https://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish-to-english/government-politics/6616624-trancar-el-serrucho.html

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

antes de trancar más el serrucho

English translation:

before things get even worse, before the situation gets even stickier, before (someone) digs (herself/himself) into a deeper hole, before (someone) gets (herself/himself) into a bigger jam

Added to glossary by María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Jan 23, 2019 18:56
5 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Spanish term

trancar el serrucho

Spanish to English Social Sciences Government / Politics Venezuelan Spanish
I need help with this Venezuelan expression, please.

This is a newspaper opinion article referring to this week's protests in Venezuela:
La soga aprieta y estrangula, la opinión de Marianella Salazar
http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/columnista/soga-aprieta-...

"El régimen de Nicolás Maduro nunca había estado tan vulnerable, la situación económica está cavando su propia fosa, para más inri, este lunes el Banco Central de Venezuela deroga la medida de 60% del encaje legal a los bancos que comenzaba ayer, ninguna entidad llegaba al encaje y tenían que intervenir la banca empezando por el Banco de Venezuela, que no llegaba ni a 10%. La consecuencia de esta cadena de erráticas improvisaciones las veremos con el precio que alcanzará el dólar paralelo, que rige la economía hasta en mercados populares. **************Antes de que se les tranque más el serrucho**************, mandan a Tareck el Aissami a firmar acuerdos sobre el refinamiento del oro con Erdogan en Turquía, país que será sancionado por Estados Unidos. La soga aprieta…"

Thank you in advance.

Proposed translations

+1
19 mins
Selected

Before the situation gets even stickier

or something like that if you think you need to transfer part of the idiom (trancar)
Peer comment(s):

agree neilmac
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!"
+1
7 mins

Before things get worse

or something to that effect
Peer comment(s):

agree neilmac : I see you found a "something" a few minutes later :-)
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
26 mins

dig themselves into a deeper hole/get themselves into a bigger jam

A couple of possibilities.
Peer comment(s):

agree Muriel Vasconcellos
2 hrs
Thanks, Muriel!
agree neilmac
13 hrs
Thank you, Neil.
Something went wrong...