éramos pocos y parió la abuela

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “there were few of us, and Grandma gave birth”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌeɾamos ˌpokos i paˌɾjo la aˈbwela/ [ˌe.ɾa.mos ˌpo.kos i paˌɾjo la aˈβ̞we.la]
• Syllabification: é‧ra‧mos po‧cos y pa‧rió la a‧bue‧la

Phrase

éramos pocos y parió la abuela

1. (idiomatic) as if that wasn't enough; things went from bad to worse

See also

• salir de Guatemala y meterse en Guatepeor

Further reading

• “éramos pocos y parió la, o mi, abuela”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10