When someone is being straightforward we use the phrase “To call a spade a spade”. An equivalent in Spanish is “Llamar las cosas por su nombre”, which literally translates to “To call things by their name”. A more colloquial version is “LLamar al pan pan y al vino vino”, which means “To call bread bread and wine wine”.
In English, we describe a person with a pallid complexion as being “wan” or “pasty-faced”. The equivalent in Spanish is “cara de pan mascado” which literally means “face of chewed bread”.
There are so many Spanish idioms involving “bread” or “pan”, that it deserves its own category.
“A falta de pan buenas son tortas” literally means “In the absence of bread cakes are good”. The equivalent in English is “Half a loaf is better than none”. “Repartirse como pan bendito” literally translates to “To distribute like blessed bread”. The colloquial meaning is “To distribute sparingly”.
