How do you say “Fly the coop” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is tomar las de Villadiego, which literally means “to take those of Villadiego”. English speakers use fly the coop to mean to leave or escape from a place. An established Spanish expression for making a quick escape. It is more colourful and less everyday than simply “marcharse”. Register: informal. Usage frequency: occasional.
Closest natural Spanish
tomar las de Villadiego
/toˈmaɾ las ðe βiʝaˈðjeɣo/
- Literal meaning
- “to take those of Villadiego”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
86 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
The phrase works when someone is suddenly gone, often to avoid trouble or an obligation. “Villadiego” is a place name kept as part of the saying.
The wording is fixed and its literal meaning is not transparent. You can say “se marchó” if you want a plain account of someone leaving.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
By the time we started washing up, the guests had flown the coop.
Spanish
Cuando empezamos a fregar los platos, los invitados ya habían tomado las de Villadiego.
English
We looked in his room, but he had already flown the coop.
Spanish
Miramos en su habitación, pero ya había tomado las de Villadiego.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01