Thursday 23 August 2012

Cabra


Today's WOTD is: "cabra" = goat

In Spanish, the noun "cabra" is a feminine noun of Latin origin which means goat. The masculine term “macho cabrío”/ “cabrón”* refers to the male animal and means billy goat.

The Spanish diminutive “cabrito”** refers to a small/ baby goat or kid.

*Note
The Spanish word “cabrón” is also a vulgar term which rougly translates English terms such as bastard/ son of a bitch/ cuckold/ pimp/ ponce. Its feminine form, “cabrona” is also a vulgar tem which roughly translates the English term bitch.

**Note
The Spanish word “cabrito” is often used as an euphemism for the often offensive word “cabrón”. When used as this euphemism, “cabrito” roughly translates the english term swine.


Some commonly used expressions containing the words "cabra" are:
  • Cabra montés (Iberian Ibex);
  • Cabra montesa (mountain goat/ wild goat);
  • Camino de cabras (narrow and rough/ rugged trail);
  • Cargar las cabras a alguien (to point the finger at someone);
  • Echar cabras (to play a game to find the loser/ to draw the short straw***);
  • Echar las cabras (to play a game to find the loser/ to draw the short straw***);
  • Echar las cabras a alguien (to point the finger at someone/ to blame someone);
  • Estar como una cabra (to be completely nuts/ to be off one's head);
  • Estar más loco que una cabra (to be completely nuts) – said about a male;
  • Estar más loca que una cabra (to be completely nuts) – said about a female;
  • La cabra siempre tira al monte (a leopard can't change its spots);
  • Meterle a alguien las cabras en el corral (to frighten someone);
  • Pata de cabra (crowbar/ prybar... also sidestand/ kickstand);
  • Pie de cabra (crowbar/ prybar);
  • Queso de cabra (goat's cheese);


***Note
The Spanish expressions “echar cabras”/ “echar las cabras” refer to a game, the objective of which is determining a single looser from a group of people. It should not be used to translate into Spanish the English expression “to draw the short straw” when used with the meaning “to be unlucky”.


Some examples of the use of the word "cabra" are:
  • La cabra montés es una especie autóctona de la península Ibérica (the Iberian Ibex is a species native to the Iberian Peninsula);
  • La cabra montesa es una especie que fue objeto de mucha caza (the mountain goat was a much hunted species);
  • El único acceso a ese lugar es por un camino de cabras (the only access to that place is through a narrow and rough trail);
  • A Pedro le cargaron las cabras (Pedro got the blame);
  • A Pedro le echaron las cabras (Pedro got the blame);
  • ¿Echamos cabras para ver quien paga? (shall we draw straws to see who pays?);
  • ¿Echamos las cabras para ver quien paga? (shall we draw straws to see who pays?);
  • Ese tipo está como una cabra (that guy is completely nuts);
  • Ese tipo está más loco que una cabra (that guy is completely nuts);
  • Ese tipa está más loca que una cabra (that female is completely nuts);
  • La cabra siempre tira al monte (you can take the guy out of Liverpool, but you can't take Liverpool out of the guy);
  • A Manolo le metieron las cabras en el corral (they gave Manolo a right fright);
  • Dicen que no es bueno dejar las motos sobre la pata de cabra (it is sometimes said that you should not leave motorbikes on the sidestand/ kickstand);
  • Intentaron forzar la puerta con una pata de cabra (they tried to bust the door with a crowbar/ prybar);
  • Ese queso de cabra está riquísimo (that goat's cheese is really nice);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "cabra" in the YouTube clip: Recuperación de cabra Moncaina

For more on the word "cabra", visit: Wordreference.com/ Cabra

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “cabra” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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