Ni Lava Ni Presta La Batea

Question

I'm trying to understand this idiom. Here is what I've got so far.

Ni means either "neither" or "nor", depending on context.

Lavar means "to wash."

Prestar can mean " to leave available", at least in this context.

Batea is a washing pan.

So the literal translation is, "She neither washes nor leaves available the washing pan."

This would better be translated as "She neither washes, nor lets others use the washing pan."

I saw this idiom in the context of a song. The singer said that, basically, this girl keeps flirting with him but the problem is that she "no lava ni presta la batea". Someone informed me that this means that she won't let him have her no matter what he does, but I can't connect this to the literal translation at all.

Someone please help?

Answer 1

I think that saying refers to someone who may not want to do something themselves but at the same time they don't want anyone else to do it either, perhaps even doing something to stop them. But I'm not sure how that helps you with the given context.

edit ... or perhaps it would fit the context better if you put the translation more like, someone doesn't want to use something they have but they won't let anyone else use it either??

Aha! So "la batea" in this case is her body, lol. Reggaeton songs are funny. - SlimNm, Sep 14, 2013

Answer 2

Pretty much is the same as in "Como el perro del hortelano, no come ni deja comer" = "like a dog in the manger"