Tercüme - İspanyolca-İngilizce - Del tamaño del sapo es la pedrada.

I asked some people from Mexico who had heard the saying, and the closest I can come to the meaning is that "the means should be adwequate to the end". IN other words, the size of the stone should match the size of the frog. (or, more brutally, to smash the frog you need an equal-sized rock!)

Still not sure, though....

Now that sounds ok in English to: "The means should equal the results." or "Force should be used in direct ratio to the results."

So lets go with the to smash the frog you need an equal-sized rock!

So why does pirulito disagree? Do you have something better pirulito? If not I can't count your vote unless you can defend it.

The smash is big as your mistake.

I found something that will help in solving the mystery it's here, the lower part of the page

Freya...you have really solved the mistery!!!

Don't use a lot where a little will do.

is just a perfect match to the meaning of the mexican saying.

(where do you find those treasures???)

I have my "secret" sites which I use every time I find this sort of texts.

This is a mexican proverb it seems, literally meaning 'the size of the frog determines the stone-cast'.

I don't know an equal expression in english but it should be something like:

don't use a lot where a little will do / don't use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.

ok next time I will check other people's comments first, I ended up at the same site without knowing it, could have saved me half an hour

Freya is right...or her secret site

Not so secret site! :-) - I also saw it. I think we're getting close to the meaning! Thanks Freya and all!

In fact, I didn't really know the meaning of this saying, but I was curious and this was enough to make me want to search it on the net.
Another thing from another site, only it is in Spanish here...strange, they don't agree

Anyway, after reading this I believe the saying wants to express something like: "According to your acts, you get what you deserve." or something like this.

That's true, but I suspect "to each his own" is not correct. Someone else said "Si hay que pagar a alguien en una empresa, dependiendo de sus estudios o su preparacion es su sueldo." That seems to somewhat fit our interpretation better. (e.g. paying someone according to their qualifications would seem to hint at the idea idea of fitting the repsonse to the size of the problem....)

Para aplastar una rana, necesitas una piedra de su tamano

In the original text you don't need anything.
The translation is not of the meaning of the text.
It's not write: "This translation request is "Meaning only"."

Lucila:

I think that this is not a common sentence.
We are working with a saying which is supposed to be popular in a Spanish speaking country.
Therefore, the best thing to do is searching carefully its exact meaning (or as accurate as possible) in order to find a similar saying, well known in the target language even if the words used are not the literal translation of those in the original request.
That's why all these people above are spending (not wasting) so much time on it.

So then, Don't use a lot where a little will do. it is!