fuego cruzado
Today I was reading (or trying to) a Spanish newspaper and came across these words "fuego cruzado". (In relation to people being killed in "cross fire"). Is this correct terminology? I thought that maybe it should be more something relating to guns and bullets - rather than 'fire' as in flames...if you know what I mean.
Gracias,
Annie.
3 Answers
I agree with you that it sounds like a bad literal translation (in my humble opinion...), but unless my mind is mixing languages again (it happens), "fuego" can be used to refer to gunfire. "Fuego!" can be used as the command to shoot a gun, and "armas de fuego" refers to guns (and other firearms? I don't know enough about them to tell you if there's a difference. I should, since I live in Texas, but that's another story).
frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, de Cien Años de Soledad. Apparently the connection to fire as in fuego cruzada comes from the fire in a lit fuse of a cannon and at least a spark involved when a pistol fires. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Donde hay humo, hay fuego.
It is something more related to guns and bullets, although it is also used metaphorically as in the expression: "fuego cruzado de acusaciones".
