Thread: "cola de paja"

All I can think of is "to cover your ass".

It means to prepare in advance an explanation or excuse for something that has happened for which you might be blamed whether you are guilty or not.

Ex. sentence: "You better cover your ass on this"

So somebody who is explaining, or denying culpability, in advance, is covering his ass...and that often happens with someone who knows he will be suspect.

That's the most common form. In a more polite way it might be said as " to come up with a good excuse or an alibi".

Originally Posted by diegonel

Hi Guys,
I'd go with "to have a guilty conscience".

Diegonel

I'd go with that too!!

and

the lady doth protest too much

When you have a guilty conscience you protest too much and try to cover your ass. jajajaja

Ah! no sabía que el refrán era Latín. Buen dato.
Siempre escuché "Explicación no pedida, acusación manifiesta".

Aunque en Inglés también rima:

None required explanation, manifested accusation.

And if the expression survived since the Latins, may we use it in English as well?


To have a guilty conscience explains it perfectly, but does not give an equivalence with the rhythm. I’ll go for liar liar pants on fire, but may it only apply with childish language?

En México decimos "con la cola entre las patas" como los perros regañados, o cuando se delatan solos por haber destruido las pantuflas.

I have just watched what I think is an example. There is currently an uproar on TV news regarding talk show host David Letterman trying to explain on CNN that he really wasn't talking about the 14 year old daughter of Sarah Palin when he joked on his show that her daughter was "knocked up" by baseball star Alex Rodriguez. He sure seems to be protesting his innocence too much.