What does «santo y seña» mean in Spanish?
- Sign, especially verbal, that identifies someone as authorized to access certain places, resources or services; password. In the military, it is the sign that, together with the tarja, identifies someone as a member of the same side. The sentries who guarded the barracks asked for the "password" from those who wanted to enter in order to authorize or deny access to those who arrived.
Examples of use in Spanish: "Para poder entrar, tienes que dar el santo y seña".
- (dar santo y seña) Communicate in detail what happened.
Examples of use in Spanish: "ella nos dio santo y seña de lo ocurrido en la fiesta".
- (ser alguien o algo el santo y seña de algo) That someone or something constitutes the essence, symbolizes or represents something.
Examples of use in Spanish: "El capitán del equipo es nuestro santo y seña, es el alma del equipo, nada podríamos hacer sin él".