Tuesday, 11 February 2014

Carne

Today's WOTD is: "carne" = meat


1. In Spanish, “carne”* is a feminine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is meat, as in:
  • No me gusta la carne ni el pescado (I don't like either meat or fish);



*Spelling
A very similar word is “carné” (note the accentuated ending ). Please note “carné” is a word with a different meaning. Visit “carné” for more details on that word.


2. The noun “carne” is may also be used to refer to pulp or flesh (fruit), as in:
  • Pelar el mango y separar la carne del hueso (peal the mango and separate the flesh from the stone);

3. The noun “carne” is may also be used to refer to flesh (something physical/ sensual as opposite to spiritual), as in:
  • La carne es débil (the flesh is weak);


4. Related Spanish words are:
  • The feminine noun “carnicería”, which is commonly used to refer to a butchers (shop) or a slaughter/ carnage.
    • Hay una carnicería a la vuelta de la esquina (round the corner there is a butchers);
    • El intento de rescate terminó en una verdadera carnicería (the rescue attempt ended in a real slaughter);
  • The noun or describing word/ adjective “carnicero”/ “carnicera”, which is commonly used to refer to a butcher or describe someone as carnivorous/ meat-eating.
    • El carnicero estaba picando carne (the butcher was mincing meat);
    • El lobo es un animal carnicero (the wolf is a meat-eating animal);


5. Some Spanish expressions with the word “carne” in them are:
  • Abrírsele a alguien las carnes (to shudder/ to be filled with horror);
    • Se me abren las carnes al recordar lo que ocurrió (I shudder/ get filled with horror when I remember what happened);
  • Carne asada (grilled meat/ barbecue);
    • Me gusta la carne asada (I like grilled/ barbecued meat);
  • Carne bovina (beef);
    • Tenemos carne bovina de primera calidad (we have the highest quality beef);
  • Carne con patatas (meat with potatoes);
    • De primero tenemos una carne con patatas (as a starter, we have a dish of meat with potatoes);
  • Carne con patatas fritas (meat with chips/ French fries);
    • También tenemos carne con patatas fritas (we also have meat with chips/ French fries);
  • Carne cruda (raw meat);
    • Compramos la carne cruda y luego la preparamos (we buy the raw meat and then we prepare it);
  • Carne de cañon (cannon fodder);
    • Sólo somos carne de cañón (we are simply cannon fodder);
  • Carne de gallina (goose pimples);
    • Se me pone la carne de gallina (I get goose pimples);
  • Carne de membrillo (a preserve or jelly made with quince fruit -see membrillo);
  • Carne de pelo (furry game meat/ flesh);
  • Carne de pluma (feathered game meat/ flesh);
  • Carne de res (beef);
    • Hoy tenemos carne de res al horno (today we have roast beef/ roasted beef);
  • Carne magra (lean meat);
  • Carne mollar (boneless lean meat);
  • Carne nueva (new* meat);
  • Carne tapada (Nicaraguan stew/ casserole);
  • Carnes blancas (white meat);
  • Cobrar carnes (to build up body weight**);
  • Color carne (flesh tone/ flesh coloured/ flesh colored);
  • Criar carnes (to build up body weight**);
  • Día de carne (non-fast day);
  • Echar carnes (to build up body weight**);
  • En carnes (naked);
  • En carne propia (in the flesh -to experience something first hand/ personally);
  • En carne viva (raw skinned flesh)
    • Tengo las rodillas en carne viva (my knees are skinned raw);
  • En vivas carnes (naked);
  • La carne es débil (the flesh is weak);
  • Metido en carnes (chubby -overweight but short of being obese);
    • Tu amigo está metido en carnes, ¿no? (your friend is kind of chubby, isn't he?);
  • No ser ni carne ni pescado (to be bland/ neither one thing nor the other);
  • Olla de carne (Costa Rican dish -stew);
  • Poner toda la carne en el asador (to pull out all the stops/ to give it one's all -idiom/ modismo);
  • Resurección de la carne (the raising of the dead -at Judgement Day);
  • Ser de carne y hueso (to be flesh and bone/ to be like everybody else);
    • Somos de carne y hueso (we are like everybody else/ we have feelings);
  • Tomar carnes (to build up body weight**);
  • Temblarle las carnes a alguien (to be in fear of something/ nervous about something);
    • Al oir aquellos truenos me temblaron las carnes (on hearing that thunder I got frightened/ nervous);
  • Vivir algo en carne propia (to experience something personally);
*NB Expression used to refer to 'new' meat in the sense that it is the first meat available at Easter, in other words, the first meat after Lent.
**NB The expression refers to the gain in weight by someone who, starting off being very thin -'skin and bone', is visibly gaining weight/ bulk.


Love-Spanish.com loves the word "carne" in the YouTube clip: Sabroso - En carne viva

For more on the word "carne", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Carne

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “carne” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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