a palo seco
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
Literally, “on (a) dry stick”. The phrase dates back to the 18th century sailors who would eat the bare minimum during violent storms, when the mast (the "stick") would be bare of sails ("dry").
Adverb edit
- (idiomatic) on its own (without any other type of food)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “a palo seco”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014