Thinking about the immortality of the crab


"Thinking about the immortality of the crab" is a Spanish idiom referring to the act of daydreaming. It is a humorous way to say that one was not sitting idly but engaged constructively in contemplation or letting one's mind wander.
The phrase is usually used to express that an individual was daydreaming, "When I have nothing to do I think about the immortality of the crab". It is also used to wake someone from a daydream; "are you thinking about the immortality of the crab?"

In literature

Dominican poet and writer Edgar Smith wrote a novel in Spanish called La inmortalidad del cangrejo, about a man who, tired of suffering in life, decides to kill himself, but, after three failed attempts, starts to wonder if he can die at all. The novel was critically acclaimed in Hispanic circles. It was officially released in January 2015 in the Dominican Republic, then it was presented at the Hamilton Grange Library in the United States in June.

In film

Sena/Quina, la inmortalidad del cangrejo – 2005 film by Paolo Agazzi

Variants

The idiom is about daydreaming. Similar phrases are used in various languages and it may vary depending on the country.
  • – thinking about the immortality of the maybug.
  • – thinking about the immortality of the maybug.
  • – sitting and wondering about the world's early origins.
  • – literally, "thinking about blue almonds"; sometimes myśleć is replaced with śnić or marzyć, changing the meaning to "dreaming about blue almonds".
  • – thinking about the death of the calf.
  • – thinking about the immortality of the soul.
  • Colombian Spanish: echando globos – literally, "throwing balloons", but it refers to the act of blowing balloons.
  • Venezuelan Spanish: pensando en pajaritos preñados – thinking about pregnant birds.
  • Peruvian Spanish: pensando en la inmortalidad del mosquito – thinking about the immortality of the mosquito