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/Sounds like "EHL" (as in "egg") + "KEH" (as in "kept") + "FWEH" + "AH" (as in "art") + "seh" (as in "set") + "BEE" (as in "bee") + "yah" (as in "yard") + "pehr" (as in "pet") + "DYOH" + "SOO" (as in "soup") + "SEE" (as in "see") + "yah" (as in "yard")/

Meaning

A Spanish proverb warning that if you leave your spot, someone else will take it and you lose the right to complain. Your absence is what opened the door. Used to remind people that showing up is half the battle.

Examples

He stepped away and someone took his seat: el que fue a Sevilla perdió su silla.

That's life, if you leave your place, you lose it.

Regional synonyms

Bad, low-quality, not worth it, or disappointing. In Chile, penca is the universal adjective for everything that sucks or falls below expectations.