# un clavo saca otro clavo



## blacktiger2006

HOLA A TODOS, TENGO UNA DUDA COMO SE TRADUCE AL INGLES LA EXPRESIÒN: "un clavo saca otro clavo" EJEMPLO:
"A mi vecino lo dejo su novia y esta muy triste deberia de buscarse otra para olvidarla, un clavo saca otro clavo" AGRADEZCO DE ANTEMANO SU VALIOSA AYUDA.


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## Kräuter_Fee

Hola Blacktiger, he buscado y lo único que encontré fue "one nail drives out another". No sé si un hablante inglés entendería la expresión...


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## Abalkhibeth

Como ya dijo Kräuter_Fee one nail drives out another.

Y encontré un texto de Ciaran Carson (en inglés) que usa esa expresión así que no veo por qué no pueda usarse.

saludos!

Google:Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *576* de *"one nail drives out another", parece que no es muy común...
*


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## alanr

Mí diccionario dice que esta expresión significa “a new worry takes your mind off the old one”, pero no me ocurre un refrán en ingles que quiere decir lo mismo.

    Al


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## Abalkhibeth

fight fire with fire???


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## Kräuter_Fee

Ésa de Alanr también es buena, aunque se podría aplicar a cualquier contexto (¿no?).  La expresión del clavo en español se utiliza únicamente en el contexto amoroso.


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## Perdido

No conozco ninguna expresión exactamente igual en inglés, pero creo que "There are other fish in the sea" lleva el mismo sentido en esa situación.


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## Grekh

there are other fish in the sea = "Hay más peces en el agua".....it has its own equivalent.


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## Kräuter_Fee

Yo diría que "hay más peces en el mar" no es lo mismo. Puedes animar a alguien que se ha quedado sin novi@ diciéndole que lo que no faltan son hombres/mujeres en el mundo. Pero lo del clavo se refiere a que si te han roto el corazón y te vuelves a ilusionar por alguien te olvidarás de tu antiguo amor.


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## Singinswtt11

Two wrongs make a right?


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## jeterinmicipen

Yo he oído un clavo se saca con otro clavo, y se usa en el contexto amoroso, cuando alguien enamorad@ pero no correspondido se empeña por enamorarse de otra persona, para sacarse ese clavo de dentro. "Fight fire with fire" No me parece mal.


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## jeterinmicipen

Pero por otra parte, Fight fire with fire , podría ser el equivalente de " vence al enemigo con su propria arma" I´ m a bit lost.


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## Magmod

un clavo saca otro clavo = >  Like cures like


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## nmb882003

Hi all, 

Even though this is an old thread, I just couldn't resist posting. I hope it's of use to someone, some day.

In response to the original poster's query, I quote a phrase that I once heard an old girlfriend of mine use. Sadly, it's only really accurate when a woman is saying it.

"The quickest way to get over one man is to get under another" 

I personally don't feel that "like cures like" is really an accurate equivalent. To my mind that's more akin to "fight fire with fire", which has already been mentioned, and ruled out. 

nmb882003


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## Magmod

nmb882003 said:


> "The quickest way to get over one man is to get under another"
> 
> I personally don't feel that "like cures like" is really an accurate equivalent.


 



 No doubt the following answer is correct - see KF's post #2 above:

one nail drives out another
 More famous variations of this saying:


One devil drives out another
One poison drives out another
 Used when a painful situation is replaced with something new to help forget about the other.

 This is like immediately diving into another relationship with someone to help you forget about a failed relationship.


 So:

like cures like
Is a well known English saying: short & conveys the general meaning and well worth remembering


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## nmb882003

Hi,

Well, it seems that in my keenness to post I lost sight of the original thread slightly. 

The original poster was asking for a suitable equivalent for "*un clavo saca otro clavo*"and there can be little doubt that a literal and semantic (ie conveying the same notion) equivalent would be "*one nail drives out another*" and, by extension of this, "*one devil drives out another*" and "*one poison drives out another*". As a previous poster mentioned, however, these proverbs don't appear to be that widely used in English.

The example I gave (*"The quickest way to get over one man is to get under another one"*) applies specifically to *relationship* scenarios such as in the example quoted by the original poster, and as a translation of that particular idea, it is ideal (not to mention quite 'catchy', as proverbs tend to be). I wasn't suggesting for one moment that it's a well-known proverb in the English language (it isn't). 

I said before, and I'll say again, that I personally don't like "*like cures like*" as an equivalent. Perhaps i'm being a little pedantic, but to me it implies some kind of *symmetry*, ie that an identical stimulus is required to cancel out the symptoms of the original, as is the case in homeopathy. "*One nail/poison/devil drives out another*" doesn't state that the nails/poisons/devils have to be identical, simply that one takes the place of the previous one, which is the essential idea. For that reason, I personally wouldn't use "*like cures like*" as an equivalent in a translation. I dare say there will be those who disagree with me, but then it's a free world and that's the point of a forum, is it not?

Until next time,

nmb882003


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## Magmod

nmb882003 said:


> "*like cures like*" implies some kind of *symmetry*, ie that an identical stimulus is required to cancel out the symptoms of the original



The *similarity* is in the nails - see post 1.
etc. with other examples
But it is not clear immediately where the similarity is in your example

It is not a *pleasant* saying and that's why I used *cures*:

Like *cures* like


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## Södertjej

Magmod said:


> It is not a *pleasant* saying


Well, no, there's nothing unpleasant about it at all. If you mean the Spanish saying, of course.


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## Magmod

Södertjej said:


> Well, no, there's nothing unpleasant  about it at all. If you mean the Spanish saying, of course.


Spanish saying:
A mi vecino lo dejo su novia y esta muy triste deberia de buscarse otra para olvidarla, un clavo saca otro clavo" .

See:
http://www.tomisimo.org/idioms/en/one-nail-drives-out-another-2401.html

Regards


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## Södertjej

I'm a native speaker, I know perfectly what it means and there's nothing negative about it.


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## Magmod

Södertjej said:


> I'm a native speaker, I know perfectly what it means and there's nothing negative about it.


Entonces ¿Cuál es el significado?


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## Södertjej

Que "mancha de mora con mora se quita". Con un nuevo amor uno ni se acuerda del pasado.


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## nmb882003

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *nmb882003*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "*like cures like*" implies some kind of *symmetry*, ie that an identical stimulus is required to cancel out the symptoms of the original
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The *similarity* is in the nails - see post 1.
> etc. with other examples
> But it is not clear immediately where the similarity is in your example
> 
> It is not a *pleasant* saying and that's why I used *cures*:
> 
> Like *cures* like


You have completely missed the point of what I was trying to say. Did you even read everything that I wrote? Your replies to mine and Sodertjej's comments are beginning to make me question if perhaps you've misunderstood the meaning of the original idiom, or the example phrase provided by the original poster. 

Similarly, you seem to confuse '*symmetry*' with '*similar*'. The two words do not mean the same thing.

The phrase that I provided (*"The quickest way to get over one man is to get under another one")* is designed to serve as a suitable replacement for* "un clavo saca otro clavo" within the context of the example sentence provided. *It has nothing to do with nails. It does not need to - that is the whole point of an idiom. 

Also, it seems that I was being rather modest when I said that my phrase wasn't an established idiom in English. In actual fact, the phrase *"the best way to get over one man is to get under another" *(a very slight variation on what I put forward, my bad) produces a rather healthy* 17,000+ hits *on Google. I suggest you investigate these if you still don't understand the meaning of the phrase, or how it relates to the original poster's example sentence.

The point I was making is that "*like cures like*" suggests *to me* that an *identical* stimulus is needed to replace the original one. So, for example, if you'd rather we talk in terms of nails, it would suggest that a 12mm nail can only be replaced by another 12mm nail. Whereas, in fact, the whole point of the original phrase is that you just need 'a nail' (any nail, doesn't matter what specification) in order to eradicate the memory of the original one. The important thing is getting your hands on 'a nail' as quickly as possible, in order to be able to drive out the 'bad' one. As far as i'm concerned, the English phrases "*one nail/poison/devil drives out another*" convey this idea, whereas "*like cures like*" is more ambiguous, and therefore more open to interpretation. 

It's a very subtle difference, perhaps, and it may not matter to most people. But to my mind the distinction is clear, and for that reason alone, I don't consider *"like cures like"* an accurate equivalent.   

Of course everyone's entitled to their opinion, and if you don't agree or see what i'm trying to explain - and it's clear that you will continue to defend your point of view on the subject - then that's your perogative, but I have nothing more to add. I leave the matter to the judgement of the good citizens of this forum. 

Peace out

Nmb882003


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## Södertjej

nmb882003 said:


> The phrase that I provided (*"The quickest way to get over one man is to get under another one")*


Personal I don't like this one as it has a clearly sexual connotation the Spanish idiom simply doesn't have. Sometimes you just have more or less similar idioms, but not with the same meaning.


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## la_machy

Södertjej said:


> Con un nuevo amor uno ni se acuerda del pasado.


 
Agree.


Saludos


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## Magmod

nmb882003 said:


> So, for example, if you'd rather we talk in terms of nails, it would suggest that a 12mm nail can (only) be replaced by another 12mm nail.


 
 Not replaced but sacar => take out > i.e. to cure the problem.

 Södertjej's *mancha de mora con mora se quita* is probably a correct Spanish equivalent, as one can see from these 2 examples from one single Word reference forum:



Poco a poco -gritó Ripamilán- , en eso estoy yo conforme con la ciencia y con el señor Somoza, su legítimo representante. No sé si *un clavo saca otro clavo* en medicina, *ni si la mancha de la borrachera con otra verde se quita*, pero don Santos es un tonel en persona y tiene más espíritu de vino en el cuerpo que sangre
"Slow down," shouted Ripamilán. "On that, I agree with science and Mr. Somoza, its rightful spokesman. I don’t know if in medicine love heals all wounds, or if a hangover with more drink can be _cured_. However, Mr. Santos is an oak barrel in person, and he’s got more wine spirits in his body than blood in his veins. He’s a fuse soaked in alcohol… Sir, light up a fire and see for yourself." 
* una mancha (de mora) con otra verde se quita.*



I think a more literal translation of the proverb would be:

_a red wine stain with white wine will clear_
Regards


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## Södertjej

Never heard of that "mancha de la borrachera".

Anyway you keep on assuming the meaning in Spanish is "curing the problem" and that's not exactly how it's perceived. The saying focuses on a new start not on "curing" anything.


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## live laugh love

"Un clavo saca otro clavo." It just means the relationship is/went bad, find someone else and you will feel better. I cannot think of an equivalent idiom in English.


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## JorgeHoracio

My contribution to the confusion:
As some have said, the expression "un clavo saca otro clavo" is used un the context of romantic relationships, with the implication "if it's painful, or difficult, to get over your old relationship, find a new one"
But I would add that I perceive usually a cynical undertone, impliying something like: if you want to end a bad relationship, get a new one, which will probably be just as bad, but maybe easier to put an end to.

[At least in my country "clavo" has a negative connotation: something you're stuck with]


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## brittynic

Maybe it is because I'm American, but I don't think I've ever heard "like cures like" or any of the "one nail/poison/devil drives out another" expressions. If someone were to say these expressions to me I would definitely not understand even if we were talking about a recent break up or something similar. I actually got excited when I saw this post and went to post the line "The best way to get over one man is to get under another" until I saw that someone had beat me to it! I think it works perfectly for what the original poster wanted to express. A simpler way to say this and maybe a little less vulgar would be to say "He needs a rebound."


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## obz

brittynic said:


> Maybe it is because I'm American, but I don't think I've ever heard  "like cures like" or any of the "one nail/poison/devil drives out  another" expressions.




I have, and to me they make perfect sense. My mother also used to say something to the effect of_ "The best cure for a broken heart is new love"_... though that's her own wise advice and not a set phrase, though the core meaning is the same.


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## gemini75

I, too, thought of the expression "The best way to get over a man...." 

"The best cure for an old love is a new one" also came to mind and is really the sentiment of the "Un clavo" idiom.
It's not widely found on the internet (although it's definitely present), but I've heard it repeated many times.


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