COMPARING DEFINITIONS: "HATCHES" AND "MACHOS"

 

The taste of the pudding is in the eating. Comparing definitions in different languages reveals that, although the idiomatic expressions differ, the meaning is the same. 

English definition: "To prepare to meet an emergency or face a great difficulty." (Random House Dictionary.)

Spanish definition: "Prepararse para afrontar una situación difícil." (Diccionario María Moliner.)

The English idiom is: "To batten down the hatches." --"The government must batten down its hatches before the election." (RH.) 

The Spanish idiom is: "Apretarse (atarse) los machos." --"Pero los más prudentes empiezan a atarse los machos porque la situación..." (El País, 02/02/1985. Esp.)

From hatches to machos, the idea is the same in both cases: to prepare for an oncoming danger or tough situation. In phraseology, what counts is the meaning, not the words.