Bajarse los pantalones

/bah-HAR-seh loss pan-tah-LOH-ness/

To give in, surrender, or yield to demands, often in a humiliating or weak way.

Level:C1Register:InformalCommon:★★★☆☆

💡 Understanding the Idiom

Literal Translation:

"To lower one's pants."

What It Really Means:

To give in, surrender, or yield to demands, often in a humiliating or weak way.

English Equivalents:

To cave inTo knuckle underTo back downTo roll over

🎨 Literal vs. Figurative

💭 Literal

Literally, this means 'to lower one's pants'.

✨ Figurative

It really means to give in or surrender to demands, often from a position of weakness.

Key Words in This Idiom:

bajarpantalones

📝 In Action

El sindicato se negó a bajarse los pantalones durante la negociación del contrato.

The union refused to back down during the contract negotiation.

Después de discutir por horas, al final me bajé los pantalones y le dejé usar el coche.

After arguing for hours, I finally caved and let him use the car.

No puedes bajarte los pantalones a la primera de cambio; tienes que defender tu posición.

You can't just give in at the first sign of trouble; you have to defend your position.

📜 Origin Story

The origin of this phrase is very visual and easy to understand. The act of lowering one's pants is a powerful symbol of vulnerability, submission, and defenselessness. Historically, it could be associated with acts of punishment or total surrender where someone was physically exposed to show they were unarmed and to be shamed. The idiom captures this exact feeling of giving up completely, often losing one's dignity in the process.

⭐ Usage Tips

It Implies Weakness

Use this phrase when you want to emphasize that someone is giving in from a position of weakness or is being humiliated. It's much stronger than simply saying someone 'agreed' or 'yielded'. It carries a negative judgment.

Remember 'se'

This is a reflexive verb: 'bajarse'. The 'se' is crucial because it means the person is doing it to themselves. Saying 'bajar los pantalones a alguien' means to literally pull down someone else's pants, which is a physical act and not the idiom.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using It in Formal Situations

Mistake: "Using the phrase in a formal business email or academic paper."

Correction: This expression is very informal and a bit coarse. In formal contexts, use neutral alternatives like 'ceder ante la presión' (to yield to pressure) or 'retirarse' (to back down).

🌎 Where It's Used

🇪🇸

Spain

Extremely common and widely understood with its full, strong meaning.

🌎

Latin America

It's understood in most countries, but its frequency varies. In some places, expressions like 'agachar la cabeza' (to lower one's head) or 'dar el brazo a torcer' (to let one's arm be twisted) are more common.

🔗 Related Idioms

↔️ Similar Meanings

dar el brazo a torcer

To give in, to yield (literally 'to give one's arm to be twisted').

agachar la cabeza

To submit or obey without protest (literally 'to lower one's head').

tirar la toalla

To throw in the towel, to give up.

⇆ Opposite Meanings

mantenerse en sus trece

To stick to one's guns, to not budge.

no dar su brazo a torcer

To not give in, to stand firm.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: Bajarse los pantalones

Question 1 of 1

If your friend says, 'Mi jefe quería que trabajara el sábado, pero no me bajé los pantalones,' what does he mean?

🏷️ Tags

ClothingSocial InteractionsDifficultyInsults

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'bajarse los pantalones' a vulgar or offensive phrase?

It's not a swear word, but it is very informal and has a strong, slightly crude feel to it because it implies humiliation. It's fine to use with friends, but you should avoid it in formal or professional situations where it might sound disrespectful or too aggressive.