matar el gusanillo

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “kill the [little] worm”.

Verb

matar el gusanillo (first-person singular present mato el gusanillo, first-person singular preterite maté el gusanillo, past participle matado el gusanillo)

1. (idiomatic) to keep hunger at bay, to keep someone going

Further reading

• “matar el gusanillo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014