tener hormigas en el culo
/teneɾ oɾmiɡas en el kulo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "ants in your pants" can be translated into Spanish as tener hormigas en el culo.
The phrase tener hormigas en el culo is used to express that someone cannot stay still and is restless or anxious.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "to have ants in the ass".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase tener hormigas en el culo is considered vulgar because it uses the word culo (ass/butt) instead of a more polite term for buttocks. For less vulgar informal alternatives, you might use tener el culo inquieto to describe someone who cannot stay still and always needs to move or the colorful expression estar inquieto como una pulga.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, a specific idiom to express a great deal of nervousness or restlessness is estar más nervioso que un pulpo en un garaje.
Did you know?
- The word tener shares a common ancestor with the English word 'tension', both originating from a root meaning 'to stretch'.
- While tener hormigas en el culo describes a temporary state of restlessness, the phrase tener el culo inquieto is often used to describe a permanent personality trait of someone who cannot stay still.
- Spanish has multiple ways to describe restlessness using insects, shifting from the vulgar 'ants' in tener hormigas en el culo to the innocent 'flea' in inquieto como una pulga.
Examples in context
- Pedro siempre tiene el culo inquieto, no puede estar sentado mucho tiempoPedro always has an itchy ass, he cannot sit for long
- Mi hermano siempre tiene hormigas en el culo, no puede parar de moverseMy brother always has ants in his ass, he cannot stop moving
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries culo, el, en, tener, CC BY-SA 4.0.
