Example: Después de la discusión, decidimos hacer borrón y cuenta nueva.
Definition
"Hacer borrón y cuenta nueva" means to start fresh by forgetting past mistakes or conflicts, essentially wiping the slate clean and moving forward without holding grudges or dwelling on previous issues.
Translations
to start with a clean slate
met een schone lei beginnen
fer taula rasa
repartir à zéro
einen Neuanfang machen
Etymology
The phrase "hacer borrón y cuenta nueva" originates from accounting practices where 'borrón' means 'blot' or 'smudge' and 'cuenta nueva' means 'new account.' It metaphorically suggests erasing old records to begin anew. Did you know it vividly captures the idea of resetting like clearing a dirty slate?
Learn to use this expression actively
"Hacer borrón y cuenta nueva" appears in the Vocaplus list "Spanish - General - Modismos y refranes - (C2) - parte 1", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select Spanish as the language you want to learn.
to start with a clean slate