Cargar con el muerto
/kar-GAR kon el MWER-toh/
To take the blame for something you didn't do; to get stuck with an unpleasant task or responsibility that nobody else wants.
💡 Understanding the Idiom
🎨 Literal vs. Figurative
Literally, this means 'to carry the dead one'.
It means being unfairly blamed or getting stuck with a job nobody wants.
Key Words in This Idiom:
📝 In Action
Nadie quería organizar la fiesta, así que al final me tocó a mí cargar con el muerto.
B2Nobody wanted to organize the party, so in the end, I got stuck with the job.
El director cometió el error, pero despidieron al asistente. Le hicieron cargar con el muerto.
C1The director made the mistake, but they fired the assistant. They made him take the fall.
Rompieron la ventana jugando y el más pequeño tuvo que cargar con el muerto delante de sus padres.
B2They broke the window while playing, and the youngest one had to take the blame in front of their parents.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase has a fascinating and dark origin from the Middle Ages in Spain. Back then, if an unidentified dead body was found in a town's territory, the entire town had to pay a hefty fine (called an 'homicidio'). To avoid this, it was common for people to secretly carry the body during the night and leave it in a neighboring town's jurisdiction. So, the unlucky town that couldn't get rid of the body was the one that had to 'cargar con el muerto'—literally carry the body and figuratively carry the blame and the cost.
⭐ Usage Tips
For Unfair Blame or Unwanted Tasks
Use this when someone is unfairly blamed for a mistake or is forced to do a difficult or unpleasant job that others have avoided. It always has a negative feeling of injustice or bad luck.
It's About the Consequence
The focus is on the negative consequence—the punishment, the blame, or the horrible task. The person 'carrying the dead one' is a victim of circumstance or of others' actions.
❌ Common Pitfalls
It's Not About Actual Death
Mistake: "Using the phrase when discussing a real funeral or carrying a coffin."
Correction: This expression is purely figurative. If you're talking about a real funeral, you would use verbs like 'llevar' (to carry) or 'portar' (to bear) el ataúd (the coffin).
🌎 Where It's Used
Spain
Extremely common and widely understood. The historical origin story is well-known here.
Latin America
Widely understood and used in many countries like Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia, though perhaps less frequently than in Spain. Other local expressions like 'pagar los platos rotos' might be more common in some areas.
🔗 Related Idioms
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: Cargar con el muerto
Question 1 of 1
If your coworker says, 'El jefe me hizo cargar con el muerto', what happened?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'cargar con el muerto' for a small, everyday task I don't want to do?
It's a bit strong for that. Usually, it implies something more serious—like taking the blame for a big mistake or being stuck with a truly awful, significant job. For smaller things, you might just say 'me tocó a mí' (it fell to me) or 'me tocó la peor parte' (I got the worst part).
Is there a verb form, like 'muertocargar'?
No, it's a fixed phrase. You always use the verb 'cargar' and conjugate it as needed (cargo, cargaste, cargará), followed by 'con el muerto'. For example: 'Siempre me toca cargar con el muerto' (I always have to take the fall).