? Como agua en mayo.

English translation: Like rain after a drought

19:51 Nov 17, 2020
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Government / Politics / current affairs
Spanish term or phrase: ? Como agua en mayo.
This is again from an opinion piece in a Mexican publication, on the U.S. presidential election, etc.
The short paragraph in which it occurs is:
"Las otras son razones más locales, si quieren llamarlas así. ¿Necesitamos aquí un baño de democracia? ***Como agua en mayo***."
What I think I understand about this is that it is a saying that one runs across occasionally, which I think refers to rains that in certain places come in May, & then bring flowers later in the season. I haven't been able to come up with an idiomatic phrase in English that might be close to equivalent.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thomas Walker
United States
Local time: 09:07
English translation:Like rain after a drought
Explanation:
One possibility
Selected response from:

Marie Wilson
Spain
Local time: 17:07
Grading comment
Thanks, Marie, & all who participated in the discussion.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4Like rain after a drought
Marie Wilson
4 +1Like the deserts need the rain
David Ronder
4Like a breath of fresh air
matt robinson
4long awaited
neilmac
3April showers bring May flowers
Ariana Piantanida
3Like sunshine after the rain
David Hollywood
Summary of reference entries provided
Como agua de mayo
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro

Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Like rain after a drought


Explanation:
One possibility

Example sentence(s):
  • When information finally comes, it is like rain after a drought.
  • It felt like rain after a drought, it felt like a rites of passage movie from the 80's.
Marie Wilson
Spain
Local time: 17:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thanks, Marie, & all who participated in the discussion.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stuart and Aida Nelson: I think this could work well with the rest of the sentence
17 mins
  -> Thanks, Aida :-)

agree  Michele Fauble
20 hrs
  -> Thanks, Michele :-)

agree  AllegroTrans
5 days
  -> Thank you!

agree  Chema Nieto Castañón
11 days
  -> Muchas gracias, Chema :-)
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
April showers bring May flowers


Explanation:
April showers bring May flowers
As you mentioned flowers and this concept of relief, there is a song by Frank Sinatra called April Showers that has taken a couplet wrote by English poet Thomas Tusser. According to some magazines and some scientific evidence, in the US, April showers bring May flowers.

there's always a rainbow after the rain/a storm
There are many popular quotes in English people use all over the Internet, this is one of them and it may convey the message with less "intellectual effort".

a sigh of relief
A more general and less creative option may be "a sigh of relief". Taken from https://www.google.com/amp/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/es/amp...


    https://www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/why-april-showers-bring-may-flowers-what-science-has-recently-taught-us/
    https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/rainbow
Ariana Piantanida
Argentina
Local time: 13:07
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: Poetic, but doesn't capture the essence of relief about the US election
5 days
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Like sunshine after the rain


Explanation:
As we're looking for something idiomatic, I would turn the whole thing round and use this expression as it conveys the meaning (and that's what it's all about) in the sense of something good after a bad spell.

lateral thinking involved here and might be hard to swallow I know....

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Note added at 8 hrs (2020-11-18 04:01:55 GMT)
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would sound ok to English ears

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Note added at 8 hrs (2020-11-18 04:24:46 GMT)
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more literal would be "after a long drought"

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Note added at 8 hrs (2020-11-18 04:26:45 GMT)
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it being understtod that the Trump presidency is seen by many as a political drought

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Note added at 8 hrs (2020-11-18 04:28:19 GMT)
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so: "As a welcome drop of rain after a long drought"

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Note added at 8 hrs (2020-11-18 04:29:50 GMT)
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depends how free you can be with this...

David Hollywood
Local time: 13:07
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 223
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Like a breath of fresh air


Explanation:
Well, it's another possibility, and widely used.


    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2012/1/4/a-rare-breath-of-fresh-air-in-us-politics
matt robinson
Spain
Local time: 17:07
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 7
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Like the deserts need the rain


Explanation:
Stolen (and slightly adapted) from the British group Everything But The Girl's classic song 'Missing':

"And I miss you, like the deserts miss the rain..."

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Note added at 11 hrs (2020-11-18 07:47:16 GMT)
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https://youtu.be/U56Ns66Qrb8

https://genius.com/Everything-but-the-girl-missing-lyrics


    https://genius.com/Everything-but-the-girl-missing-lyrics
    https://youtu.be/U56Ns66Qrb8
David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:07
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 44

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans: Doesn't capture the essence of relief about the US election
5 days
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
long awaited


Explanation:
Since I can't think of a set phrase other than the ones already posted, I'm suggesting this, because that's what it means (rainfall long-awaited after a dry spell). "Sorely needed" could be another similar option. I don't really see the point of trying to preserve the original metaphor.

Example sentence(s):
  • PM Erdoğan announces the long awaited 'Democracy Package'.
  • Hong Kong unveils long-awaited democracy blueprint...

    https://carnegieendowment.org/hkjournal/PDF/2008_summer/3.pdf
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:07
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 200

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  ormiston: Sounds nice but I think it emphasises a wish rather than a need
55 mins

neutral  AllegroTrans: doesn't quite capture the essence of profound relief
5 days
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Reference comments


1 hr
Reference: Como agua de mayo

Reference information:
Como agua de mayo
Al igual que sucedía en otras frases, la expresión española de hoy proviene del mundo del campo. Abril y mayo son meses en los que la lluvia es fundamental para que las plantaciones de gramíneas (básicamente, cereales) y los árboles frutales florezcan con su mayor esplendor. Si hay suficiente lluvia en esos meses, normalmente se asegura una buena cosecha que nos dará alimento hasta el próximo año.
https://expresionesyrefranes.com/2011/10/17/como-agua-de-may...

Utilizamos esta frase para expresar que algo llega o se produce en un momento muy deseado. Se usa la expresión “Como agua de mayo” para decir que una circunstancia o algo surge en el momento ideal, perfecto, y por eso es recibido con mucha alegría.
Ejemplos
– Llevo 3 meses sin trabajo y ahora empiezo a tener problemas económicos… ¡por eso esta oportunidad en la compañía más fuerte de España llega como agua de mayo!
– Tiene algunos problemas económicos… por eso este premio de la lotería llega como agua de mayo para él.
https://www.academia.andaluza.net/practicar/como-agua-de-may...

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Spain
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12
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