cagando chispas

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1807. From cagar (“to shit”) and chispa (“spark”): because the metal toecaps of the boots produced sparks when running over a paved road.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kaˈɣando ˈt͡ʃispɐs]

Adverb

cagando chispas

1. (idiomatic) at full throttle, full throttle, ASAP

   Synonym: a lume de biqueira

   • 2004, Manuel Rivas, Que me queres, amor?, Editorial Galaxia, →ISBN, page 149:

     Así que ides saír cagando chispas e en pelota picada! Escoitades, cabróns? Imos meter toda a artillería por ese buraco! Entendestes? Non ides ter nin esquela nos periódicos! […]

     “So you gonna get out ASAP and in the buff! Do you hear me, motherfuckers? We're gonna put all of our artillery inside that hole! Do you copy? You won't even have an obituary! […]”

Usage notes

This idiom has a negative connotation, implying a withdrawal from danger.

References

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