zaga
the rear; in soccer, the defense; no ir a la zaga: to be every bit as goodparte de atrás; en fútbol, la defensa; «no ir a la zaga»: no ser menos
Comes from Arabic
سَاقَة
sāqa
“the rearguard of an army”«retaguardia de un ejército»
Arabic today says
مُؤَخِّرَة
muʾakhkhira
Root
س و ق
s-w-q
The article
It came in without the article.
The story
The sāqa was the rearguard that "drove" the army forward (from the verb sāqa, "to drive"); today it lives on in soccer and in the phrase no irle a la zaga a alguien (to be no less than someone).La sāqa era la retaguardia que «arreaba» al ejército (del verbo sāqa, «conducir»); hoy vive en el fútbol y en «no irle a la zaga» a alguien.
In a sentence
En simpatía, su hermano no le va a la zaga.
When it comes to charm, his brother is every bit his equal.
فِي اللُّطْفِ لَا يَقِلُّ عَنْهُ أَخُوه.
More words from the root س و ق
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