a la pata la llana

Spanish

Adjective

a la pata la llana (invariable)

1. (idiomatic) plain
   • 1877, Benito Pérez Galdós, Gloria:

     [la comida] era más rica que fina, algo a la pata la llana, demasiado suculenta, comida española de esa que parece hecha para estómagos de gigantes y más para atarugar rústicos cuerpos que para deleitar delicados paladares.

     [the food] was rich more more than fine, somewhat plain, too succulent, the kind of Spanish food that seems to be made for giants' stomachs and more to stuff rustic bodies than to delight delicate palates.

Further reading

• “a la pata la llana, o a la pata llana, o a pata llana”, 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