Category Archives: Spanish phrases

Start Speaking Today! Learn essential phrases, cultural insights and travel tips that you can find in our Guide to Costa Rican Spanish…

To Cost an arm and a leg

  • Costar un ojo de la cara: To cost an arm and a leg or require a lot of effort to achieve
  • Filo: Hunger. Hambre is the correct term.
  • Dejar el ombligo enterrado: The place where a person was born
  • Guachos or guayabas: Both words are slang for eyes. The correct word is los ojos. Pelar las guayabas means to keep one’s eyes peeled.
  • Paquete: Bull or lies.
  • Pasar raspando: To scrape by. We also say, “Pasar dejando pelos en el alambre.”
  • Pelar los dientes: To smile. Sonreír is the correct Spanish word.
  • Ser un saco de mañas: To have many bad habits.
  • Donde el diablo perdió la chaqueta: Very far away.
  • Ya vengo: I’ll be right there.

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To ask for a blanket in hell

A cachete: means something is really good. A cachet inflado is a variation of the same expression.

Buchón:  a person who wants everything for himself or a ‘hog’. There is an expression: Cada buchón muere pelón..People who want everything for themselves die bald.

Chante: one’s house or home. Choza(literally) read more