Dar calabazas
/dar kah-lah-BAH-sahs/
To reject a romantic advance; to turn someone down. It can also mean to fail someone in an exam.
💡 Understanding the Idiom
🎨 Literal vs. Figurative
Literally, 'dar calabazas' means 'to give pumpkins'.
In practice, it means to reject someone, usually in a romantic context.
Key Words in This Idiom:
📝 In Action
Le pedí salir, pero me dio calabazas.
B2I asked her to go out, but she turned me down.
Estudié mucho para el examen de historia, pero el profesor me dio calabazas.
B2I studied a lot for the history exam, but the professor failed me.
No seas tímido, lo peor que puede pasar es que te den calabazas.
B2Don't be shy, the worst that can happen is that they turn you down.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase has ancient roots! In Ancient Greece, pumpkins and their seeds were believed to be an 'anti-aphrodisiac' – something that reduced romantic desire. This idea continued through the Middle Ages, where people would use them to encourage chastity. So, 'giving someone pumpkins' became a symbolic way of politely saying, 'I'm not romantically interested in you.' The second meaning, 'to fail an exam,' might come from an old custom where villagers would vote on things by putting white (yes) or black (no) stones in a pumpkin; getting a pumpkin full of black stones meant you failed.
⭐ Usage Tips
Two Main Meanings
Remember this phrase has two common uses: rejecting someone romantically and failing an exam. The context makes the meaning clear. If you're talking about a date, it means rejection. If you're talking about a test, it means you failed.
Who Gives the Pumpkins?
The person doing the rejecting or failing is the one who 'gives' the pumpkins ('dar calabazas'). The person being rejected or failed is the one who 'receives' them ('recibir calabazas').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Not for All Rejections
Mistake: "Using 'dar calabazas' for every type of rejection, like a credit card being declined."
Correction: This idiom is best for personal rejections, specifically in love or academics. For more general or formal situations, like a job application, it's better to use the verb 'rechazar' (to reject).
🌎 Where It's Used
Spain
Extremely common and widely understood for both meanings (romantic rejection and failing an exam).
Latin America
Less common and can sound a bit old-fashioned or literary. Many countries prefer local expressions, like 'batear a alguien' (literally 'to bat someone away') in Mexico and the Caribbean.
🔗 Related Idioms
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: Dar calabazas
Question 1 of 1
If your friend says, 'Mi profesor de matemáticas me dio calabazas', what happened?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why pumpkins? It seems so random!
It's a very old expression! It likely comes from Ancient Greece, where pumpkins were considered an 'anti-aphrodisiac,' something that lessened romantic feelings. So, giving someone a pumpkin was a symbolic way of saying 'no thanks' to their romantic interest.
Can I also say 'recibir calabazas' (to receive pumpkins)?
Absolutely! It's the other side of the coin. 'Dar calabazas' is what the rejector does, and 'recibir calabazas' is what the rejected person experiences. For example, 'Le pedí salir y me dio calabazas' (I asked her out and she turned me down) is the same as saying 'Recibí calabazas cuando le pedí salir' (I got turned down when I asked her out).