Cría fama y ponte a dormir
/KREE-ah FAH-mah ee POHN-teh ah dor-MEER/
Once you've established a reputation (good or bad), it will stick with you, and people's perception of you is set. You don't need to do anything else to maintain it.
💡 Understanding the Idiom
🎨 Literal vs. Figurative
Literally, this means 'Raise fame and go to sleep'.
In practice, it means that once you have a reputation, people expect you to live up to it, for better or worse.
Key Words in This Idiom:
📝 In Action
Llegué tarde un solo día y ahora todos en la oficina creen que soy impuntual. De verdad, cría fama y ponte a dormir.
C1I was late just one day, and now everyone in the office thinks I'm unpunctual. Really, once you get a reputation, it sticks.
Ese restaurante hizo una paella increíble en su inauguración y, desde entonces, siempre está lleno. Cría fama y ponte a dormir.
C1That restaurant made an incredible paella on its opening day, and it's been full ever since. Get a good reputation and you're set.
📜 Origin Story
This is a classic Spanish proverb, or 'refrán', that comes from the collected wisdom of everyday people. It originated in small towns and communities where everyone knew each other and reputations were incredibly important and hard to change. It's a simple, timeless observation of human psychology: we tend to label people based on a few actions and then stick to that first impression, whether it's fair or not.
⭐ Usage Tips
For Better or For Worse
This phrase can be used for both good and bad reputations. You can say it when someone's one-time success continues to bring them benefits, or when a single mistake follows them around forever.
A Comment, Not a Command
Use this phrase as an observation about a situation, often with a tone of resignation or irony. You're not actually telling someone to go to sleep; you're commenting on how reputations work.
❌ Common Pitfalls
It's Not Life Advice
Mistake: "Thinking the phrase is advising you to achieve something and then get lazy."
Correction: This is a descriptive proverb, not a piece of advice. It describes what *happens* with reputations, it doesn't recommend a course of action. It's a critique of how easily people are judged and labeled.
🌎 Where It's Used
Spain
Extremely common. It's a cornerstone of the Spanish 'refranero' (collection of proverbs) and is widely understood by all ages.
Latin America
It is known and understood in many Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico and the Southern Cone, but it's generally considered a more classic, Spanish proverb. Local equivalents might be more common.
🔗 Related Idioms
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: Cría fama y ponte a dormir
Question 1 of 1
If someone says 'Cría fama y ponte a dormir' about a chef whose restaurant is always full, what do they mean?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'Cría fama y ponte a dormir' usually negative?
Not necessarily. It's neutral in its observation, but it's most often used with a slightly cynical or negative tone to point out how a single past mistake can unfairly define someone. However, it can also be used admiringly or humorously for someone who achieved a great reputation early on.