# las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa



## sophieowen16

Hola a todos,

Estoy leyendo un texto escrito por Arturo Perez Reverte y en este artículo va expresando su disgusto por la indumentaria veraniega turística. 

Aquí os dejo un poco más de la frase para que tengáis un mejor contexo: 

"Viendo a los colegas con sus camisas de flores y sus calzones cortos, y a las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor, me doy cuenta de que su mérito, o su éxito, estriba en que representan a gente a la que conoces, quieres y comprendes"

No entiendo la alusión a 'Medusa'... alguién me puede ayudar? 

Mil gracias


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## JennyTW

No es Medusa, persona, es medusa= jellyfish.


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## sophieowen16

Vale gracias

Entonces, está aludiendo a la cancíon del verano , 'me pica la medusa del amor' ?


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## Rubns

Reverte with "Los picores de la medusa del amor" means "to have butterflies in one's stomach".


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## JennyTW

Really? How strange! In English the expression doesn't have specifically to do with love, it just means being nervous in general, like before going on stage ( though it could also be when you see THAT person).


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## gengo

Rubns said:


> Reverte with "Los picores de la medusa del amor" means "to have butterflies in one's stomach".



I could be wrong, but that doesn't sound right to me.  Even if that translation is correct in some contexts, it certainly doesn't seem to fit here.



sophieowen16 said:


> "Viendo a los colegas con sus camisas de flores y sus calzones cortos, y a las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor, me doy cuenta de que su mérito, o su éxito, estriba en que representan a gente a la que conoces, quieres y comprendes"



I confess that I don't know what la medusa del amor means here, but I wonder if it is something akin to a bite from the love bug.  ¿Podría decirnos un hispanohablante qué quiere decir "la medusa del amor" en español, y darnos un par de ejemplos de su uso?


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## JennyTW

You're right Sophie. I found this;
"Me pica la pierna, me pica el ombligo, me pica la cabeza, quiero estar contigo, me pican los labios, me pica el corazón, me pica la medusa, medusa del amor". Así, sin más. Es la letra que aquel verano de 2003 la ONCE puso de moda para promocionar su sorteo extraordinario de verano, del 16 de agosto, con un bote de 14 millones de euros. Y junto a ella, las míticas 'Yo te doy cremita', 'Tengo gambas...'.


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## Rubns

gengo said:


> ¿Podría decirnos un hispanohablante qué quiere decir "la medusa del amor" en español, y darnos un par de ejemplos de su uso?



Lo que quiere decir Reverte, es que "las pavas" (girls) van enseñando la barriga y van rascándosela. Lo de la "medusa del amor" es una forma de decir que tienes mariposas en el estómago, que te "pican" y te rascas. Por eso dije lo de "to have butterflies in one's stomach". Como dice JennyTW, lo de la "medusa del amor" viene de un anuncio de la ONCE, que dice "me pica el corazón, me pica la medusa, medusa del amor", vamos que te "enamoras". Es difícil de explicar.

"Las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor" = Girls scratching her bellies, because they're showing them. "La medusa del amor" is just to "adorn" the phrase. Girls with butterflies in their stomach, they're scratching her bellies because of these butterflies and because they're showing them. It's really difficult to explain due to its cultural references.


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## JennyTW

Rubns said:


> Lo que quiere decir Reverte, es que "las pavas" (girls) van enseñando la barriga y van rascándosela. Lo de la "medusa del amor" es una forma de decir que tienes mariposas en el estómago, que te "pican" y te rascas. Por eso dije lo de "to have butterflies in one's stomach". Como dice JennyTW, lo de la "medusa del amor" viene de un anuncio de la ONCE, que dice "me pica el corazón, me pica la medusa, medusa del amor", vamos que te "enamoras". Es difícil de explicar.
> 
> "Las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor" = Girls scratching her bellies, because they're showing them. "La medusa del amor" is just to "adorn" the phrase. Girls with butterflies in their stomach, they're scratching her bellies because of these butterflies and because they're showing them. It's really difficult to explain due to its cultural references.



If you had butterflies in your stomach, it certainly wouldn't help you to get rid of them by scratching it. I still don't see that it's the right translation.


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## Alice_2.0

JennyTW said:


> If you had butterflies in your stomach, it certainly wouldn't help you to get rid of them by scratching it. I still don't see that it's the right translation.



Hi,

It´s just a methaphor, *JennyTW*, I think *Rubns* used "to have butterflies...." just to illustrate the meaning, but not as a literal translation, since you clearly never really have butterflies in your stomach and there is definitely no "jellyfish" of love either.

Greetings.


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## Rubns

It's not a translation. Let's see if any other Spaniard can explain it better in English.

In Spanish:

"Las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor" significa que las chicas van enseñando la barriga en verano, y cuando sienten picor se la rascan en público. Al mismo tiempo, Reverte está intentando adornar la frase, para hacerla sonar más "literaria", diciendo que se rascan los picores de la medusa del amor. Según la canción si te pica la medusa del amor es que te has enamorado. Por lo tanto, se rascan la barriga por dos razones: 1. porque les pica (literalmente hablando). 2. porque están enamoradas (en modo figurado).

A ver si ahora se entiende


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## SydLexia

It's partly playing with words, as you would expect in Reverte's columns. It was that summer's sound because of the advert and he's making the stereotypes become more familiar and acceptable in this second paragraph of the text.

The contrast is with the slob in flip-flops who plonks himself down and starts scratching his balls in front of you, and who appears in the first paragraph as the unacceptable face of summer.

syd


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## Alice_2.0

Well, *Rubns*, let´s give it a try:

"The girls scratching the jellyfish of love stingings/bites on their bellies" means that girls show their bellies in summer, and when they have an itch on their bellies they scratch it in public. At the same time, Reverte is trying to adorn the phrase, to make it sound more "literary", by saying that they scratch the stingings/bites of the jellyfish of love. According to the song, if the jellyfish of love stings/bites you and you feel like scratching yourself, that means you have fallen in love. Therefore, they scratch their bellies for two reasons: 1. because they have an itch (literally speaking). 2. because they are in love (figuratively speaking).

Hope I made it understandable...


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## JennyTW

Alice_2.0 said:


> Hi,
> 
> It´s just a methaphor, *JennyTW*, I think *Rubns* used "to have butterflies...." just to illustrate the meaning, but not as a literal translation, since you clearly never really have butterflies in your stomach and there is definitely no "jellyfish" of love either.
> 
> Greetings.



Yes, of course I do understand that we don't literally have butterflies in our stomach,actually. It's just that, as a metaphor, I don't think it really works. 

Something I think might work better, and also alludes to a song would be;

The bimbos (or airhead girls etc) scratching the love bug bites on their bellies.
(It also has quite nice alliteration).


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## Alice_2.0

JennyTW said:


> Yes, of course I do understand that we don't literally have butterflies in our stomach,actually. It's just that, as a metaphor, I don't think it really works.
> 
> Something I think might work better, and also alludes to a song would be;
> 
> The bimbos (or airhead girls etc) scratching the love bug bites on their bellies.
> (It also has quite nice alliteration).



Well, just change "the love bug" for "the jellyfish of love" and you have it. Reverte was just winking at that summer´s famous Spanish song.


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## JennyTW

Alice_2.0 said:


> Well, just change "the love bug" for "the jellyfish of love" and you have it. Reverte was just winking at that summer´s famous Spanish song.



Yes, but you have to put things that mean something in the other culture you're translating for.

"Love bug" means something and it is a song in our culture. "The Jellyfish of love" means absolutely nothing to us as nobody has ever heard of the song. 
You just can't be so literal.


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## SydLexia

"scratching the jellyfish of love" sounds suggestive and disgusting.

"scratching the tickles of summer love" perhaps?

The point is that he is seeing the 'good side' of the stereotypes in this paragraph and the 'scratching' echoes, playfully this time, the unacceptable 'bollock-manipulations' of the introduction.

It's in the third paragraph that he 'goes off on one' when he has to rub up against the sweating, slippery, shirtless masses on the streets of Madrid.

1 - I don't know how repelled people are by the unacceptable face of summer and this year I'd decided to give the criticism thing a rest.

2 - I've been seeing the usual things and thinking 'oh well, that's just how things are and it's all quite familiar - no big deal - they're the foibles of my compatriots, after all'.

3 - Then I went to the Puerta del Sol and.... Holy Sweating Jesus! (and they're not even foreigners!)

syd


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## gengo

Rubns said:


> "La medusa del amor" is just to "adorn" the phrase.



Ah, that's the key here.  I was aware of the ONCE song, from googling, but I wasn't sure if this phrase was also used in normal Spanish.  Now I see that it is just a reference to current events.



JennyTW said:


> The bimbos (or airhead girls etc) scratching the love bug bites on their bellies.
> (It also has quite nice alliteration).



Hey, no attribution!?    (see post #6 )

OK, here's my attempt:
_"Viendo a los colegas con sus camisas de flores y sus calzones cortos, y a las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor, me doy cuenta de que su mérito, o su éxito, estriba en que representan a gente a la que conoces, quieres y comprendes"_

_Seeing the guys in their shorts and flower-print shirts, and the bimbos flaunting their belly-button studs, I realize that their merit, or their success, is based on the fact that they represent people you know, love, and understand.
_
With "belly-button studs" I've tried to capture the feel by using something that is currently in vogue, although not specific to 2003.


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## JennyTW

gengo said:


> Ah, that's the key here.  I was aware of the ONCE song, from googling, but I wasn't sure if this phrase was also used in normal Spanish.  Now I see that it is just a reference to current events.
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, no attribution!?    (see post #6 )
> 
> OK, here's my attempt:
> _"Viendo a los colegas con sus camisas de flores y sus calzones cortos, y a las pavas rascándose en la tripa los picores de la medusa del amor, me doy cuenta de que su mérito, o su éxito, estriba en que representan a gente a la que conoces, quieres y comprendes"_
> 
> _Seeing the guys in their shorts and flower-print shirts, and the bimbos flaunting their belly-button studs, I realize that their merit, or their success, is based on the fact that they represent people you know, love, and understand.
> _
> With "belly-button studs" I've tried to capture the feel by using something that is currently in vogue, although not specific to 2003.


Sorry, it was so far back I wasn't even aware you'd said it. It was probably in my subconscious though because I had read all the posts! Nice modern twist too.


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## Alice_2.0

JennyTW said:


> Yes, but you have to put things that mean something in the other culture you're translating for.
> 
> "Love bug" means something and it is a song in our culture. "The Jellyfish of love" means absolutely nothing to us as nobody has ever heard of the song.
> You just can't be so literal.



Well, since *sophieowen16* was not asking for a translation, but for an *explanation* of the meaning of "Medusa", we have tried to make it clear to her, using another metaphor ("to have butterflies...") and talking about that song that the article refers to. 

Discussing to what extent you can be literal when translating, would take another different thread...

Greetings.


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## chileno

Hello Jenny:



JennyTW said:


> If you had butterflies in your stomach, it certainly wouldn't help you to get rid of them by scratching it. I still don't see that it's the right translation.



On the same token, when you have that certain "itch" it really doesn't go away if you just scratch your stomach, right?

Unless.... never mind.


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## SydLexia

chileno said:


> Hello Jenny:
> 
> 
> 
> On the same token, when you have that certain "itch" it really doesn't go away if you just scratch your stomach, right?
> 
> Unless.... never mind.



That's where 'the jellyfish of love' comes in... 

(sorry)


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## JennyTW

Settle down now everyone!


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## gengo

Alice_2.0 said:


> Well, since *sophieowen16* was not asking for a translation, but for an *explanation* of the meaning of "Medusa", we have tried to make it clear to her, using another metaphor ("to have butterflies...")



Not to beat a dead horse, but I don't think "butterflies in the stomach" has anything to do with this, and does not make the original any clearer, since it doesn't make sense in this context.

Furthermore, a translation is often the fastest way to make the meaning of a sentence clear.


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## Maximino

En primer lugar me parece conveniente decir que Arturo Pérez-Reverte es un miembro de la RAE. Es un experto en jergas y argots.

'Rascarse la tripa por los picores de la medusa del amor' es exteriorizar mediante rascarse la barriga/panza/estómago la atracción sexual que sienten especialmente en verano. Es decir, 'los picores de la medusa del amor' es una forma eufemística de decir 'la excitación sexual'.



Saludos


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## SydLexia

"lazily scratching their bellies in the warmth of true love"

Note: I'm making a contrast with a guy who 'scratches his testicles into shape' in front of you.

syd


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## gengo

SydLexia said:


> Note: I'm making a contrast with a guy who 'scratches his testicles into shape' in front of you.



Syd, you keep mentioning that, but from where are you getting it?  I don't see any such reference in the original post.


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## SydLexia

gengo said:


> Syd, you keep mentioning that, but from where are you getting it?  I don't see any such reference in the original post.



It's from the first paragraph of the article, which I tried to summarize in my post #17 as being important context.

syd


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## Alice_2.0

gengo said:


> Not to beat a dead horse, but I don't think "butterflies in the stomach" has anything to do with this, and does not make the original any clearer, since it doesn't make sense in this context.
> 
> Furthermore, a translation is often the fastest way to make the meaning of a sentence clear.



You "have butterflies in your stomach" when you´re in love, right? Well, if you suffer the beats of the "jellyfish of love", it means that you´re in love too. Can you see now the similarity? Anyway, it wasn´t me who used that expression, but I consider it does make sense as an attempt to clear up the question.

One more time, it would take another different thread to discuss whether or not a translation is often the fastest way to make the meaning of a sentence clear. I´ll just say that this one is clearly an example of the opposite.


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## Alice_2.0

Maximino said:


> En primer lugar me parece conveniente decir que Arturo Pérez-Reverte es un miembro de la RAE. Es un experto en jergas y argots.
> 
> 'Rascarse la tripa por los picores de la medusa del amor' es exteriorizar mediante rascarse la barriga/panza/estómago la atracción sexual que sienten especialmente en verano. Es decir, 'los picores de la medusa del amor' es una forma eufemística de decir 'la excitación sexual'.
> 
> 
> 
> Saludos



Sí, pero aquí "excitación sexual" equivale a "sentir atracción física" hacia alguien y también a sentir que te enamoras de alguien, porque si sólo fuera "excitación sexual", tal vez no se rascarían la barriga, sino otras partes del cuerpo...


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## gengo

Alice_2.0 said:


> You "have butterflies in your stomach" when you´re in love, right?


 
No.  You have butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous.  Claro, es muy posible estar nervioso y estar enamorado a la vez, pero la frase no tiene que ver directamente con el amor.



> One more time, it would take another different thread to discuss whether or not a translation is often the fastest way to make the meaning of a sentence clear. I´ll just say that this one is clearly an example of the opposite.



Supongo que tendremos que aceptar que no nos pondremos de acuerdo.


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## chileno

Just to clear up some things...

To me the correct translation would be the bug of love for medusa del amor, both will make you feel that "itch"

Why medusa? Because it has those tentacles that will trap you....

That's my version and I am sticking to it.


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## JennyTW

chileno said:


> Just to clear up some things...
> 
> To me the correct translation would be the bug of love for medusa del amor, both will make you feel that "itch"
> 
> Why medusa? Because it has those tentacles that will trap you....
> 
> That's my version and I am sticking to it.


I agree, but it should be "love bug", not "bug of love".


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## chileno

JennyTW said:


> I agree, but it should be "love bug", not "bug of love".




Duh!

Thank you.


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## gengo

JennyTW said:


> I agree, but it should be "love bug", not "bug of love".



Just as a trivial note, there was a famous 1968 Disney movie called The Love Bug, about a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie.  The title was a play on this term and the nickname of the car, the Bug (Escarabajo, o Bocho en México).


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## Alice_2.0

gengo said:


> No.  You have butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous.  Claro, es muy posible estar nervioso y estar enamorado a la vez, pero la frase no tiene que ver directamente con el amor.
> 
> 
> 
> Supongo que tendremos que aceptar que no nos pondremos de acuerdo.



Ok, tendría que haber cambiado el orden de las palabras en mi frase: "When you´re in love, you "have butterflies in your stomach", right?". Eso es lo que quería decir, que para este ejemplo sirve la expresión, porque cuando estás enamorado tienes mariposas en el estómago, pero, como bien dices, no es la única causa por la que podrías sentir las mariposas. Así que estamos de acuerdo, siento el lapsus.

Sí, en la otra cuestión habrá que aceptar el desacuerdo.


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