no llegar la sangre al río

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “the blood doesn't get to the river”.

Verb

no llegar la sangre al río (first-person singular present no llego la sangre al río, first-person singular preterite no llegué la sangre al río, past participle no llegado la sangre al río)

1. (idiomatic) to not be a big deal, to not escalate, to have no blood shed

Usage notes

• The phrase is normally used in the negative, e.g. "la sangre no llegó al río" - no blood was shed/it was no big deal.

Further reading

• “no llegar la sangre al río”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28