If something is difficult, chaotic, dangerous, expensive, annoying or completely out of control, a Cuban may say: “está en candela.”
The electricity is out again? “Esto está en candela.” You are not saying that the wires are literally on fire. You mean the whole situation is a disaster.
You have three exams tomorrow? “Eso está en candela.” The exam is not burning either. It means it is going to be difficult.
It literally means “it’s on fire,” but Cubans use it for the kind of fire nobody can see: the mess, the pressure, the absurdity of daily life.
Sometimes it is a complaint. Sometimes it is admiration. Tone matters. In Cuban Spanish, tone matters almost more than the dictionary.
