comerse con patatas

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to eat [something] with potatoes”.

Verb

comerse con patatas (first-person singular present me como con patatas, first-person singular preterite me comí con patatas, past participle comido con patatas)

1. (transitive, Spain, colloquial, derogatory) to be stuck with (something unwanted) with no way to get rid of it

   Van a tener que comerse con patatas sus productos.

   They're going to end up stuck with their products [and no way to sell them].

2. (Spain, colloquial) to find something to be very cute, "I could just eat you up"

   Qué michi más bonito. Me lo como con patatas.

   What a cute kitty-cat. I could just eat him up.

Usage notes

• The first meaning is frequently used with tener que, expressing an unpleasant obligation.

See also

• aguantar carros y carretas
• comulgar con ruedas de molino

Further reading

• “comerse con patatas algo”, 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