Quedarse en bragas
To be left in one's underwear.
to be left with nothing; **to be left with nothing**; **to be cleaned out**; **to be left high and dry**; **to be left exposed**; **to be stripped of everything** (depending on the context)
Quedarse en bragas means to be left with almost nothing, to be cleaned out, to be left high and dry, to be left exposed, or to be left without resources.
Después del divorcio se quedó en bragas.
After the divorce, he was left with almost nothing.
Si seguimos gastando así, nos vamos a quedar en bragas.
If we keep spending like this, we'll end up broke.
El fraude dejó a muchos inversores en bragas.
The fraud cleaned out many investors.
En el debate lo dejaron en bragas.
They completely exposed him during the debate.
The most common meaning is financial: losing nearly all one's money or possessions.
- loses all or almost all of their money
- spends everything
- is left without resources
- is completely exposed in an argument
- is left unable to respond or defend themselves
The expression comes from the image of someone being stripped of nearly all their clothing until only their underwear (bragas) remains.
This visual metaphor naturally came to represent complete loss, vulnerability or lack of protection.
Over time, the idiom broadened to include financial ruin, helplessness and situations in which someone is left with no arguments or resources.
Despite containing the word bragas, the expression is not considered vulgar.
It is a well-established colloquial idiom used by speakers of all ages.
It most often refers to financial situations, but it can also describe emotional or argumentative vulnerability.
Spanish has several colourful expressions for losing everything:
- Quedarse en bragas → to be left with almost nothing.
- Quedarse a dos velas → to be left broke or empty-handed.
- Arruinarse → to go bankrupt.
- Estar sin blanca → to have no money at all.
Among them, quedarse en bragas is perhaps the most visual, emphasising the feeling of being left almost completely stripped of one's resources or means of defence.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
He was left in his underwear.
unless they literally meant the clothing.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- He was left with nothing.
- He was cleaned out.
- She ended up broke.
- He was left completely exposed.
Choose the translation according to the context.
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