Our conversation about Spanish idioms involving food prompted a tweet from Tijuana, Mexico: del plato a la boca, se cae la sopa, or between the dish and the mouth, the soup spills, or don’t count your chickens before they hatch. A similar idea is reflected there’s many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip, an English proverb similar to a saying in ancient Greek. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Between the Dish and Mouth Saying in Spanish”
Our conversation about food-related idioms in Spanish, like temblar como un flan, which means to tremble like a flan rather than shake like a leaf, prompted a tweet from Tijuana, Mexico.
Mario Verber said, del plato a la boca se cae la sopa, which means literally from the plate to the mouth, the soup spills. In other words, don’t let your guard down thinking it’s a done deal. It ain’t over till it’s over. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Well, the English equivalent is, there’s an established phrase for that, which is, there’s many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip.
Oh, see, I always thought that had to do with talking too much while you’re drinking, but this makes more sense.
It is a little bit about, sometimes it is used to refer to gossip, but it’s also meaning, you can’t control what’s happening here. Just wait until it’s done.
It’s nice that both of those rhyme.
It is, though. And interesting about that, that one may go back to ancient Greek.
Is that right?
Yeah, there’s a version of it that seems to be almost the same.
Okay, well, yeah, it’s a mistake that people have been making for millennia, right?
Right, right.
We do that as humans, don’t we?
We do.
Our imaginations are so vivid that a thing seems real even when it’s not, and we’re building upon that fantasy rather than the reality.
That’s right.
