prensa lo puso a caldo después del partido.
The press ripped him apart after the match.
It refers to strong, often relentless criticism.
- harshly criticises another person
- complains aggressively
- speaks very negatively about someone
- attacks another person's behaviour or decisions
- publicly or privately condemns someone
It grew naturally out of everyday colloquial speech.
It grew naturally out of everyday colloquial speech.
One explanation suggests that caldo originally referred to the liquid in which something was thoroughly immersed, creating the image of someone being completely "soaked" in criticism.
Whatever its historical development, modern speakers simply understand the expression as meaning to criticise someone severely.
The expression usually implies prolonged or particularly intense criticism.
Unlike a simple complaint, poner a caldo suggests that someone is attacked from every angle.
It is especially common in discussions about sport, politics, television and workplace conflicts.
Spanish has a rich vocabulary for verbal criticism:
- Poner a caldo → to rip someone apart verbally.
- Poner verde → to bad-mouth someone.
- Poner a parir → to tear someone to pieces.
- Poner a caer de un burro → to criticise someone mercilessly.
- Echar pestes de alguien → to speak very badly about someone.
Among them, poner a caldo is one of the most frequently heard in informal Spanish and is widely used across Spain to describe particularly harsh criticism.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
They put him in broth.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- They ripped him apart.
- They tore him to pieces.
- They slagged him off.
- They bad-mouthed him.
Choose the translation according to the degree of criticism.
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