“I’ve seen happiness and it told me it was going to your house. I asked it to carry also health and love. Treat them well, it’s my present. Happy New Year “. No, I have not gone crazy. This is one of the dozens of messages you’ll receive over the holidays, especially on days 24, 25 and 31. But today I didn’t want to analyze the Christmas messages, but some expressions which, although being used throughout the year, refer to that period. Come on, without further delay, “al turrón”.
This expression, “al turrón” is used to say we’re getting to the point, that is, shoulders to the wheel, that is, we’re about to start doing something. Wow!, I’ve taken two expressions more out of a single one. ¡Échale guindas al pavo!
When using the expression “ échale guindas al pavo “, you are expressing surprise at something, it is like saying “wow.” But that expression is only used in Spain, in South America this term is used to say you’re wasting something with someone who cannot appreciate it as “giving daisies to a pig.” We also have the expression “edad del pavo” (awkward age) which refers to the stage of adolescence. So you can hear “¡qué pavo tienes!”, “¡Eres una pava!, although commonly, in a tone not too friendly, “pavo” or “pava” are also used to talk about someone, for example in a phrase like “el pavo tells me …”. In this case the “pavo” is the guy or man. 
Another one? This is an expression mainly related to the world of football. When you say that a coach “no se va a comer el turrón” means that he will be fired at the first opportunity. As football season begins in Spain in mid-August, the first coaches are usually fired before Christmas, hence the expression.
Well, I think that if I go on talking about expressions “nos van a dar las uvas” which, of course, has to do with the arrival of the last night of the year. In Spain we eat twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock announcing the change of year. “Nos van a dar las uvas” means that we are taking too long to do something and we are running out of time. So, before it’s too late I’m going to buy some grapes because we have to start the year on the right foot. Happy 2012 to everyone!
Vocabulario/vocabulary:
Turrón: nougat
Decenas: dozens
Aludir: refer
Demora: delay
al turrón: get to the point
ir al grano: get to the point
ponerse manos a la obra: shoulders to the wheel
Echarle guindas al pavo: expression of surprise
la edad del pavo: awkward age
pavo, pava: guy
no comerse el turrón: finish something very early
despedir: fire
dar las uvas: run out of time
empezar el año con buen pie/ con el pie derecho: start the year on the right foot
This article in Spanish
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