vacas flacas

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “lean cows”; an allusion to the story in Genesis, chapter 41, in which Pharaoh has a dream in which seven lean cows devour seven fat cows. The dream is interpreted by Joseph to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine (see Joseph (Genesis) § Joseph in prison). Compare French vaches maigres.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbakas ˈflakas/ [ˌba.kas ˈfla.kas]
• Syllabification: va‧cas fla‧cas

Noun

vacas flacas f pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) leanness, little prosperity

   los años de las vacas flacas ― the lean years

Antonyms

• vacas gordas

See also

• cuando vienen mal dadas
• pintan bastos

Further reading

• “vacas flacas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16