- Ande yo caliente y que se ría la gente: To not care what others think.
- Billetera mata el galán: Money is more important that appearance.
- Darse una puñalada en el pecho: To be satisfied
- El diablo predica y no se convierte: To practice what you preach
All posts by Christopher Howard
Costa Rican Animal Idioms
- Cabrear (cabra is a goat): To make someone angry or pissed off
- Camarón (shrimp) que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente: You snooze, you lose.
- Camarón que se duerme amanece en ceviche: A shrimp that falls asleep ends up being ceviche (a fish dish)
- Hacer
To screw up big time
Botar el rancho: is to regurgitate
Botado/a: overly generous or free spending
Caballada or burrada: a stupid act
Cortar el rabo: to fire someone from a job. Despedir o cesar are the correct verbs.
Echarse un rol: to sleep. Rulearse is also used. Dormir is the correct verb.
Estaca: a cheapskate. Tacaño and agarrado are also used.
Estar como un ajillo: to be very clean
Estar como un roble: to be healthy. Estar pochotón is a synonym.
Estar pollito: to be naïve
Hacerse punta: to get a haircut
Jalado/a: emaciated. Demacrado is the correct word.
Jamonero: A bully. Matón is also used. Matonear or jamonear mean to bully someone.
Meter una puñalada: is to back stab or betray someone
Pelliscado/a: alert or astute
Pulseándola: to work very hard
Se fue en todas or se la pelo: to screw up big time
Botado/a: overly generous or free spending
Caballada or burrada: a stupid act
Cortar el rabo: to fire someone from a job. Despedir o cesar are the correct verbs.
Echarse un rol: to sleep. Rulearse is also used. Dormir is the correct verb.
Estaca: a cheapskate. Tacaño and agarrado are also used.
Estar como un ajillo: to be very clean
Estar como un roble: to be healthy. Estar pochotón is a synonym.
Estar pollito: to be naïve
Hacerse punta: to get a haircut
Jalado/a: emaciated. Demacrado is the correct word.
Jamonero: A bully. Matón is also used. Matonear or jamonear mean to bully someone.
Meter una puñalada: is to back stab or betray someone
Pelliscado/a: alert or astute
Pulseándola: to work very hard
Se fue en todas or se la pelo: to screw up big time
More Heady Words
A la cabeza: at the head of the class, line or page
Cabecear: to nod off to sleep
Cabeza de agua: a flash flood
Cabeza de ajo: a head of garlic
Cabeza de chorlito: scattered brain
Cabeza de ganado: head of cattle (number of cows)
Cabeza de familia: head of the family
Cabeza del puente: bridge head
Cazador de cabezas: head hunter
Con la cabeza bien alta: to hold one’s head high (figurative)
Dar en el clavo: to hit the nail on the head
De cabeza: head first
Escarmentar en cabeza ajena: to learn from other’s mistakes
Es mejor ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león: to be a big fish in a small pond. Another version: En la tierra de los ciegos el tuerto es rey (in the land of the blind the one-eye man is king).
Levantar la cabeza: to get back on one’s feet (economicallY)
Más vale 4 ojos que dos: to heads are better than one
No tiene pies ni cabeza: can’t make heads or tails of something
Nunca se me ha pasado por la cabeza: it has never crossed my mind.
Perder la cabeza: to lose one’s head (go crazy)
Quebrarse or Romperse la cabeza: to rack one’s brains.
Tener la cabeza llena de pájaros: to have one’s head in the clouds
Tocado de cabeza: to be touched in the head
Cabecear: to nod off to sleep
Cabeza de agua: a flash flood
Cabeza de ajo: a head of garlic
Cabeza de chorlito: scattered brain
Cabeza de ganado: head of cattle (number of cows)
Cabeza de familia: head of the family
Cabeza del puente: bridge head
Cazador de cabezas: head hunter
Con la cabeza bien alta: to hold one’s head high (figurative)
Dar en el clavo: to hit the nail on the head
De cabeza: head first
Escarmentar en cabeza ajena: to learn from other’s mistakes
Es mejor ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león: to be a big fish in a small pond. Another version: En la tierra de los ciegos el tuerto es rey (in the land of the blind the one-eye man is king).
Levantar la cabeza: to get back on one’s feet (economicallY)
Más vale 4 ojos que dos: to heads are better than one
No tiene pies ni cabeza: can’t make heads or tails of something
Nunca se me ha pasado por la cabeza: it has never crossed my mind.
Perder la cabeza: to lose one’s head (go crazy)
Quebrarse or Romperse la cabeza: to rack one’s brains.
Tener la cabeza llena de pájaros: to have one’s head in the clouds
Tocado de cabeza: to be touched in the head
Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expression) of the week:
Jupa or torre (tower) is one’s head in Costa Rican slang
To crash a party and more Costa Rican expressions
Carga: excellent, nice, good, awesome ¡Qué carga! How excellent or good!
Cargado/a: loaded with money
Echarse flores: to praise ones self of be or proud of one’s accomplishments
Ir de paracaidista: a party crasher
¡Qué cargue otro con ese San Benito!: Let someone else deal with that problem.
¡Qué pacheco!: How cold!
Quedarse cuchito: to be quiet or silent
Quien quita un quite: There is a small chance or remote possibility
Quitarse el tiro: to avoid an obligation or commitment
Saber por donde va la procesión: to understand something or indication of what it is all about
Saberse el Carreño: to be a courteous person
Se descocheró algo: something broke or fall apart
Se estorrentó: to flee from something
Se me llenó la cachimba de tierra: my patience ran out
Se robó el mandado: to steal something like a woman or an idea from someone
Ser comesantos y cagadiablos: to be religious and sinner at the same time, i.e., hypocrite
Ser más duro que la carne de pescuezo: to be a bad person or situation
Trato hecho, zopilote güecho: a deal is a deal
Una verdad de tomo y lomo: without a doubt or “sin duda” in good Spanish
Vale más un mal arreglo que un buen pleito: a less than desired solution is better than a bigger problem
Volverse pura paja: to not keep a promise or B.S. Someone
Zamarrear a alguien: to deceive someone
Cargado/a: loaded with money
Echarse flores: to praise ones self of be or proud of one’s accomplishments
Ir de paracaidista: a party crasher
¡Qué cargue otro con ese San Benito!: Let someone else deal with that problem.
¡Qué pacheco!: How cold!
Quedarse cuchito: to be quiet or silent
Quien quita un quite: There is a small chance or remote possibility
Quitarse el tiro: to avoid an obligation or commitment
Saber por donde va la procesión: to understand something or indication of what it is all about
Saberse el Carreño: to be a courteous person
Se descocheró algo: something broke or fall apart
Se estorrentó: to flee from something
Se me llenó la cachimba de tierra: my patience ran out
Se robó el mandado: to steal something like a woman or an idea from someone
Ser comesantos y cagadiablos: to be religious and sinner at the same time, i.e., hypocrite
Ser más duro que la carne de pescuezo: to be a bad person or situation
Trato hecho, zopilote güecho: a deal is a deal
Una verdad de tomo y lomo: without a doubt or “sin duda” in good Spanish
Vale más un mal arreglo que un buen pleito: a less than desired solution is better than a bigger problem
Volverse pura paja: to not keep a promise or B.S. Someone
Zamarrear a alguien: to deceive someone
