Clávamelo en la pierna

Question

She's a knife thrower that wants to throw the competition.

In the English he says, I think he says "hit me in the leg", so in Spanish he says "Nail me in the leg with it" so I guess nail can mean like, hit, stab, thrust but.......why not use acuchillar there, is it because she is throwing it, and acuchillar doesn't work for throwing? What about "lánzamelo en la pierna"? Gracias (tirar?)

Answer 1

Por el amor has some valid points.

In this case, however, the explanation is a lot simpler. In Spanish "clavar" means to stab as much as to nail. It is very common to speak of "clavar un cuchillo" meaning "to stab with a knife". This should not be translated as "to nail with a knife", but to stab.

The same expression is used for a number of other objects: "clavarme una aguja", "clavarse una astilla", "clavar una estaca"...

Clavando cuchillos.

Answer 2

But you wouldn´t say in this case "stab me in the leg" either.

Answer 3

Ok, so can acuchillar and apuñalar both mean to stab in the same as clavar here (to nail, to stab)

Acuchillar is done with a "cuchillo" (knife), and "apuñalar" is done with a "puñal" (dagger).

Answer 4

"me clavó un cuchillo en la pierna" is more akin to "he/she stuck a knife in my leg" than "he stabbed me in the leg with a knife" "he stabbed my leg with a knife" or "he nailed a knife in my leg" (which I have never come across anyway and seems like a too-literal translation)

Sure you can say "nailed me" - but it's a slang expression, whereas "me lo clavó" is standard (non-slang) Spanish. - Gekkosan, Apr 19, 2011

Answer 5

This is one of the wonders of a foreign language where one verb in English can have a dozen of other equivalents in the foreign language

I don't know why lanzar wasn't used, as lanzar carries the idea of throwing an object. The same with tirar, although I hear tirar used less often.

Acuchillar means, directly, to stab. It would depend on the context, but if you said in English "I want to stab you" (Quiero acuchillarte) it has a harsher connotation than "nail me in the leg". It's a hard thing to justify and explain, because, quite often, a selection of verbs can mean the same thing. It seems to me that "Acuchillar" is pretty specific about its use, to stab.

Answer 6

In this case, however, the explanation is a lot simpler. In Spanish "clavar" means to stab as much as to nail. It is very common to speak of "clavar un cuchillo" meaning "to stab with a knife". This should not be translated as "to nail with a knife", but to stab.

Ok, so can acuchillar and apuñalar both mean to stab in the same as clavar here (to nail, to stab). I was thinking acuchillar and apuñalar couldn't be used because they mean to directly stab, not with a thrown knife, are you saying all three are OK?

What about lanzar and tirar with a knife, and other throw words? Gracias....

Your analysis is correct. Acuchillar and apuñalar do not work here, because those terms are used exclusively to mean the action of using a hand to stab someone with a knife. I hadn't thought about that, but that's indeed how it works. - Gekkosan, Apr 19, 2011

The person asking to be knifed could say: "apúntame a la pierna" (aim for the leg) or "lánzamelo a la pierna" (throw it to my leg). - Gekkosan, Apr 19, 2011