vacas flacas
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
Literally, “lean cows”; an allusion to the story in Genesis, chapter 41, in which Pharaoh has a dream in which seven lean cows devour seven fat cows. The dream is interpreted by Joseph to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine (see Joseph (Genesis) § Joseph in prison). Compare French vaches maigres.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
vacas flacas f pl (plural only)
- (idiomatic) leanness, little prosperity
- los años de las vacas flacas ― the lean years
Antonyms edit
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “vacas flacas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014