sacar el ascua con la mano del gato

== Spanish == === Etymology === Literally, “to take out the embers with the cat's hand”. === Verb === sacar el ascua con la mano del gato (first-person singular present saco el ascua con la mano del gato, first-person singular preterite saqué el ascua con la mano del gato, past participle sacado el ascua con la mano del gato) (idiomatic) to get someone else to do one's dirty work Synonym: sacar el ascua con mano ajena === Further reading === “sacar alguien el ascua con la mano del gato, o con mano ajena”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025