habérselas

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Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aˈbeɾselas/
  • Rhymes: -eɾselas
  • Syllabification: ha‧bér‧se‧las

Verb

habérselas (first-person singular present me las he, first-person singular preterite me las hube, past participle las habido)

  1. (idiomatic) to deal (with); to be up (against)
    Synonyms: vérselas, entendérselas
    • 1838, Mariano de Rementería y Fica, Manual alfabético del Quijote:
      Aun cuando se conceda que el descubrimiento de las armas de fuego ha ahorrado mucha sangre en las batallas, no es menos cierto que, como dice nuestro autor, sea el mas valiente víctima del mas pusilánime, que no hubiera osado á habérselas con él cuerpo á cuerpo.
      Even if they concede that the discovery of the firearms has saved a lot of bloodshed, it is no less true that, as our author puts it, the bravest is the victim of the meek, who dared not go one on one against him.
    • 1888, Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, “chapter 22”, in Ismael:
      La justicia del Rey tenía que habérselas con centenares de centauros errantes, e igual número de contrabandistas:
      The King's justice had to deal with hundreds of centaurs, and just as many smugglers.
    • 1925, E. Fernández, Hace un siglo:
      se las hubo con un fiero león
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 14 July 2017, Joan-Carles-Mèlich, “Filosofía de verano”, in La Vanguardia:
      Esto significa que existir es habérselas con un espacio y con un tiempo concretos, históricos, biográficos
      That means that existing means dealing with a space and time that is concrete, historical and biographical.

Further reading