a salto de mata — meaning & examples

Language: es

Meanings:

1.
Latin Americacolloquialinformal
- Living or moving furtively and irregularly to avoid detection or capture; living on the run.
- Making frequent, rapid relocations in order to evade authorities or hostile parties.
Examples
Beta
- Después de la denuncia, vivieron a salto de mata para evitar ser encontrados.
  After the complaint, they lived on the run to avoid being found.
- Vivir a salto de mata no es fácil, siempre hay que estar cambiando de lugar y cuidándose.
  Living furtively is not easy, you always have to keep moving and watch out.
- El fugitivo se mueve a salto de mata, sin dejar rastro ni contacto fijo.
  The fugitive moves furtively, leaving no trace or fixed contact.
2.
Latin Americacolloquialinformal
- Leading a precarious, improvised, or itinerant existence; living by occasional or ad hoc means.
- Carrying out activities in a hasty, makeshift, or stopgap manner.
Examples
Beta
- Trabaja a salto de mata, aceptando cualquier trabajo temporal que encuentre en el camino.
  He works irregularly, accepting any temporary job he finds along the way.
- Ella lleva una vida a salto de mata, sin contratos ni estabilidad laboral.
  She leads a precarious life, without contracts or job stability.
- El músico vive a salto de mata, tocando en diferentes bares cada noche para sobrevivir.
  The musician lives itinerantly, playing in different bars every night to survive.

Examples:

ES: A mi padre lo mataron cuando yo estaba escuenclito. Y de ahí, pues tuvimos que andar a salto de mata.
EN: When my father was killed, I was only a kid and from that moment it was an everyday fight.
ES: Ahora, se puede vivir a salto de mata por el resto de su vida.
EN: Now, you can live hand to mouth for the rest of your life.
ES: [Sanjuana] Se lo gasta en sus mujeres, en sus casas, en sus familias, en la vida que ha elegido a salto de mata.
EN: [Sanjuana] He spends it on his women, his houses and his families, as part of a life of fleeing, which he chose.
ES: Vamos a salto de mata, chica.
EN: We're overworked, girl.
ES: Por eso vive a salto de mata.
EN: That's why she always operates like this.

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Sourced from Wiktionary