Tener una espina clavada

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/te·ˈneɾ ˈu·na es·ˈpi·na kla·ˈβa·ða/

To have a thorn stuck in you.

Frequency

ConversationVery common

JournalismCommon

LiteraryOccasional

AcademicRare

In English

to have a thorn in one's side; **to have a thorn in one's side**; **to have something eating away at you**; **to have unfinished business**; **to have a lingering regret**; **to have something you can't get over**

Meaning

Tener una espina clavada means to have something that still bothers you, to have an unresolved grievance, to have a regret that you cannot shake, or to have something you still feel you need to put right.

Examples

Tengo una espina clavada porque nunca conseguí aprobar ese examen.

I still have a lingering regret about never passing that exam.

Desde aquella discusión tiene una espina clavada.

He's still bothered by that argument.

Siempre ha tenido la espina clavada de no haber ganado aquella competición.

He's always regretted not winning that competition.

Necesito volver a intentarlo; tengo esa espina clavada.

I need to try again; I still have something to prove.

It often refers to a past failure, disappointment or unresolved situation.

Used when

regrets something that happened
cannot forget a past failure
feels they have unfinished business
remains hurt by something someone did
wants another opportunity to prove themselves

Origin

The expression comes from a very old and intuitive metaphor: a thorn stuck in the body causes persistent discomfort.

Removing the thorn brings relief.

In the figurative sense, the thorn represents a regret, grievance, failure or unresolved matter that remains psychologically painful.

The expression is therefore based on the universal association between physical pain and emotional distress.

Cultural note

The expression can have either a negative or a motivating sense.

Negative:

Tiene una espina clavada por lo que le hicieron.

→ He still feels hurt by what they did to him.

Motivating:

Tiene la espina clavada de no haber ganado nunca.

→ He has never got over not winning / He still has something to prove.

In the second sense, the person may want another opportunity to settle the score with themselves, rather than with another person.

Did you know?

Spanish also has the complementary expression:

Sacarse una espina.

It means to finally overcome the regret or disappointment that has been bothering you.

For example:

Con esta victoria se ha sacado la espina.

→ This victory finally put that disappointment to rest.

So the pair forms a particularly elegant metaphor:

tener una espina clavada → the problem is still hurting.

sacarse una espina → the problem has finally been resolved. ```

For English speakers

Do not normally translate:

Tengo una espina clavada.

as:

I have a thorn stuck in me.

Instead:

It's been bothering me ever since.

I still can't get over it.

I have a lingering regret.

I still have something to prove.

The best translation depends on what the "thorn" represents.