Techo

[DailyWord]

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word (http://daily.tomisimo.org/) for July 2, 2008

techo - masculine noun (el) - roof, ceiling. Look up techo in the dictionary (http://www.tomisimo.org/dictionary/spanish_english/techo)

Un techo alto ayuda a que una casa se sienta más espaciosa.
A high ceiling helps a house feel more spacious.

[María José]

The only expression I can think of is:
Ya ha tocado techo.
Another one I just remembered:
Los sin techo.

[poli]

The only expression I can think of is:
Ya ha tocado techo.
Another one I just remembered:
Los sin techo.
Los sin techo entiendo, pero no entiendo ya ha tocado techo.
Adivino que signifique, Ya ha alcanzado su limite o máximo. ¿Estoy en lo
seguro?

Also, are techo and azotea synomymns? I call ceiling cielo, but is there a more specific term. Am I right that cielo razo has to do with cloud cover?

[María José]

Los sin techo lo entiendo, pero no entiendo ya ha tocado techo.
Imagino que significa, Ya ha alcanzado su limite o máximo. ¿Estoy en lo
cierto?

Also, are techo and azotea synomymns? I call ceiling cielo, but is there a more specific term. Am I right that cielo raso has to do with cloud cover?
You understood tocar techo perfectly.
For me techo is ceiling and azotea or tejado roof. The meaning of cielo raso is cloudless sky.

[poli]

In English we have glass ceiling which refers to discriminatory hiring practices some companies have against women. Is there a cielo de vidrio expression in Spanish?

[María José]

I don't know, I'm sorry. I've never heard anything of the sort, but let's wait and see what the others have to say.

[Alfonso]

Glass ceiling? How interesting. I don't think in Spanish there is such an expression, Poli, but, I guess it's got something to do with tocar techo for a woman in her career just because she's a woman.
How do you use this expression in this context?

Glass ceiling affects all women in every company.
She cannot surpass her glass ceiling.
She's unsuccessfully trying to break her glass ceiling.

[poli]

You've got the concept right, Alfonso. better examples would be: There's rumors that
the company has a glass ceiling, and looking at all the top executives, they are all men--so maybe it's true.
Another example would be: She successfully broke through the glass ceiling and became the vice prime minister of Spain.