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I recently came across the following phrase in a podcast by Español Automático: podcast no 217. Hablamos de Leonardo diCaprio. The phrase is :

Nos hemos metido entre el pecho y la espalda unas veintialgo películas.

I think "meterse entre el pecho y la espalda" can be used with food, as in stuffing oneself. How is it used?

In the context of movies is it the equivalent of the English, we binge-watched several movies?

2 Answers 2

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According to the DLE

entre pecho y espalda

  1. loc. adv. coloq. En el estómago.

In English

between chest and back

  1. Into the stomach

As you pointed, usually this expression is used with food to remark the consumption of a great quantity ("stuffing oneself").

If you check the meaning of binge-watching in the Wikipedia in Spanish, you'll find the term atracón
Un maratón de series, atracón de series, y las expresiones inglesas binge-watching, binge-viewing o marathon-viewing, son términos que hacen referencia a la acción de ver varios capítulos de la misma serie de televisión de forma continua

In this term we can find the key of your question

  1. m. Exceso en una actividad cualquiera. Atracón de trabajar, de llorar.

  2. m. coloq. Acción y efecto de atracar (‖ comer y beber con exceso).

Being the main use of atracón an excess on eating and drinking (2), the term can be used with an excess on any activity (1).

Summarizing

Nos hemos metido entre el pecho y la espalda unas veintialgo películas.
=
Nos hemos dado un atracón de unas veintialgo películas
= EN
We have watched twentysomething movies in a row
=
We have binge-watched twentysomething movies

Last but not least, the expression gathered in the DLE does not show the articles present in your sentence, el and la, as Charlie has pointed in the comments. I agree with him, the most common form is entre pecho y espalda, with no articles.

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    Quite an old expression, I've always seen it without the articles: "entre pecho y espalda". In fact, it is already present in that form in the dictionary by Covarrubias, published in 1611: "Entre pecho y espalda, termino de los que comen valientemente." It also appears in the Quixote by Avellaneda, published in 1614: "El qual tomó Sancho, y una a una [...] se las metió entre pecho y espalda."
    – Charlie
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 8:03
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    I've always seen it without the articles too. You should include those references in an answer. Always great to know old references to words and expressions. :-)
    – RubioRic
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 8:07
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In some occasions, it can be interpreted with food (eat a lot), but in other circumstances, it can mean the excess of something

So, the example you provided

Nos hemos metido entre el pecho y la espalda unas veintialgo películas

Means that "twenty-something" movies have been seen, that is, at least twenty have been seen and there may be a possibility that the number is higher.

Depending on the circumstance, the meaning may vary

Se metió entre pecho y espalda tres copazos y se puso al volante

In this case, it mean drink

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    Yes, you are all correct. I checked the original transcript of the podcast and the definite articles are not present in the expression. Just "entre pecho y espalda"
    – Bluelion7
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 20:38

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