/ˌaθe un ˌfɾio ke ˈpela/ lit. ‘it’s a cold that peels’
Spanish idiom, colloquial. It is bitterly cold.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Hace un frío que pela
?
Colloquial, friendly and very common in Spain, the thing you say stepping out of the door in January. It goes with “hacer”, like all weather in Spanish: “hoy hace un frío que pela”, “hacía un frío que pelaba”. Spanish Wiktionary quotes a 2013 newspaper headline using it, so it gets into print too.
Also said hacía un frío que pelaba
Hace un frío que pela
in real sentences
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Hoy hace un frío que pela.
It’s really cold today.
Tatoeba, sentence by Shishir, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Aquí hace un frío que pela.
It’s freezing in here.
Tatoeba, sentence by Shishir, translation by Spamster, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Hace un frío que pela
come from?
Pelar means to peel or skin, so the picture is a cold sharp enough to strip your skin. Spanish Wiktionary passes on a story, citing the newspaper 20minutos (2019), that climbers on a Himalayan expedition found the cold made almonds easy to peel. That’s a nice tale with no evidence, and the phrase reads fine without it. I found no first recorded use.
Mistakes learners make with Hace un frío que pela
Using “es” or “está” for the weather. “Es un frío que pela” or “está un frío que pela” sound wrong; it’s “hace un frío que pela”. Dropping “un” also breaks it.
Other Spanish idioms like Hace un frío que pela
Spot a mistake in Hace un frío que pela
?
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