As the word suggestions, a “traspié” has to do with putting your feet in the wrong place, in other words to stumble or trip. The king of Spain has become a shining example of this activity. As he has got older and undergone various hip operations and so on, he is now rather known for falling flat on his face at inappropriate moments, not to mention walking into cupboard doors. King Juan Carlos rather conveniently illustrates the other, more figurative meaning of “traspié” which is “blunder”. He and his family seem to be increasingly good at these as well, and both these meanings of “traspié” were eminently displayed by the king when he fell over while hunting elephants in Botswana as a guest of a female friend. Don’t you just love the royals, they provide such good examples.
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