«BUSCAR TRES PIES AL GATO»
This saying or set phrase (refrán in Spanish) is used when someone tries to or insists on finding problems or inconveniences where there are none. The literal translation would be “try to find three feet on a cat”; “overcomplicating something/yourself” would sound more natural in English.
Here’s a real example:
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- Venga, hombre, no le busques tres pies al gato, si él dice que estuvo con Andrés, pues estaría con Andrés.
- Meaning: Come on, man! Don’t overcomplicate things: if he says he was with Andrés, it’s pretty sure that he was with him actually.
Where does it come from?
At the end of the 16th century and early 17th century, the phrase “to find five feet on a cat” was used in Spain meaning “justify the unjustifiable or pursue something impossible”, which is similar to the current expression’s meaning.
However, Miguel de Cervantes introduced a new version for this expression. On his book The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha), Don Quixote says: “No ande buscando tres pies al gato”.
