Funny #1 Spanish Expression: Se le fue la olla

More than 400 million people speak Spanish around the world, which makes it one of the most diverse and rich languages. That’s why is not surprising that expressions like ‘se le fue la olla’ are used in informal language, but could you guess the origin of this Spanish expression?

Definition

Let’s start by breaking down the expression to have a better understanding of what it means. The first part of the expression is ‘se le va’ which translates to ‘it goes’ or ‘it escapes’. The second part is ‘la olla’, which translates to ‘the pot’.

This expression is commonly used to say that someone has gone crazy or is doing crazy stuff. For example: “¿Qué hace este tío?. No sé, se le ha ido la olla” (What is that guy doing? I don’t know, he’s gone crazy).

What’s its origin of this Spanish expression?

Alright, now you understand the meaning of this Spanish expression and when to use it but, how come an escaping pot could be related to someone going crazy? The origin of this expression is crazy itself:

It all started in France

Let’s go back to France in the mid-18th century, specifically to 1739, when Louise Isabella of France, daughter of Louis XV, prepared her farewell party for the French court to go to Spain to live with her husband, Prince Philip, son of Philip V.

The cook chosen for the occasion was Jean-Luc Sagnol, who had made his name in Marseilles in previous years. It is said that Sagnol promised Louis XV the best oyster and lobster soup that a French monarch had ever tasted.

On the day of the ceremony, word had spread about the dish Sagnol was preparing and expectations were very high. When the time came for the first course, Sagnol announced the soup with a grandiloquent speech, where he exalted all the virtues of a recipe he had worked on for fourteen years. Afterwards, there was an event that no one has ever been able to explain.

Nobody expected this to happen

When Sagnol returned to the kitchen to put the soup on the plates, the pot in which it was found had disappeared. It seems that this was some kind of plot by the kitchen helpers, who Sagnol had treated with special harshness in those days, but the truth is that it could never be proved and that the pot never appeared, not even empty.

With his career completely ruined by this fact, Sagnol went into a state of mental derangement, came out to the hall and approached the king and said laughingly, “Majestad, se me ha ido la olla“ (Your Majesty, my pot is gone).

A new expression was born

Louis XV, feeling deceived and mocked by the laughter of the cook, got into a rage and had him arrested. While the guards were taking him out of the Sagnol palace, he kept shouting in a hysterical way “¡Se me ha ido la olla! ¡Se me ha ido la olla!”.

The story quickly spread throughout France and since then the expression “irse la olla” has been associated with people who have gone mad or who do things without meaning.

Conclusion

As you can see, some expressions can have crazy origins like this, the important thing is that you know how to use them on a daily basis. Have you ever heard this Spanish expression before? Let us know in the comments below!

If you are interested in learning more slang in Spanish from Spain check out our new book 102 Slang and Curse words in Spanish from Spain. Find out the meaning and origin of the most-used words in informal Spanish from Spain! 😉