Life in prison – cadena perpetua
Probate – Sucesorio
Property – Propiedad
Prosecutor – Fiscal/procurador
Residency – Residencia
Restraining order – Orden de alejamiento
Retainer – Pago anticipado de honorarios
Ruling- Fallo
Sentence – Condena, pena or sentencia
Stockholder/shareholder – Accionista
Signature – Firma
Squatter – precarist
Suit – Demanda/ Querella
Summons – Citación
Suspect – imputado, sospechoso
Take the case (lawyer) – Llevar el caso
Take to trial – Llevar a juicio
Tax evasion- evasión fiscal
Testify – Declarar or testificar
Testify against – Testificar/declarar contra
Testify for – Tesitificar/declarar a favor de…
The right to enjoy a thing owned by another person – Usofructo (Like living in their home)
To appear in court – Comparecer
To dismiss a case – Desestimar
To record in the nation al registry – Protocolizar
To rule against – Fallar en contra de
To rule in a case – Fallar
To rule in favor of – Fallar a favor de
To rule against – Fallar en contra de
Trial – Juicio
Tribunal – made up of three judges
Trust – Fidecomiso
Trustee – Fidecomisario
Try – Juzgar/enjuiciar
Verdict – Fallo
Will – Testamento
Win a case – Ganar un caso
Witness – Testigo

Tiquismos of the week:

El que nace para burro del cielo le caen las orejas: If destined to be a burro, heaven will send you ears
El que nace para maceta del corredor no pasa: If destined for flower pot, from the corridor won´t be budged
El que nace para tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas: if destined to be a corn cake (tamal), heaven will send you the wrappers

Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In Spanish-speaking countries the holiday is called Día de los Enamorados . It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards, flowers, chocolates or offering related gifts.

Below you will find an assortment of words and phrases related to the language of love.

Acaramelados – lovey dovey
Amor – love
Amor a primera vista – love at first sight
Amor juvenil – puppy love
Amorío – a love affair
Adventura amorosa – a love affair
Casarse detrás de la iglesia – to elope
Comprometerse – to become engaged
Compromiso – engagement
Cupidito – Cupid
Dar el sí – to get maried
Deshojando la margarita – “Does she love me, she loves me not , etc. ?
Dejar plantado – to stand someone up
Descorazonado – heartbroken
Desenamorarse – to fall out of love
Enamorarse – to fall in love
Echar el caballo – to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar el cuento – to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar los perros – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar el ruco – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echarse la soga al cuello – to get married
Enamoradamente – lovingly
Enamoradizo – inclined to fall in love
Enamorar – to make someone fall in love with you or to enamour
Enculado – head over heels in love (Costa Rica/vulgar)
Encularse – to fall in love (vulgar)
Engañar – to cheat on your mate
Estar loco or loca por alguien – to be crazy about someone
Felizmente divorciado/a – happily divorced
Flechar – to sweep off one’s feet (love)
Juntados – to live together
Matricidio – marriage (matricide) sarcastically
Me atrae – I’m attracted to you
Me cae bien – I like you
Media naranja – one’s other half
Morirse por alguien – to be dying for someone
No hay amor sin dolor – no love without pain
No hay rosa sin espina – same as the last one
No hay amor sin interés – same as the last one
Perdidamente enamorado/a – lost in love
Pepeado/a – head over heels in love (Costa Rica)
Piropo – a flirtatious statement like “Dichosos los ojos que te ven” “Your a sight for sore eyes.”
Picaflor – playboy
Ponerle los cuernos – to cheat on a man
Rejuntarse – to shack up with someone
Romper or terminar con alguien – to break up with someone
Romper el compromiso – to break an engagement
Romper el corazón – to break someone’s heart
Ser infiel – to be unfaithful
Sonarle las campanas de la iglesia a alguien – someone is going to get married
Templado or caliente – horney
Tener algo con alguien – to a have a relationship with someone
Tener celos – to be jealous
Tórtolos – love birds
Traicionar – to betray
Usted es bonita – You are pretty
Usted es guapo – You are handsome

Humorous expressions about love:

Al Gato viejo, ratón tierno – old geezers like sweet young things
Asaltacunas – craddle robber
Caliente pichas or microondas – a woman who is a P.T. (vulgar)
Casarse con zeta – instead of casarse (the correct word to get married) means to get hunted instead of married jokingly.
Como en el amor y en la guerra, todo se vale – all is fair in love and war
Cuando de los cincuenta pases, no te cases – don’t get married after 50
Dar vuelta – to cheat on one’s mat (Costa Rica)
Del amor al odio sólo hay un paso – one step from love to hate
El amor es ciego pero el matrimonio abre los ojos – love is blind but marriage opens the eyes
El que casa por todo pasa – he who marries goes through a lot
Ella está con el hombre por el amor..por el amor del dinero – She is with him for love..for the love of money
Gallina vieja hace buen caldo – an old hen makes a good broth
La luna hiel – a bad honeymoon
Ir a la guerra ni casar no se ha de aconsejar – don’t get married or go to war
Ponerle los cuernos/cachos a alguien – to cheat on someone
Viejo verde – a guy who likes younger women

The list of terms below should help readers understand the election process in Costa Rica.

La bancada – a group of deputies in an assembly that back an initiative, a party or a coalition
La campaña – campaign
El candidato/la candidata – candidate
El ciudadano – citizen
El compañero/ La compañera de fórmula – running mate
El conteo – the counting of votes
El derecho de sufragio – the right to vote
El diputado/la diputada – congressman/woman or representative
Elección arreglada –a fixed election
Una elección cerrada – a close political race
El electorado –electorate or voters
Empadronado – registered to vote
Empardronarse – to register to vote
Fraude electoral – voter fraud
Los escaños – seats in a congress or legislature
Juramentarse – to get sworn in
Un margen estrecho – a narrow margin (vote)
Las mesas – polling places in Costa Rica
Los observadores – people who observe elections to try and make sure nobody commits voter fraud or rigs an election
El padrón – the list of registered voters at a polling place
La ley seca – On past election days the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages. The law was changed for this election so people can buy booze if they so desire. Since the Super Bowl falls on election day we won’t have a “dry” Super Bowl as in past election years.
La papeleta – paper ballot
Los partidarios – supporters
El partido político – political party
Período presidencial – presidential term (time in office)
Politiquear – to do politics using dishonest tactics
Politiquero/a – a person who looks out for his own interests inside the government
El político – politician
La presidenta – woman president
El presi – pres ….slang for president
El presidente – president
El presidente electo- the elected president
El presidente saliente – outgoing president
Postularse/lanzarse – to run for an office
Reconocer la derrota – concede defeat
El resultado – the result of an election
La segunda ronda – a run-off election when none of the candidates received enough votes in the first election to be elected. In Costa Rica this happens if none of the candidates get at least 40% of the vote.
Ser electo – be be elected
El traspaso de poder – transferring of power and duties to a new president
El Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones – the government entity in charge of elections
Las urnas – polls (mesas in Costa Rica)
El vicepresidente – vicepresident
Una victoria abrumadora/aplastante – an overwhelming victory
La votación – vote (noun)
El votante – voter
Votar – to vote

Tiquismos of the week:

Botar la basura – means to throw out the garbage. Sometimes when people ask who a person intends to vote for he or she answers in jest, “Solamente voy a botar la basura.” Botar (to throw out) sounds exactly like votar (to vote).
Hijueputado – a vulgar way to say diputado(congressman). Jokingly it means..Son of a b…. diputado.

Tiquismos of the week:

Así como es el chancho es la horqueta: The size of the pig determines its harness
Juntate con los buenos y serás uno de ellos: You are as good as your friends
El que con tigre se acuesta, desplumado amanece: if you court trouble, you´ll find trouble

Appropriate Tiquismos of the week:

Estar como chaqueta de salonero
or
Estar más limpio que chaqueta de salonero – to be broke
Sostienetetas – brassiére (vulgar). The correct word is sostén.
Zocarse la faja – to economize

Due diligence – Diligencia debida
Easement – Servidumbre
Executor – Albacea
Execution of the verdict – Ejecución de la pena
Embezzlement – Desfalco
Encumbrance – Gravamen
Evidence – Evidencia or pruebas
Eye witness – Testigo ocular
False witness – Testigo falso
Fees – Honorarios
Felony – Delito mayor
Fight case – Pelear el caso
Find guilty – Encontrar culpable
Find innocent – Encontrar inocente
Fine – Multa
Fraud – Fraude

Tiquismos of the week:

Destaparse el tamal: hell broke loose
Dios tarda pero no olvida: God may take time but never forgets
Donde menos se piensa salta la liebre: the hare jumps in the least expected place (things sometimes happen unexpectedly)

Agúizotes

Most often los agüizotes are associated with the coming year (el año venidero) and the desire to begin the new year con el pie derecho (to start the year with the right foot). Other expressions are: Año Nuevo, vida nueva (a new year, a new life), Borrón y cuenta nueva (to start with a clean slate) or Comenzar con el viento a su favor (start the with winds blowing in your favor and not against you).

Here are some popular agüizotes:
(1) Wear your clothes inside out on New Years Eve (Noche Vieja or la noche de año viejo) and turn them right side out after midnight.
(2) Using any type of yellow clothing. In Mexico the color of choice is red and in Argentina the color is pink.
(3) Eating twelve grapes at midnight.
(4) Cleaning the whole house to remove the the bad vibes (la mala vibra) or spirits (los espiritus malos) that have accumulated during the past year. The cleaner the house the more chances of good things happening during the coming year.
(5) The lighting of white, red or green candles to bring love, harmony, health and wealth in the coming year. The white candles bring clarity, the red bring passion and the green health.
(6) If you want to marriage, stand up and sit down each time the clock strikes (Dar la hora) twelve times at midnight.
(7) If you want money, see in the New Year with coins or bills inside your shoes.
(8) Wear new clothes in order to acquire a lot of clothes in the coming year.
(9) If you don’t want to be lacking money, put a gold ring in a glass of wine or champagne and make a toast.
(10) If you want to travel next year, put your suitcases (maletas) by the door or walk around the block dragging one of them (hopefully it has wheels).
(11) If you want prosperity, eat a spoonful (cucharada) of cooked lentil beans (lentejas) during the first few minutes of the new year.
(12) If you want to attract money wash your hands with wine and sugar at midnight.
(13) If you want abundance pass out ears of wheat (espigas) to the people with whom you are sharing the evening
(14) To get rid of all of this year’s bad things or evil make a dummy/doll (muñeco) out of you old clothing. Next write on a piece of paper all of the bad things you want to leave in the past. Pin the paper on the doll and burn the whole thing at midnight.

Tiquismos of the week:

Año Nuevo, mujer nueva – A new year, a new woman
Lo que hice en mi año, no me hace daño – What I did in the past doesn’t affect me know

Tiquismos of the week:

Darse con una piedra en el pecho: be grateful for what you have
Dejar enterrado el ombligo: to miss the place your belly button was buried (to miss home)
De la calle vendrá quien de la casa te echará: be aware of so-called friends that might kick you out from your own home
De las aguas mansas, líbrame Dios: God save me from the meek

Tiquismos of the week:

Dar agua a los caites: to run like heck
Dar atolillo con el dedo: to make empty promises
Dar pelota: to flirt with someone
Dar los veinte: to end a romantic relationship

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students( this may be tough to understand):

Nuevamente – Means newly. In jest it means a new mind or brain.