Se me ha quedado en el tintero.

Question

Hola,

Can you please help me understand this phrase:

Se me ha quedado en el tintero.

Is that some sort of idiomatic expression?

Answer 1

It is idiomatic. "I never got to that." You never got around to doing something. Perhaps because you didn't have enough time, or maybe you just didn't want to do it.

Answer 2

tintero means inkwell. As with all idioms who knows how they got from the literal to the figurative meaning? Perhaps it refers to leaving the pen in the inkwell and never getting around to writing the words that you originally dipped your pen into the inkwell to write.

¡Bienvenido al foro!

Welcome to the forum!

Answer 3

Thanks for your answers. I'm actually reading a textbook and it has that on the title. And in the succeeding lessons, it portrays how education was done before. I still can't get it! :D

Interesting! - Delores--Lindsey, May 3, 2010

Googling I see that it can mean things that you omitted from your writings. - 0074b507, May 3, 2010