Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«A palabra de santo, respuesta de demonio.»
Word for word
To a saint's word, a demon's response.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Holy words can get a devil's reply.
Used when someone responds rudely or aggressively to a kind or reasonable remark. It highlights the unfairness of getting a hostile reaction to good intentions.
Hear it in a sentence
A palabra de santo, respuesta de demonio; le hablé con educación y me contestó gritando.
Holy words get a devil's reply; I spoke to him politely and he answered by shouting.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your exact level.