A  cara descubierta - openly
¡alegra su cara! - Cheer up!
Asomar la cara – to show one’s face
Caersele la cara de vergüenza - to be ashamed
Cara - a side of a record
Cara a cara - face to face or facing each other like two people or houses
Cara agria - sourpuss
Cara al norte
- facing north
Cara de ajo
- a stern face
Cara de barro
- a shameless person in Costa Rica
Cara de cemento
- stone face
Cara de chiste
- funny looking
Cara de cuchillo
- hatchet face
Cara de juez
- a stern face
Cara de la montaña
- the face of a mountain
Cara de limón
- sourpuss
Cara de mala leche
- a mean look on face
Cara de palo
- a lot of nerve
Cara de pocos amigos
- a sour face
Cara de póquer
- poker face
Cara de sargento
- somber looking
Cara dura
- to have a lot of nerve
Cara larga
- a long sad face
Carón
- big face
Caripicha
- penis face or dick head (a very bad insult in Costa Rica)
Dar la cara
- face the music (fig)
Dar la cara por alguien
- to stick up for someone
Descaro nerve Tuvo el descaro de decirme
- He had the nerve to…….
Descarado
- a shameless person
Dos caras
- two-faced
Echar cara o cruz
- to flip a coin
Esa cara me suena de algo
- I know that face from someplace
En la cara
- in one’s face
Hacer caras
- to make faces
Hacer muecas
- to make faces
Hocico
- an animal’s snout but also used for a person’s face as an insult
La cara se lo dice
- his face betrays him
No tener cara para
- to not have the guts to do something
Poner cara de tonto
- to have the look of a stupid person on one’s face intentionally
Poner mala cara
- to grimace
Jacha
- face in Costa Rica
Tarro
- face in Costa Rica
Tener buena cara
- to look well (person)
Tener cara de
- to look like
Tener mala cara
- to look awful (person)
Romper or partir la cara a alguien
- to smash someone’s face
Rostro
- also used for face
Salvar las apariencias
- to save face
Verse las caras
- we’ll have this out sooner or later
Volver la cara al revés a alguien - to turn someone’s face inside out

Tiquismos of the week:

  • La necesidad tiene cara de perro – means beggars can’t be choosers Al caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo – is another way to say the same thing
  • Caras vemos, corazones  no sabemos - can’t judge by appearances
  • Caras vemos, calzoncillos no sabemos - means the same as the last one
  • Caras vemos, mañas no sabemos – means the same as the last one
  • Al mal tiempo buena cara   – When things go wrong you should keep on smiling  Al mal tiempo buena sombrilla When the weather is bad you need a good umbrella