Appendix:Glossary of Panamanian Spanish

Panamanian Spanish is the Spanish language as spoken in Panama. It is also spoken by people of Panamanian descent in other countries. It has similarities with other Central American and Caribbean Spanish variants, and due to its history has absorbed a significant portion of its vocabulary from the English language. Panamanian dialect also borrowed words from languages of other ethnic groups, like Italians, Greeks, East Indians (including Hindi and Gujarati), and Chinese.

Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

¡ajo!: An exclamation of surprise, often a euphemism for "¡carajo!" (damn it). The word literally means "garlic."
a balazo: To do something quickly, like a gunshot.
a la chingada: To hell with it.
a palo seco: Without any accompaniments, e.g., drinking alcohol straight.
a pingazo, a vergazo: To do something fast. "Vergazo" can also mean a very hard punch.
a quemarropa: To do something at close range or without hesitation.
allá onde uno: From a TV show, this means "from where one is," usually referring to the countryside or a person's hometown.
arranque: A wild party where people get drunk or use cocaine.
arrecho: Horny or angry, depending on the region. In Chiriquí, it means angry.
arroz con sombrero: A dish of rice with a fried egg on top.
awebao, awebada: Taken from ahuevado (egg-headed), this can be a derogatory term for an idiot or a friendly term like "dude," depending on the tone.
awebason: An expression for something foolish or dumb.
ayala ñex: An expression of surprise or amusement, similar to "holy crap."

B

babylon: Slang for the police.
bagre: A very ugly person, literally a "catfish."
bajapanti: A nickname for a cheap wine, Night Train Express, literally meaning "panty remover."
bajito'e sal: Gay, literally "low on salt."
balato pa' ti: A phrase used to describe a price from a Chinese corner store, meaning "inexpensive for you."
bate y corre pa' tercera: Slang referring to gay people, literally "hits and runs to third."
batibúay: Gay, from the Jamaican English batty boy."
beri-beri: A heart attack or a seizure.
bergington: An exclamation of amazement or excitement, like "Holy crap!"
bien cuida'o: A street vendor who offers to watch your car for a tip, literally "well cared for."
birria: 1. To play a friendly sport or game. 2. To be obsessed with an activity.
blanco: A cigarette.
bocarest: Bad breath.
bochinche: Gossip, especially malicious gossip.
botella: A useless employee hired because of connections rather than qualifications, literally a "bottle."
breham: Hungry, a reversal of hambre.
buco: From the French beaucoup (many), meaning "a lot."
bulto: A person who is an inconvenience or a burden.

C

cabrear: To be tired of something or to be annoyed by someone.
cacha-cueco, saca shit, muerde-nuca: Derogatory terms for a gay man.
cafá: A slap to the face or head.
camarón: An odd job or chore, derived from the English come around.
canchalarga: A person who can party for a very long time, literally "long field."
cagalitroso: An old man.
calientahuevo: A girl who teases or flirts without follow-through, literally "egg warmer."
cangreja: An unattractive woman, literally a "female crab."
casa del culo: A place that is very far away, literally "house of the ass."
casa bruja: A very poor, makeshift house, literally "witch's house."
catribolia: A woman with high sexual activity.
cha: A shortened form of "chucha," used as an exclamation of surprise.
chacalería: People from the ghetto.
chácara: A countryman's bag. Also used as a nickname for testicles.
chacaron: A very lazy person.
chaineado: Dressed up, from the English shined up.
chakalito: Someone from the ghetto, often used in a pejorative way. The stereotype involves listening to reggae/reggaeton and having a "thug life" image.
chamái: A chamois cloth for wiping and drying a car.
chambón: A clumsy person.
chantín: Home or house, from the English shanty.
chapot: Well-dressed, from the English shaped up.
chata: A person with a small butt.
chicha 'e piña: Easy or unimportant, literally "pineapple juice."
chicha: Watered-down fruit juice.
chichi: Baby.
chichón: A lump or bruise on the body, usually the head.
chifiar: To ignore a person.
chilín: To relax or take it easy, from the English chill.
chirrisco: Homemade alcoholic beverage.
chiswiz: A name for any snack, from the English Cheese Whiz.
chiva: A small bus, literally "female goat."
cholo: A derogatory term for a person of mixed indigenous and European descent.
cholo metal: A person of mixed-race or indigenous descent who dresses and acts like a rock and roller.
chombo: A derogatory term for a black person.
chota: A derogatory term for a large police vehicle.
chucha: A very common interjection expressing surprise, shock, anger, or happiness. The literal meaning is "vagina."
chuchita: Someone who is easily taken advantage of.
¡chuleta!: An exclamation of surprise or shock, a euphemism for "chucha."
chupata: A party with a lot of alcohol.
churrusco: Very curly, nappy hair.
chuzo: A non-vulgar way of saying "chucha."
cicsa: A fast drink or a lame product.
cinta: Gossip or a story.
cizaña: To cause discord or strife between people, literally "darnel."
click: Refers to the sound of a phone being hung up without saying goodbye.
cocobolo: Totally bald, literally "baldhead."
cocodrila: Slang for an ugly woman, literally a "female crocodile."
comearroz: Child or baby, literally "rice eater."
cómico: Someone unimportant or a joke of a person.
comiste en paila: A chatterbox, literally "you ate from a pan."
como el huevo: Slow or stupid, literally "like the egg."
como ñinga ño: Yes.
concolón: The layer of burnt rice at the bottom of a pot.
congo: Someone who is easily taken advantage of, an idiot.
cranear: To think very hard.
cuara: A 25-cent coin, from the English quarter.
cuatrera: Prostitute.
cuatro gatos: Very few people, literally "four cats."
cucurucho: A tiny, ugly house or place.
cueco, cueca: A disrespectful term for a gay man or lesbian, similar to "faggot."
culantrón: A big butt, from culantro (coriander).
culicagao: A very young person, literally "ass-shitted."
culillo: Terrible fear.
culitripi: A person who is skinny, ugly, and weak.
culo de botella: Referring to thick eyeglasses, literally "bottle ass."
culo: Ass or butt.
cus cus: Hard, short, wire-like hair, nappy hair.

D

daim: A 10-cent coin, from the English dime.
dale valor: To turn up the volume of music, literally "give it value."
de alante: Something that is awesome or cool, literally "from the front."
de ley: Something that is definitely going to happen.
de la high: Describes someone from a wealthy or sophisticated neighborhood.
demencia: Something really awesome.
desguañangao: Messed up, badly dressed, or beaten up.
diablo rojo: A large, decorated city bus, literally "red devil."
doble cara: A hypocritical or deceitful person, literally "double-faced."

E

echar un cinco: 1. To take a short nap. 2. To fight.
el chino: A corner store, from the fact that many are owned by Chinese immigrants.
el de las pelotas: (No definition provided, likely related to "juega vivo," which is not in the list).
en panga: Uncool, not hip.
emparapetao: To fix something in an unreliable way, often with tape.
en bosnia: To be nowhere to be found.
enculado: Very in love, especially at the beginning of a relationship.
engomado: To have a hangover.
eso ni es: When something is not right or is not cool.

F

faracho: A heart attack or a seizure.
firi-firi: A very skinny man or woman.
flus: Cash money, from the Arabic فلس
focop, focoot: Messed up or fucked up.
fren: Friend.
frulo: To have fear of something.
fulo, fula: Blonde.

G

gallo: Awful, distasteful, or cheap.
gargola: A really ugly woman, literally a "gargoyle."
garra: Friend.
guachimán: Guard, from the English watchman.
grajo: Body odor from the armpits.
gruvear: To fool around with someone, or to bother them.
guarapo: A non-alcoholic drink made from sugar cane.
guaro: Any type of alcoholic beverage, especially fermented sugar cane liquor.
guial: A young woman, from the English girl via Jamaican English.
guilla'o: Stoned or high on marijuana. It can also mean to be astonished or scared.

H

hablar con los monstruos: To vomit, literally "to talk to the monsters."
hablas paja: To talk a lot of nonsense, literally "you talk straw."
hasta la tuza: Drunk.
hasta la verga: Extremely drunk or messed up.
hijo de la luna: An Albino Native Panamanian, literally "son of the moon."
hoooombeee...: An expression of gay behavior, similar to "ayyyyyyy."
huevear: To loaf around or not do anything productive.

I

ir a tocar el arpa: To die, literally "to go play the harp."
inchi pinchi: Inseparable friends.
irse al kínder: To make a mistake.
is: A reversal of sí, meaning "yes."

J

¡jo!: An exclamation of affirmation, surprise, or admiration, similar to "Damn!"
jumarse: To get drunk.

K

keton: A box of cigarettes.

L

la botaste: You did something awesome, like "you hit it out of the park."
la hace: Something that is cool or awesome.
la kenton: When someone promises something and doesn't follow through.
la última coca-cola del desierto: Someone who thinks they are very important or the best.
laope: A reversal of pelao (dude).
laopescillo: A little boy.
lechero, lechudo: A fortunate person.
llamar a hugo: To vomit.
llesca: A reversal of calle (street).
lokario, lokoide: A very crazy person.
lírica: A story or gossip.

M

machín candao: A phrase to prevent someone from kicking you in the butt.
maleante: A gang member or criminal.
manzanillos: People who follow a rich or famous person to take advantage of them.
marías: A maid, since many have this name.
maricón: A derogatory term for a gay man.
mariflor: Synonym for gay.
marimacha: A woman who acts and dresses like a man, a tomboy.
mascabola: A slur for a gay man, literally "ball chewer."
matapuerco: A punch thrown without technique, literally "pig killer."
me sabe a cake: I don't give a damn, literally "it tastes like cake to me."
me lo paso por los huevos: I don't give a damn, literally "I pass it through my eggs."
meneíto: A cheese chip snack or a butt movement.
meña: Synonym for a criminal.
meto: A word from the Chiriquí province used when someone messes up.
micha: Slang for vagina.
micho: Cat.
micro onda: A girl who teases without follow-through, like a microwave that "heats up but doesn't eat."
mili: To do something with disregard for authority or common sense.
mopri: A reversal of primo (cousin), used as "buddy."
morriña: Rotten dog food or any rotten food.
motete: A farmer's bag for carrying products.

N

nítido: Cool or awesome.
nístido: Cool or awesome.
ni chicha ni limonada: Neither one thing nor the other.
nueve letras: A popular Panamanian rum brand, Herrerano, which has nine letters.
ñame: Someone who is crazy, literally a starchy root.
ñampiao: Gone crazy.
ñángara: A disrespectful name for a communist.
ñañeco: A crybaby.
ñaño, ñorro, cueco: Homosexual or gay.
ñinga: Cat excrement.

O

offi: Okay, from "official."
on: A reversal of no, meaning "no."
osea: An expression of surprise or disgust, commonly used by "yeyes."
oye eso: An expression of approval after hearing a cool story, literally "listen to that."

P

pa: Short for para (for).
pai pai y no estoy: A boxing technique of hitting and stepping back.
pai, pay: A beautiful girl.
palante: To leave a party or place, literally "forward."
palanquear: To use one's influence to help someone get a job.
palo: One dollar or a tree.
pato: A derogatory term for a gay man, literally a "duck."
pavo: A bus driver's helper, literally a "turkey."
pebre: Food.
pela: A beating, usually sports-related.
pelao: Slang for "dude."
pelar el bollo: To die, literally "to peel the tamale."
pelonera: A game where the loser is hit on the head.
perro: Someone who has many romantic partners or cheats often, like a "player."
petatearse: To die.
pichazo: A lot of something.
pichi: Cocaine.
piedrero: A homeless person addicted to crack cocaine, literally a "stoner."
pifa, pixbae: A type of wild fruit.
pifia: A word used in the 80s to describe something cool.
pilar: To study.
pilínki: A cheap or stingy person.
pilla: To look or to catch someone.
piñatero: A baseball batter who swings at a high pitch and misses.
pindín: The typical folk music of Panama's central provinces.
pipi sweet: A womanizer, literally "sweet dick."
pitufo: A small pickup truck or police riot truck, literally a "smurf."
plantintá: An empanada with a plantain filling.
plena: Panamanian reggae music.
policia muerto: A speed bump, literally "dead policeman."
polla, pollo: Someone's girlfriend or boyfriend.
ponchera: An unusually cool or scandalous party.
por fuera: To be out or gone.
puesto quemao: A playground phrase to prevent others from taking your seat.
puñete, puñetazo: A punch with the fist.
puro tilin tilin y nada de paleta: A person who talks a lot but doesn't deliver, literally "all bells and no popsicles."
push: A "love motel" for discreet sexual encounters.

Q

qué xopá: A common greeting meaning "What's up?", a reversal of qué pasó.
qué bestia, ayala bestia: An exclamation of surprise, like "What a beast."
qué chucha te pasa?: What the heck is wrong with you?
qué lo coors light: A play on words for "qué locura" (what madness).
quemao: Stoned on weed, literally "toasted."
quemar: To cheat on someone or be unfaithful.
quenque, kenke: Marijuana.

R

rabiblanco: A term for someone from an old-money, wealthy family, literally "white-tailed."
rabo: Penis or tail.
racataca, raka: A female ruffian or ratchet woman.
raspaito: Scratch-off lottery tickets.
raspao: A shaved ice cone with sweet syrups.
ratita mopri awebao: A stereotypical greeting among wealthy youths.
real: A 5-cent coin.
recula: To reverse in a car.
refine: A meal or to eat.
rejeros: A group of men who only hang out with other men, often unsuccessfully trying to pick up women.
repellar: To eat even if you just ate.
reventar, detonar, romper: To tease or mock someone.
revosh: To reverse a car.
rochadera: A makeout session.
rompe pecho: A large glass bottle of beer or soda.

S

sacapulmón: A punch to the stomach with bad technique, literally "lung remover."
sacar la chucha: 1. To beat someone up. 2. To get into a really bad accident.
sae: A shortened form of the verb saber (to know).
saina: A poser or someone who tries to be something they're not.
sainear: To pose or give off a certain impression.
sakakaka: A game where someone is hit on the butt.
salió el fulo: The sun came out.
sapote: A bigger version of chucha, literally a "toad."
sarao: A tacky school dance.
se le moja la canoa: Refers to a man acting in a gay way, literally "his canoe is getting wet."
seco con vaca: The popular rum Seco mixed with milk.
sin suán: A playground swing, from "swing swang."
sizaña: See cizaña.
sólido: Cool or awesome.
sopa: A blocked shot in basketball. Also, the pool of sweat under a shirt's armpit.
soplamoco: A punch or slap to the face, literally "mucus-blow."
surra surra: A playground slide, literally "slide slide."

T

tá cruel: When something is really bad or really good.
tá: A shortened form of está (it is).
taquilla: A lie or exaggeration.
tarrantantan: A lot of.
tas ahuevao, tas ahuevada: You're an idiot or "you egghead."
tas pescando: To go out to find a romantic partner, literally "you're fishing."
tas' ahorcando al padre: You have a wedgie, literally "you are choking the priest."
tas loco!: Like the English WTF!"
tatai: Goodbye in baby talk.
tatequieto: A punch that knocks someone out.
tavuel: A reversal of vuelta, meaning to go out.
tella: A bottle of alcohol.
temból, triki: A playground term for "time out."
tongo: A policeman or "cop."
tortillera: A disrespectful term for a lesbian, literally "tortilla maker."
tostao, tostada: Stoned on weed, literally "toasted."
totuma: A dried coconut used by natives, or a type of haircut.
toy: A shortened form of estoy (I am).
tralalai-la: A derogatory term for a gay man.
tranque: A traffic jam.
trepa que sube: A very bad situation.
trifulca: A huge brawl.
tripear: To enjoy something, from the English trippin'.
tuti-fruti: Fruit cocktail or mixed fruit juice.

U

un blanco: A cigarette.
una pinta, una fría: A beer, literally "a cold one."

V

vaina: A word used to fill conversation or mean "thing." Can also be a mild swear word.
vamos pal cuero: Let's go at it or let's do it.
vamos pal war: Let's have sex, literally "let's go to war."
verguero: A very big problem.

W

wari-wari: A creole language spoken in Bocas del Toro.
welemedia, soksniffa: A person who sucks up, literally "sock sniffer."

X

xopá: A special greeting word, a reversal of pasó from qué pasó? (what's up?).

Y

yeyé: A wealthy person who likes to show off.
yeyooo: A greeting among Panamanian youth meaning everything is cool.

Z

zambito, zambita: Slang for a dude, child, or teenager in the Azuero region.
zocarest, golpe de ala: Bad underarm odor.