Sacar a relucir
To bring out to shine.
to bring something up; **to bring something up**; **to bring something to light**; **to bring something out into the open**; **to bring something to someone's attention**; **to dredge something up**; **to bring up an old issue**
Sacar a relucir means to bring something up, to bring something to light, or to mention something that had been hidden, forgotten or not previously discussed.
En la discusión sacó a relucir un problema de hace años.
During the argument, he brought up a problem from years ago.
No hace falta sacar ahora ese tema a relucir.
There's no need to bring that up now.
Siempre que discutimos, saca a relucir mis errores del pasado.
Whenever we argue, she brings up my mistakes from the past.
El periodista sacó a relucir varios documentos que comprometían al ministro.
The journalist brought several documents to light that implicated the minister.
Durante la reunión salió a relucir un dato muy interesante.
An interesting fact came to light during the meeting.
It is especially common when someone brings up a particular fact, argument or past event in a conversation, often because it is useful for supporting their position.
A very common construction is:
Sacar algo a relucir.
→ To bring something up / to bring something to light.
- mentions an old argument during a new discussion
- brings up an uncomfortable fact
- reveals information that had been hidden
- introduces a new argument into a conversation
- reminds someone of something they had done in the past
- makes a previously unnoticed fact known
The expression is based on the verb relucir, meaning to shine or gleam.
Something that is sacado a relucir is figuratively brought out from concealment and made visible, as though it were being polished and displayed so that it catches the light.
The expression therefore developed the figurative meaning of bringing something into prominence or making it known.
The expression can be either neutral or slightly negative depending on what is being brought up.
Neutral or positive
El informe sacó a relucir varios problemas del sistema.
→ The report brought several problems with the system to light.
Negative
En cuanto discutieron, sacó a relucir todos sus errores.
→ As soon as they argued, she brought up all his past mistakes.
The second use often suggests that someone is deliberately bringing up something unpleasant or inconvenient.
Sacar a relucir is particularly common when talking about past grievances:
Cada vez que discutimos, saca a relucir lo que hice hace diez años.
The expression conveys more than simply mentioning something: it can suggest that the person is deliberately bringing an old matter back into the conversation, often to strengthen an argument or criticise someone.
This is why sacar a relucir and dredge something up can be very close equivalents in argumentative contexts.
Do not translate:
Sacó a relucir sus errores.
as:
He took his mistakes out to shine.
Natural translations include:
He brought up his mistakes.
He brought his mistakes to light.
He dredged up his past mistakes.
The best translation depends on whether the information is being revealed or simply mentioned again.
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