hello
Excuse me, could you tell me the meaning of 'unos cantos pious titos'? Sorry , Unos Cuantos Piquetitos.

This Spanish phrase is the title of a painting of Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter. I don't know the meaning,  and want to understand what it means.
Jun 6, 2018 11:13 AM
Comments · 6
1

In my view the word "prick" : to make a very small hole or holes in the surface of something, sometimes in a way that causes pain. It's the best option. Yes, there are other meanings, but it's nobody fault.

"Just a few pricks" It works for me.

June 6, 2018
1

A Google search on "Unos cuantos piquetitos" shows that the customary translation into English is "A few small nips."

I don't think this is a good translation because a knife does not "nip." "Nipping" usually means catching something between two points--like a bite. "I got nipped by a dog. I'm fine. It didn't break the skin." "Careful, don't nip yourself with that nail trimmer."

However, "A few small nips" is the usual translation.

Of your two suggestions, "I just stabbed a few times" is better because it sounds more natural. "Wounds" is a somewhat formal word and it suggests the wound itself--the place where the body has been cut open. Also, a "wound" is always serious, while "piquetito" probably means something small and unimportant.

"Stabbing" suggests the action; "wound" the result. A stab makes a wound.

However, "stabbing" has the same problem. A stab is serious. And we can't make it into a diminutive in English, you can't talk about "a stablet" or "a tiny little stab."

I think a good translation might be "Just a few little scratches."

(Here's the problem. The most accurate word I know to describe a small puncture with a knife is "prick," but unfortunately the noun "prick" has a well-known meaning in vulgar slang. I think we can avoid this problem by using the verb form: "But I just pricked her." But, to be safe, it is best to avoid the word completely).


June 6, 2018
1

Hi,

Let me play the role of Sherlock.

Maybe you have not the exact title of the painting, I guess you want to refer to " Unos cuantos piquetitos".

The painting shows us  a stabbed woman and the killer with a bloody knife. If this is correct, Frida decided to title the work after the killer's (the husband) cynical excuses in the criminal court :  "Sólo fueron unos cuantos piquetitos"  

Piquete -  Pinchazo  -Leve lastimadura con un objeto con punta -   A little prick

Espero haberte ayudado.

Suerte.



June 6, 2018
Thank you for your answers, Alejandro, Dan. ^^

Maybe, I need to learn Spanish in the future.
June 7, 2018
You know she painted after reading the murder on the newspaper. The murderer husband said to the jury," I just stabbed my wife a few times. Even not 20times."

The painting's title has two different translations. One is "I just stabbed a few times". The other is "A few small wounds".

Which is more appropriate? 
June 6, 2018
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