Inklingo

Con el cuchillo entre los dientes

/kon el koo-CHEE-yoh EN-treh los DYEN-tes/

To do something with fierce determination, aggression, or a competitive spirit.

Level:C1Register:InformalCommon:★★★☆☆

💡 Understanding the Idiom

Literal Translation:
"With the knife between the teeth"
What It Really Means:
To do something with fierce determination, aggression, or a competitive spirit.
English Equivalents:
To go at it tooth and nailTo be hell-bent on somethingTo be fiercely determinedTo pull out all the stops

🎨 Literal vs. Figurative

💭 Literal
A literal, humorous depiction of 'con el cuchillo entre los dientes', showing a person with a knife held in their mouth.

Literally, this means 'with the knife between the teeth'.

✨ Figurative
The actual meaning of 'con el cuchillo entre los dientes', showing a determined soccer player running for the ball.

In reality, it describes someone acting with fierce determination to win.

Key Words in This Idiom:

cuchillo
entre
entre
between
→
dientes

📝 In Action

El equipo salió al campo con el cuchillo entre los dientes, listos para ganar.

C1

The team came onto the field with fierce determination, ready to win.

Para conseguir esa promoción, tienes que ir a la negociación con el cuchillo entre los dientes.

C1

To get that promotion, you have to go into the negotiation ready to fight for it.

📜 Origin Story

This powerful image likely comes from old-time pirates or soldiers in battle. Before modern firearms, fighters often needed both hands for climbing a ship's rigging or wielding two weapons. To carry a third weapon, like a dagger, they'd clench it in their teeth, ready for immediate, aggressive action. The expression captures that feeling of being prepared for a fierce fight and giving it your all.

⭐ Usage Tips

Show Intense Determination

Use this phrase to describe someone (or yourself) approaching a task with maximum effort, aggression, and a will to win. It's very common in sports, competitive business situations, or any challenging scenario.

It's About Attitude, Not Violence

While the image is violent, the idiom is almost always used to describe a determined mindset, not actual physical fighting. It's about mental toughness and competitiveness.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using it for Casual Effort

Mistake: ""Voy a limpiar la casa con el cuchillo entre los dientes." (I'm going to clean the house with the knife between my teeth.)"

Correction: This sounds very strange because cleaning the house isn't usually a fierce competition. Reserve this idiom for situations involving a challenge, rivalry, or high stakes. For cleaning, you could say 'Voy a limpiar la casa a fondo' (I'm going to deep clean the house).

🌎 Where It's Used

🇪🇸

Spain

Very common, especially in sports commentary and discussions about competition.

🌎

Latin America

Widely understood and used across many countries, particularly in competitive contexts like sports or politics.

🔗 Related Idioms

↔️ Similar Meanings

dejarse la piel

To give it your all, literally 'to leave your skin behind'

ir a por todas

To go all out, to go for broke

⇆ Opposite Meanings

tirar la toalla

To throw in the towel, to give up

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: Con el cuchillo entre los dientes

Question 1 of 1

If a commentator says a team is playing 'con el cuchillo entre los dientes', what does it mean?

🏷️ Tags

PersistenceCourageBody PartsCommonly Used

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'con el cuchillo entre los dientes' a negative idiom?

Not necessarily. It describes a fierce and aggressive attitude, but whether that's positive or negative depends on the context. In sports, it's usually a compliment, praising a player's competitive spirit. In a business negotiation, it might imply someone is being ruthless. The key is that it always means 'intense'.