Poner a parir

to slag someone off; **to slag someone off** (British English); **to tear someone to pieces**; **to rip someone apart**; **to bad-mouth someone**; **to lay into someone**

Poner a parir (a alguien) means to slag someone off, to tear someone to pieces, to bad-mouth someone, to rip someone apart verbally, or to criticise someone mercilessly.

It refers to extremely harsh criticism, often emotional or exaggerated.

• speaks very badly about another person
• complains aggressively
• launches a furious verbal attack
• criticises someone behind their back
• harshly condemns a person's actions

It belongs to the living, colloquial layer of the language, where a striking phrase is enough to make it stick.

Although parir literally means "to give birth," the idiomatic meaning developed centuries ago and no longer bears any obvious connection with childbirth.

Today, speakers understand poner a parir simply as an emphatic colloquial expression meaning to criticise someone very harshly.

The original metaphor has become completely opaque.

The expression is stronger than poner verde.

It usually suggests prolonged, emotional or particularly severe criticism.

Although very common in spoken Spanish, it is considered informal and is generally avoided in formal situations.

Spanish has several expressions for harsh verbal criticism:

• Poner a parir → to rip someone apart verbally.
• Poner verde → to bad-mouth someone.
• Echar pestes de alguien → to speak very badly about someone.
• Poner a caer de un burro → to criticise someone mercilessly.

Among them, poner a parir is one of the strongest and most expressive, conveying the idea of an intense verbal attack rather than ordinary criticism.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

They put him to give birth.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• They tore him to pieces.
• They ripped him apart.
• They slagged him off.
• They bad-mouthed him.

Choose the translation according to how intense the criticism is.