Those of you who have read this column before are bound to have noticed that at the end of each article there is a definition of a Costa Rican expression or tiquismo. The purpose of including these words is to familiarize readers with these frequently used expressions. You won’t find their meanings in most Spanish dictionaries.

birra – beer
brete – work
chapa – any coin or a dumb person
estar de chicha – to be angry
chingo – nude
chunche – any ‘thing’
chulo – a person who lives off others
harina – money
jupa – head
macho – a person with blonde hair
maje – dumb or a young man (slang)
matar la culebra – waste time
paja – b.s.
pinche – a tight-fisted person
paño – towel
clavar el pico – to fall asleep
agarrar de maje – to deceive someone
ponerse hasta la mecha – get drunk
torta – a big mistake or error
¡Pura vida! – Fantastic! Great!

Costa Rican expression of the week: cachos is a slang word for shoes.