muerta de hambre
I'm looking for the English rendition of the expresion "Muerta de Hambre". Not the literal translation "starving". But what that saying actually means. Based on context I believe it means that someone is begging. But I'm not sure. Can someone help me with this'
23 Answers
"Estar muerto de hambre" is to be starving.
"Ser un muerto de hambre" is to be a broke or homeless person, and also, metaphorically, an insignificant person.
Sorry to dig up such an old thread but I did have a question. Is the phrase "muerto de hambre" commonly used in Spanish to exaggerate hunger the same as it is in English?
For instance if somebody missed breakfast and it was lunch time they would say "I'm starving" and it would be understood that they're not literally starving, but are trying to convey how hungry they are. Is this the case in Spanish as well or would you get looked at funny? Thank you
muerto de hambre la palabra puede usar para los officiales en un paise mas tierra pan y libertad
Hobo is a derogatory term. It is also slang.
Hobo is not necessarily a derogatory term. This word has quite a romantic veneer.
The prolific Northamerican writer Jack Kerouac in his novel "On The Road" tells the story of Lewsiana Slim Hazard, a hobo he claimed to know, who, as a child, observed his mother giving a piece of pie to a stranger stopping by the house. When he asked his ma who was that person, his ma said "Why that is a hobo, son" The child replied "I want to be a hobo when I grow up" The mother answered "Why that is not for the likes of the Hazards" Nonetheless, the child grew up to be a hobo and was proud of it, and Kerouac is obviously proud and delighted to have known him. This is not the only hobo in Kerouac's literary canon. Kerouac's hobo characters exemplify the urge to freedom and independence of the Americans of long ago.
"muerto de hambre" is a common Mexican expression.
It is a derogatory assesment of another person -
This expression is used to signify that the person does not have any money
or other significant resources. It is a figurative expression suggesting
that that person is penniless, as it were, and does not have any friends.
Hobo-- a tramp or vagrant as many have already noted. I'm a bit older than some of you and remember the word being used to name/describe those who hitched free rides on freight trains during the 30's and 40's. They also camped along railroads and such camps were called "Hobo camps." and localities where they were many or frequent became known as "Hobo jungles." During the depression there were many hobos, some traveling with the family to hopefully find work again. Many were nice people, but totally and desperately without money, and some frequently panhandled for meals or change and engaged in petty theft for food. The word is a rhyming compound "ho-bo" probably intended by the originators as a perjorative substitute for "Hi Boy or "Hello Beau." Some may remember a singing entertainer who billed himself as "Box Car Willie" and dressed and impersonated a hobo in his appearances.
Muerta de hambre, literally means "dead or death of hunger" but refers to someone who is always buying expensive things that they really do not need or cannot afford. It can be derogatory, but most of the time is just someone who doesn't spend their money wisely.
Ani
feather18gt . . . you said that this was used as a derogatory comment? I am assuming you mean that someone said this to you? I don't suppose you live near Marbella do you?
I dated a girl here (in Marbella) and like a lot of girls here who latch on to English guys, she was hoping for a free meal ticket. On the odd occasion I showed a bit of resistance to paying all of the time and for things she didn't even need, she would say 'eres muerta de hambre'
heehheehaaha . . . needless to say, we parted ways soon after!
Hobo is a derogatory term. It is also slang.
Yo se que muerta es femenina, se trataba de un hombre que le estaba diciendo eso a su mujer. Gracias
Robert, what is hobo?
Hobo es un vagabundo Heidita.
hobo = homeless 
también.
Robert, what is hobo?
Hobo es un vagabundo Heidita.
I wasn't looking for a synonym in spanish I was looking to an equivalent idiom for "muerta de hambre"(being in fact a derogative term) in english. But thank you for all of the suggestions.
Here's an equivalent. "You miserable bum!" .
You might be able to use hobo too...well you get the idea. By the way, muerta is femenine and muerto is masculine.
Robert, what is hobo'
I wasn't looking for a synonym in spanish I was looking to an equivalent idiom for "muerta de hambre"(being in fact a derogative term) in english. But thank you for all of the suggestions.
