levantar cabeza

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to lift [one's] head”.

Verb

levantar cabeza (first-person singular present levanto cabeza, first-person singular preterite levanté cabeza, past participle levantado cabeza)

1. (idiomatic) to get back on one's feet; to get out of a tricky situation
   • 1898, Benito Pérez Galdós, La estafeta romántica:

     aquí me tienes sin levantar cabeza desde que nos fue comunicada la falsa tragedia

     I haven't been able to get back on my feet since we were told of the fake tragedy.

   • 2013, Ana G. Vega, Cuando no estés:

     Dejaron a mi hermana no hace mucho, el mismo día de su boda y desde entonces no levanta cabeza.

     They left my sister not long ago, the same day as her wedding, and since then she hasn't got back on her feet.

2. (idiomatic) to get over an illness.

Related terms

• no levantar cabeza

 

Further reading

• “levantar cabeza”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16