Poner los puntos sobre las íes
Example: Es importante poner los puntos sobre las íes en la reunión.
Definition
"Poner los puntos sobre las íes" means to clarify details or make something clear and precise, often by addressing misunderstandings or ambiguities. It is used when someone wants to ensure that all facts or points are understood exactly as intended.
Etymology
The phrase "poner los puntos sobre las íes" literally means 'to put the dots on the i's.' It comes from the practice of carefully adding the dots to the lowercase letter 'i' in writing to avoid confusion with other letters. This expression metaphorically represents making things clear or precise, just as dots make the letter 'i' distinct.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Poner los puntos sobre las íes" appears in the Vocaplus list "Spanish - General - Modismos y refranes - (C1) - parte 1", containing 120 commonly used expressions.
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to set things straight