/esˈtaɾ sim ˈblaŋka/ lit. ‘to be without a blanca (an old coin)’
Spanish idiom, colloquial. To have no money at all.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Estar sin blanca
?
Colloquial and mostly from Spain, said about yourself or a friend after an expensive month. “Estoy sin blanca” is the usual form; “me he quedado sin blanca” stresses that the money just ran out.
Also said quedarse sin blanca, no tener blanca
Estar sin blanca
in real sentences
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Estoy sin blanca.
I’m broke.
Tatoeba, sentence by Seael, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Si sigues gastando dinero así te vas a quedar sin blanca sin darte cuenta.
If you keep spending money like that, you’ll be broke before you know it.
Tatoeba, sentence by Seael, translation by patgfisher, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Estar sin blanca
come from?
Spanish Wiktionary describes the blanca as an old billon coin whose value changed over time and ended up at half a maravedí, and it lists “no tener blanca” (to have no money) from a 1914 dictionary. Having not even one of those meant having nothing at all.
Mistakes learners make with Estar sin blanca
Making “blanca” agree with the speaker, as in “estoy sin blanco”. It’s the name of a coin, so it stays “blanca” whoever is broke.
Other Spanish idioms like Estar sin blanca
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?
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