botar a lingua a pacer

Galician

Alternative forms

• botar a lingua a pastar

Etymology

Literally, “to let the tongue go grazing”, or more loosely translated as “to let the tongue free-range”.

Verb

botar a lingua a pacer (first-person singular present boto a lingua a pacer, first-person singular preterite botei a lingua a pacer, past participle botado a lingua a pacer)

1. (idiomatic, sarcastic) to ramble; to rant; to talk nonsense; to talk too much

   Synonym: esbardallar

   • 1775, María Francisca Isla y Losada, Romance:

     Ôu mèu Crego? Seica qués,
     que eu vote a lengoa â pastàr?
     Catao ben, e despois non
     che pese, ò que ágora fás.

     Oh, my clergyman? Perchance you want
     that I let my tongue free range?
     Watch it carefully, or either don't you later
     regret what you do now

   • 2006, Henry Miller, Trópico de cáncer, Editorial Galaxia, →ISBN, page 175:

     O xefe sabía de sobra que eu non poñía o máis mínimo interese cando el botaba a lingua a pacer. Con todo, polos motivos que fose, causáballe gozo arrincarme dos meus soños e encherme ata rebentar de datas e feitos históricos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “botar a lingua a pacer”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega