a tomar por culo

Spanish

Alternative forms

• a tomar por saco (euphemistic)

Etymology

From tomar por el culo (literally “take [something] in the ass”), in spoken Spanish sometimes shortened as tomar por culo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a toˌmaɾ poɾ ˈkulo/ [a t̪oˌmaɾ poɾ ˈku.lo]
• Syllabification: a to‧mar por cu‧lo

Phrase

a tomar por culo (Spain, idiomatic, vulgar, colloquial)

1. fuck you, screw you

   Synonym: al carajo

   ¡A tomar por culo vosotros! ― Fuck you guys!

   ¡A tomar por culo el mundo! ― Fuck the world!

2. go away, fuck off, take a long walk on a short pier, go jump in the lake, go to hell

   Synonyms: a freír espárragos, a hacer puñetas, a paseo, a la mierda, a cagar, a tomar viento

   ¡Vete a tomar por culo! ― Fuck off!

   Les mandé a tomar por culo. ― I told them to fuck off.

3. middle of nowhere, arse end of nowhere

   Synonyms: (vulgar) el culo del mundo, (vulgar) en el quinto coño, en medio de la nada

   El festival está a tomar por culo. ― The festival is in the middle of nowhere.

Usage notes

• The sense "fuck off" is used with the verb ir (“to go”) in imperative sentences and mandar (“to send”) in affirmative sentences.

See also

• a tomar por el culo
• a tomar por saco

Further reading

• “a tomar por culo, o por el culo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28