Por si fuera poco, falta hilo encerado.

As if that weren't enough, waxed thread is missing.

Breakdown of Por si fuera poco, falta hilo encerado.

• faltar: to be missing
• el hilo encerado: the waxed thread
• por si fuera poco: as if that weren't enough; to make matters worse

Questions & Answers about Por si fuera poco, falta hilo encerado.

What does por si fuera poco mean as a fixed expression?

It’s a set phrase meaning as if that weren’t enough, to make matters worse, or on top of that.

Even though the literal pieces are different, you should usually learn it as a whole expression rather than translating word by word every time.

Examples:

• Llegamos tarde y, por si fuera poco, empezó a llover.
  We arrived late and, as if that weren’t enough, it started raining.

It often introduces an extra problem or inconvenience.

Why is it fuera and not es, era, or fue?

Because por si fuera poco uses the imperfect subjunctive of ser: fuera.

This expression comes from the idea of “if that were not enough”, which is why Spanish uses a subjunctive form here. In modern usage, native speakers usually just treat por si fuera poco as a fixed expression.

So:

• fuera = imperfect subjunctive of ser
• the phrase is idiomatic, so it’s best memorized whole

You may also sometimes see por si fuese poco. That is the same structure, just using the other common imperfect subjunctive form:

• fuera
• fuese

Both are correct.

Why is there no subject in falta hilo encerado?