Por todo el medio

Question

Is this "all over the place"? I know medio means, half - average etc... but I see one definition is "environment" so I wonder, all over the place?

He said "El tubo de dentífrico por todo el medio" and squeezed it all over the place.

Gracias.

Answer 1

"El tubo de dentífrico por todo el medio"

Ni idea

Did he mean he squeezed it in the middle?

Not sure. It's from "Enano rojo" a british show dubbed in Spanish, very strange wording they use and very hard to follow. - jeezzle, Aug 8, 2011

Answer 2

Por todo el medio = disorganised

You always leaves the toothpaste disorganised.

Por (todo) el medio = just in the middle

(I suppose it)

I squeeze the toothpaste just in the middle

(Aprieto la pasta dentrífica por el medio).

This is when we are talking about the half of the toothpaste.

Answer 3

Hmm, this sounds like a case of someone not liking the fact that a person squeezes the toothpaste tube from the middle rather than the end. When toothpaste tubes were less flexible than they are now (more metal), it was difficult to get all the toothpaste out of the tube if you didn't start at the end and work your way up to the middle. It used to be a very common complaint against a spouse or a roommate.

Answer 4

"El tubo de dentífrico por todo el medio"

Yes, this sounds strange to me, mostly because it lacks a verb, so I'm not sure what's going on. But I'm with Heidi in thinking that "por todo el medio" means "all along the middle". Perhaps like when you want to get that last bit of toothpaste out, you press firmly from the bottom of the tube to the top along the middle of the tube. Maybe?

Answer 5

I have seen this situation (it may not apply to yours, really)...

One group of men is in a village. They are being shot at from some bandits who are up in some wooded hills.

One man in the village is trying to shoot at the bandits and one of his fellow gunmen asks if he can get a good shot at the bandits.

The other replies with basically, "No. There are too many trees in the way." (Or something along those lines. I actually don't remember the exact English.)

The Spanish was something like: "No. Hay muchos árboles por lo medio."

But my hearing of Spanish is not very good so maybe he said por todo el medio or just por el medio. I though I heard por lo medio, though.

This is from The Magnificent Seven, by the way. It was the character played by Charles Bronson who said the Spanish phrase in question.

"In the way" is more like "en (el) medio" - gintar77, Aug 8, 2011

It was por. But it looks like por medio and en medio can both mean "in the way"...maybe it was just por medio. - webdunce, Aug 8, 2011

"por el medio" in this context could mean "in the way". It has the feeling of "along the middle" of my sight. - gintar77, Aug 8, 2011

Thanks gintar. - webdunce, Aug 8, 2011

Answer 6

it couldn't be - by all means? yeah I know then it would have to be por todos los medios but I could work up some weird context to make it work if you like je je

Hey can I borrow some stuff please? Sure what would you like? Can I start with the tube of toothpaste? The tube of toothpaste? By all means!

Or how about 'in the way'?

I can't see the TV! What do you mean you can't see the TV? The tube of toothpaste is in the way!

Ok I'll stop while I'm behind - all the best figuring it out!

Answer 7

So all over the middle I think then.