arrimar el ascua a su sardina

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to bring the embers closer to one's sardine”.

Verb

arrimar el ascua a su sardina

1. (idiomatic) to tip the balance in one's favour, look out for number one

See also

• barrer para dentro
• llevar el agua a su molino

Further reading

• “arrimar alguien el ascua a su sardina”, 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