"Tocar a la patata"

Question

Hello, can someone explain me this phrase: "Tocar la patata"? In Spanish TV novel I watch they say, for example: "Tu mensaje me ha tocado a la patata."

I think it means: "Tu mensaje me emocionó." But I'm not sure.

And, why "patata"?

Thank you.

G'day Ella , what is you mother tongue , may i ask ? - ray76, Aug 25, 2014

Hello Ray, I send you PM. - Ella252, Aug 25, 2014

Speaking of anonymity.... - 007c5fc1, Aug 25, 2014

Answer 1

At this site:

http://noti365genil24.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/telecinco-tocando-la-patata/

Siempre me ha hecho gracia esta expresión, ¨me ha tocado la patata¨, se supone que quiere decir que algo te ha llegado al corazón, que te ha emocionado.

So I think you are correct. Essentially it has touched their heart. So it has moved them emotionally.

I do not know where the idiom comes from. There are a number of idioms using patata.

Answer 2

According to Wikipedia, it is slang (in Spain) for a woman's genitalia.

Other terms denoting female genitalia scroll down the page about one third of the way to verify.

0.0' - 003e54f5, Aug 25, 2014

I only have three to hand , looks like i need bigger hands . Thanks for enlightening us , and frightening the living daylights out of me . I may never be the same again. - ray76, Aug 25, 2014

May I add , that I am from Irish stock and the potato has an almost religious and magical connotation , even more so now Maggy . - ray76, Aug 25, 2014

Thank you for your answer, but they don't use it in that context. Bosquederoble's link explained me. This phrase don't have nothing with genitalias. - Ella252, Aug 25, 2014

Of course you may add that amigo...the Irish stock part anyway. I think you better hold off on the 'religiousness' though, it might lead us into a discussion that someone does not like and I'll get flagged again...oooohhhh. - 007c5fc1, Aug 25, 2014

Answer 3

Me importa una patata - means I don't care (2 hoots)

and ser una patata is also a synonym for rubbish

so my guess work tells me that the message didn't excite the person but didn't move him/her at all.

I hope a native speaker can confirm this.

Hello Aha69.Thanks for your answer :-). We will wait for native speaker, this phrase confuses me too. - Ella252, Aug 24, 2014