a palo seco

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Literally, "on (a) dry stick". The phrase dates back to the 18th century sailors who would eat the bare minimum during violent storms, when the mast (the "stick") would be bare of sails ("dry").

• IPA ^(key): /a ˌpalo ˈseko/ [a ˌpa.lo ˈse.ko]
• Syllabification: a pa‧lo se‧co

a palo seco

1. (idiomatic ) on its own (without any other type of food)

• "a palo seco", in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

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