Salvadoran Slang Dictionary

Hace un par de años llegó a mis manos (o más bien dicho al e-mail) un diccionario de slang salvadoreño que me pareció muy singular. He agregado más definiciones y modificado otras con el propósito de presentárselos a continuación.

Salvadoran Slang Dictionary. Ver 1.0

A

• Ajolotado(a) – Said of a person displaying a nervous behavior.
• Achicar – To belittle or ridicule someone.
• Achicada -The effect of being belittled or ridiculed.
• Aguacatero – Said of a dog. A mutt or stray dog considered of a mixed breed.
• Ajolotado/a – Someone worried.
• Alguashte - a seasoning typical of Salvadoran cuisine.
• Amansalocos – Police baton. The word is composed by the words amansar and locos. ‘Amansar’ is a Salvadoran verb that means assuage or domesticate, while ‘loco’ means crazy in Spanish. The word is best explained as ‘the psycho-pacifier’
• Anantes – Colloquialism meaning that something was very close to happening or vice versa.
• Anantillo - Variation of ‘Anantes’ which is used as a superlative of the aforementioned.
• Apiarse – Getting down from a higher elevation, such as a tree, a horse or a bus.
• Ahuevo/Awebo – 1) Doing something by force. 2) Assertive response for yes.
• Ahuevar/Awebar – Synonym of ‘Achicar’.
• Ahuevada/Awebada -Synonym of ‘Achidada’.
• Atajar: The action of catching an object.

B

• Baboso(a) – A Silly, ignorant or slow person.
• Babosada – 1) Something considered either foolish or worthless. 2) A “kind” adjective for calling little children
• Babosear – 1) To waste time idly. 2) To look around for an address or location without certainty.
• Bajar -To trick, deceive or betray someone. Synonym of ‘Dar baje’.
• Bajón – Food.
• Bayunco – 1) Immature, foolish. 2) Someone that is always making jokes.
• Bicho(a) – Little kid. Sometimes derogatory, like “brat” or “punk”.
• Birria - Beer.
• Bolado – 1) thing or object. 2) B. is also used when referring to a woman, with an amorous/sexual connotation.
• Bolis – a frozen non-alcoholic beverage that is sold in a cylindrical bag.
• Bolo(a) – Drunk, wasted or tipsy.
• Bonche – A problem.
• Bute – A kind of fish. Also, physically unattractive person.

C

• Caca*: Poop.
• Cabal – Exactly, true, certainly. Usually used to answer in an affirmative way.
• Cabuda – 1) Monetary consolidation between a group, conducted in order to purchase something that is unaffordable individually. 2) Equivalent to “chip in” “.
• Cacaso* – Used to denote defective or very-poor-quality artifacts. Synonym of ‘chafa’.
• Cachada -An article offered by street vendors at a very low price.
• Cacharro – An old car.
• Cachete – Cheek.
• cachimbiar – Verb meaning to defeat someone on a fist fight, equivalent of ‘beat up’. Synonyms are penquiar, taleguiar, sopapiar, tastasiar, pijiar, verguiar.
• Cachimbazo* – 1) A strong impact or hit. 2) A large amount of something.
• Cachimbon* –1) An excellent person. 2) An expression used for assertive approval.
• Cachivache: An old object.
• Cachucha: A cap.
• Cachudo: The devil.
• Cadejo: Salvadoran mythology dog.
• Cagar* – to poop. Synonim: “Zurrar”
• Caliche – Jargon.
• Carmelo/a – The other guy/girl in the life of our partner/spouse.
• Casaca -A lie, untruth.
• Casaquero -A liar, one who lies.
• Cerote* – a piece of poop.
• Chacalín – A kind of shrimp.
• Chambre - a gossip.
• Chame/Chejein – Popular expressions that are said when someone else acts with inappropriate manners.
• Champa - a ramshackle hut made of all kind of odd materials.
• Chancleta/Chanclas – Old sandals.
• Charro - to be discrete.
• Chaveliado – A falsified object.
• Chele – 1) A blond or caucasian person (male or female). 2) ‘Cheles’ is also used for the secretion formed in the eyes overnight.
• Chenga – Tortilla.
• Chero(a) – a friend. Chero (male) Chera (female)
• Chicha – an alcoholic beverage made with pineapple.
• Chiche – 1) Something Easy or something accomplished without struggle. 2) Can also denote a woman’s breast.
• Chilatear – To provoke someone.
• Chimbolo – A small fish.
• Chirilicas – Money.
• Chivatada – Any kind of person that seems to be rich.
• Chivo – cool, awesome.
• Choco – blind.
• Chojoles – Beans.
• Chompipe – Turkey.
• Cholco – someone with missing teeth.
• Cholera - A pejorative way to call a maid.
• Cholo – 1) Something big. 2) Also refers to a member of a gang.
• Chota – Police.
• Chotiar – To have a trip.
• Chuchería – Junk food.
• Chucho – 1) Dog. 2) Also refers to persons who are greedy.
• Chuco – 1) Dirty. 2) Also the name of a local non alcoholic hot beverage similar to horchata that contains so many ingredients (including small black beans).
• Chulon (male) or chulona (female) – naked, nude.
• Chunche – thing, object.
• Chunguiar - To provoke someone.
• Chuña – Barefoot.
• Chupa - A social gathering for the sole purpose of drinking alcohol.
• Churria – diarrhea.
• Chuzón – Bus.
• Cipitio: A Salvadoran mythology boy who has a big belly. He is the son of Siguanaba.
• Cipote(a) – young boy or girl.
• Coco – Someone intelligent.
• Codo – Someone stingy.
• Coico – A hit on someone else head (generally with fingers).
• Colocho – 1) Any kind of curl (Wood, hair…). 2) Someone with curled hair,
• Cora – A quarter dollars.
• Coquear – To think or reflect on something.
• Cuche – 1) Pig. 2) Someone dirty.
• Cuchumbo – Any kind of container.
• Cucucho – To carry someone on the shoulders.
• Cuetear – The act of shooting someone. Popularly used by the pre-war generations as a threat: -te voy a cuetear- = “I’m going to shoot you.”
• Cuilio – Police officer.
• Culero* – Offensive and derogative term for a homosexual man (equivalent to fag).
• Culiyo* – To be afraid.
• Curíl – A kind of mollusc that can be eaten.
• Cuzuco - Armadillo.

D

• Dar en la nuca – To betray someone.
• De choto – 1) For free. 2) Or de choto when you do something in vain.
• Destartalar – To disarm an object.
• Desvergue*/Desmadre – A big mess..
• Dundo – stupid or dumb.

E

• Echar la araña – To pee.
• Embrocado – Any kind of dish, bowl, glass or container that is upside down
• Encrackado – To be high on crack-cocaine
• Encumbrar – To elevate a kite.
• Enbolar –To get drunk.
• Enjaranar – To get a debt.

F

• Fondiarse – To sleep.
• Fundiyo – Ass.

G

• Garrobo - an iguana.
• Gato – A poor person.
• Goma - hangover.
• Grencho – A rude person.
• Grevas – A long haired person.
• Guacal – Bowl, usually made of plastic.
• Guaro - alcohol, specially the cheap and strong kind.
• Guaza – Pure luck.

H

• Hagale huevos – To have guts.
• Hacer jarana – To Trick someone in a business or deal.
• Huiste – A pice of broken glass.

J

• Jarana – 1) Trick, fraud. 2) Also a debt.
• Jayanada – An inmoral action.
• Joder – 1) To have fun making something. 2) To bother someone else.

L

• La mara – group of friends or companions or an unspecified group of people. May also mean a gang.

M

• Maitro – An old man.
• Majada – Pejorative expression for people.
• Marero – a gang member.
• Mascón – A soccer game.
• Menear – Verb meaning ‘to shake’.
• Metido(a) – Someone given to prying into the affairs of others. Synonim: Meque.
• Miar/Miarbolito – To peep.
• Mierda* – Poop.
• Minuta - Chopped ice with syrup.
• Monte - Marihuana.
• Mordida – The act of bribing.
• Mucura – Girlfriend.

N

• Nana – Mother.
• Nel – Synonym of no.
• No hay pedo/No hay nada – An expression used to say that there is no problem.

O

• O sea – Expression used when someone else doesn´t have any idea of something.
• Otran Vex – An affirmative expression.

P

• Patiín – 1) A party. 2) Any strong and offensive odor.
• Paja – A lie.
• Pasmado -A dumb person.
• Perolada – A big meal.
• Pichinga -A large bottle or plastic container to carry water.
• Pija* – 1) To be drunk. 2) Penis.
• Pijiar* – To defeat someone on a fist fight.
• Pijiado* – Someone who results beaten on a fist fight.
• Pipian – An effeminate boy.
• Pencazo -A strong hit. Synonym of ‘Cerotazo’.
• Peperecha – 1) A kind of Salvadoran sweet bread. 2) A pejorative way to call a sex worker.
• Piscucha – A kite.
• Pisto – Money.
• Púchica – oh my gosh! Damn!.
• Puyar – 1) To injure someone with a pointed and sharp object. 2) To speed up a vehicle or an activity.

R

• Rai – a pedestrian request for an automobile ride.
• Rascuache – Something ruined or with poor quality.
• Riata – 1) strong beating. 2) To be drunk.

Q

• Queso – An intelligent person.

S

• Sepa - who knows? or “only God knows”.  Synonim: asaber.
• Simón – Slang variation of yes.

T

• Tacuazín – 1) Opossum. 2) A thief.
• Talega - In a drunken state.
• Talegazo* – Strong hit.. Synonym of ‘Cachimbazo’, ‘Cerotazo’ , ‘Pencazo’, ‘Vergazo’.
• Tanatada/Tanate – Bulk. Large quantities of something. Synonym of “cachimbo”.
• Tapis – A shot of an alcoholic drink.
• Tata – Father.
• Tecolote – Owl
• Tripudo/a – A very fat boy/girl.
• Trompa – Mouth.
• Trompear -To hit someone in the mouth.
• Tumblimbli – Onomatopoeic word which corresponds to the three-note sonoric-insult aimed at the opponent’s mother. Regarded invariably as offensive.
• Tunco – pig, cuche.

U

• Utual – at this moment.

V

• Vergón* – positive exclamation, an equivalent of the slang ‘cool’.
• Verguera* – Getting drunk.

Y

• Yuca – A very difficult situation or problem.

Z

• Zambutir – To introduce something in a liquid.
• Zope – 1) Turkey vulture. 2) Vomit.
• Zopear – to throw up. Synonim: “buitrear”.
• Zorro/a – 1) An experienced or intelligent person.
• Zurrar – to poop. Synonim: “Cagar”

Las que tienen asterisco (*) son malas Palabras / Swear Words.

Sí conocen alguna otra definición que no aparezca por favor háganlo saber para agregarla.  =)