Meaning of "Me cae gordo"

Question

I know the meaning of the phrase "Me cae bien": I like him/her (in a strictly platonic sense), or He leaves a good impression

But recently I have heard the phrase Me cae gordo (in Mexico). It's clearly a similar construction as the previous, but what does it mean? Where does the phrase come from?

FYI it is not exclusive of Mexico. In Colombia it is used in the same way and it is a very common expression. — DGaleano, Dec 20 '16 at 13:28

score 14 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 17 '20 at 09:53

14

From DRAE:

gordo

caer gordo, da a alguien otra persona

1. loc. verb. coloq. Resultarle antipática, molesta o desagradable.

edited Jun 17 '20 at 09:53

Community

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answered Jul 29 '13 at 08:45

fedorqui

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score 7 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 29 '13 at 08:18

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Me cae gordo means exactly the opposite :

I truly dislike him/her.

(I added the truly to make emphasis.) As from where the expression comes, I have no clue.

edited Jul 29 '13 at 08:18

Alexis Pigeon

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answered Jul 29 '13 at 05:00

AitorTheRed

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No idea where the expression comes either – Newbie Jul 29 '13 at 15:41

score 6 · Answer 3 · edited Feb 25 '20 at 23:25

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While I don't have a specific source to base my claims, I believe that the usage of gordo is closely related to certain meanings of pesado (as one would expect a fat person to be heavy in weight):

pesado, da.

adj. Molesto, enfadoso, impertinente.

adj. Duro, violento, insufrible, difícil de soportar.

And actually a closely related phrase is caer pesado

edited Feb 25 '20 at 23:25

Community

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answered Jul 29 '13 at 20:10

DarkAjax

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En mi vida he oído la expresión de caer pesado. Caer gordo sí, pero caer pesado.no. – rpax Apr 12 '15 at 02:46
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"Caer pesado" yo tampoco lo he oido de esa forma, pero si "ser pesado" o "andar de pesado" – DarkAjax Apr 12 '15 at 02:57
Pero no es para nada lo mismo. Una novia puede ser muy pesada ( Que esté llamando cada hora), pero eso no implica ningún sentimiento negativo. – rpax Apr 12 '15 at 03:00
Posiblemente sea algo distinto según el país y/o la región, la expresión "caer gordo" se usa mucho en México y aquí "ser pesado" es algo mas como ser molesto tanto como "caer gordo" se usa cuando alguien te cae mal, y no como ser insistente como sería el caso del ejemplo que mencionas – DarkAjax Apr 12 '15 at 03:09

Meaning of "Me cae gordo"

3 Answers3