Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Muerto el perro, se acabó la rabia.»
Word for word
Dead the dog, the rabies is over.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Once the source is gone, the problem ends.
Used when eliminating the root cause of a problem, often referring to removing a troublemaker or ending a conflict by cutting it off at its source. Common in both Spain and Latin America, sometimes with a cynical tone.
Hear it in a sentence
Despidieron al gerente conflictivo y, muerto el perro, se acabó la rabia.
They fired the troublesome manager and, once the source was gone, the problem ended.
More Spanish sayings
- El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta. — Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
- Borrón y cuenta nueva. — Let bygones be bygones.
- El que guarda su boca, guarda su alma. — Watch your mouth, protect yourself.
- El que la hace, la paga. — You reap what you sow.
- Hablando se entiende la gente. — Talking things through solves problems.
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 level.