What does “pagar los platos rotos” mean in Spanish?

Pagar los platos rotos literally means “to pay for the broken plates” — and it’s what Spanish speakers say when someone gets blamed, or bears the consequences, for a mess they didn’t cause. The speaker in this clip uses a close variant, recoger los platos rotos (“pick up the broken plates”), asking entrepreneurs whether they’re prepared to be the one left holding the consequences if things go wrong.

The most common origin story: servants historically had to pay out of pocket for dishes they broke on the job, whether or not it was really their fault — hence “paying” for damage that wasn’t always deserved. Two close cousins carry the same idea: pagar el pato (“pay the duck”) and cargar con el mochuelo (“carry the owl”).