Welcome to Chile. Ahora habla chilensis

Chilean Fish Names (English-Spanish)

2011-08-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Check out this wine blog for fish names!

carne de vacuno

2011-06-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Comparison of beef in Chile vs in the U.S.
author: an anonymous gringo in Chile-who rocks-and should've posted this on the web long ago! If this is your writing, let me know, I can take it off my blog. But please put it on the web! I've already referred a couple of people to check this info out, and frequently log on when discussing which meat to buy when I'm at the grocery store with my Chilean husband. So thanks!

Apropo of nothing, I thought I'd share what I've learned about beef
in Chile. I know there are a lot of gringos out there that feel a
little lost shopping for steak and end up really dissatisfied with
what they get. Maybe this will help.

I think there are two main differences between the beef in Chile and
what we're used to in the US. 1) Chilean beef is quite leaner. 2)
Chilean beef has a stronger flavor.

The fact that it's leaner means that you might find it to be a little
tougher than what you've had before. In my mind, this isn't a really
big deal -- either upgrade to a fattier cut (for example, if you like
New York Strip in the US, go to ribeyes in Chile) or cook it a little
more rare than you otherwise would. I don't think the meat itself is
really any tougher, it just dries out more quickly because of the
lower fat content.

The stronger flavor is really objectionable to a lot of gringos when
they first get to Chile. Chilean beef has a "grassy" (or "barn
yard") taste. I think it's something you can actually learn to
enjoy. Think about all of the effort US steak houses put into aging
their beef to try and impart more flavor... in Chile, the flavor is
already there. In fact, I think the extra flavor comes from the fact
that Chilean cattle spend less time on feed lots and get more of
their nutrition through grazing rather than corn. So if you remember
that the taste is a result of happier, healthier steers that US
consumers pay big premiums to enjoy, I think you can really begin to
appreciate it. I think this difference actually makes Chilean beef
superior to what we get in the states.

Cuts:
The hardest part can be figuring out what cut of beef to get. Most
of us don't recognize the names of the pieces that are sold in
Chile. Imagine that you expect a sirloin for dinner and end up with
a rump roast. You'd probably be disappointed. I think this happens
a lot to gringos. So here's my guide to some of the cuts:

Filete: Tenderloin. Filet Mignon. Whatever you call it, it's the
most tender of steaks. No tenderloin is marbled, so you won't notice
much difference between the fat content of US tenderloin and Chilean
filete. You will notice that the Chilean cut still has some flavor --
which is great. In the US people don't really eat a lot of
tenderloin because it's pretty tasteless and you have to cover it in
sauce. But filete in Chile has a nice mild beefy flavor. It tastes like a sirloin from the US, except it's way more tender.

Lomo vetado: MY PICK! Ribeye. In the US, a ribeye is about half
fat. In Chile it's pretty fatty, but a little more reasonably so. I
highly recommend lomo vetado for the grill. The fat keeps it juicy,
it's perfectly tender, and the flavor is really nice. Use it as you
would a NY Strip in the US.

Lomo liso: Top loin, KC Strip, NY Strip. A steakhouse favorite in
the US, the lower fat in Chilean beef is really noticeable in this
cut. It's still pretty tender but you have to keep it pretty rare or
it gets like jerky. And this cut is one of the more flavorful steaks
on the animal. Gringos might have a hard time with it.

Entrana: Skirt steak. Very tasty, but not really a steak.
Traditionally, this is what you use in fajitas. It's best grilled.

Huachalomo: Chuck. This is just like lomo vetado except it has some
gristle in it. It comes out pretty good on the grill if you're on a
budget.

Abastero: I'm not sure what it is. The butcher told me it comes from
the leg. I think maybe we use it for ground beef in the states. In
any case, it's a decent steak but not great. Use it as you would a
sirloin in the US.

Posta rosada: As far as I can tell, this is sirloin. But because
it's leaner, it's not very good for making steaks. Think stir fry
or "roast beef".

Punta paleta: Shoulder maybe? Top sirloin? It tastes pretty good,
it's not too tough.

Choclillo: Mock tender chuck. Another middle of the road budget steak.

Asiento: Rump roast. Don't be fooled by the relatively high price.
This is strictly a roast. It's great for swiss steak.

Punta picana: Another piece of the rump roast.

Posta negra: Topround. Meh.

Pollo ganso: AVOID! Eye of round. The bane of a steak lover's
existence. Looks like a quality steak. Tough as a 3-ply radial.
Maybe it's good for soup.

Tapabarriga/ tapapecho/ palanca/malaya: These all seem to be some
variation of brisket or flank steak. If you do a southern style
barbecue/smoker then I think this is exactly what you want. None of
them are very good for a standard grill.

Carne molida: Ground beef. Hamburger. Are you crazy? You're
planning on cooking hamburgers when you can get a really good steak
for 25% more money. For some reason the price ratio of hamburger to
ribeye is very different in Chile than it is in the US.

Origin:
At the butcher or the supermarket, you'll find beef from Chile,
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. I stick with the Chilean
stuff. Import quality just varies too much. Argentinian steak goes
for a premium which is unjustified based on my experience. Beef from
the other countries seem generally inferior to Chile's domestic
production.

FIND A RELIABLE SOURCE: There are lots of butcher shops throughout
every city in Chile. The quality of their product really varies. I
haven't found a butcher shop that consistently delivered good quality
meat. If you do... stick to that one location.
Supermarkets are more consistent. JUMBO is by far the best.
Seriously, the difference in quality is very noticeable.

Hope somebody finds this helpful.

Narco Enriquez Aminoplis

2011-06-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

A toa la comunida flaite,
le quiero enviarle un saluo, aqui
Narco Enriquez Aminoplis, en su idioma.

Cauros, toos sabemos ke en la yeca esta pasando de too.
Tonces en cualquier momento llean los tombos,
las zapatillas y queda la patada.
No pasa loco.
Nosotros nos keremos pitiar los condoros trankilo, cierto?
Entonces pur eso hermano:
a la volá, faa, a lo vio no mas.

No seai pirilonghi y vota por Narco Enriquez.
Vos sabí que yo soy el ke te tiene pará la olla todavia machucado, o no?
O te vay a ponerte lolipazo embarado?
No seai mono culiado.
Ahora en la porta vota por mi.
Cortita, anda a inscribirte, haz la corta.
Anda a la notaria cochino culiado,
si no quieres que te vay a lavarte la parte.
Porke tení puro frio, si no votay por mi.

Si votay por mi, estay tapado en brillo.
Saby porque? porque soi choro, soi choro tapizado, estay entero tapizado, cachai?
De marca, a lo vio, a lo internacional.
Hermano vota por los otros
Vos sabei.
A lo vivo.
Vota por Narco.

Narco Enriquez Aminoplis,
Voh sabey porque te va a comprarte.
Yo soy Narco Enriquez Aminoplis.
Narco Enriquez, aah?
Necesito cualker sordao.
Asi que a lo vio no mas, ah?
Vaya callulla.
Yah, camina loco.
Raspa la pipa.

Escribir esta wea fue repeluda, aunque tuve ayuda de los comentarios en youtube, pero igual.
Avisa si se encuentran alguna equivocación, plis por favor.

Chilensis avanzado

al peo

2011-04-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

al peo - hacer algo mal, to do something poorly or in a half-assed manner. "Al peo" literally means "to the fart"

Julia: Hablas ingles?
Veronica: Al peo.

Julia: Do you speak English?
Veronica: in a half-assed sort of way.

Colloquial, as far as I can tell it's Chilensis. In other Spanish-speaking countries "al peo" seems to mean "to fart around" or "to dick around". While similar, it is slightly different from "to do something half-assed."

se las trae

2011-03-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

se las trae - ser seco para algo, ser peleador/a, a veces se usa con un tono irónico, tb se usa cuando alguien es más de lo que parece. Quizás más astuto que pareciera... to be good at something, to be an argumentative person, sometimes this expression is used ironically, but it seems not always, also it's used when someone is more than they seem. Perhaps more astute than they let on.

Esta expresión ha sido difícil para mi definir porque cuando preguntaba a los chilenos que significa la expresion, no entendia como la expresion podria significar "weon seco" pero a la vez ser peyorativo, pero la clave esta en la definicion que da el DRAE:

traerselas - se aplica a aquello que tiene mas intención, malicia, o dificultades de lo que a primera vista parece - this expression is applied to that which has more intention, malice/mischief/slyness, or difficulties then what it seems at first

So using this definition, I can see where "se las trae" can be pejorative or not. If it's pejorative, the speaker is highlighting the "malicia" in a bad way. Somebody screwing someone else over for example. However if it's meant as a compliment, I can see how it shows how the person "outsmarted" or "outdid" the rest. That the person has more ability than meets the eye. Especially in sports. Like when Chupete Suazo plays soccer, "se las trae."

Cesar: Oye weon viste el gol de Chupete? Enganchó a la izquieda, salió a la derecha, y al final, sacó el arquero antes de hacer el gol!!

Mario: Se las trae!

Cesar: Dude, did you see Chupete's [Suazo] goal? He faked left, went right, and finally took out the goalie before scoring!

Mario: He's awesome! *

Jechu: Ten cuidado con la Isi que se las trae.

Jechu: Be careful with Isi, because she's slyer than she seems.

general Spanish, colloquial

* I haven't found a good translation for "se las trae"...the meaning of the expression really depends on context.

estar en coño

2011-03-28T19:26:00.001-07:00

estar en coño - estar doblada (una pelicula), to be dubbed (a movie)

Some Chileans say that a movie "está en coño" instead of saying "está doblada" because the movies are almost always dubbed by Spaniards. "Coño" is a very typical vulgar word in Peninsular Spanish, while it's not used in Chilean Spanish, as far as I've noticed anyway. Except to express that a movie "está en coño."

Puta la weá, por la cresta!!! Estuve bajando Limitless toa la tarde, y la película reculiada estaba en coño!! Que pérdida de tiempo!!!

Fucking a! I was downloading Limitless all afternoon, and the fucking movie was dubbed!! What a waste of time!!

I'm not sure if this is an expression specific to Chile or if it's used in other Latin American countries too.

If you hear the word "coño" used in Chile, you might be hearing a Venezuelan talk.

vulgar

¿Ladronde lo sacaste?

2010-12-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Joaquin: ¿Ladronde lo sacaste?

Benja: En el mall. Me salió milochorié. jejeje.

En vez de "a donde lo compraste?", that is "Where did you buy it?"
"Ladrón" means thief, so it's a play on words, the person asking the question is jokingly accusing the other person of stealing something. "Thief, where did you get it?" but it sounds like "Where did you buy it?"

The response is "milochorié". It sounds like "me lo chorié", which in colloquial Chilensis means, "I stole it." However, it also sounds like the person is saying "mil ocho diez" (1.810), which is about 4 dollars. hehehehe

piri-longhi

2010-05-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

hehehehehehhehehe. I think this is only my favorite chilensis word ever!!!!

piri-longhi: gallo, loco, dude

It seems it is used commonly like this in an aggressive tone:

¿Quí ti pa, piri-longhi?

What's with you, man?

I'm under the impression that "piri-longhi" is flaite and perhaps COA as well.

"Piri" is just a great addition in general. My own uses, that aren't part of the Chilensis institution, are: piri-washi, piri-gil, piri-insert name of friend here, etc. Perhaps it's used in a way similar to the suffix "-age" in English. "Cleavage" and also made up words, of which I have no examples at the moment.

a dodge patas

2009-11-29T08:19:00.001-08:00

a dodge patas - (to get around) on foot. Definitely an expression that shows the class division in Chile. people who can't afford cars get around on foot or by public transport. So if asked how they arrived at a place they might say "a dodge pata". Since Dodge is a brandname of car, you think they might be about to tell you the type of car they arrived in, but they're making a joke of the fact that they arrived on foot (pata, actually means animal legs, but is used colloquially to refer to human legs).

Diego: Como llegaste a la casa del chamo?
Ana María: A dodge patas po, weón, como no me fuiste a buscar.

Diego: How did you get to chamo's house?
Ana María: On foot, since you didn't pick me up.

"a dodge patas" on the web: the authoritative Chilensis dictionary, diccionario libre

"en dodge patas" seems to work even better as in gñerty's example in the comments.

And here's a great visual for the "en dodge patas" expression.

Edited Dec 2.

once

2009-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

once - pronounced (OHN-say) is Chilean for tea time. I've been told the etymology of this word has to do with aristocratic Chilean women enamored with the Chilean alcohol, aguardiente, would have a bit of this at the evening tea time. Proper Chilean women, instead of inviting their girlfriends to drink aguardiente, invited them to have "once" (eleven), a euphemism for aguardiente, since aguardiente has eleven letters.

I think I've only been served aguardiente once at once, in Southern Chile. Nowadays, once can be constituted by some of all of the following: bread, toast, mashed avocado, coffee, tea, cold cuts, quesillo, pie, cookies.

It's eaten usually between 7pm-9pm in most Chilean households.

Edited Dec 2010:
Apparently U.S. culture had something called "elevenses" as well. Interesting what one learns. I came across this fact reading an essay by Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma.

porotos desgranados

2009-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

porotos desgranados - como los porotos granados, pero sin casca. Y con ellos, se puede preparar un plato que se llama porotos granados. ÑAMI!

porotos desgranados - like the porotos granados, but without the pod.

This terminology is known in the market, where you can buy porotos desgranados. I asked a couple Chilean guys the other day if they knew what "porotos desgranados" are, and they both corrected me and asked if I meant "porotos granados". But I was at the market again yesterday, and when I ask for porotos desgranados, the market people all understand me perfectly.

And here's an interesting Chilean cooking blog I've stumbled upon...

Edited Dec 3.

lumami

2009-11-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

lumami - one of my fave Chilean? words. It's a masculine noun, meaning "leftovers". O sea, la comida que sobró de LUnes, MArtes, y MIercoles. In English this would be the food left over from MOnday, TUesday, and WEdnesday. motuwe. Or perhaps, more likely it would just be referred to by its initials MTW.

If you want to give the word a little more sofistication, you can French-ize it and call it "Le lumami" with an aristocratic tone. hehehe.

I've taught many Chileans this word, as it's not common knowledge here. But it's a very useful word, in my world.

hijo: "Mamá, ¿qué hay para almorzar?"
mamá: "Tu plato favorito, hijo querido. Le lumami."

son: "Mom, what's for dinner?"
mom: "Your favorite dish, cherished son. Leftovers."

It's masculine due to it's aspecto refeo y a veces bien grande (en cantidad). - my conscious intent to remember the gender of words by assigning them stereotypical male or female attributes.

engrupir

2009-05-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

engrupir - to smooth-talk someone, to seduce, to trick or lie to someone

Don Juan era seco para engrupir minas. Ojala le hubiera conocido. jejejeje

Don Juan was great at smooth-talking women. I wish I had known him.

engrupido (adj., noun) - conceited, a conceited person, because basically they've smooth-talked themselves into believe that they are the shit

Y aquí, ches queridos, tenemos la definición "del engrupido", gracias a un argentino que nos lleva al significado por el lindo camino de su prosa corta. jejeje.

expresiones españolas link

2009-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is a great link explaining Spanish expressions. I'm loving it.

traer/llevar

2009-04-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

traer - to bring something from point A to point B. To use traer, the speaker needs to be at point B
llevar - to bring something from point A to point B. To use llevar, the speaker can't be at point B.

The most obvious examples for me:
you're at a party and you call someone to bring ice:

¿Podis traer hielo? Se nos acabó.
Can you bring ice? It ran out.

you're on your way to a party and you call to see what to bring:

¿Qué llevo? Coca-cola? hielo? What should I bring? Coke? Ice?

also I hear people use "lo ando trayendo" and sometimes "lo ando llevando".

María: ¿Tenis el examen del año pasado?
el Tata: si, lo ando trayendo.

María: Do you have the exam?
el Tata: Yes, I have it with me.

General Spanish

*Thanks Clare, for the suggestion.

guákala

2009-04-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

guákala - yucky! (interjection)

Marco: ¿Quieres una prieta?
María: ¡Guákala! No me tinca comer sangre.

Marco: Do you want a blood sausage?
María: Yucky! I don't feel like eating blood.

Regular Spanish?

dar un examen/tomar un examen

2009-04-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is opposite in English.

dar un examen - to take a test
tomar un examen - to give a test

El profesor tomó un examen y los alumnos lo dieron.

The profesor gave an exam and the students took it.

Di un examen hoy y me fue como la corneta. ("como la corneta" is vulgar)

I took a test today and it went poorly.

These expressions are also used in Argentina, but not in Mexico or Spain as far as I know.

copete

2009-04-20T10:31:00.001-07:00

copete - booze

Anda a comprar un poco de copete mientras espero los invitados.

Go buy some booze while I wait for the guests.

Chilenismo

carterear

2009-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

carterear - to rob someone's purse. It comes from "cartera", Chilean for purse.

Me carterearon cerca de la U en Valpo. Rápidamente, se me cortaron el tirante de cuero con un cuchillo; se llevaron la cartera y ya estaban corriendo en la otra dirección cuando me di la vuelta.

They robbed my purse close to my University in Valpo. In a split second, they cut the leather strap with a knife, grabbed the purse and were already running the other direction when I turned around.

chilensis, I believe

not to be confused with "carretear" which means "to party"

and "cartera" (purse) is pretty close to "carretera", but the second one means highway

fanshop

2009-04-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

fanshop - a mix of draft beer (shop, chopp, chop, schop, etc.) with fanta soft drink. Yummy.

Jechu: Vamos a Schopdog para un fanshop y unas papas fritas. ¿Te tinca?
Marcela: Ñami, es una buena idea.

Jechu: Let's go to Schopdog for a fanshop and french fries. Do you feel like it?
Marcela: Yummy, it's a good idea.

Chilenismo

pastelear

2009-04-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is one of my FAVE expressions in Chilensis. It is soooo useful.

pastelear - 1) to lay around and do nothing, 2) mandar puras cagás - to make messes out of everything

Que hiciste este fin de semana? Pastelié con cuática.

What did you do this weekend? I laid around all weekend.

possible etymology: from...

pastel - a dumbass, a pastry. A person who is a pastel totally looses it under pressure, because you squeeze them, like a pastry, and the filling comes out y son cero aporte, zero help with anything. I think pastelear comes from this expression, specifically the part about cero aporte.

Chilensis, I believe.

pichicatear

2009-04-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

pichicatear - endrogarse, to take drugs, enchularse - to pimp yourself up, enchular - to pimp up something like a car or a computer)...However, I've mostly heard pichicatear used in reference to drugs.

Yo cacho que hartos atletas profesionales se pichigatean con esteroides y weas similares.

I think that many professional athletes take steroids and things like that.

near synonym: cuchufletear...What a kick in the pants! Check out these conjugations I've stumbled upon.

Chilensis?

hediondo

2009-04-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

hediondo/a - stinky

La wea hedionda que tenis en tu mochila. Lo huelo a dos metros. Que wea tenis?

The stinky thing you have in your backpack. I can smell it two meters away. What do you have?

Regular Spanish

remolino

2009-04-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

remolino - cowlick

Last Saturday I learned this word while getting my bi-annual mullet. However, I'm not sure if its Chilensis or not. My hairdresser who is Argentian taught me the word. But my Chilean host mom was there and she seemed to confirm that this is what remolino means. The other meanings of remolino are whirlpool and whirlwind.

Al parecer tengo dos remolinos en la frente, uno en cada lado.

Apparently I have two cowlicks on my forehead, one on each side.

computín

2009-04-07T19:07:00.001-07:00

computín - someone good at using the computer

lacho

2009-04-05T18:02:00.001-07:00

un lacho, una lacha - a player, to steal the definition from el diccionario de modismos chilenos: "Dicese al hueón que es más caliente que la chucha"

Ese weón es un lacho.

That dude's a player.

Chilensis, I believe

And a bonus pronounciation lesson: it's pronounced like "latcho". In Spanish, the vowel sounds are generally shorter than in English. For example, the "ah" sound of the "a" in lacho, is closer to the "o" sound in pot than the "o" sound in pod. The "t" after the vowel has speakers of American English shorten the vowel sound a bit and sound a little more like the natives. (/lot-cho//lot-chah/)

cultura chupística

2009-04-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

A post on cultura chupística (drinking culture) in Chile is absolutely necessarily as this facet of culture is quite developed in Chile.

Estar entonado - To have a buzz
Andar arriba de la pelota - to be drunk
Estar dado vuelta - to be really drunk, to be fucked up

la mamadera - this literally means a baby's bottle, but it is also used to designate a bottle of say coca-cola, with the rum added directly to it for partying generally in route to your destination, like say, in the micro, or walking. It's also popular for partying in the beach or public plazas, etc. It is like a baby's bottle because the liquid that it contains may put one to sleep with the bottle in hand.

Chilensis, I believe

balón

2009-04-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

balón - ball, soccer ball

El balón se pegó el palo y salío. No fue gol.

The soccer ball hit the post and rebounded out. It wasn't a gol.

Normal Spanish

Spanish Pronunciation

2009-03-31T16:59:00.001-07:00

I've found a website that has free Spanish pronunciation practice. If I find more later, I'll list them here.
Spanish Pronunciation from StudySpanish.com

This isn't Chilean pronunciation. It has recordings of both Spanish and Peruvian native speakers. And Peruvian Spanish is close enough to Chilean Castellano. hahaha. Just kidding. But it's what I've found. And it's useful. I've done all the vowel lessons and the "d" and they are useful. More or less what I learned in phonetics class, but with less theory. However, I wish there was an option to record yourself like on www.livemocha.com. I haven't tried the Spanish course on livemocha, because the site was a bit slow yesterday. The classes are really basic, but I wonder if you just do the Spanish speaking, if you can get corrected by natives. I started a Portuguese class on livemocha and it's actually pretty cool, because natives leave you commentary on how well you are doing the exercises: speaking, listening, cuasi-writing, etc. And then you are asked to leave commentary on foreign students' English. So it works out nicely for beginners, but I'm not sure how good it will be for people who just want to work-on/perfect pronunciation.

Check Out these Chilensis Subtitles

2009-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the computer for a bit, but I'm back and will soon be posting more frequently.
For your Chilensis pleasure, check-out this video (if you haven't already). It showcases the Chilean sense of humor, especially their love of taking a very serious moment and making it into a joke.

There are several versions, including one about Farkas' candidacy for president.

pésimo

2009-03-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

pésimo - adv., terribly, couldn't be worse

¿Cómo te fue en el examén?
Pésimo, me eché el ramo.

How did you do on the exam?
Terribly, I failed the class.

Te ves pálido. ¿Cómo te sentis?
Pésimo.

You look palid. How do you feel?
Terribly.

Español regular

mechón

2009-03-17T19:48:00.001-07:00

mechón - a hazed, first-year University student in Chile

Qué hediondo los mechones, tienen olor a vinagre. Que asco! Están todos pintados y con la ropa cortado en pedazos.

How smelly the hazed students are, they smell like vinager. How gross! They have paint all over them and their clothing is cut to pieces.

Chilensis, me imagino

cocaví

2009-03-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

cocaví - a bag lunch or snack that you bring with you somewhere. It's a quechua word.

Y chicos, llevan cocaví, ya que no hay dónde comer por allí.

And kids, bring a bag lunch, since there's nowhere to eat there.

Chilensis

And here's why I thought it was a mapuche term.

Edited Dec. 3

quedó la escoba

2009-03-15T02:44:00.000-07:00

quedó la escoba - It turned into a huge, disorganized mess.
está la escoba - It'a a huge, disorganized mess. (Literally, "It's the broom.")
dejó la escoba - He made a huge, disorganized mess.

etymology: this is good: General Ibañez, Chilean president/dictator from 1927-1931 and 1952-1958 came up with the broom metaphor. His campaign motto was that he was going to "sweep" away the corruption in politics. Apparently, he "swept away" others too, like homosexuals and union workers. Pedro Lemebel's book Tengo Miedo Torero has an especially funny scene where Ibañez is portrayed as a "Loca" sweeping the floor.

llegando a la Plaza Italia en micro, 10 de diciembre, 2006:
Carlos: ¿Qué onda toda esta gente? Está LLENA de gente. ¡Está la escoba! Cuando pasemos por Escuela Militar, estaba colapsada también.
Andrés: ¿Habrá muerto Pinocho?
Carlos: A lo mejor.
Pasajero al lote: Sí, se murió.
Carlos y Andrés: ¡mieeeeeeeerda!

arriving to Plaza Italia on the city bus, December 10, 2006:
Carlos: What's up with all this people? There are people everywhere! It's crazy! When we passed by the Military School, it was totally crazy as well!
Andrés: I wonder if Pinochet died?
Carlos: Probably
random passenger: Yes, he died.
Carlos and Andrés: Holy shit!

The expression is distinctly Chilean.

ladrón

2009-03-11T07:41:00.001-07:00

ladrón - an adaptor, (it literally means thief)

¿Podis comprar un ladrón? Quiero poder enchufar la tele y mi celular a la vez.

Can you buy an adaptor? I want to be able to plug in the TV and my cell phone at the same time.

regular Spanish

peludo

2009-03-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

peludo - difficult

Laura: Galla, ¡el examen estuvo peludo!
La Jesu: Sí weona, yo cacho que me eché el ramo.
Laura: ¡Ojalá que no! ¿Vamos al Roma para ahogar las penas?
La Jesu: ¡Güena idea! ¡Esta weá me fue como las weas! **

Laura: Girl, the exam was difficult!
La Jesu: Yeah dude, I think I failed the class.
Laura: I hope not! Shall we go to Roma to drown our sorrows?
La Jesu: Good idea! This test went poorly!

sinónimo: brígido

**"me fue como las weas" is vulgar. Literally "It went to me like balls (testicles)."

Chilensis, me imagino

peto

2009-03-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

peto - a mini tube top, like this, but a bit more stylish yes.

Venden petos en Patronato.

They sell mini tube tops in Patronato.

aperrado

2009-03-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

aperrado/a - adj. to describe a tough or fearless person, especially in front of a particularly difficult situation; someone who does things anyway, against all odds.

Esteban: Mira quien llegó, el Ángel.
la José: Weón aperrado. Lleva toda la semana carreteando.

Esteban: Look who's arrived, Angel.
la José: What a tough guy. He's been partying all week.

Chilenismo

bisagra

2009-03-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

bisagra - gossiper, bisagra literally means hinge

Es una bisagra. Si no está en la puerta, está en la ventana.

Another pun: bisagra means hinge and gossiper.
She's a gossiper (hinge). If she's not at the door, she's in the window.

sinonimos: copuchenta, sapa (toad)-Gossipers have big eyes like toads.

most likely Chilenismos

pajero

2009-03-06T05:02:00.001-08:00

pajera/o - adj. lazy, literally it describes a person who sits around and masturbates all day, which means they are ultra-lazy. But when I've heard "pajero" used, it means "lazy". Generally people aren't saying they are huge into masturbating, they are saying they are being lazy.

Estoy terrible pajera. No tengo ganas de hacer nada en absoluto.

I'm feeling really lazy. I don't feel like doing anything at all.

A related expression.
Me da paja. - I don't feel like it.
Me dio paja. - I didn't feel like it.

Chilensis, a VULGAR word

This is one of my FAVE chilean words as I identify with it quite a lot. Hehehe.
I'm not pajera all of the time, THANK GOD, but, from time to time, I do come down with cases of pajerez or would it be pajería? Haha. I use this word all of the time.

América

2009-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

América - 1) the Americas (North and South). In Spanish, "América" refers to one continent that is made up of both North and South America, 2) a woman's name

*Note: América and America are "false friends", as are American and americano/a.

For those of you Latin Americans out there, "America" in English means the United States of America. America, as ONE SINGLE continent does not exist in English, because we are taught that América is composed of two continents North America (including Central America), and South America. "From the 1950s, most United States geographers divided America in two[50] — consistent with modern understanding of geology and plate tectonics. With the addition of Antarctica, this made the seven-continent model. However, this division of America never appealed to Latin America, which saw itself spanning an America that was a single landmass, and there the conception of six continents remains, as it does in other scattered countries." (Continent, wikipedia) Get Alfredo Jaar's two cents here.

Check out this, University of Texas, map site and notice that it lists Africa, Asia, Europe and The Americas as geographical regions. Some people view Eurasia (Europe and Asia) as one continent, and others view it as two. Some people see América as one continent, others as two. Read more about this on the wikipedia continent article.

That said, in ways, I do prefer the Latin American view of América, because it's a cultural one, not taken out of a physical geography class. Americans do have a lot in common with americanos. Our nations are very young. Among us live the indigenous people. We all are here because of a lost sailor named Columbus. We have European ancestors, etc. However, I do find a huge cultural divide between Anglo-Americans and Latin Americans. Culturally they are similar in ways, but they are also different.

I've talked about this a bit in my blog, but its a sort of interstitial and interesting knowledge that many don't seem to have, so that's why I repeat myself.

una ayatola

2009-03-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Es una ayatola. Halla toda las weas malas.

This is another pun-ish expression. Ayatola means ayatollah, but it also sounds like
Halla to' la... (Halla toda la) He finds everything...

He's an ayatollah. He finds everything bad.

choriflay

2009-03-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

choriflay - sweet, something entertaining, a novelty (I've heard this used only once, but I rather liked it, so I've included it.) Okay, so I've just found the definition of choriflay in el Diccionario de Modismos Chilenos.

Uuh. Qué bonita la polera¡ Es choriflay¡

Ooh. What a pretty shirt! It's sweet!

sinonimos - bakán, bacán, la raja

la sangre tira

2009-03-02T02:13:00.001-08:00

la sangre tira - literally, "blood pulls", it means that a person misses their family simply because they are family

chileno: ¿Cuánto tiempo llevay acá?
gringa: Varios años.
chileno: ¿No echay de menos a tu familia?
gringa: Si, claro.
chileno: Porque la sangre tira.

Chilean: How long have you been here?
Gringa: Several years.
Chilean: Don't you miss your family?
Gringa: Of course.
Chilean: Because blood pulls.

¿Chilenismo?

un pique

2009-03-01T06:08:00.001-08:00

un pique - a ways

Vero: ¿Vamos a dodge patas que no tengo plata para la micro?
Maca: Igual es un pique, vamos a llegar a la hora de la callampa.**
Vero: Pero vamos chupando la mamadera que preparamos.
Maca: Güeno ya, vamos andando.

Vero: Shall we go on foot, 'cos I don't have money for the bus.
Maca: Mmm, it's a ways, we're going to arrive really late.
Vero: But we can drink the alcoholic mix we prepared in this bottle as we walk.
Maca: Okay, let's go.

**Note: "la hora de la callampa" is a vulgar expression

mandar cabezazos

2009-02-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

mandar cabezazos - to nod off.

Lleva doce horas carreteando. De más que está mandando cabezazos.

He's been partying for twelve hours. Of course he's nodding off.

Chilenismo

peto

2009-02-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

peto - a mini tube top, like this, but a bit more stylish yes.

Venden petos en Patronato.

They sell mini tube tops in Patronato.

Hay olor a bosque.

2009-02-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

Reap the benefits of me being married to a gentlemanly Chilean who teaches me these kinds of things. Well, and the third joke I collected from a fellow capoeirista. Here are a few Chilean jokes for your reading pleasure.

Pepe: Hay olor a bosque.
Lucas: ¿A bosque?
Pepe: A vos, que ¡te cagaste!

This one will need to be explained, it's a sort of pun.
Pepe: It smells like forest. (bosque)
Lucas: forest? (bosque)
...Vos que (pronounced the same as "bosque" and means "you who" or "you that")
Pepe: Vos que... You who shat yourself.

Lucas: Hay olor a rodillas.
Pepe: ¿A rodillas?
Lucas: Entre pata y poto.

Lucas: It smells like knees.
Pepe: Like knees?
Lucas: (A mix) between feet and ass.

Lucas: Hay olor a pan tostado. (accompanied with a stinky fart)

Lucas: It smells like toast. (what you say when you let one rip and someone else smells it)

Me habíai llamado?

2009-01-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Me habíai llamado? - (Me habíais llamado, Me habías llamado) Did you call me?, literally "Had you called me?"
Chileans do this thing with their verbs...perhaps I'll post more extensively on it in the future.

Christian: Hola, qué tal? Me habíais llamado?
Lucas: Si, vamos a juntar más rato?
...

Christian: Hello, how's it going? Did you call me?
Lucas: Yeah, are we getting together later?
...

Chilenísimo

estar de perro

2009-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

estar de perro - estar bacán, to be awesome

En la playa:
Seba: Puta que rico estar acá weon, con una chela helá, viendo minas ricas.
Diego: Si, weon, está de perro.

On the beach:
Seba: Shit it's sweet to be here, with a cold beer, checking out hot chiks.
Diego: Yeah, dude, this is sweet.

COA

mochilear, a false friend

2009-01-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

mochilear - to backpack a la chilena
"mochilear" does not equal "to backpack"
mochilear - comes from una mochila Chilean for "a backpack"
"mochilear" is an inexpensive summer activity that Chilean university students sometimes dedicate themselves to. Mochilear means to hitchhike or take a bus (to either the North or the South) with a backpack, usually during the summer months, and usually in Chile - although exceptions do exist. It's basically a cheap way for Chileans to get to know there country, meet knew people, and party a long way from home. They generally camp in camping areas and drink prolific amounts of alcohol, singing and strumming all night on a guitar with other drunk Chilean university students.

Vero: Qué vay a hacer para las vacaciones de verano?
Seba: Con unos amigos vamos a mochilear al sur por un mes.

Vero: What are you going to do during summer vacations?
Seba: I'm going backpacking a la chilena in the South for a month.

to backpack or to go backpacking - translates as "hacer trekking"
to backpack through a country is a bit more similar to the Chilean mochilear.
Like Chilean mochileros, a gringo who backpacks through a country is also on a budget (generally), and may or may not party a lot, as Chileans do.

Chilenismo, normal register

a ti no más te gusta webear

2008-12-10T04:41:00.001-08:00

a ti no más te gusta webear (a los otros) acaso - you can dish it out, but you can't take it

Viste que molesta la weaíta? A tí no más te gusta güebear acaso?

You see that's annoying? You can sure dish it out, but you can't take it.

Informal register

ni chicha ni limoná

2008-12-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

No ser ni chicha ni limoná - to be neither here nor there, no estar ni allí.

¿Qué opina Pablo de Farkas?
No es ni chicha ni limoná.

What does Pablo think about Farkas?
He's neither here nor there.

Victor Jara has a song called "ni chicha ni limoná". Here are the lyrics.

friolenta

2008-10-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

friolenta, friolento - a person who is always cold, or sensitive to the cold. (I wish this word existed in English because I've always been friolenta.)

Elegí un departamento que recibe sol todo el día porque soy terzible friolenta.
I chose an apartment that gets sun all day long because I'm really sensitive to the cold.

Se usa en Chile y Argentina y no sé si en otros países latinoamericanos. En España, parece que dicen friolero/friolera.
Es una palabra de registro "normal".

pitiar

2008-10-09T18:10:00.001-07:00

pitiar - 1) to break something 2) to rob something 3) to kill someone

una pitiada - a drag (like off someone's cigarette)

Cacha la manta de polar que me pitié de Lanchile.
Check out the polarfleece blanket that I stole from Lanchile.

coloquial, Chilenismo

pokemon

2008-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

pokemon/pokemona - any adolescent in Chile, a Chilean adolescent with an unstraight, poofy haircut who listens to reggaeton and likes to "poncear" - grope, kiss, etc. randoms at parties and in plazas. The male version is somewhat adrogenous, likes to sport eyeliner and "afeminada" clothing

sinonimo - pendejo, pokemono -- since there are pokemonas, there have most definitely got to be pokemonos. jejeje.
antononym - pelolais

Etymology - A while back, maybe a year or so, I saw an article on emol about adolescents "pelolais". Basically this group started as a fotolog thing, where pretty, tall, thin, virgin adolescents with long hair, tried to get their photos put on other people's fotologs of beautiful people. I couldn't believe emol actually had a report on this group with white-supremist undertones. Than came the "ondulais" and "pokemonas" who had dark hair, and were short and voluptuous, listened to reggaeton and ponceaban a lot. They ended up taking the spotlight away from the pelolais and were invited to Buenos Dias a Todos and were/are the news of the moment.

Chilenismo, informal

te pasaste

2008-09-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

te pasaste - you outdid yourself
se pasó - he outdid himself

Oooh! Te pasaste. Me trajiste mi vino preferido.
Oooh! You outdid yourself. You brought me my favorite wine.

Chilenismo, coloquial

estarse pasando películas

2008-09-14T20:39:00.001-07:00

estarse pasando películas - to be imagining things

Marcelo: Oye, ¿atinaste con el pololo de la Maca? Porque uds se fueron de la fiesta juntos el otro día y después la Maca no podía ubicar a su pololo.
Ana María: No, nica, te estás pasando películas con cuático.

Marcelo: Hey, did you hook up with Maca's boyfriend?, because you guys left the party together the other day and afterward Maca couldn't get a hold of her boyfriend.
Ana María: No, absolutely not, you're imagining things.

Chilenismo, coloquial

chueco

2008-09-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

chueco - crooked, twisted, bent, not straight, adj. to describe someone who has crooked legs, tramposo (crooked)

Cuando fui a empastar la tesis, uno de los locales tenía una muestra y las líneas escritas en la portada estaban chuecas. Dificil que alguien empaste la tesis allá.

When I went to get the thesis bound, one of the shops had a sample thesis and the written lines on the cover were crooked. I doubt anyone will bind their thesis there.

Español, pero de uso común en Chilito

hinchar

2008-09-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

hinchar - molestar, webear, to bother

Puta, me tienes chata, deja de hinchar las pelotas.
Shit, I'm sick of you, stop bothering me.

hinchar las pelotas, hinchar las bolas - vulgares

Chilenismo, coloquial

pescar

2008-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

pescar - to pay attention to someone. (the normal meaning is "to fish")
no pescar - to ignore someone -- this expression is mostly used in the negative:
No me pesca. He doesn't pay attention to me. He ignores me.

Vero: Ese weón me tiene chata.
Maca: No le pesquís, está puro webeando.

Vero: I'm sick of that dude.
Maca: Ignore him, he's just screwing around.

one of my fave Chilean expressions - pescar. It so helps describe situations here.

Chilenismo, coloquial

capo

2008-09-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

capo - capaz, able

interlocutor 1: Supiste que Diego está haciendo su magister en Alemania? Parece que le ha ido bien.
interlocutor 2: El weón capo.

Speaker 1: Did you know Diego is doing his master's in Germany? It seems he's done well there.
Speaker 2: Smart kid.

synonym: seco

Chilenismo, coloquial

Está en canadá

2008-09-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Está en canadá - He's in jail. Literally it means "He is in Canada." But figuratively it means "He's in jail."
Está en caná means "he's in jail", "Está en Canadá is just a humourous variation of "Está en caná"

simular expression - Le llevaron precioso. Literally "The took him beautiful." It comes from "Le llevaron preso" which means "They took him as a prisoner." or "They arrested him."

Coa, I believe
coloquial

sacar la vuelta

2008-09-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

sacar la vuelta - to milk it. hahahahha. This term is fundamental to the Chilean work vocabulary. hehehehehe. I know, I'm evil. But it's true. See here and here. (Not all Chileans milk it, but it is a common phenomenon here.) Some of my English students wanted me to translate this term the other day.

colega 1: ¿Donde está Diego?
colega 2: Por allí, sacando la vuelta.

colleague 1: Where's Diego?
colleague 2: Over there, milkin' it.

Coloquial,
Chilenismo?

piropo

2008-09-01T10:45:00.001-07:00

piropo - a flirtatious, flattering comment; a sexual comment

Los obreros siempre me tiran piropos.
The construction workers always send flattering comments my way.

Español normal

patiperri

2008-08-29T13:31:00.001-07:00

patiperri - (adj) a person who likes to go out (pasear/salir), visit new places (conocer), travel (viajar)

patiperro - a globetrotter. The female version would be "patiperra", but since "perra" means "bitch", I'm not sure if its used much. In doubt, I'd just use the adjective pattiperi.

Es patiperri. No soporta quedarse en la casa, ni con 8 meses de embarazo
She's patiperri. She can't stand staying at home, even eight months pregnant.

Chilenismo, coloquial

tufo

2008-08-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

tufo - noun, aliento, bad breath

Tienes un tufo, para qué te explico.
Your breath is terrible.

No es lo mismo me enteré de algo que me enterré.

2008-08-27T07:54:00.001-07:00

No es lo mismo que me enteré de algo que me enterré.
It's not the same to say "I found out about something" as "I buried myself".

Conversing at lunch yesterday, I committed the error of saying "Me enterré de...", to which V. responded "Nopo, te enterraron? Sabes que significa eso?" "Ooops! Sí."

And then I remembered a little song/chant thing I was taught, it went something like this...

A Tito le entierran mañana.
A Tito le entierran hoy.
A ti te van a enterrar.

They bury Tito tomorrow.
They bury Tito today.
They are going to bury you.

enterarse de algo - to find out something or to find out about something
enterrar - to bury (like in a grave)

This is just plain old regular Spanish.

regatear

2008-08-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

regatear - to bargain

Tienes que regatear con los vendedores; si no te cobran caro.
You have to bargain with the sellers; if not they charge you too much.

I believe this is common Spanish, not Chilensis.

soi terzible pollo

2008-08-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Soi terzible pollo. - You are soo naive. Were you born yesterday?
To be un pollo, a chicken, means you are dumb and timid.

Sebastian: Puta, me cagaron con la vuelta.
Andrés: Soi terziblee pollo. Tenis que haberla contado al tiro.

Sebastian: Shit, they screwed me over with the change.
Andrés: You are soo naive. You should have counted it right away.

synonyms: pavo, gil

Coa-I believe, Chilensis, coloquial

enchular

2008-08-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

enchular - to pimp up
¡Mira ese auto enchulado!
Look at that pimped up ride!

No te preocupis, me manejo con el photoshop. Yo te enchulo la parte gráfica de la tesis.
Don't worry, I'm good at photoshop. I'll pimp up the graphic part of the thesis.

Chilenismo, coloquial

¡bah!

2008-08-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

¡bah! - an interjection which you use when you are surprised about something and disagree, or had previously believed otherwise, like "huh."

Diego: Me encontré con Marcelino en el Proa ayer.
Marcelo: ¡Bah! Pensé que estaba en Australia.

Diego: I ran into Marcelino in el Proa (the bow) yesterday.
Pato: Huh. I thought he was in Australia.

¡miiiiish! - an interjection to use when you are pleasantly surprised

Walking through town you run into a friend:
¡Miiiish! Que bueno encontrarme contigo!
¡Miiiish! How nice to run into you!

Chilenismos? I found bah here so perhaps it's more widely used than in Chile. Coloquiales

achuntar

2008-08-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

achuntar - to nail something, to hit the target (metaphorically or in real life)

Maca: Te apuesto que la Jésu no viene al carrete porque se va a juntar con Mario.
Vero: Puede ser...
(el día siguiente)
Vero: Al final se fue a otro lado con Mario. Lo achuntaste.

I bet you Jesu doesn't come because she's going to meet up with Mario.
Could be...
(the next day)
She ended up going elsewhere with Mario. You were right.

Chilenismo, coloquial

mandarse un condoro

2008-08-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

mandarse un condoro/condorito - to screw something up...comes from the typical Chilean comic, el Condorito...haven't read it in like ten years, but I imagine he screws things up from time to time

Se mandó el manso condoro el otro día cuando arregló el baño; la wea parecía un pántamo.

He screwed things up the other day when he fixed the bathroom; it looked like a swamp.

Chilenismo, coloquial

para el Terri

2008-08-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

para el Terri - for Terri, when you go to a restaurant and have leftover food to bring home you can tell the waiter it's for Terri (so they understand it's for the dog)

cliente: Me puedes envolver lo que queda, es para el Terri...el terrible desayuno de mañana. camarero: Bueno.

client: Can you wrap up what's left, it's for Terri, my terrible breakfast tomorrow.
waiter: Ok.

Chilenismo?
I learned this one from a guy known as "el guatón Esteban"

antro

2008-08-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

un antro - noun, a dive

La cuenta comienza en un antro de mala muerte...
The story starts in a Godforsaken dive...

No conoces algún antro entretenido en el puerto?
La verdad es que sí.

Do you know of a fun dive in the port?
Actually, I do.

carretear

2008-08-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

carretear - to party

Etoy chata. Etuve carreteanó too el fine semana.
I'm exhausted. I was partying all weekend.

carrete - noun, get together, party

Chilenismo, coloquial

chocopanda

2008-08-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

chocopanda - mullet
chocopandero - mullet wearer

Borrowing a bit of Coa from this site:

Shiiiaaa !!! tení el terri´le shoco.
Woah!!! You've got quite a mullet. (expressed in Coa, la jerga delictual)

Here you can appreciate several chocopanderos.

For the record, chocopandas aren't just for flaytes. Europeans have been sporting them for as long as I can remember. I don't think the mullet has ever gone out of style on the Old Continent. Just look what Europeans and Chilean ice cream salesmen have in common.

Chilenismo, coloquial

chorear

2008-08-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

chorear - robar algo pasando piola, to steal something without others noticing

Cacha la wea que me chorié de esos turistas gringos.
Check out the thing I stole from those gringo tourists.

estar choreado - to be angry

Ni hablé con el weón. Estaba muy choreado, me dio lata.
I didn't even talk to the dude. He was really mad, so I didn't feel like it.

Not to be confused with chorrear - which means to run down, like when water runs down the side of the house. El agua chorrea. Be sure to pronounce just 1 "r" if you use "chorear" and not say it like "chorrear".

Chilenismo, coloquial

filo

2008-08-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

filo - fine, ok

Sara: Quiero un jugo.
Pepe: No hay.
Sara: Filo, entonces dame una coca-cola.

Sara: I want a juice.
Pepe: There isn't any.
Sara: Fine, then give me a coke.

Chilenismo, coloquial

dar la vuelta a la manzana

2008-08-06T06:25:00.001-07:00

dar la vuelta a la manzana - to go around the block, or more than half of the colectivo route

chofer del colectivo: A dónde va?
pasajera: Voy a dar la vuelta a la manzana, ya que me bajo en el mall.

colectivo driver: Where are you going?
passenger: I'm going more than halfway around the route, because I'm getting off at the mall.

Chilenismo, coloquial

tránfugo/a

2008-08-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

tránfugo/a - adj., something/someone that can't be trusted, sospechoso, clandestino

Mira yo no le confiaría, toda la cuestión me parece media tránfuga.
Look, I wouldn't trust her, all of this seems a bit suspicious.

sinónimo - turbio

Chilenismo, parece que se usa en Uruguay también, coloquial

nica

2008-08-01T06:18:00.001-07:00

nica - short for "ni cagando", or the censored version: "ni cantando", de ninguna manera, hell no, no way, absolutely not

También se puede decir "nicaragua" o algo por el estilo. Se entiende.

hermano chico: ¿Puedo jugar con Uds.?
hermano grande: Nica.

little brother: Can I play with you guys?
big brother: Hell no.

Chilenismo, vulgar

mala cueva

2008-07-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

mala cueva - bad luck
Me robaron la camera nueva. Puta, que mala cuea.

They stole my new camera.
Shit, what bad luck.

Chilenismo, vulgar-cueva refiere al sexo femenino

a note on Chilean spelling/pronunciación: The end of the word is often shortened in Chilensis, leaving the "v", "b", and "d" out. For example "cueva" becomes "cuea", "huevón" becomes "weón", "cansado" becomes "cansao", etc.

bolsear

2008-07-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

bolsear - to mooch

camarera: Van a pedir algo?
Roro: No, vamos a bolsear de nuestros amigos.

waitress: Are you going to order something?
Roro: No, we're going to mooch off our friends.

Chilenismo, coloquial

irse en la volada

2008-07-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

irse en la volada - to go overboard with something, to go too far

Se fue en la volada cuando haciendo la maleta y tiene más cosas que necesaria.
He went overboard when packing his suitcase and brought everything but the kitchen sink.

Chilenismo, coloquial

la paleteada

2008-07-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

la paleteada - the favor or good deed

Nos hizo la paleteada de venir a buscarnos en auto.
He did us the favor of coming to pick us up in his car.

etymology: from the word paletas, paddles, exempli gratia, ping-pong paddles or the kind you take to the beach that people use to hit a tennis ball back and forth.

Chilenismo, coloquial

caer bien

2008-07-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

caer bien - to like someone.

This is one of those constructions that's still uncomfortable to use and I still have problems with, especially talking in the third person. I went through the same thing with gustarse until I heard Manu Chao's song, "me gustas tú". He really helped clear up my doubts.

So here's a stab at understanding/manejando this construction better.

Me caigo bien – I like myself and literally: To me I fall well
Me caes bien – I like you. To me you fall well
Te caigo bien – You like me. To you I fall well
Me cae bien Rodrigo – I like Rodrigo. To me Rodrigo falls well
A Rodrigo le caigo bien – Rodrigo likes me. To Rodrigo I fall well
No me cae bien – I don’t like him. To me (s)he doesn't fall well
No le caigo bien – He doesn’t like me. To him/her I don't fall well
Me caen bien – I like them. To me they fall well
Les caigo bien – They like me. To them I fall well
Me cae bien – I like him/her. To me (s)he falls well
Le caigo bien – She/he likes me. To him/her I fall well
Ellos se caen bien – They like each other. To them they fall well
A nadie le cae mal – No one dislikes her. (es muy simpática) To no one she falls badly.

I did the same thing with gustarse.
Me gusta la Coruña. Coruña pleases me.
Me gustan las aviones. The planes please me. etc.
Me gustas tú. You please me. (in a romantic way)

Español normal

estar que se caga

2008-07-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

estar que se caga - to be shitting oneself

¿Donde está el baño? Estoy que me cago.
Where's the bathroom? I´m shitting myself.

related: estar que se mea -to be pissing oneself

Chilenismo, vulgar

estar liz taylor

2008-07-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

estar liz taylor - estar lista/o, to be ready

Pablo: ¿Estay lista para el examén el lunes?
Daniela: Liz taylor.

Are you ready for the exam on lunes?
All set.

I learned this expression after Pinochet kicked the bucket, because it was on the cover of the Clinic
Sorry, this is the best image I could find. It's a image of Pinocho in a casket, and across the image it says "Liz Taylor".

Chilenismo (creo), coloquial

torpedo

2008-07-20T15:42:00.001-07:00

torpedo - cheat sheet (I believe a torpedo is always "against class rules" in Chile whereas this tool is sometimes allowed in classes in the States.)

Marco: ¿Hiciste el torpedo para matematicas 4?
Anibal: Se lo tengo listo.
Marco: Está filete, ¿dejáme hacer una copia?

Did you make a cheat sheet for math 4?
I've got it ready.
It's sweet, can I make a copy?

Chilenismo, jerga universitaria

quedarse "plop"

2008-07-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

quedarse "plop" - to be taken aback

Me quedé plop cuando supe que mi amiga estaba embarazada.
I was taken aback when I found out my friend was pregnant.

For this expression's etymology, see this link and this other one. It has to do with the condorito.

Chilenismo, coloquial

pegarse el/un estirón

2008-07-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

pegarse el/un estirón - to have a growth spurt

La Panchi se pegó un estirón desde la última vez que la veo.
Panchi had a growth spurt since I last saw her.
or
Panchi grew a lot since I last saw her.

Chilenismo

quedarse en pana

2008-07-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

quedarse en pana - to have a car breakdown.

Nos quedamos en pana en camino a Chillán.
Our car broke down on the way to Chillán.

Chilenismo, normal

marca personal

2008-07-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

marca personal - la mina que lo están cuidando todo el rato, no lo dejan ni a sol ni a sombra,
que lo controlan todo el rato

Salió con su marca personal, o sea, con la polola. jejeje

Pasarlo chancho

2008-07-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Pasarlo chancho - pasarlo bien, to have a good time

Lo pasamos chancho en Mendoza.
We had a great time en Mendoza.

Chilenismo (del Sur?)

Se te ve Arica.

2008-07-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Se te ve Arica. This is a useful one, especially now that the use of low-cut jeans is so prolific. It translates "we can see your Arica." It means, "we can see your hammer holder." Imagine Chile is one long buttcrack. So if you can see Arica, that means the person's hammer holder is showing.

Chilenismo (obviously), informal

No es lo mismo...

2008-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

No es lo mismo dos tazas de té que dos tetazas.
No es lo mismo decir una pelota vieja que una vieja en pelotas.
No es lo mismo que tu hermano estudia en la escuela de investigaciones que le hagan tira a tu hermana.
No es lo mismo decir las ruinas de machu pichu que un macho te meta el pichu y te deje en ruinas.
No es lo mismo decir un metro de encaje negro, que un negro te encaje un metro.

jejejeje. A few typical Chilean jokes that one may hear from time to time.

¿cachai?

2008-07-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

¿cachai? - do you get it? do you understand?, often pronounced "tchai?"

hermana anfitriona: ¿cachai el castellano?
estudiante de intercambio: ¿qué?
hermana anfitriona: ¿entiendes el español?
estudiante de intercambio: uun pouquiito

host sister: do you get Castillian?
exchange student: what?
host sister: do you understand spanish?
exchange studnet: a little

other uses of cachar:
Cacha que... to introduce a story ...loosely translated, "Listen to this."
Cacha que no se me ocurre un ejemplo.

Yo cacho. - I think so.

¿Va a venir la Verónica?
Yo cacho.

Is Veronica coming?
I think so.

Chilenismos, coloquiales

pegarse la cachada

2008-07-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

pegarse la cachada - to notice, to realize... like cachaí y cacha, cachada viene de "cachar".

Cuando el cumpleañero entró a su casa, recien se pegó la cachada que le habían preparado una fiesta sorpresa.
With the birthday boy entered his house, he finally realized that his friends had planned a surprise party for him.

other uses:
cachada - caleta, mucho, a ton of

Trajeron una cachada de chela.
Trajeron caleta de chela.
They brought a ton of beer.

Chilenismo, coloquial