The day to day in Spain is never complete without having heard a saying. Often these enclose geographical references that go unnoticed. Many refer to places that are not even known to be located on a map, but whose mentions persist in everyday speech. One of these cases has to do with an expression closely linked to a town in Madrid.
Although it is part of the colloquial repertoire of millions of speakers, its real origin It is barely known. Its use, however, is more in force than ever, both in informal situations and in media, literature or cinema.
What is the expression that all Spain says daily and that goes back to a town in Madrid?
The expression «Be between Pinto and Valdemoro» It is frequently heard throughout Spain. According to the RAEit has two meanings: “Be undecided, hesitant” And, in disuse, “Be half drunk”. The phrase has multiple explanations, but they all coincide at one point: their origin is in two neighboring municipalities of the southern Madrid.
Between Pinto and Valdemoro There was historically a territorial limit that was a reason for disputes. According to a version collected in several chronic works, the King Ferdinand III He resolved the conflict delimiting the border through milestones. Some of them are still standing. This decision made Pinto part of Madrid already Valdemoro in part of Segovia.
Another theory dates back to more everyday habits. In this border area there was a stream that separated both terms. They say that a man, with his tongue loose due to the effect of wine, used to jump from one side to the other saying: “Now I’m in Pinto, now in Valdemoro.”
In one of those, he fell into the water and pronounced the famous phrase that survives today: “Now I am between Pinto and Valdemoro.”
The ethyl link between Pinto and Valdemoro
The town of Madrid of Pinto and neighbor Valdemoro had a recognized wine production in their day. From the 16th century their wines were celebrated in popular sayings such as «Red wine, if there is no Valdemoro, give it to me from Pinto». This tradition makes the theory of the alcoholic origin of the phrase one of the most accepted.
It also points to the existence of A tavern exactly in the dividing line between both municipalities. The parishioners, at the end of their long evening, did not know if they were on one side or the other. That confusion resulted in a metaphor of indecision, very useful in daily speech.
It is no accident that the term Pintonwhich designates who is slightly drunk, keep similarity with Pinto. Either that ‘Pinta’ was a regular wine measure in the taverns. This phonetic game could reinforce the double meaning of the expression, linked to both the place and the ethyl state.
Other versions about the origin of this saying
Some versions collect anecdotes starring monarchs. It is said that Felipe IV I frequently visited a house of doubtful reputation located just between the two villages. In order not to openly name his whereabouts, he said he was “Between Pinto and Valdemoro.” A phrase that everyone understood without explanations.
Other authors point to the diplomatic use of the saying. During an ecclesiastical lawsuit on the jurisdiction of both locations, An equidistant position was adopted that resulted in this formula. The phrase, then, would have emerged as allusion to neutrality or conciliation between confronted parties.
In it 19th centuryFlorencio Moreno Godino collected this story on trip to Andalusia, while publications such as the satirical newspaper Gil Blas popularized her in humorous key. Over the years, chroniclers such as Luis Martínez Kleiser or Julio Llamazares have investigated their possible origins.
An expression that went far beyond a town in Madrid
Today, “being between Pinto and Valdemoro” continues to describe an intermediate, ambiguous or doubtful state. Its meaning went beyond its original sense, and no longer refers to light drunkenness, but to any situation of hesitation or lack of clarity.
It also has equivalents in other Spanish -speaking countries. In Argentinafor example, it is said “to be between San Juan and Mendoza” and in Peru“Between Pisco and Nazca.” In all cases, viticultural areas are alluded to, maintaining that ethyl background that seems inseparable from the saying.
