The mysterious 'Alguna Que Otra'

Question

aparte de alguna que otra araña is translated to apart from the odd spider

I really don't get it. What is the real meaning of alguna que otra? How do I understand this? I didn't understand the translators' translations. Is this an idiom?

Do you have more context, or is this it? That would help. - BigMike, Feb 20, 2013

Answer 1

It's a little idiomatic.

It's probably best understood to mean "aside from the occasional spider."

It literally means "one or other", translates more accurately to "one or two" or "occasional".

"Que" can sometimes have a general sense of meaning "or". As in "hazlo, que vas a perder la oportunidad!"

Thanks! This helped me, too, good answer! - PumpkinCalabaza, Feb 21, 2013