Until you are black in the face

[JPablo]

The phrase is used to modify whatever action one is talking about to indicate that one does it until... one's face becomes black through strangulation??? :thinking:

The expression also goes with "blue in the face".

I take that the literalness of it is lost in the current usage.

Any good ideas on how to translated in to Spanish?

...hasta el paroxismo?
...hasta que te hartes?
...hasta que no puedas más?
...a más no poder?

(I may not have the English concept totally understood, so any help on that will also be appreciated, i.e., usages and so forth)

I see that we have it in the Idioms section, and also got this from the Free dictionary
until you are blue in the face if you say something until you are blue in the face, you keep saying the same thing again and again but no one listens to you
I can tell him to tidy his room until I'm blue in the face, but it's always a mess.

Any other ideas?

[Glen]

I have heard it only as "blue," which would indeed fit the imagery of strangulation, and in a context of telling/advising/warning someone of impending danger, at great length, yet not receiving the expected response. I too would like to learn some Spanish equivalents.

[JPablo]

Thanks, just thought of "hasta que San Juan baje el dedo" (which actually means, never, in Spanish)... more on the line of "hasta que las ranas críen pelo"... but I would go with something like "hasta que ya no puedas más" or something on that line...

Let's see if someone has more ideas!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

My grandfather used to say "hasta el cansancio". The result, depending on the context, can be either what was expected or not.
·Te lo he dicho hasta el cansancio. (But you haven't listened.)
·El niño me estuvo pidiendo hasta el cansancio que le comprara el juguete. (I may or may not have bought it.)
·Te lo voy a recordar hasta el cansancio. (Whether you finally listen to me or not.)

(A creative friend used to say "hasta la náusea" instead.) :)


Some people here also use "a más no poder", but it's more related to an idea of quantity.
·Mi esposo es testarudo a más no poder. (He couldn't be more stubborn.)
·Comí a más no poder; siento que voy a reventar. (I ate way too much.)


El equivalente del dedo de San Juan aquí es "hasta que dios/diosito baje el dedo".


And it reminded me a joke we used to tell when we were children: "Para llamar a servicios, marque el uno, cero, cero, cero, cero... hasta que se le hinche el dedo." :whistling:

[JPablo]

Ha-ha-ha!
Gracias Angélica...

(También me has recordado el latinajo "ad nauseam".)