expressions Archives

“Como la gatica de María Ramos: tira la piedra y esconde la mano”

Literal translation: like Maria Ramo’s little kitten: throws the stone and hides the hand Meaning: said of a person who acts hypocritically; one who pretends to be nice, but does or intends to do harm. Person who appears innocent or naive, but is not. Significado: dícese de la persona hipócrita, que oculta el daño que hace o intenta hacer a los demás. Persona que aparenta inocente y no lo es. Use: general

“Si como caminas cocinas, guárdame el concón”

Literal translation: if you cook like you walk, save me the concòn (the part of the cooked rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan). Concòn is considered a Dominican delicacy and is usually eaten with bean soup as part of daily meals. Meaning: I like you, you have a nice walk, harmless compliment (piropo) to a woman passing by Significado: piropo (me gustas), tienes bonito caminar Use: colloquial, urban Update: It seems I hit a nerve with the use of the word “harmless” in the description above. A piropo’s interpretation is of course, subjective and many Dominican women…

“Debajo de cualquier yagua vieja sale tremendo alacran”

"Debajo de cualquier yagua vieja sale tremendo alacrán" Literal translation: a huge scorpion can come out from under any old yagua (the branch of a palm tree) Meaning: don’t underestimate anyone; they might surprise you Significado: no subestime a nadie o se puede llevar una gran sorpresa Use: general

“Te la comiste”

Literal translation: you ate it Meaning: you nailed it, you did great Significado: excelente, lo hiciste bien Use: colloquial, urban

“Cógelo con su avena”

Literal translation: to take it with its oatmeal Meaning: take it easy. A variant of ¨cólego suave¨ (take it easy) Significado: tómalo con calma, no te preocupes Use: colloquial, urban

“Hacerse el chivo loco”

Literal translation: to play the crazy goat Meaning: to pretend one is unaware that something is happening; to pretend one forgot a commitment or a promise; to take it in stride Significado: fingir que uno no sabe algo; fingir que uno ha olvidado una promesa o compromiso; asumir una actitud de indiferencia Use: colloquial