de mala muerte

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “of bad death”.

Adjective

de mala muerte (invariable)

1. (idiomatic) crummy, shoddy, grotty, crappy, godforsaken, seedy

   un pueblo de mala muerte ― a one-horse town

   • 2020 February 14, “Sin dinero para motel o condones: la crisis restringe sexualidad de jóvenes venezolanos”, in Newsweek‎^[1]:

     De pelo y barba cuidados, este diseñador gráfico llega a desembolsar 100 dólares en una cita, sumando cena, tragos, taxis y motel. “Si la llevo para un ‘matadero’, no gasto mucho”, explica, refiriéndose a hoteles “de mala muerte”, su última opción.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• Said of places, especially buildings such as hotels and bars, but also towns or areas

Further reading

• “de mala muerte”, 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