Literal Translation
A badly-licked bear
Actual Meaning
A roughneck, a gruff or ill-mannered person
Etymology
It has been said that bears are born wrapped in membranes that their mothers remove by licking them. A bear that has not been properly licked is one on which this operation has not been successful.
According to another hypothesis, this expression comes from the Spanish mala leche, meaning “bad milk”. When someone has a bad temper, we say that they had bad milk when they were little.