DAYLIGHT BETWEEN - TIERRA DE POR MEDIO - A SHARED SENSE OF DISTANCE

 

Poner tierra (de) por medio / Put daylight between: distance and separation

The Spanish phrase poner tierra (de) por medio means to move away quickly or to put distance — physical or emotional — between oneself and someone or something. It can be used both literally (“to get away from a place”) and figuratively (“to end or distance a relationship”).

Examples:

• Pongamos tierra de por medio antes de que llamen a la policía.
  Let’s get away fast before they call the police.

• “Los tres, en perfecto relevo, fueron poniendo tierra por medio con respecto al pelotón.” — ABC, May 10, 1988, Spain.

• “Peñarol cumplía una brillante campaña que lo llevó a poner tierra de por medio de sus escoltas.” — Cronómetro, Tiempo, Jan. 5, 2004, Honduras.

The English idiom put daylight between conveys a similar sense of creating distance, whether physical, moral, or emotional. It often appears in political, sports, or personal contexts.

Examples:

• After the divorce, David put daylight between himself and his ex.
  Tras el divorcio, David puso tierra de por medio entre su ex y él.

• “Republicans do verbal gymnastics to put daylight between the president and his supporters.” — Vanity Fair, July 19, 2019, U.S.

• “…help it put yet more daylight between itself and every other…” — PCWorld, August 2012, U.S.

Both idioms share the same metaphor of distance and separation — tierra in Spanish, daylight in English. In either case, the speaker seeks to create space — real or emotional — as a sign of withdrawal or independence.

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