Expressions Using Parts of the Body: The Eyelash

As in English, many Spanish idioms and other expressions involve parts of the body. This example refers to the eyelash:

quemarse las pestañas or dejarse las pestañas (familiar)
literal translation: to burn the eyelashes
to work very hard, to study hard, to burn the midnight oil
e.g. Su marido se quemaba las pestañas: Her husband worked very hard.

The word pestañas can also mean stiff hairs that are placed on the edge of a surface.

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Vocabulary Quiz (mouse over for answers)

pestaña

I had to get an eyelash out of my eye.

pestañas postizas

pestañear

sin pestañear

pestaña (of a Web page or computer screen)

pestaña (of a container)

pestaña (of a book)

pestaña (mechanical)

quemarse

pestaña (WordReference)

pestaña (en español, RAE)

pestaña (en español, informática)