chupatintas

Spanish

Etymology

Verb-object compound, composed of chupa (“to suck”) +‎ tintas (“inks”). Literally, “ink sucker”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌt͡ʃupaˈtintas/ [ˌt͡ʃu.paˈt̪ĩn̪.t̪as]
• Rhymes: -intas
• Syllabification: chu‧pa‧tin‧tas

Noun

chupatintas m (plural chupatintas)

1. (often derogatory) a pencil pusher, a pen pusher (one who does routine office work)

   Synonyms: (vulgar) cagatintas, tinterillo

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Further reading

• “chupatintas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025