¿Cómo se dice "to push the envelope" en español?

Question

How would one best express the idiom "to push the envelope" in Spanish? Would "empujar el sobre" make any sense? This expression seems to mean or imply the act of upping the ante or raising the stakes in any sense, literally or figuratively. This would be making a tight, pressure filled situation even tighter and more pressure filled. I think the expression has undertones of criminality in some instances. Pero, me gustaría saber como expresar esta expresión en español, quizas con otra metáfora. Gracias.

"seems to mean" "...cómo traducir esta expresión al español..." - FigueroaGaray33, Mar 3, 2012

Gracias. It was a typo. - SanMateo1, Mar 3, 2012

I really didn't think "empujar el sobre" would be accurate. My intent was to be rhetorical and humorous. Sorry if I failed in achieving my intent. Thank you. - SanMateo1, Mar 3, 2012

Answer 1

Hmmm I have heard it used as "no pasarse de la raya" but there may be other ways to say it

Gracias EstiloUrbano. - SanMateo1, Mar 3, 2012

Answer 2

There's really not a set phrase in Spanish to convey "push the envelope," but it's certainly not "empujar el sobre." You'll find various ways of expressing what that idiom means:

Lady Gaga and Madonna like to push the envelope.

A Lady Gaga y a Madonna les gusta irse pon encima de las reglas / rebasar los límites de lo establecido / rayar en lo excesivo

Gracias FigueroaGaray33. - SanMateo1, Mar 3, 2012