Malaga - Tourismbrochures.net

Malaga 

Sun and Dialect 

“Popular Vocabulary” 

Available online: 

www.visitcostadelsol.com 

Spanish, English, French and German versions 

Costa de So Tour st Board

TOURIST BOARD & 

CONVENTION BUREAU 

index 

MÁLAGA, SUN AND DIALECT 

0. Introduction page 4 

1. Dialect of the Malagueños page 5 

2. Popular Vocabulary page 8 

2 

Graphic design: Vocento Mediatrader. 

Editing: IT Department at the Tourist Board and Vocento 

Mediatrader. 


COSTA DEL SOL TOURIST BOARD 

Plaza del Siglo, 2 

29015 Málaga 

Telephone: (+34) 952 12 62 72 

E-mail: info@visitcostadelsol.com 

Website: www.visitcostadelsol.com 

3



0. iNTRODUCTION 

1. dIALECT OF THE 

MALAGUEÑOS 

. Popular Vocabulary 

The Costa del Sol Tourist 

Board, in its desire to provide information to 

our visitors about where to stay or where to 

eat, about places to go and places to have 

fun, has now published a glossary of regional 

expressions on the Internet, which compiles 

some of the most peculiar words and 

expressions used in the Malaga dialect. It is 

a novel idea as far as we know, since this 

kind of information is not commonly found in 

the currently available tour guides. 

Therefore, we think that this data about colloquial 

Malaga speech can be of interest not 

only to those who do not speak our tongue, 

but also to Spanish speakers because here 

they will find expressions which are unique 

to our form of speech, and may therefore be 

unknown to them. What the Tourist Board 

intends to achieve by publishing this brief 

glossary is to provide to those who visit the 

4 Málaga, Sun and Dialect 

Index 

Costa del Sol with a barrier-free form of 

communication, so that the old Spanish 

proverb "hablando se entiende la gente" 

(People must speak to understand each 

other) becomes a reality. 

Francisco Álvarez Curiel 


The birthplace of each person 

determines their particular form of expression, 

and we Andalusians are known for the way we 

talk. Making clear from the start that our way of 

speaking is no better or worse than the official 

Spanish language, only different, it is easy to 

identify someone as Andalusian by the imprint of 

his voice. Even though the diversity of the 

Andalusian forms of speech is very rich and does 

not constitute an integrated whole, but a varied 

cumulus of dialects, there are some common 

traits which, as stated by Rafael Lepesa, 

differentiate all Andalusian dialects from 

normative Castilian Spanish: 

- The intonation is more varied and agile 

- A faster and more vivacious rhythm 

- Less air when speaking 

- Fundamental position of the phonetic organs, 

closer to the front of the mouth 

- Articulation is more palatal and acute 

v5 

The dialect of Malaga, like that of Andalusia 

in general, sounds different than that of 

Spaniards from other regions, and much 

more so to the tourists who visit us and want 

to become familiar with the Spanish 

language. 

Aside from the faster and more agile 

rhythm, the people from Malaga have a 

special intonation, which is a major 

differentiating factor especially in some of 

the villages of the inland. Intonation is the 

musical line upon which the message is 

built, and while grammatical studies have 

reduced these intonations to a few basic 

variants, the assortment of tones and 

colours in Andalusian speech is much more 

varied in practice. 

When we speak of a Malaguenian or 

Andalusian vocabulary, there is a risk of 

Málaga, Sun and Dialect 

Popular Vocabulary .


giving the impression that in these lands we 

have our own word system, different from 

Spanish, which would allow complete 

communication using 'a different code'. In 

fact, nothing could be further from the truth. 

At the colloquial level, which is the one we 

analyze here, the majority of the words and 

phrases are the same as in Castilian; 

however, they are submitted to the special 

phonetics and peculiar intonation of 

Andalusian dialects. 

Also, and in this we follow the trend of other 

Spanish linguistic groups, there are many 

slang words, which are not lexical 

peculiarities in any way, but incorrect and 

unsystematic renderings of Castilian words. 

The only valid criteria when attempting to 

elaborate a specifically Andalusian 

vocabulary is the semantic one, that is, 

compiling words which do not exist in 

Spanish, or if they exist, are given a 

different meaning here. 

In general, we can say that the vocabulary 

used by Andalusians is as follows: 

1. A wide common background with 

Spanish. What happens is that depending 

on the cultural level of the speaker, whether 

it is an urban or rural environment, the 

circumstances in which the message is 

uttered, etc., different words may be used. 

2. The presence of numerous archaisms, 

that is, words and expressions, which are no 

longer in use in Spanish, but exist here and 

are widely used. 

3. As for the presence of Arabisms, that is, 

words imported from the Arabic language, 


Index 

you might think that their frequency could be 

higher than in the rest of the Spanish nation, 

since their presence in our region left 

deeper marks. This is not true, since almost 

all the Arabic terms came to us through 

Spanish. 

4. Other words are from Leon or Aragon, 

brought by the northern repopulations and 

spread by the Leonese in the west and by 

the Aragonese in the east. 

5. Another channel, which brought the 

enrichment of the Andalusian vocabulary, 

was the assignment of different meanings or 

implications to Spanish words. 

6. On the other hand, we have authentic 

Andalusianisms, words that were created in 

our region and originated from the peculiar 

phonetics. 


7. There are many other terms in Andalusian 

colloquial speech - and of course, this 

includes Malaga speech - which are original 

creations and involve very diverse meanings 

and forms of expression. 

8. Finally, we must mention the words and 

phrases imported from caló, the original 

tongue of the Gypsies, which have passed 

into Spanish through Andalusian speech. 

The list of words that follows is a sample of 

the richness of the Malaga vocabulary. Of 

course, it is not an exhaustive or systematic 

corpus; it is only a sample. Those who wish 

to understand the colloquial and common 

speech of the Malagueños must be in the 

gist of the conversation and ask anyone to 

explain anything that they have not 

understood. It is certain that there will 

always be someone wiling to assist as your 

"translator". 

Abbreviations used in the text: 

adj. adjective 

conj. conjunction 

expr. expression 

f. feminine 

fig. figurative 

interj. interjection 

intr. intransitive verb 

loc. adv. adverbial phrase 

m. masculine 

n. noun 

onomat. onomatopoeia 

pl. plural 

pr. pronoun 

prep. preposition 

prnl. pronominal verb 

tr. transitive verb 

vulg. vulgarism, slang 


A note about phonetic transcription: 

In this glossary, we attempt to reproduce the 

phonetic properties of words as they are 

represented in colloquial speech. 

-Omission of -d- between vowels: perdío 

(perdido), ná (nada) 

-Omission of d- in initial position: esmayao 

(desmayado) 

-Loss of consonants in final position: poné 

(poner) 

-Soft aspiration of h- in initial position: jarto 

(harto) 

v7 





2. pOPULAR 

VOCABULARY 

A 

a boleo. loc. adv. In an unplanned or unmeasured 

way, in no particular order. 

a perruche. loc. adv. Penniless; having spent all 

his money or lost it gambling. 

a poco a poco. loc. adv. Slowly, little by little. 

a remate. loc. adv. Finally, at last. 

a tó meté. loc. adv. Fast, with no rest in between. 

a ventestate. loc. adv. With no security measures, 

with windows and doors open. 

abaleo. n.m. Lío, alboroto, desorden. Situación en 

la que se puede recibir daño físico. "Cuando hay 

una pelea, lo mejor es quitarse del abaleo." 

abombao. adj. Numb, dazed, distracted. 

abriero. expr. yawn. 

acá. pr. vulg. Referring to us. "Todos estos olivos 

son de acá." (All these olive trees are ours.) 

acaílla. adv. Closer, nearer to you. "Vente más 

p'acaílla": Come closer. 


Index 

acelerarse. prnl. To become nervious, not to get 

anything right, to become obfuscated. "Cuando te 

pregunte el profesor, tú no te aceleres". (When 

the professor asks you a question, don't get 

nervous) 

achacales. m. pl. Instruments, tools, utensils. 

"Ese fontanero siempre va con los achacales a 

cuestas". (That plumber always takes his tools 

with him) 

achancar. tr. To crumple, to bend, to dent. "Rozó 

con la esquina y le achancó una puerta al coche. 

(He scraped against the corner and dented the 

car door). 

achancarse. prnl. To squat, to give up, to 

acknowledge that someone else is right. "Aunque 

su padre no llevaba razón, no tuvo más remedio 

que achancarse". Even though his father was not 

right, he had no choice but to go along with him) 

achiná. adj. f. Refers to a woman: with a firm body, 

fair-skinned, toned and healthy, as if she were 

made out of fine china. "Es una mujer guapa y 

achiná". 

achuchaero. n.m. Crowd, achuchaílla. 

achuchaílla. n.f. Large crowd of people. "Yo no 

voy a las procesiones porque no me gustan las 

achuchaíllas". (I don't go to processions because 

I don't like large gatherings of people) 

aciguatar. tr. To stalk, to catch, to hit someone, 

making sure you land the blow. 

agarraeras. f. pl. Handles. fig. Influential persons. 

"Este consigue lo que quiere porque tiene muy 

buenas agarraeras". (He gets what he wants 

because he has good connections) 


agarrón. n.m. Strong pull. The act of grabbing 

someone forcefully. 

aguacuajá. n.f. Jellyfish 

agualevante. n.m. Eastern storm. fig. Bad mood. 

Agualmeína. n.m. Common deformation of 

Guadalmedina, a river that flows through the city 

of Malaga. 

aguate. n.m. Broth or drink with too much water. 

ahora poco. loc. adv. Just now, a minute ago. "Ha 

pasado por aquí ahora poco". (He went by just now) 

airazo. n.m. Storm, strong and long-lasting gale. 

"Con el airazo que corre no se puede salir ni a la 

puerta de la calle". (With this storm, you can't 

even open the door to go outside) 

aire! interj. Get out! Get lost! 

ajilimójili. n.m. Grace, enchantment, spice. 

ajogagatos. n.m. Soup made with mackerels. 

ajumar. intr. In the expr. "Ajumarse el pescao": to 

get angry, to be enraged. "Al vigilante se le ajumó 

el pescao y llamó a la policía". (The watcher got 

mad and called the police) 

alargarse. prnl. To go to a nearby place, to get 

close to something. "Niña, alárgate a la tienda y 

me compras una cerveza". (Go over to the store 

and buy me a beer) 

alargárselas. prnl. To die. "Cogió una infección y 

se las alargó en dos días". (He got an infection 

and died in two days) 

alcalde. n.m. Director of a flamenco troupe; he 

has a baton and directs the openings and 

closings of the music and dances. 

alegrete. adj. Somewhat drunk. 

alegría de la casa. n.f. Decorating plant. 

aletear. intr. In the expr. Salir aleteando: running 

away. 


algarrá. n.f. Destruction. Racket, loud noise. "Han 

estado de fiesta y no hemos podido dormir por la 

algarrá que tenían montada". (They've been having 

a party and we could not sleep due to the racket) 

algarrobao. adj. Referring to a person: bent 

down, twisted like a carob. "Le dio un barajustón 

y se quedó algarrobao". (He made a brisk 

movement and he got a spasm) 

alicortao. adj. Referring to a person: shocked, 

scared, shy. 

aliñar. tr. To give someone a love potion. "Está tan 

enamorado de esa mujer que parece que lo han 

aliñao". (He's so much in love, it looks like they 

gave him a love potion) 

aliño. n.m. Love potion. 

aliquindoi. In the expr. Estar al aliquindoi: Paying 

attention, staying alert. 

allá películas! interj. It's their problem! Let them 

fix it! 

allá. adv. In the expr. No estar mu allá: not being 

mentally stable, being slightly crazed. "Este tío, 

desde que tuvo el accidente no está mu allá". 

(Since he had the accident, he is a bit crazed) 

allaílla. adv. Slightly further away. "Vete más 

allaílla, que no cabemos en la mesa". (Move a bit 

further away, there's not enough room on the table) 

almapuñetera. n.f. Thief, rogue, scoundrel, cad. 

"El almapuñetera de tu hijo no hace más que 

burlarse de mí". (Your no-good son is always 

making fun of me) 

alonao. adj. Referring to a person: drooped, slow, 

dragging his feet. "Con el calor que hace está uno 

alonao". (With this heat, we are all drooped) 

alpiste. n.m. Wine, alcoholic beverage. 

alpistelarse. prnl. To get drunk or plastered. 

alregorvé. loc. adv. On the next turn, around the 

corner. Nearby. "La farmacia está ahí mismo, al 

regorvé la esquina". (The pharmacy is right there, 

just around the corner) 

alsina. n.f. Bus, omnibus. 

alto. In the expr. En lo alto de: on top, over. "El 

mando a distancia está en lo alto de la tele". (The 

remote control is on top of the TV) 

A9 





alza pilili! interj. Indicates exclamation. "¡Alza pilili! 

¡Qué peripuesta vienes hoy!" (Wow, you 

look good today!) 

amachorrá. n. f. Refers to a woman who cannot 

bear children. Sterile. 

amorrao. adj. Ill-looking, sad, sick, depressed. 

"Este niño tiene que tener fiebre; lo encuentro 

amorraíllo". (This child must have a fever, he 

looks ill) 

amotazos. n.m. pl. In the expr. "Dar amotazos". 

Going around all day in a motorcycle without and 

specific destination. 

ancá. prep. Contraction of 'en casa de' (in 

______'s house). "Está toda la tarde ancá la 

vecina". (He is at the neighbour's house all day) 

andarríos. n.m. Homeless person, unemployed, 

someone who goes from place to place without 

doing anything helpful. "Ni estudia ni trabaja; está 

hecho un andarríos". (He doesn't study or work, 

he's a sloth.) 

año catapún. loc. adv. Very old, from a long time 

ago. 

año la pera. loc. adv. From a long time ago. "El 

coche que tiene es del año la pera". (The car is 

very old) 

año la riá.loc. adv. Something that happened a 

long time ago, something very old. "Eso sucedió 

el año la riá y ya nadie se acuerda". (It happened 

a long time ago, and no one remembers it) 

aolá. interj. I/you wish. "Aolá hubieras llegado 

antes". (I wish you would have arrived earlier) 

apalancarse. prnl. To become stubborn, insistent 

or intransigent. "Se apalancó en el precio y, por 

más que le regateé, no quiso rebajarme ni un 

céntimo". (He got stubborn about the price, and 

no matter how much I negotiated, he didn't 

discount one penny.) 


Index 

apamplao. adj. Daft, clueless. "Por más que se lo 

explico no se entera: está completamente 

apamplao". (No matter how much I explain it, he 

does not get it: he is completely clueless) 

apañao. adj. Attentive, well-mattered, helpful. 

"Esta camarera es la mar de apañá; está atenta 

a todo". (This waitress is very helpful, she pays 

attention to everything) 

aparato. n.m. Airplane. "Era la primera vez que 

volaba y se asustó cuando subió al aparato". (It 

was the first time he flew, and he got scared when 

the plane took flight) 

aplastarse. prnl. To sit for a long time doing 

nothing. "En cuanto llega a la casa se aplasta en 

el sillón y no se mueve por nada del mundo". 

(When he comes home, he lays on the sofa and 

does nothing) 

arar. intr. To agree, to make an agreement. "Estos 

no aran porque tienen un genio muy diferente". 

(They don't agree because they have very 

different personalities) 

arenca. n.f. Herring that is sold salted and dried, 

preserved in barrels. 

arrea! interj. Indicates surprise. "¡Arrea! Ya se me 

ha hecho tarde otra vez". (Wow, I am late again) 

arrearse. prnl. To drink. "Se arreó tres vasos de 

vino antes de empezar a comer". (He drank three 

glasses of wine before eating) 

arrechuche. n.m. Symptoms o fan illness; 

temporary malaise. "Está bien de salud, aunque de 

vez en cuando le da un arrechuche y se tira dos días 

en la cama". (His health is fine, though occasionally 

he feels ill and stays in bed for two days) 

arriao. adj. Lost, helpless. "Se le averió el coche y 

se quedó arriao en medio de la carretera". (His car 

broke down and he was left helpless on the street) 


arrimársela. prnl. To deceive, to trick. "En esta 

compra nos la han arrimao; hemos pagado el 

doble de lo que vale". (We got tricked in this 

purchase, we paid almost twice what this is worth) 

asaúra. In the expr. Tener malas asaúras: To be a 

conniving, scheming, or malicious person. "No te 

fíes ni un pelo de éste; se ve a legua que tiene 

muy malas asúras". (Don't trust him, he has bad 

intentions) 

aterminarse. prnl. To decide or dare to do 

something. "Es tan tímido que no se atermina a 

hablar en público". (He is so shy, he doesn't dare 

to speak in public) 

aterrizar. intr. To fall on your face. "Tropezó con el 

escalón y aterrizó en medio de la calle".(He tripped 

on the stairs and fell face-first on the street) 

atestarse. prnl. To be stubborn, not yielding an 

inch. "Se atestó en que nos quedáramos y no 

hubo manera de rechazar la invitación". (He 

stubbornly insisted that we stay, and we could not 

reject the invitation) 

atiborrao. adj. Completely full, stocked. "La 

cafetería estaba atiborrá de gente". (The 

cafeteria was filled to the brim with people) 

atomatao. adj. Dazed, confused, undecided. 

"Vámonos a otro sitio porque este camarero está 

atomatao". (Let's go somewhere else, this waiter 

is dumbfounded) 

atracao. adj. Unbearable, insistent, prone to 

exaggeration. "Este amigo tuyo es muy atracao; 

cuando quiere algo no hay quien le haga cambiar 

de opinión". (Your friend is unbearable, when he 

wants something, no one can change his mind) 

avenate. n.m. Whim, outburst, lapse of madness. 

"Le dio el avenate de ir a África y hasta que no lo 

consiguió no paró". (He had the whim of going to 

Africa, and he stopped at nothing until he 

achieved it) 

aventao. adj. Crazy or compulsive person. "Todos 

los de esa familia están un poco aventaos". 

(Everyone in that family is a bit crazy) 

azotea. n.f. Head. "No le hagas mucho caso; está 

mal de la azotea". (Don't pay much attention to 

him, something is wrong with his head) 

B 


babancá. n.f. Nonsense, triviality. "Tan listo como 

se hace y no dice más que babancás". (He thinks 

he is so smart, but he just speaks nonsense) 

bacalá. n. f. In the expr. Meter la bacalá: Deceiving, 

hustling. "Con estos garbanzos me han metido la 

bacalá; son duros como piedras". (We got hustled 

with these chickpeas, they are hard as a stone) 

bajini. loc. adv. Por lo bajini: whispered, in a low 

voice. "Para que el padre no se enterara me lo 

dijo por lo bajini". (He said it whispering, so the 

father wouldn't find out) 

bajío. n. m. In the expr. Meter el bajío: to bring bad 

luck. "Cuando juegue a las cartas no te pongas a 

mi lado porque me metes el bajío y pierdo". 

(When I play cards, don't sit next to me, because 

you give me bad luck and I lose) 

barajustón. n.m. Brisk movement that usually 

produces a muscle lesion, generally in the waist. 

"Al coger la maleta me ha dado un barajustón y 

no puedo moverme". (When I picked up the 

suitcase, I tore a muscle and now I cannot move) 

barquetá. n.f. A large amount of something. "A la 

boda ha venido una barquetá de gente". (A 

ton of people have come to the wedding) 

barrigazo. n.m. A hard fall face-first. "Estaba el 

suelo mojado, me resbalé y di un barrigazo". (The 

floor was wet, I slipped and fell on my face) 

b11 

batiburrillo. n.m. Mess, jumble of disorderly 

words or things. "Desde que vives solo, tu casa 

es un batiburrillo". (Since you started living alone, 

your house is a mess) 






bichito de luz. n.m. Firefly. 

bigote. n.m. In the expr. Asomar los bigotes: appear 

somewhere. "Desde que te fuiste a Madrid no has 

asomado los bigotes por aquí". (Ever since you 

went to Madrid, we haven't seen youaround here) 

bimba. n.f. In the expr. Tener mala bimba: to be illtempered 

or serious. "El otro camarero era más 

simpático; éste tiene mala bimba". (The other 

waiter was more likeable, this one is more serious) 

bimba. n.f. Whack, slap. "Quiso sobrepasarse 

con ella y le dio una bimba". (He crossed the line 

with her, and she slapped him) 

blandengue. adj. Weak, lax, with unpleasantly 

pale skin. Lacking ambition or desire. "Es un 

blandengue; llora por nada". (He is very weak, he 

cries for no reason) 

bocaná de aire. n. f. In the expr. Coger una bocaná 

de aire: Catch a cold, become sick. "Al salir del 

cine cierra la boca, no vayas a coger una bocaná 

de aire y te resfríes". (When you exit the movie 

theatre, keep your mouth closed, you might 

breathe the cold air and get sick) 

bodrio. n.m. Ill-tempered person. Something done 

despondently. "Esta película es un 

bodrio; no tiene ni pies ni cabeza". (This movie is 

awful, it makes no sense) 

bolilla. n. f. In the expr. Que te den bolilla. Used to 

say goodbye to someone in an uncourteous way. 

Bolilla: Poisoned meat used to kill foxes, wolves 

and other harmful animals. 

bollao. adj. Penniless. Broke. "Hoy no te puedo 

invitar porque estoy bollao". (I cannot invite you 

today because I have no money) 

bollo. n.m. Mess, complication, trouble. "Como te 

cojan conduciendo sin carné te vas a buscar un 

bollo". (If they catch you driving without a license, 

you will be in trouble) 

bombear. intr. To become heated, to emit heat. 

"Desde que puse la calefacción la casa está que 

bombea". (Since I installed the heating system, 

the house is really hot) 

boquerón. n.m. Anchovy, which is caught and 

eaten along the coast of Malaga. This word is also 


Index 

used to refer to everything typical Malagueño. 

borde. adj. Unpleasant, ill-mannered person. "Es 

tan borde que no da ni los buenos días". (He is so 

ill-mannered that he doesn't even say Hello) 

borrachuelo. n.m. Local pastry made with liquor. 

"We make borrachuelos during Holy Week". 

borreguitos. n.m. pl. Small, round clouds which 

form high above in the sky. There is a saying that 

goes: "Borreguitos en el cielo, charquitos en el 

suelo". (If you see "borreguitos", it will rain) 

bote. n.m. In the expr. Darse el bote: to go, step 

aside, stay out of the way. "Cuando llegó la 

policía el ladrón ya se había dado el bote". (When 

the police came, the robber was already gone) 

buenazo. adj. Simple, honest person; very good 

or unassuming. "Estas cosas le pasan por 

buenazo". (That's what he gets for being a softie) 

bueno y sano. adjs. Pair of adjectives used to 

describe the good health of a person. 

bulla. n.f. Large group of people in a public area. 

"En esta tienda siempre hay mucha bulla". (This 

store is always full of customers) 

burlesco. n.m. Trickery, mischief, continuous 

joking. "Tiene muchas ganas de reírse y siempre 

anda de burlesco". (He likes to laugh, so he is 

always joking around) 

burrá. n.f. A large amount of something. "Este tío 

ha estudiado mucho y sabe una burrá de 

idiomas". (He has studied a lot and knows many 

languages) 

buscabocas. adj. A person which provokes, who is 

always picking fights.. "Un día te la vas a ganar 

porque eres un buscabocas". (One day you are 

going to get it, because you are always picking fights) 

buscársela. prnl. To get in trouble, to commit 

some dangerous or improper act. "Se quedó con 

el dinero de la empresa y se la ha buscao bien 

buscá". (He embezzled the company's money 

and got in big trouble) 


C 

cabezonería. n.f. Obstination, stubbornness. 

"Quiere dejar de estudiar por cabezonería". (He 

wants to quit studying out of stubbornness) 

cachopán. n.m. Overly good person, naive, with no 

malice. "Le pasan esas cosas por ser un cachopán". 

(That's what he gets for being so naive) 

cachorreñas. n.f. pl. Steadiness, aplomb, 

tranquillity. "Tiene unas cachorreñas que no se 

inmuta por nada". (He has such tranquillity that 

nothing makes him blink) 

cachuchá. n.f. A large amount of something. "Me 

pusieron dos huevos fritos y una cachuchá de 

papas". (They gave me two fried eggs and a 

mountain of potatoes) 

cachucho. n.m. Bric-a-brac, piece of junk. 

Useless object which is always getting in the way. 

"No le cabe el coche en el garaje porque lo tiene 

lleno de cachuchos". (His car doesn't fit in the 

garage because he has filled it with junk) 

cagaleta. n.f. Diarrhoea, malaise in the stomach. 

Fear. "En cuanto vio venir al guardia le entró la 

cagaleta". (As soon as he saw the policeman, he 

was scared) 

calorín. n.m. Intense, suffocating heat. "A medio 

día hace un calorín que parece que el sol se cae a 

cachos". (At noon, it is intensely, suffocating heat) 

calvario. n.m. Cemetery. Ordeal. Nightmare. 

campanillo. n.m. In the expr. Estar como un 

campanillo: to be in good health, feel well. "Desde 

que me operaron estoy como un campanillo". 

(Ever since the operation, I feel great) 

campano. n.m. Large glass of wine. 

candela. n.f. In the expr. Hecho candela: tired, beat, 

worn out. Broken. "El autobús era tan incómodo 

que cuando llegué estaba hecho candela". (The 

bus was so uncomfortable that I was tired when I 

arrived) 

cansino. adj. Overbearing, annoying. "No es mala 

persona pero resulta cansino". (He is not a bad 

person, but he can be annoying) 

canutas. n.f. pl. In the expr. Pasarlas canutas: To 

have a hard time, suffer. When something takes a 

lot of effort. "Se le encasquilló la cerradura y las 

pasó canutas para abrir la puerta". (The lock got 

jammed, and it took a lot of effort to open the door) 

cara. n.f. In the expr. Por su cara bonita: for his good 

looks, receiving a favour without deserving it. "Quiere 

que le regale el libro por su cara bonita". (He wants 

me to give him the book for free for no reason) 

caramochazo. n.m. blow or hit given with the 

head. "Al entrar en la habitación me di un 

caramochazo con el armario". (When I entered 

the room, I hit my head with the cabinet) 

carapán. adj. Round-faced. 

carburar. intr. In the expr. "no carburar bien": to be 

mentally unstable, to be crazy.. Also, when 

something does not work as it should. "Desde 

que se marchó el gerente, este negocio no 

carbura bien". (Since the manager quit, the 

business is not going well) 



Popular Vocabulary . 

13


carota. adj. Shameless person, cad. "Es un 

carota; me echó del trabajo y luego vino a 

pedirme un favor". (He is a cad; he fired me from 

my job and then asked me for a favour) 

cascarla. intr. To die. "Cogió una gripe y la cascó en 

tres días". (He caught the flu and died in three days) 

casoliá. n.f. Chance, fortuitousness. 

castrojo. n. m. Stupid, uneducated or ignorant 

person. "Aunque era un castrojo se ha hecho rico 

vendiendo chimeneas". (He was an illiterate, but 

he has become rich selling chimneys) 

casual. n.m. Chance. "¿Por un casual ha visto 

usted a mi hermano?" (Have you seen my 

brother, by any chance?) 

catites. n.m. pl. In the expr. Tener hasta catites: 

when you can find almost anything in a facility. 

"En este supermercado tienen hasta catites". 

(This supermarket has everything) 

caucar. intr. To do or say things usually expected 

of old folks. "No le hagas caso que éste ya está 

caucando". (Pay no attention to him, he is just 

getting old) 

cebollazo. n.m. Strong fall or hit. "El coche le 

patinó y se metió un cebollazo". (The car went 

into a slide and he crashed) 

cebollino. n.m. Foolish, stupid person. "Es un 

cebollino; le explico las cosas veinte veces y no 

se entera". (He is really stupid, I explain things to 

him about 20 times and he does not understand) 

cepazo. n.m. Strong fall. 

ceporrazo. n.m. Strong fall or hit. 

ceporretazo. n.m. Ceporrazo. 

claro. n.m. In the expr. Hacer un claro: to seek an 

opportunity for something. "A ver si mañana hago 

un claro y puedo ir a verte". (See if you can make 

space in your itinerary and we can see each other) 

clavao. adj. Equal, identical. "Este niño es clavao 

a su padre". (This boy is just like his father) 

coco. n.m. Hair bonnet. "Se colocó un clavel en el 

coco". (She put a carnation in her hair bonnet) 

cojetá. n.f. Limping. "Se dobló el tobillo y viene 

dando cojetás". (He twisted his ankle and came 

limping) 


Index 

colguerón. adj. Which hangs drably. "Este vestido 

me queda algo colguerón". (This dress does not 

look good on me) 

coloraíto. n.m. Mercurochrome disinfectant. 

compincharse. prnl. To collude, to make an 

agreement. "Estos dos se han compinchado para 

que yo pierda". (These two are colluding to make 

me lose) 

con to y con eso. loc. conj. Despite. "Le he 

prestado el coche, pero con to y con eso no está 

contento". (Even though I lent him the car, he is 

still not happy) 

contestón. adj. Cheeky, insolent. "Esto te pasa 

por contestona". (That's what you get for your 

insolence) 

contreras. adj. Person who is always the 

contrarian. "No puedo discutir con él porque es 

un contreras". (I cannot argue with him, because 

he's always a contrarian) 

contrimás. conj. Much less. "No puedo 

comprarme una bicicleta, contrimás una moto". (I 

cannot buy myself a bicycle, much less a 

motorcycle) 

corto. n.m. Name given to coffee with milk, but 

with more milk than coffee. 

corcusilla. n.f. Coccyx. 

corría. n. f. Echar la corría: being out partying all 

day. 

criar. intr. Criar malvas: to die. "Como siga 

bebiendo como bebe, ése ya mismo se va a criar 

malvas". (If he keeps drinking that much, he will 

die) 

cuá. f. Lark. 

culazo. n.m. A fall on one's bum. Fall in which the 

bum or rear takes the worst of it. 


CH 

chamusquina. n.f. Trouble, danger. "Al salir del 

cine hubo una pelea; yo me fui de allí huyendo de 

la chamusquina". (When I exited the movie 

theatre, there was a fight, so I left to get away 

from the danger) 

changuay. n.m. Scheme, deception, swindle. 

"Montó una empresa, pero formó tal changuay 

con la contabilidad que al final se arruinó". (He 

started a business, he committed accounting 

fraud and in the end he was ruined) 

chapú. n.m. Accident, misfortune. "Como sigas 

corriendo tanto con la moto, un día vas a pasar 

un chapú". (If you keep running so much in the 

motorcycle, one day you will have an accident) 

chapú. n.m. Small or short job. "Entre lo que me 

dan de desempleo y cuatro chapuces que hago 

vamos tirando". (Between my unemployment 

pension and some small jobs I do, I am getting by) 

chapurrarse. prnl. To be lost, ruined. "El día se 

chapurreó y no pudimos ir de excursión". (The 

day was ruined and we could not go hiking) 

charabasca. n. m. Refers to a person who lacks 

decisiveness or is ambivalent. "No te fíes de él, 

porque es un charabasca y un día dice que sí y al 

otro que no". (Do not trust him, he is double-minded, 

one day he says yes and the next he says no) 

charrascazo. n . m. Superficial cut, dent, scrape. 

"Al aparcar le dio un charrascazo al coche". (He 

scraped the car when he parked it) 

chascos. n.m. pl. Instruments, tools, utensils. "El 

fontanero dejó los chascos hace dos días y aún 


no ha vuelto". (The plumber left his tools two days 

ago and hasn't returned yet) 

chauchau. n.m. onomat. Imitation of the noise in a 

conversation. Excessive chatter "Como no tienen 

nada que hacer están todo el día de chauchau". 

(Since they have nothing to do, they chatter all day) 

chiate. n.m. Indentation, hole, nook. Stream of liquid. 

"Se rompió la tubería y salió un chiate de agua". (The 

pipe broke and a gush of water came out) 

chichote. n.m. Lump, bulge which appears in the 

head after receiving a blow. 

chifarrá. n.f. Wound, scrape, long cut. "Se ha hecho 

una chifarrá al afeitarse". (He cut himself shaving) 

chiflerío. n.m. Joke, gag. "Salió al balcón para 

hablar y de pronto se lió un chiflerío". (He came out 

to the balcony to speak, and everyone joked at him) 

chimpún. n.m. onomat. Music. "Ha dicho el alcalde 

que este año no hay chimpún". (The mayor has 

said that there will not be any music this year) 

chindo. adj. Ojo chindo, black and blue, sick, closed. 

"Le dio un puñetazo y le puso un ojo chindo". (He 

punched him and gave him a black eye) 

chiquichanga. n.f. Group of kids. "En este parque 

no se puede estar tranquilo por la tarde, porque 

es cuando viene toda la chiquichanga". We 

cannot get peace and quiet in this park in the 

afternoon, because that's when all the kids come. 

chiquillo! interj. Exclamation with diverse tenses. 

"¡Chiquillo! ¿Qué haces? (Son!!!! What are you 

doing?) 

chiquititillo. adj. Very small. 

chiripa. loc. adv. Por chiripa: By a fluke. "Has 

cogido el autobús por chiripa. El conductor ya 

había arrancado". (You almost missed the bus. 

The driver was already on his way) 

chisme. n.m. Obstacle, nuisance. "Tiene toda la 

casa llena de chismes". (He has the whole house 

full of clutter) 

chisme. n.m. Chatter. "No le hagas caso porque 

siempre está inventando chismes de la gente". 

(Do not listen to him, he is always making up 

stories about people) 

chispa. n.f. Very brief moment. "Espérame una 

c15 





chispa que ahora mismo vuelvo". (Wait a second, 

I'll be back) 

chivatar. tr. To rat out. "Como me chivates atente 

a las consecuencias": (If you rat me out, prepare 

for the consequences) 

chollo. n.m. Bargain. "Esta compra ha sido un 

chollo; me ha salido a mitad de precio". (This 

purchase was a bargain, I got it at half price) 

chonío. adj. Wilted, withered, worn, spoiled. "Las 

pobres macetas, de no regarlas, estaban chonías". 

(The plants are wilted from lack of watering) 

chorla. n.f. Head. 

chorlito. n.m. In the expr. Quedarse como un 

chorlito: to die. 

chorra. f. Luck. "Hay que ver la chorra que tiene: 

la primera vez que viene y va y saca un bingo". 

(He is very lucky, it is the first time he comes and 

he wins a bingo) 

chorreón. m. Part of a liquid. "Al café le echas un 

chorreón de leche". (Put very little milk in the coffee) 

chosca. f. Large flame. "Para quitarse el frío lo mejor 

es encender una buena chosca". (To get away from 

the cold, the best way is to light a good fire) 

chozao. m. Sunshade, canopy. 

chuchumío. adj. Dry, tousled, wrinkled. 

chufla. f. Whack, slap. 

chuleta. m. Insolent, arrogant, presumptuous. 

"Este tío tendrá todos los dineros que tenga, pero 

es un chuleta". (He may be rich, but he is arrogant) 

chuminá. f. Nonsense, triviality. "Se hace el listo 

pero cuando habla no dice más que chuminás". 

(He pretends to be smart, but when he speaks he 

says nothing but nonsense). 

chungo. adj. Bad, of poor quality. "La habitación 

del hotel era un poco chunga". (The hotel room 

was not very good) 

chuperretear. tr. To suck on delightedly. "Cuando 

comas no chuperretees tanto la cuchara". (When 

you eat, don't suck so much on the spoon) 

chusquearse. prnl. To take the piss out of. 

chusqueo. m. Joke, irony. Jest. "Es un guasón: 

siempre está de chusqueo". (He is a jester: always 

making jokes) 


Index 

D 

desatorar. tr. To unclog. "Vino el fontanero y 

desatoró el fregadero". (The plumber came and 

unclogged the sink) 

desearse. prnl. To crave, desire. "Ahora se le ha 

deseado un helado". (She has a craving for ice cream) 

desengreír. tr. To disappoint, take away the 

infatuation or attraction felt towards someone or 

something. "A ver si se desengríe del juego y se 

dedica a estudiar". (Let's see if he stops playing 

and starts studying) 

deseo. n.m. Craving. "Esta mancha que tiene en 

el brazo es un deseo de la madre". (This stain on 

the arm is a whim of his mother) 

desmadrarse. prnl. To lose one's calm, go off, 

incur in excess. "A la gente joven hay que vigilarlos 

para que no se desmadren". (We must keep an 

eye on young people so they don't cross the line) 

despelote. n.m. Containing erotic nudity. "A éste 

lo que le gustan son las películas de despelote". 

(He likes movies with nudity) 

detrasito. adv. Just behind. "En la cola se colocó 

detrasito de mí". (He got in line behind me) 

deúro. adv. "I swear". "Really". 

diabluría. n.f. Mischief, prank. "Los niños, en esa 

edad, no piensan más que en hacer diablurías". 

(Children at that age only think of pulling pranks) 

dominanta. n.f. Despotic, strong-tempered 

woman. "Nunca viene al fútbol porque su mujer 

es una dominanta". (He doesn't come to soccer 

because his wife is a despot) 

dos. In the expr. "pillar el dos": to run away, to 

escape. "Un día pilló el dos y no se le vio más por 

el pueblo". (One day he ran away and we never 

saw him in town again) 

duerma. n.f. The act of sleeping. "Me voy para 

casa porque es la hora de la duerma". (I'm 

going home because it's time to sleep) 

duro. In the expr. Duro que es tarde: Intensely, 

arduously. "He estado todo el día trabajando 


duro que es tarde y no he parado ni para 

comer". (I have been working intensely all day 

and I haven't even stopped for a bite) 

duro. In the expr. Por el canto un duro: almost. 

"El niño tiró una piedra y no me dio en la 

cabeza por el canto un duro". (The boy threw 

a stone and almost hit me on the head) 

E 

ea! interj. Wow! "¡Ea! You got what you wanted". 

(Wow!! You got what you wanted) 

elemento. n.m. A dangerous, untrustworthy 

person, troublemaker. "Ella es muy buena, pero 

el marido está hecho un elemento". (She is very 

nice, but her husband is not trustworthy) 

embolao. n.m. Difficult issue, hard-to-solve 

problem. "Se ha metido en un embolao que se va 

a ver negro para salir de él". (He has gotten into 

a problem that it will be hard for him to get out of) 

emborrizar. tr. To cover with flour. "Para que los 

boquerones salgan buenos hay que 

emborrizarlos bien con harina". (To make 

anchovies taste good, you must flour them up) 

empacho. n.m. Being sick and tired of something. 

"¡Qué empacho de jefe tengo! Está todo el día 

dándome órdenes". (I am sick and tired of my 

supervisor, he bosses me around all day) 

encogío. adj. Stingy, miserable, greedy. "Es tan 

encogío que no da ni los buenos días". (He is so 

stingy that he doesn't even give a Hello) 

endiñar. tr. To give or yield. "Le endiñó una torta 

que lo dejó sin sentido". (She gave him a slap that 

knocked him senseless) 

enferiao. adj. Involved in partying, feels up for a 

party. 

enfollinarse. prnl. To get angry. "Yo no sé lo que le 

he hecho para que se enfolline de esta manera". (I 

don't know what I did to make her so angry) 

engorruñao. adj. Miser, greedy, scrooge. 

ennoviao. adj. In love, dazed with a boyfriend or 


girlfriend. "Desde que está ennoviao parece otro". 

(Since he has a girlfriend, he's a different person) 

enrelío. n.m. Intrigue, mess, complication. "Esta 

película tiene muchísimos enrelíos". (This movie 

has a lot of intrigues in it) 

enritarse. prnl. To be angry or irritated. 

ensalá. n.f. Lettuce. 

ensalamao. adj. Excited, attracted by something 

or someone. 

enterao. adj. Snob, braggart. "Yo con ese no me 

hablo porque es la mar de enterao". (I don't speak 

to him because he's a snob) enverracarse. prnl. 

Bawling, crying vehemently for a prolonged 

period of time. 

es mester ver. interj. Wow! Denotes surprise, 

exclamation, helplessness. "Es mester ver lo 

tarde que llegas al trabajo". (It's unbelievable how 

late you come to work) 

esaborío. adj. With a bitter personality, a grey cloud. 

"Yo no he visto nunca un tío más esaborío; le doy los 

buenos días y nunca me responde". (He is a bitter 

man, you say hello and he never answers) 

esarbolao. adj. Crazy, restless, who does things 

too fast. 

escalichao. adj. Thin, scrawny. 

escardillazo. n.m. Error or gaffe, especially when 

speaking. 

escarrociar. tr. To spread, disperse. "El niño ha 

escarrociao los libros por el suelo y se ha ido a la 

calle a jugar". (He left the books all over the floor 

and went out to play) 

eschaspar. tr. To tell someone to leave in an 

uncourteous way. To throw out. 

escupidera. n.f. Urinal, basin. 

esfolillar. tr. To spoil something. When a bone 

gets out of place. "Hoy no viene a jugar al fútbol 

porque se le ha esfolillao un pie". (He didn't come 

to soccer today because he hurt his foot) 

esgalazar. tr. To destroy clothing by ripping off. 

esjuarrillao. adj. Beat, without strength, 

extremely tired. "Hoy he tenido tanto trabajo que 

vengo esjuarrillao". (I am very tired because I've 

had a lot of work to do) 

e17 





esmayao. adj. Hungry, peckish. "Dame algo de 

comer que vengo esmayaíto". (Give me a bite, I 

am very hungry) 

esnoclarse. prnl. To break one's neck. 

esnortao. adj. Clueless, crazy. Disoriented. 

"Cuando llegué a Madrid, como no conocía la 

ciudad, estaba completamente esnortao". (When 

I came to Madrid, I was disoriented because I 

didn't know the city) 

espanto. n.m. Spectre, ghost. 

espanuá. In the expr. Ser alguien más peligroso 

que una espanuá: to be very bad, dangerous, 

of delinquent nature. 

españá. n.f. Spray of water. 

esparragueo. n.m. Going out to the field in search 

of asparagus. 

esparruar. tr. To spread, disperse. "Comenzó a 

esparruar agua y nos puso a todos chorreando". 

(He started spraying water and left us dripping) 

espatarrarse. prnl. To sit with one's legs spread, 

to show defiance. 

espaventarse. prnl. To go off, get angry. To take 

vigour. 

espelotá. adj. n.f. Refers to a woman: clean, hardworking, 

willing "Si vas a su casa la encontrarás 

más limpia que los chorros del oro; tiene una 

mujer mu espelotá". 

espetón. n.m. Group of sardines which are 

pierced with a stick and roasted. 

espetonazo. n.m. Fast and hurried exit. "El gato al 

ver al perro pegó un espetonazo y se perdió de 

vista". (The cat saw the dog and ran away) 

espiritual. adj. Very thin. 

espumerío. n.m. Large amount of froth or 

bubbles. 

esquitaílla. In the expr. Estar a la esquitaílla: To be 

on the lookout, waiting for someone to lower his 

guard. 

estampa. In the expr. Maldita sea tu estampa: 

insult. 

estirazar. In the expr. Estirazarle las patas al niño: 

invitation made by a parent to celebrate the birth 

of a son or daughter. 


Index 

estirazón. n.m. Stretching (waking up and…). 

estomaguera. n.f. Hunger. Flatulence. Bad 

feeling in the stomach when one has not eaten 

recently. "No he comido desde esta mañana y ya 

tengo estomaguera". 

explayarse. prnl. To vent, lose one's cool. 

explotío. n.m. Explosion, loud noise. "Se oyó 

unos explotíos, y eran unos niños tirando 

cohetes". 

F 

faena. In the expr. Tener alguien un rato de faena: To 

be addicted to work, finicky. 

faltón. adj. Someone who often disrespects 

people. "No es mala persona, pero es mu faltón". 

(He is not a bad person, but he is disrespectful) 

fardo. n.m. Cloth placed under olive trees to collect 

the olives that are shaken off with a rod. 

farfolla. n.f. Filler. "Él eliminó la farfolla y dejó sólo 

lo importante". (He left the unimportant stuff and 

went straight to the point). 

fario. n.m. In the expr. Tener mal fario: To have bad 

luck, to be jinxed. 

farruco. adj. Bully, boastful person. "El conductor 

se puso farruco y quiso aparcar el coche antes que 

yo". (The driver got hardheaded and tried to park 

before me) 

fatiga. n.f. Shame, shyness. "Entra tú primero que 

a mí me da fatiga". (You go in first, I'm too 

ashamed to do it) 

fatigoso. adj. Shameful. 

feuchillo. adj. Ugly, a bit ugly. 

fifa. In the expr. Ser alguien un fifa: to be a cad, 

dangerous, unworthy of trust. 

fifa. n.f. Hoax, deception. 

flamazo. n.m. Intense heat. "En Málaga, cuando se 

levanta el terral hace un flamazo que no hay quien 

lo aguante". (In Malaga, when the land breeze 

blows, it causes an intolerable heat) 

flamenco. adj. In the expr. Ponerse flamenco: To get 


cocky, (similar to "farruco"). 

flan. n.m. In the expr. Ponerse o estar como un flan: 

to be ashamed or red-faced. Tender. "Le dije unas 

cuantas cosillas y enseguida se puso como un 

flan". (I said a few things and she got very nervous) 

flor de pescado. n.f. Geranium. 

florecío. adj. Mouldy or rusty, revived. 

fogar. intr. To vent, release stress. "Déjala que 

fogue a ver si se tranquiliza". (Let her vent, and 

maybe she will calm down) 

fogará. n.f. Breakout in the skin. "Como era 

alérgico a las medicinas le salió una fogará por 

todo el cuerpo". (Since he was allergic to the 

medicines, had a breakout) 

follón. n.m. Drunkenness. 

follonero. adj. One who picks fights, quarrelsome. 

formalete. adj. A serious, committed, responsible 

individual. "seguro que vas estar contento con él 

porque es un tío formalete". (I'm sure you will love 

him, because he is very responsible) 

frangollón. adj. Said of a person who does things 

carelessly and in a hurry. 

freír. In the expr. "freír la sangra a alguien": to annoy, 

to mortify. 

frescachón. adj. Caddish, shameless. 

frito. In the expr. Quedarse frito: to be in a deep 

sleep. 

fuli. In the expr. Darse el fuli: to go, leave, run away. 

"En cuanto lo vi venir me di el fuli para no tener que 

darle explicaciones". (As soon as I saw him, I left 

so as not to explain anything to him) 

G 

gabelas. En la expr. gabelas. In the expr. Dejarse 

de gabelas: to stop giving excuses, saying 

rubbish. 

gachas. n.f. pl. Praises, comforts, caresses. 

gachón! interj. Exclamation used when someone 

is "caught in the act". "¡Ay, gachón, que te he 

visto". Aha! I caught you!!! 


gafar. tr. To have a negative influence, jinx, spoil. 

galafate. n.m. A brutish, stupid, lazy individual. 

galguería. n.f. candy, snack. "No comas más 

galguerías que se te van a picar los dientes". 

(Don't eat any more candy, or your teeth will rot) 

galipo. n.m. Spit, expectoration. 

gallardona. adj. n.f. Tall, beautiful woman. Brazen 

woman, tomboy. 

gallote. In the expr. Beber al gallote: To drink by the 

gulp, without supporting with the lips. 

ganchá. n.f. Excessive benefit from something. 

ganchillo. n.m. Small hairpin. 

garbañá. n.f. Scratch, clawing, strong pull. 

garratufa. n.f. Unintelligible written character. 

gatas. In the expr. Andar a gatas: to crawl, walk on 

all fours. 

gazpachuelo. n.m. Mayonnaise-based soup. 

gofifa. n.f. Piece of cloth used to clean floors. 

goleor. adj. A person who likes to snoop into 

others' lives to gossip about them later. 

goliosmear. tr. To snoop or gossip. 

golpetazo. n.m. Hit or fall. Strong noise. 

gorruño. n.m. Mess, jumble, constriction. "Éste 

duerme siempre hecho un gorruño". (He always 

sleep curled up) 

grandonazo. adj. Large, ramshackle. 

guarnío. adj. Tired, weary, exhausted. "He 

conducido durante más de trescientos kilómetros 

y estoy guarnío". (I have driven for over 300 Km 

and I am exhausted) 

guarrazo. n.m. Strong fall. 

guarreo. n.m. Jest, teasing. 

guarrito. n.m. Electric drill. 

guarros. In the expr. Perder los guarros: To lose 

one's temper, get out of control, go mad. 

g19 





guillao. adj. Crazy, insane. "No le hagas mucho 

caso; está completamente guillao". (Pay no 

attention to him, he is crazy) 

guillárselas. prnl. To go, leave. To die. 

guisao. n.m. Complicated issue, mess. 

guisotear. tr. To work restlessly in the kitchen. "A 

esta mujer le encanta guisotear". (This woman 

loves cooking) 

guisoteo. n.m. The act of cooking. 

guispar. tr. To see or surprise someone doing 

something improper. "Están todo el día en la 

ventana guispando lo que hacen los vecinos". 

(They are looking out the window all day, spying 

on the neighbours) 

H 

haba partía. In the expr. Son una haba partía: 

identical, very similar. 

haba. n.f. Very large foot. 

haiga. n.m. Luxurious, large automobile. 

hatillo. n.m. Set of clothes prepared for a child 

who will soon be born. 

hechuras. n.f. pl. Condition, personality of a 

person. "Nunca le faltará el trabajo porque tiene 

muy buenas hechuras". (He will always find work, 

because he is a worthy person) 

hiel. n.f. In the expr. Saltársele la hiel a alguien: to eat 

in front of someone without offering anything, even 

when it is evident that he or she wants a bite. 

higona. adj. n.f. Woman who is quiet, sluggish or 

lazy. 

hocicar. intr. To fall face-first. 

holguerón. adj. Referring to clothing: wide or 

loose. "Desde que me quedé más delgado toda la 

ropa me queda holguerona". (Ever since I lost 

weight, my clothes are big for me) 

horrores. n.m. pl. A lot. "Esta muela me duele 

horrores". (This tooth hurts a lot) 

hoyanco. n.m. Very large hole. 


Index 

huesarranco. n.m. Large, protruding bone. 

huevo. In the expr. "no hacer ni el huevo": not to do 

anything, to loaf. "Como es primo del director, no 

hace ni el huevo". (Since he's the director's 

cousin, he doesn't lift a finger) 

huevón. adj. Quiet, very calm individual. 

humerío. n.m. Large amount of smoke. 

hunguillao. adj. Sunken, deformed. "El coche es 

tan viejo que tiene los asientos hunguillaos". (The 

car is so old that the seats are sunk in) 

huyuyuy! interj. Indicates warning when faced 

with danger. "¡Huyuyuy! ¡Como te vea tu padre te 

vas a enterar!". 

ignoranta. adj. n.f. Referring to a woman, ignorant. 

i 

illo! interj. Used to call the attention of someone 

whose name you do not know. 

incordiante. adj. Once who annoys or bothers. 

Nuisance. 

inflarse. prnl. To eat too much. "En la boda 

algunos no probaron bocado mientras que otros 

se inflaron". (At the wedding, some people ate 

nothing and others ate too much) 

inritarse. prnl. To become irritated or angry. 

interés. In the expr. Tenerle interés a alguien: to 

show dislike or aversion. 


J 

jabón de palo. In the expr. Dar jabón de palo a 

alguien: to hit, to give a thrashing. 

jaca. In the expr. ¡Para la jaca!: Stop! Don't jabber 

on! Enough! 

jaleo palos. n.m. Beating, thrashing. Fight. 

jaleoso. adj. Loud, noisy. Exaggerated. 

jamacuco. n.m. Feeling of malaise. Sudden 

worsening of health. "Está mejor, pero el otro día 

el corazón le dio otro jamacuco". (He is better, but 

the other day he had stroke symptoms) 

jamancia. n.f. Food. "Sólo es puntual a la hora de la 

jamancia". (He is only on time when it's time to eat) 

jamás. In the expr. Jamás de los jamases: never. 

jaquetona. adj. n.f. Fine-looking woman, attractive 

femme. 

jardazo. n.m. Fall, spill. 

jarrillo. n.m. In the expr. Ser alguien más apañao 

que un jarrillo de lata: skilful, accommodating, 

helpful. 

jartá. n.f. Large amount, fullness of something. 

Pechá. A lot. "A la reunión acudió una jartá de 

gente". (A lot of people went to the meeting) 

jopá. In the expr. Dar la jopá: To run away, leave. 

jopo empinao. In the expr. Estar o ponerse de jopo 

empinao: angry, vexed, with a long face. 

jopo tendío. In the expr. Salir a jopo tendío: to run 

very fast. 

jugantín. n.m. Person who plays cards or domino 

awfully. 

junteras. n.f. pl. Unadvisable friendships. "Sabes 

que no me gusta esa clase de junteras". (You 

know I do not like those kinds of friends) 

L 


lacio. adj. With no grace or flavour, esaborío. 

lamío. adj. Cut down to floor level. Completely 

clean. 

lampar. In the expr. Estar lampando por algo: to 

desire it vehemently. "Llevo tres días sin fumar y 

estoy lampando por un cigarro". (I have not 

smoked for three days, and I'm dying for a fag) 

lantero. adj. In front, first. (Short for "delantero".) 

l21 

laña. n.f. Paper clip. 

largo. n.m. Coffee with milk, with a bit more coffee 

than milk. 

largomayo. adj. n.m. Tall or big person. 

lastimoso. adj. Bashful, shy, timid. 

lata. In the expr. Dar la lata a alguien: to annoy, 

pester, bother. "Vete ya de aquí y no me des más 

la lata". (Go away, don't bother me) 

lavamanos. n.m. Bowl, basin. 

leche. In the expr. ¡Vayamos a leches!: warning 

about possible irregularities. 

leche. In the expr. Ser algo leche y habas: to end in 

nought, disappoint. 

leche. In the expr. Ser algo o alguien una leche: to 

be worthless. 

leche. In the expr. Tener alguien mala leche: to 

have bad instincts. 

leco. n.m. Accent or peculiar tone of voice. "Los de 

tu pueblo tienen un lequillo que parece que hablan 

cantando". (Your people have a songlike accent) 






liante. adj. Someone who makes news out of 

everything, gossiper, talebearer. "No se lo 

cuentes a tu hermana, que es una lianta". (Don't 

tell your sister, she's a gossiper) 

lingotazo. n.m. Long sip. Synonym of "Trinque". 

listo. adj. In the expr. Quedarse listo: to die. 

listo. adj. In the expr. "verse listo a alguien": to find 

that something is hard to achieve. "Como le 

prestes dinero te vas a ver listo para cobrarle". (If 

you lend him money, it will be hard for you to 

collect it) 

lobá. n.f. Abbr. of "lobada". Gaffe, nonsense, 

mistake. 

lorenzo. n.m. The sun, when it is hottest during 

July and August. 

luces. n.f. pl. In the expr. Echar luces: to grow or 

mature psychologically, to exercise good 

judgement. 

luces. n.f. pl. In the expr. No tener dos dedos de 

luces: to be a daredevil, imprudent. 

lunero. n.m. Rosebush which flowers every 

month. 

LL 

llanete. n.m. Small plaza. 

llevar. In the expr. Llevarse el tirón: to defeat 

others, to win. To achieve something difficult. 


Index 

M 

machopingo. n.m. A barefaced street woman, 

who behaves like a man. 

madrevieja. n.f. River bed, sewer drain. 

maestro. n.m. Common form of addressing, which 

substitutes the word 'Sir'. "Maestro, ¿me da usted 

fuego? (Sir, can you spare a light?) 

maimones. n.m. pl. Hot soup made with garlic, oil 

and bread. 

majara. adj. n.m. Crazy, mentally affected. 

majarón. adj. Majara. "El tío majarón quería que 

le comprase la moto por más de lo que le había 

costado". (This nut wanted me to buy the 

motorbike for more than what it cost him 

malafollá. adj. Graceless, of bitter character. 

malaje. adj. Bitter, tasteless individual, same as 

malafollá. 

malamadre. n.m. n.f. Shady person, with bad 

intentions. 

malapipa. n.m. n.f. Same as "malaje", tasteless. 

malasombra. n.m. n.f. Ill-tempered or bitter 

person. 

malauva. n.f. In the expr. Tener malauva: to be 

violent or have bad intentions. 

mamporrazo. n.m. Hit or fall. 

mandamás. n.m. n.f. Boss, supervisor. "Como es el 

mandamás aquí siempre se hace lo que él dice". 

manchao. n.m. Coffee with milk, which has much 

more coffee than milk. 


mandanga. n.f. Difficulty. Toughness. "La cosa 

tiene mandanga: voy a llamar por teléfono y me 

han cortado la línea". (This is tough: I need to 

make a call and my line's service was dropped) 

manecilla. n.f. Bunch of fried anchovies, tied 

together at the tail. 

manejo. n.m. Money for day-to-day expenses. 

maneras. n.f. pl. In the expr. De todas maneras: 

anyway. 

mangonear. tr. To bully, dominate. 

manguzá. n.f. Hit, pull, slap. 

mano. In the expr. Tener la mano muy larga: to hit 

for no reason, start fights frequently. "No te juntes 

con ese niño que tiene la mano mu larga". (Don't 

go with that kid, he's a scrapper) 

manque. conj. Even if. 

manta. In the expr. Ser alguien un manta: to be lazy 

or slow. 

mantamojá. n.m. Lazy, slow, with no energy. 

mantequero. n.m. Tío mantequero: bogeyman, 

unknown character used to scare children. 

manzanillo. adj. Innocent, foolish, naive. 

maquearse. prnl. To dress up, put on makeup. 

"Cada vez que va al teatro se maquea como si 

fuera a una boda". 

mareoso. adj. Bothersome, burdensome, who 

annoys incessantly. 

mariconera. n.f. Small bag used by some men to 

carry their keys, the tobacco... 

mariquitazúcar. n.m. Boy who usually plays with 

girls. 

maroma. In the expr. Aguantar maroma: to suffer, 

put up with. "Mientras él sea el jefe a ti no te 

queda más remedio que aguantar maroma". (So 

long as he's boss, you have no choice but to put 

up with him) 

marrullero. adj. Slacker, careless, someone who 

does things too fast or leaves them unfinished 

más menos. loc. adv. Very little, nothing. 

más. adv. Más mejor o más peor: better, worse. 

mascá. n.f. Short for "mascada": slap, punch, 

strong blow. 

mata. In the expr. Andar a salto de mata: to go to 

and fro, with no fixed direction. 

mataquintos. n.m. pl. Very poor-quality tobacco. 

Mateo. In the expr. Estar como Mateo con su 

guitarra: proud, happy, boasting about something. 

mayormente. adv. Specifically, especially. "A mí 

me gusta ir al fútbol mayormente cuando juegan 

los equipos grandes". (I like going to soccer 

games, especially when the famous teams play) 

meco. adj. Shocked, silent, frozen. "Le dije cuatro 

verdades y lo dejé meco". (I gave him a piece of 

my mind and he was frozen) 

medianería. n.f. Agreement, partnership. 

medias azules. n.m. Man who makes it his 

business to fix couples' relationships. 

melleto. adj. Toothless, missing a tooth. 

menda lerenda. pron. I, me. 

meneíto. n.m. To walk effeminately. 

mentira. In the expr. Mentira pelá o podría: a lie, 

lies. 



Popular Vocabulary . 

23


mequetrefe. n.m. A nobody. Thin, weak person. 

meramente. adv. Utterly. Completely. "Lo que has 

hecho no sirve meramente pa na". (What you 

made is worthless) 

merdellón. adj. Hoggish person, who doesn't like 

cleanliness. 

meringote. n.m. Medicine. Brew. "Va cada 

semana al médico y tiene un armario lleno de 

meringotes". (He goes to the doctor each week 

and has a cabinet full of medicines) 

mico. adj. Someone who eats very little. 

mijilla. n.f. A small amount of something. Very 

brief moment. 

mitá. n.m. Malagan name for coffee with milk, 

which has half milk and half coffee. 

mititilla. n.f. Mijilla. Almost nothing, very small 

amount of something. 

mocarreras. n.f. pl. Large amount of phlegm or 

boogers. 

mochano. adj. Native from Antequera, 

Antequeran. 

mocho. In the expr. A mocho: roughly, an 

approximate calculation. 

mogollón. n.m. Uproar, riot. Large amount of 

something. 

mojigangas. n.f. Gesture; fast movement of the 

hands. Nervous gesture. 

mollate. n.m. Wine. "Se ve que le gusta el 

mollate". (I can tell he likes wine) 

mondarina. n.f. Mandarin orange. 

monicaco. n.m. Mischievous, lacking formality. 

monserga. n.f. Excuse, unneeded and complicated 

explanation. "Déjate de monsergas y empieza a 

trabajar". (Enough excuses, get to work) 

monte. In the expr. Hacerse algo un monte: when 

something that should be easy in theory becomes 

very hard. 

monte. In the expr. Tirar al monte: to have a 

licentious lifestyle. 

moña. n.m. Gay, effeminate. 

moquetazo. n.m. Strong punch. Jab. 

moraga. n.f. Roasted sardines pierced with rods 

which is cooked at the beach, usually by night. 


Index 

morás. In the expr. Pasarlas morás: to have a hard 

time, when something is particularly difficult. 

morcilla. In the expr. Que le den morcilla: 

expression used to indicate disdain against 

someone. 

mordiscón. n.m. Bite. 

morear. tr. To stir-fry or braise foods. 

morena. In the expr. Y lo que te rondaré, morena: 

indicates that an issue is by no means finished 

yet. 

morterá. n.f. Large amount of something. Vomit. 

Excrement. 

mu peor. In the expr. No estar algo o alguien mu 

peor: going quite well. 

muermo. n.m. Indolent person, someone who is 

not moved by anything. 

murga. n.f. Jest, joking, teasing. 

música. In the expr. A música de talón: on foot, 

walking. "Se me pinchó el coche y tuve que llegar 

a mi casa a música de talón". (My car blew a tire 

and I had to walk home) 


N 

naíta. pr. Diminutive of nada(nothing), less than 

nothing. "No te fíes de ese tío porque tiene una 

pinta de macarra que no me gusta naíta". (Don't 

trust that bloke, I don't like the way he looks at all) 

nanay de la China. In the expr. Categorical no. 

negras. In the expr. Pasarlas negras: to make a 

great effort to achieve something. 

niñato. adj. Young man who pretends to be cool; 

hip. 

nique. adj. New, shiny, in perfect condition. "He 

lavado el coche y se ha quedado nique". (I 

washed the car and it's just like new.) 

niquelarse. prnl. To groom oneself with great care. 

no veas!. Interj. Exclamation which indicates 

pondering. 

nones. In the expr. Decir que nones: To say no. 

"Cuando tu madre dice que nones no hay quien 

la baje del burro". (When your mother says no, no 

one can change her mind) 

norte. In the expr. Dar norte: to inform or give 

guidance to someone. 

noviería. n.f. Courtship. "Llevan ya seis años de 

noviería y todavía no han pensado en casarse". 

(They've been together for six years and they still 

have no intention to marry) 

nube. n.f. Coffee with milk, having barely any 

coffee.. 

nuevas. In the expr. Hacerse de nuevas: to feign 

ignorance. "Cuando preguntaron que quién había 

cogido el coche yo me hice de nuevas". (When 

they asked who had taken the car, I pretended not 

to know. 

o25 

O 


ocho. In the expr. Darle a alguien igual ocho que 

ochenta: to ignore something, accept it. 

oído. In the expr. Oído al parche: attention which 

should be given to something. 

ojo. In the expr. Más seco que el ojo de Checa: 

completely dry. 

orilla. In the expr. Hacer buena o mala orilla: to 

have good or bad weather. 

oxear. tr. To shoo files away. 





P 

pachanga. n.f. Fun, merrymaking. "Desde que le 

tocó la lotería está todo el día de pachanga". (He 

won the lottery and now he's partying all day) 

padrino pelón. n.m. Phrase which kids use to 

address the godfather at baptisms so he will give 

them coins. 

pagar. In the expr. Pagarla con alguien: to vent out 

anger on someone who has nothing to do with the 

problem. "Lo han desplumado en el juego y ahora 

la paga con la mujer". (He got trounced in the 

game and now is angry with his wife) 

pajote. n.m. In the expr. No saber ni pajote: to be 

ignorant. "Con todo lo que ha estudiado y no 

sabe ni pajote de inglés". (With all those studies, 

he knows nothing about English) 

pálpito. n.m. Premonition. "Me dio el pálpito de 

que iba a pasar algo malo". (I had a premonition 

that something would happen) 

pamplina. n.f. Nonsense. "Cállate, porque no 

dices más que pamplinas". (Shut you gob, you 

are speaking nonsense) 

pan de higo. n.m. Mass of dry, pressed figs. 

pan. In the expr. Pan para hoy y hambre para 

mañana: temporary solution which doesn't solve 

a problem definitely. 

panzazo. n.m. To fall headlong. 

pañil. n.m. A type of box to hold fruits, legumes 

and other vegetables. 

paparruchá. n.f. Paparrucha. Mistake. 

paparrucha. n.f. Nonsense, triviality. "Cuando 

habla no dice más que paparruchas. (When he 

talks, all he says is nonsense) 

papelero. adj. 'Yes man', bootlicker, one who is 

very good at pretending. "Si te dice que está 

enferma no le hagas caso: es muy papelera". (If 

she says she is sick, don't believe her, she is 

great at pretending) 

papilla. In the expr. Hacer papilla: crush, break, 


Index 

spoil. "El niño ha cogido el coche y lo ha hecho 

papilla". (The boy took the car and destroyed it) 

parienta. n.f. Wife. "Tengo que irme a casa 

porque si no se enfada la parienta". (I have to go 

home or my wife will be mad) 

paripé. n.m. Pretension, act. "Para librarse del 

trabajo hizo el paripé de que estaba malo". (He 

pretended to be sick to get away from working) 

parrafazo. n.m. Long talk or chat. "Ven para acá 

que tenemos que echar un parrafazo". (Come 

over, we need to talk) 

pascua. In the expr. ¿Y cuándo no es Pascua?: 

always. "Dice que hoy no viene porque está 

cansado; ¿y cuándo no es Pascua?". (He says he 

cannot come because he is tired... as always) 

pastón. n.m. A lot of money. "Este coche ha 

debido costarle un pastón". (This car must have 

cost him a lot of money) 

pata. In the expr. Quedarse con la pata tiesa: to die. 

pataje. n.m. Slovenly walk. 

patuleto. adj. slovenly. 

pechá. n.f. Fullness, satisfaction or tiredness. Large 

amount of something. "A la feria ha venido una 

pechá de gente". (A lot of people came to the fair) 

pegar. intr. Knock on the door. "Niño, abre, que 

están pegando". (Open, son, someone's 

knocking) 

pegola. In the expr. Estar de pegola: to edge up to 

a meeting, hoping to get invited. To "invite 

oneself". 

pegote. n.m. Nonsense, foolishness. In bad taste. 

"La fuente que han puesto en la plaza es un pegote". 

(The new fountain in the plaza looks horrible) 

pejiguera. n.f. Heavy, monotonous work. 

Overbearing person. "Por ahí viene el pejiguera de 

tu hermano". (Here comes your awkward brother) 


pelandrusca. n.f. Despicable woman. 

pelao. In the expr. Pelao y mondao: alone, simply. 

"En mi casa tenemos que apañarnos con mi 

sueldo pelao y mondao". (At home, we have to 

make due with my salary alone) 

pelechar. intr. To freeze or die. "En este piso, en 

invierno y sin calefacción, vamos a pelechar de 

frío". (On this floor, in winter and with no heating, 

we're going to freeze to death) 

peleísta. adj. Who likes to pick fights, 

quarrelsome. 

pella. n.m. Lazy person. "Lo han despedido del 

trabajo porque es un pella". (He got fired because 

he's a sloth) 

pellejazo. n.m. Strong fall or hit. 

pellejón. adj. Slow or lazy. "Se levanta todos los 

días tarde porque es muy pellejón". (He always 

gets up late because he's so lazy) 

pelota. n.m. Bootlicker, one who kisses up. "A ese 

le han dado el puesto porque es un pelota". (He 

got the job because he's a bootlicker) 

perdío. adj. Dirty, full of dirt. "Llegó perdío de 

barro". After an adjective, increases negative 

meaning. "Tonto perdío": a complete fool. 

perete. In the expr. Pasar las de perete: to endure 

a lot of hardship to achieve something. 

perla. In the expr. Ser alguien un perla: to be 

perverse. 

perruno. adj. Referring to wine: of very bad 

quality, awful. 

pescao. n.m. In the expr. Tener el pescao 

vendío: Not have anything to lose. 

pestazo. n.m. Stench. Bad odour. 

picá. n.f. Sleepiness. "Después de comer siempre 

me da la picá". (I always get sleepy after I eat) 

picadillo. n.m. Salad made of pepper, tomatoes, 

onions and pickles. 

piciazo. n.m. Blunder, bloomer. "Se puso a hablar 

finolis y metió un piciazo". (He wanted to talk 

fancy and made a blunder) 

pie. In the expr. Hacerle a alguien un pie agua: to 

hassle, harm. 

pila. n.f. A lot of something. "Tan nuevo como lo 

es y ya tiene una pila de nietos". (So young, and 


he already has so many grandchildren) 

pildoretazo. n.m. Slanted or double-edged 

statement. "Desde que llegó no hace más que 

darme pildoretazos". (Since he got here, all he 

does is throw zingers at me) 

pimporrá. n.f. A large amount of something. "En 

este partido os vamos a meter una pimporrá de 

goles". (In this game, we are going to score a lot 

of goals) 

pintao. In the expr. Venir que ni pintao: to arrive on 

time, just in time. 

pipirrana. n.f. Salad, chopped up tomatoes, 

pepper, onions... 

piripi. adj. Dizzy, somewhat drunk. "En cuanto me 

tomo dos cervezas me pongo piripi". (Assoon as 

I have two beers, I get dizzy) 

pirriaque. n.m. Flat, watered-down or bad drink.. 

Poor-quality wine. "Se pegó un trinque de 

pirriaque y se echó a morir". (He drank bad wine 

and now he is very sick) 

pitar. In the expr. Salir pitando: to run away, flee. 

"En cuanto vieron asomar los guardias los dos 

gamberros salieron pitando". (As soon as they 

saw the police, they ran away) 

pitraco. n.m. Piece of poor-quality meat. 

pollo. n.m. The last person in a line in front of a 

service window or at a store. 

polverío. n.m. Cloud of dust. Very dusty place. 

pompa. In the expr. Con el culo en pompa: showing 

the buttocks or arse. "Para que me pusieran la 

inyección tuve que colocarme con el culo en 

pompa". (To get the shot, I had to lower my 

trousers) 

p27 





poné. n.m. Proposition. A supposition or 

hypothetical situation. "Un poné, si tu mujer te 

engañara, ¿tú qué harías?" (Imagine, if your 

woman cheated on you, what would you do?) 

por vía e Dios. interj. For the love of God!: 

exclamation expressing annoyance or complaint. 

"Por vía e Dios, ¡acelera que vamos a llegar 

tarde!" ¡Agh!, hurry up, we'll be late) 

porra. In the expr. Mandar a la porra a alguien: To 

dismiss uncourteously. To send someone to hell. 

"No me quiso hacer un favor y lo mandé a la 

porra". (He didn't want to do me a favour and I 

sent him to hell) 

porra. n.f. Dish made out of bread crumbs, 

tomato, garlic, vinegar and oil. It is garnished with 

oil, chunks of boiled eggs, and ham. It is a native 

dish of Antequera. 

porretazo. n.m. Fall, spill. 

primeras. In the expr. De buenas a primeras: all of 

a sudden, with no warning. "De buenas a 

primeras, y sin más acá ni más allá, se liaron a 

tortazos". (All of a sudden, they started fighting) 

pringuezorra. n.f. Insult. "Lo cogió aparte y le dijo 

hasta pringuezorra". (He took him outside and 


Index 

insulted him) 

privarse. prnl. To get drunk. 

puchindanga. n.f. Party, merrymaking. 

Partying, fun. "Todavía es un niño y ya quiere irse 

todas las noches de puchindanga". (He is just a 

child, and he wants to go party every night) 

puesto. In the expr. Ponerse alguien bien puesto: 

to praise oneself, boast, try to make a good 

impression. 

pumpún. In the expr. Pagar al pumpún: to pay in 

cash. "El coche me salía más barato si lo pagaba 

al pumpún". (The car was cheaper paying it in 

cash) 

puntilla. n.f. Small nail. Tip, point. 

punto. In the expr. A punto de caramelo: at the best 

moment. In optimal condition. "Cuando el negocio 

estaba a punto de caramelo se presentó la crisis 

económica". (Just when the business was going 

best, there was a crisis) 

punto. In the expr. Desde el punto y hora: since a 

specific moment. "Desde el punto y hora que lo 

nombraron encargado, las cosas comenzaron a 

marchar bien". (Things started going well as soon 

as they named him supervisor) 

puñema. interj. Indicates annoyance. "Puñema 

con el niño que cada noche coge una perrera". 

(This bloody kid, every night he gets a tantrum) 

puñeta. In the expr. Hacerse la puñeta: to harm 

oneself. Hacer la puñeta a alguien: to harm 

someone. Mandar a alguien a hacer puñetas: to 

send them to hell, dismiss him uncourteously. 

puñetero. adj. Overbearing. Burdensome. 

pupa. n.f. Cheat, debt. "Todos los días en el 

bingo, y en la tienda tiene una pupa tremenda". 

(He plays bingo every day, and his store has an 

enormous debt) 

puro. n.m. Punch. 

putear. tr. Hassle, annoy. "Los del seguro lo han 

puteado todo lo que han querido". (The insurance 

people have hassled him as much as they want) 

puteo. n.m. Act and effect of "putear" (hassle). 

puterío. n.m. Place where indecent folk tend to 

meet. 


Q 

quebracía. n.f. Hernia. 

quebraíllo. n.m. In the numbers of the ONCE 

lottery, the one with a zero in the middle. 

quebrao. In the expr. Tener más suerte que un 

quebrao: To have a lot of luck. This saying 

originated because young men who had a lesion 

and were lame were exempt from military service. 

querendola. n.f. Lover, concubine. 

queso. In the expr. Empezar el queso: to start 

something. 

quinario. In the expr. Pasar el quinario: to suffer a 

lot, to have a bout of bad luck. "Con la operación 

del niño hemos pasado el quinario". (We've 

suffered a lot with the boy's operation) 

quirios. In the expr. Por los quirios: very high. "Le 

puse el termómetro y tenía la fiebre por los 

quirios". (I put the thermometer in his mouth, and 

his fever was very high) 

quitasustos. n.m. Piece of masonry that is placed 

on the borders of streets which are near a pit. 

quitón. adj. One who takes others' things. Thief. 

R 

rábano. In the expr. Importarle a uno un rábano: To 

not care at all. "A mí me importa un rábano lo que 

tú digas". (I don't care what you say) 

racha. n.f. Strong shove. "Los espectadores 

dieron una racha cuando vieron que iban a cerrar 

las puertas". (The spectators started pushing 

when they said they were closing the doors) 

ramalazo. n.m. Small bit, signs of something. "No 

será mariquita, pero tiene un ramalazo". (He may 

not be gay, but he has some signs) 

rano. In the expr. Ponerse como un rano: To get full 

with water or any other liquid. 


rape. In the expr. Pelar al rape: crew cut, bald 

shave. "Lo han pelado al rape y le han dejado la 

cabeza como una bombilla". (He was shaven 

bald, his head looks like a light bulb) 

rasca. n.f. Scolding, thrashing. "Cuando llegues a 

tu casa te van a dar rasca". (When you get home, 

they will scold you) 

rasconazo. n.m. Scratch, friction. "Ha cogido el 

coche nuevo y le ha hecho un rasconazo contra la 

esquina". (He took the new car and scratched it) 

raso. In the expr. Al raso: outside, with no shelter. "Ha 

cogido un resfriado porque pasó la noche al raso". 

(He caught a cold from spending the night outside) 

raspa. n.f. Referring to a person: shocker, cad. 

raspao. Adj. Shameless, uneducated. 

rato. n.m. Really, a lot. "Parece que no entiende 

pero es un rato listo". (It looks like he doesn't 

understand, but he is very smart) 

rebalaje. In the expr. Al rebalaje: disorderly "Es muy 

desordenado; tiene toda la ropa al rebalaje". (He is 

very disorganized, his clothes are all dishevelled) 

rebenque. n.m. Rough movement, jerking 

gesture. "Fue a cogerle la mano y ella dio un 

rebenque". (He tried to hold her hand and she 

pulled away) 

recacha. n.f. Place which is sheltered from the 

wind and rain. 

r29 

recalar. intr. To arrive somewhere. "Tenía 

pensamiento de ir a Antequera y recalé en 

Ronda". (I was going to Antequera and ended up 

going to Ronda) 

recio. adv. n.m. Strongly. "No hables recio que el 

niño acaba de dormirse". (Don't speak loudly, the 

baby is asleep) 





refilonazo. n.m. Scratch, friction. 

refregonazo. n.m. Friction, push. "El bar es muy 

estrecho y te dan refregonazos por todos lados". 

(The bar is very strait, and they bump into you 

from all sides) 

regaera. n.f. In the expr. Estar como una regaera; 

To be crazy or mentally affected. 

regañifa. n.f. Scolding, chide. "Me dejé las llaves 

dentro y el jefe me echó una regañifa". (I left the 

keys inside and the boss scolded me) 

regordío. n.m. belch. 

rejilla. n.f. Sump, drain. "La rata se salió por la 

rejilla". (The rat escaped through the drain) 

relampaguza. n.f. Flash, blinding light. Something 

which is seen as blurred. "Sin las gafas no veo 

más que relampaguzas". (Without glasses, I can 

only see flashes of light) 

relumbrío. n.m. Shine, flash. "La bombilla dio un 

relumbrío y se apagó". (The light bulb flashed and 

then burned) 

remamarse. prnl. To return to receiving the 

mother's cares. "Al nacer su hermano, la niña se 

remamó". (When her brother was born, the girl 

got closer to her mother) 

remanecer. intr. To come from, be native from a 

place. "Esta familia remanece de Almería". (This 

family is from Almería) 

remate. loc. A remate: at last; thank God. "A 

remate has terminado la casa". 

remedión. n.m. Insufficient help, slight 

improvement. "La casa es vieja pero con la reforma 

que le hemos hecho le hemos dado un remedión". 

(The house is old, but it's better with the repairs) 

remolón. adj. Slow, trailing, last. "Siempre se 

hace el remolón a la hora de pagar". (He always 

drags his feet when it's time to pay) 

remoñarse. prnl. To rise up, rebel, change 

attitudes. "Parecía muy obediente pero un día se 

me remoñó". (He looked very obedient, but one 

day he rebelled) 

reoca. In the expr. Ser algo la reoca: The limit, the 

breaking point. 


Index 

reor. n.m. Around. "Hay que limpiar la mesa por el 

reor". (We have to clean around the table) 

repanocha. n.f. Superb, the most. Something 

exceptional. "Este tío jugando al fútbol es la 

repanocha". (He is superb at soccer) 

repelusco. n.m. Fear. Shivers. "Cuando entré en 

la cueva me dio un repelusco". (When I went into 

the cave, I got the shivers) 

repicotear. intr. To hit or bang on something 

repeatedly. 

repuntarse. prnl. To become irked, angry. 

retranca. n.f. In the expr. Hacer retranca: being 

stubborn, not yielding an inch. 

ricia. n.f. Referring to fruits, the smallest and 

worst. "En las tiendas ponen arriba las mejores 

frutas, pero debajo está la ricia". (In stores, they 

put the best fruits on top and the worst on the 

bottom) 

S 

saborío. adj. Esaborío. Of bitter, anti-social 

disposition. 

salirse. prnl. To be in heat. 

saltar. intr. In the expr. Estar a la que salta: on alert, 

stalking for some benefit. 

salud. n.f. In the expr. Para poca salud, ninguna: 

Once lost, to hell with it. 


sambaleo. n.m. Shaking, rough movement. Mess. 

"Se ha metido en un buen sambaleo: ha 

comprado dos pisos y no tiene ni un euro". (He 

has gotten into a mess: he bought two flats and 

has no money to pay) 

santos. n.m. pl. In the expr. Quedarse pa vestir 

santos: to remain unmarried. 

sartenazo. n.m. Blunder or error when speaking. 

"Quería hablar fino y no hacía más que meter 

sartenazos". (He tried to speak well, and ended 

up saying blunders) 

secas. loc. adv. A secas: plainly. "No me llames 

don Francisco, llámame Paco a secas. (Don't call 

me Mr. Francis, just call me Frank) 

sembrao. adj. In the expr. Estar sembrao: to be 

graceful. 

sequerón. adj. Very thin. "Tú ves lo sequerón que 

está; pues nunca se pone enfermo". (Even being 

so thin, he rarely gets sick) 

ser. In the expr. Al ser de día: in the morning. "Es 

muy madrugador; siempre se levanta al ser de 

día". (He is an early bird, he wakes up at the 

crack of dawn) 

ser. In the expr. Ser cosa de : when something 

happened at a certain time. "Eso fue cosa de un 

año. (It happened about a year ago) 

serruchear. intr. To do small jobs. 

sieso. n.m. Ill-tempered person. Same as 

"Malasombra". 

siesomanío. n.m. Referring to a person, 

graceless. 


siete sueños. In the expr. Estar de siete sueños: to 

be in a deep sleep. 

siete. In the expr. Poner a alguien en el siete: 

annoy, mortify. 

simplonato. adj. Ignorant, naive. "Nadie lo toma 

en serio porque es un simplonato. (No one takes 

him seriously, because he's a simpleton) 

singracia. adj. Graceless, "esaborío". 

sinvivir. n.m. Restlessness, worry. "Desde que el 

niño tiene moto esto es un sinvivir. (Since the boy 

has a motorbike, we have been worried) 

soleá. n. f. Referring to a person, the best. "Esta 

mujer para el cuidado de los niños es la soleá." 

(This women is the perfect choice to take care of 

the children.) 

soliero. n.m. Intense heat. Place where the sun 

hits hard. 

solisombra. n.m. Cup of cognac mixed with sweet 

anise. 

sombra. n.m. Coffee with milk, with just a bit of 

coffee. 

sopas. n.f. pl. In the expr. Comerse a alguien por 

sopas: to dominate someone, to be prepotent. 

sopetear. tr. To mock, make fun of. To dominate. 

"Respetarlo hay que respetarlo, pero no dejes 

que te sopetee". (You have to respect him, but 

don't let him walk all over you) 

suavón. adj. Once who doesn't object or argue, 

but ends up doing whatever he wants. 

t31 





T 

tabarra. n.f. En la expr. In the expr. Dar la tabarra: 

to annoy, pester, bother. "Todo el día está dando 

la tabarra con que se quiere ir de vacaciones". 

(Every day he rambles on about how he'd like to 

go on vacation) 

tabarrera. n.f. Wasps' nest. 

tábarro. n.m. Bee, wasp. 

taco. n.m. In the expr. Hacerse alguien un taco: to 

become confused. "Cuando empezó a hablar de 

la inflación, se hizo un taco y al final no dijo 

nada". (When he started talking about inflation, 

he got mixed up and in the end said nothing) 

taco. n.m. A large amount of something. "Ahí 

donde lo ves, pues ya tiene un taco de años". (He 

doesn't look like it, but he is very old) 

tana. n.f. Fight, dispute, argument. "Cuando 

elárbitro pitó penalti, en las gradas se armó una 

tana impresionante". 

tapaluz. n.m. Shutter. Piece of wood which 

surrounds door frames . 

tapeo. n.m. Going out on the piss. "Todas las 

tardes nos damos una vuelta y nos vamos de 

tapeo por los bares". (Each afternoon, we ride 

around and we eat and drink together) 

tarín barín. loc. adv. And so forth. Something like 

that. 

tecloso. adj. Ambivalent, indecisive. "No me 

gusta que le compre nada porque es muy 

tecloso". (I don't like it when they buy him 

anything because he's very indecisive) 

tejemaneje. n.m. Fiddle, mess, shady business. 

"Yo no sé el tejemaneje que tiene pero el tío está 

forrado de dinero". (I don't know what shady 

business he has going on, but he's swimming in 

money) 

telele. n.m. Panic attack, rant, dizzy spell. "En 

cuanto le llevas la contraria le da el telele". (He 

gets nervous as soon as you argue with him) 


Index 

temblique. n.m. Shaking, fear. 

tentón. adj. Undecided. 

testero. n.m. Wall. "Puso el retrato de su abuela 

en medio del testero". (He put his grandmother's 

picture in the middle of the wall) 

tieso. adj. Penniless, ruined. "Después de 

comprar el coche me he quedado tieso". (After 

buying the car, I'm ruined) 

tiestá. n.f. Mess, blunder. "Ha salido muy callado 

de su cuarto: seguro que ha hecho una tiestá". 

(He went out of his room very quietly, he probably 

broke) 

tiestos. n.m. pl. In the expr. Hacer tiestos: to break 

something. 

tira. n.f. A large amount of something. "Sabe la tira 

de chistes". (He knows a lot of jokes) 

tiraero. n.m. Excessive, unneeded expense. 

Splurge. "Ir con los niños a la feria es un tiraero". 

(Going with the kids to the fair is a splurge) 

tirititero. n.m. Comic, circus person. Person with 

very good balance. "Se puso de pie en lo alto 

del tejado como si fuera un tirititero". (he 

stood on top of the roof like a trapeze man) 


tirón. n.m. In the expr. Írsele a alguien el tirón: to 

waste an opportunity to get something. 

tironazo. n.m. Strong pull. Violent mugging or 

theft. 

tocas. n.f. pl. loc. Por tocas: in order, by turns. "La 

limpieza de la casa la hacemos por tocas". (We 

take turns to clean the house) 

tomatera. n.f. Sleepiness, dizziness. "El portero 

del cine tiene una tomatera que no se aclara; se 

cuela todo el que quiere". (The doorman at the 

movie theatre is spaced, everyone gets by him) 

tontarreras. ad. pl. Fool, annoyance, who speaks 

a lot of rubbish. Arrogant. "Por ahí viene el 

tontarreras de tu novio. Me voy antes de que se 

enrolle". (Here comes your stupid boyfriend. I'm 

leaving before he gives me grief) 

tonteo. n.m. Seeking relationship and friendship 

with distinguished people to attain influence and 

image. 

tonto perdío. adj. Extremely stupid. 

torta. In the expr. No ver ni torta: to not see 

anything. "Con las gafas nuevas no veo ni torta". 

torta. In the expr. Querer alguien torta: Wanting to 

connect, provide resources. 

tortea. n.f. Series of blows and slaps. Thrashing. 

"Como no me hagas caso te vas a ganar una 

buena tortea". (If you don't do as I say, you'll earn 

yourself a whipping) 

tortillera. n.f. Lesbian. 

tragante. n.m. Sewage pipe, sewer grate. 

traganúos. Loc adv. A traganúos: fast, without 

stopping. "Le duele el estómago porque come a 

traganúos". (His stomach aches because he eats 

too fast) 

tramotiles. n.m. pl. Instruments, tools. "Llega al 

trabajo, suelta los tramotiles y se va al bar". (He 

comes to work, leaves his tools and he's off to the 

bar) 

tranfullón. loc. adv. Al tranfullón: in a disorderly 

way, without showing any attention or care. "Hace 

las camas al tranfullón". (He makes his bed 

carelessly) 

tranquera. n.f. Argument, dispute. "Con el asunto 


del fútbol tenemos todos los días una buena 

tranquera". (With the soccer issue, we have an 

argument every day) 

traperío. n.m. Bunch or mess of clothes. "Cuando 

se duchan todos el cuarto de baño es un 

traperío". (When they all shower, the bathroom is 

a mess of clothes) 

traqueón. n.m. Rough movement. "La calle tiene 

muchos baches y el coche da continuos 

traqueones". (The street has a lot of puddles, and 

the car shakes a lot) 

trastá. n.f. Blunder, mess, gross error. 

trastazo. n.m. In the expr. Tener algo un trastazo: to 

be demanding or difficult. "Tu madre, tan bien 

puesta como se pone, pero tiene un trastazo". 

(Your mother is as wellrounded as she says, but 

she is a difficult person) 

traste. n.m. Referring to children: hyperactive, 

nervous. 

trastrás. Onomat. "Te voy a dar trastrás": I'm going 

to hit you. 

trastrujo. n.m. Piece of rubbish, old or useless 

furniture. 

T33 





trecha. n.f. Spin, flip. "El coche se salió de la 

carretera y dio una trecha de campana". (The car 

went off the road and flipped over) 

trincar. tr. To grab, pick up. "Lo trincó del 

pescuezo y por poco lo ahoga". (He grabbed him 

by the neck and almost choked him) 

trinque. n.m. Long sip of wine. "Le pegó un 

trinque a la botella que la dejó medio vacía". (He 

gave the bottle such a long sip, that he left it halfempty) 

triquiñuela. n.f. Trick, scheme. "En cuanto le 

cojas la triquiñuela lo haces con los ojos 

cerrados". (Once you get the trick, you can do it 

with your eyes closed) 

trompo. n.m. In the expr. Estar alguien más liado 

que un trompo: confused, undecided, not 

knowing what to do. 

trónguilis. n.m. In the expr. Cogerle el tróngolis a 

algo: to get the trick, the solution, same as 

"triquiñuela". 

túnica. n.f. Drunkenness. turrón. In the 

expr.¡Vamos al turrón!: Let's go there! 

turuleta. adj. Daft, spaced. 

tururú. In the expr. A mí, tururú: who cares, I don't 

care. "Si te quieres ir de casa, a mí tururú". (If you 

want to leave the house, I don't care) 


Index 

U 

una. En la expr. Una cosa mala: a lot. "Se ha vuelto 

muy formal y ahora estudia una cosa mala". (He 

has become very dedicated, now he studies a lot) 

una. In the expr. Una y no más, Santo Tomás: 

never again. "Le escribí y no me respondió; ahora 

que, una y no más, Santo Tomás". (I wrote to him 

and received no reply, I'm not writing again) 

untar. tr. In the expr. Untar las manos a alguien: to 

bribe. "Hasta que no le untes las manos no te dan 

el permiso de obras". (Until you bribe him, you 

won't get the work permit) 

untura. n.f. Pomade, ointment. 

ustedes. pro. In Malaga, this pronoun frequently 

substitutes the normative 'vosotros' or 'vosotras'. 

"ustedes sabéis lo que tenéis que hacer". (You 

know what you have to do) 

V 

valientemente! interj. What? Blimey! Indicates 

annoyance or despising. "¡Valientemente! No has 

aprobado ni una asignatura". (What?, you didn't 

pass a single class?) 

vela. n.f. In the expr. Tener mala vela: to be bitter or 

ill-tempered, same as malaje. "No le digas nada, 

que tiene muy mala vela". (Don't say anything to 

him, he's very embittered) 

velahí. interj. Expresses anger, powerlessness. 

"Porque es más chico que yo y no quise pegarle, 

por si no, velahí". (He is smaller than me so I 

didn't want to hit him, but if not…..) 

velas. n.f. pl. In the expr. Estar o quedarse a dos 

velas: not finding out about anything. "Como no 

sabía de qué estaban hablando, me quedé a dos 

velas". (Since I didn't know what they were talking 

about, I was clueless) 


vello. n.m. In the expr. Poner el vello de punta: to 

impress, leave an impression on. "Se me pone el 

vello de punta cada vez que pienso en lo que 

pudiera haber pasado". (I am impressed every 

time I think about what could've happened) 

vención. n.m. Hard movement, fast tipping. "Al 

pisar el bache, el coche dio un vención". (When 

we went over the puddle, the car jumped) 

vendo. n.m. In the expr. Estar como un vendo: to be 

beat up, with a battered body. "Después de la 

caminata que nos hemos dado estoy como un 

vendo". (After the walk we've had to take, I am tired) 

vendo. n.m. In the expr. Más flojo que un vendo: 

apathic, tired, fatigued. 

ventilarse. prnl. Eat. "Tenía tanta hambre que en 

menos que canta un gallo me ventilé dos 

bocadillos". (I was so hungry that I ate two 

sandwiches in seconds) 

ver. n.m. In the expr. Estar alguien de buen ver: to 

look good, be well preserved. "Tiene casi sesenta 

años y todavía está de buen ver". (He is almost 

sixty years old, and still looks well) 

veri. In the expr. Venir con la de veri: to come with 

bad intentions. 

veranillo del membrillo. n.m. Hot days during the 

fall. San Miguel or San Martin's summer. 

veremos a ver. loc. adv. Maybe. We'll see. 

"Veremos a ver si te sales con la tuya". (We'll see 

if you win) 

viaje. n.m. Strong charge towards something. 

Slash. 

viaraza. n.f. Sudden, unnecessary trips. "Esas 

viarazas no me gustan ni un pelo". (I don't like 

these trips at all) 


viciarse. prnl. To bend, twist. "El marco de la 

puerta se ha viciado por la humedad". (The door 

frame has bent due to the humidity) 

victoriano. n.m. Small anchovy, of very exquisite 

white meat, which can be fished in the Malagan 

coast, usually in September, the date in which we 

celebrate the day of the Virgin of Victoria, 

patroness of Malaga. Possibly that's why these 

anchovies are called that way. 

viejá. n.f. Sudden aging. "¡Hay que ver la viejá 

que ha dado este hombre en tan poco tiempo". 

(He's gotten old in a very short time) 

vieja. n.f. Malaise and loss of energy that comes 

upon someone who has been doing strenuous 

physical activity for a long time. 

viejarranco. adj. Old. "Con lo viejarranco que es 

y todavía quiere seguir jugando al fútbol. (He is 

so old, and still wants to play soccer) 

viento. n.m. In the expr. Mandar a alguien a tomar 

viento: To blow off, despise. "Me vino con 

exigencias y yo lo mandé a tomar viento". (He 

came to make demands, and I blew him off) 

virulé. In the expr. Poner un ojo a la virulé: to hurt 

someone's eye, give a black eye to someone. 

volando. interj. Quickly! Hurry up! 

volaor. n.m. Toy windmill, child's toy which spins 

in the wind. 

volatero. adj. Overactive person, who does not sit 

still. 

vueltazo. n.m. Short stroll or trip without any specific 

destination. "Todas las tardes me voy con mi mujer a 

dar un vueltazo por el centro". (Every afternoon, I go 

with my wife for a stroll down the centre) 

V35 






Y 

yerbazal. n.m. Grassy area. 

yesca. n.f. Excrement. 

yoyó. n.m. Toy made with two cones joined 

at the vortex and which spins through a 

rope. 


Index 

Z 

zaharrar. tr. Covering the walls with stucco 

before pargetting them . 

zahorra. n.f. Sandy earth used as foundation 

for roads. 

zaleazo. n.m. Fall, spill. 

zamarreón. n.m. Violent shaking. "Le di un 

zamarreón al olivo y se cayeron todas las 

aceitunas". (I shook the olive three and all 

the olives fell) 

zambaleo. n.m. Shaking, riot, mess. "De 

pronto se formó un zambaleo de palos y 

aquello terminó como el rosario de Cuevas". 

(All of a sudden, they rioted and started a 

huge mess) 

zambomba. n.f. Mess, conflict, complicated 

business or issue. Very large debt. "Con la 

compra del piso nos hemos metido en una 

zambomba muy grande". (We bought the 

floor and we have a very large debt) 

zangarrear. tr. To shake, move violently. 

zangarreo. n.m. act and effect of 

"zangarrear" (shaking). 

zorruno. n.m. Bad odour. 

zumaque. n.m. Liquid, usually dirty, which 

drips from something wet. 

zumbar. tr. To hit, punch. "Le zumbó dos 

hostias en plena cara". (He punched him 

straight in the face) 

zurribuye. n.m. Restless person who is 

always moving about. Overactive or 

uncomfortable person. 



Málaga, Sun and Dialect 37 


38 

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