Today I came across a Spanish idiom that is a lot of fun to say. The idiom is "Thinking about the immortality of the crab" and in Spanish: "Pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo." The Wikipedia page dedicated to this idiom explains the backstory.
This phrase is "a humorous way to say that one was not sitting idly but engaged constructively in contemplation or letting one's mind wander. The phrase is usually used to express that an individual was daydreaming, "When I have nothing to do I think about the immortality of the crab" (Cuando no tengo nada que hacer, pienso en la inmortalidad del cangrejo). It is also used to wake someone from a daydream "are you thinking about the immortality of the crab?" (¿Estás pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo?) (Wikipedia)."
Now every time I catch someone or myself daydreaming, I know this idiom will pop into my mind. This is one of my new favorite phrases. When I'm done with work and errands today, I plan on sitting and thinking about the immortality of the crab for as long as possible.
See also: Idioms illustrated by fourth graders
