expresiones :)

Question

¡Hola! ¿Me podría alguien explicar el significado de las expresiones siguientes?

El ocio es negocio

Ser abogado de pleitos pobres

Actuar como abogado del diablo

Se pueden encontrar muchas explicaciones en el Internet pero no me han ayudado mucho.

Answer 1

El ocio es negocio(leisure time is business) If you are not working and have enough money, you go out and spend it, and who gets the money?

Ser abogado de pleitos pobres- I think it means to be an advocate for cases, which no one cares or pays attention to and somehow it is like a lost cause for many.

The third is "being the devil's advocate." You are defending someone whose reputation is frowned upon by the majority. Let's say you are defending a confessed criminal, then you would be the devil's advocate. And that is not the only setting in which you could use such phrase.

I hope It helps you.

Thanks :) - latte_art, Apr 4, 2014

Answer 2

Ocio, leisure (from latin ot?um) is the opposite of negocio, business (no ocio: from latin negot?um). So I think it is rather a play on words.

According to the DRAE (Diccionario de la lengua española):

abogado del diablo. 1. m. Contradictor de buenas causas.

abogado de pobres. 1. m. coloq. desus. abogado de oficio.

~ de oficio. 1. m. y f. Jurista asignado por el juez a una parte, ordinariamente carente de recursos económicos.

DRAE

Gracias :) - latte_art, Apr 5, 2014