ass intact
- idiom
- Offensive
:
salir con el culo limpio
- I nearly escaped with my ass intact.
Examples
-
She managed to negotiate the tricky situation and left the meeting with her ass intact.
-
Despite the chaos at the party, he got out with his ass intact and a good story to tell.
-
After the storm passed, we all felt relieved to have made it home with our ass intact.
Synonyms
44
2.1
Not hurt or damaged after a dangerous event
Antonyms
- Informal
19
4.5
Accept and deal with unpleasant results or criticism for something you did
How Safe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'ass' (butt) and 'intact' (not broken) give a clear clue that someone escaped without physical harm, so a learner can infer the general idea. However, the phrase relies on figurative synecdoche (using a body part to mean the person) and informal register, so the precise idiomatic use may not be immediately predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Ass intact likely comes from a blunt, visual image: someone escaping a fight or accident with their ass still whole and unharmed. So, to keep your ass intact means to come out of a dangerous or difficult situation 'without harm'.