Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

The word calle (street) is used in a variety of useful Spanish expressions.

alborotar la calle – to disturb the neighborhood
calle arriba – up the street
calle abajo – down the street
calle de la amargura – a difficult situation (figurative)
calle de un sentido or calle de dirección única or una vía – one-way street
callejear – to wander around the streets
callejón – an alley
callejero – a street person or someone who spends a lot of time on the streets
dejar a uno en la calle – put put somebody out of a job
echar or poner en la calle – to throw someone out
echarse or tirarse a la calle – to hit the streets or to become a prostitute
quedarse en la calle – to be broke
salir a la calle – to go out in the street
un callejón sin salida – a dead end street or cul-de-sac (literally and figuratively). Las negociaciones están en un callejón sin salida. The negotiations are deadlocked.

Tiquismo or Costa Rican expression:

Candíl en la calle, oscuridad en la casa – you act one way on the street with people and another way with the family or people are great with strangers and neighbors and oftentimes monsters with their own families.
La Universidad de la Calle – You learn more in streets than in the regular university, figuratively speaking

With the college and possible NBA (labor dispute)  basketball seasons around the corner,  here are some useful words if you have to listen to a game in Spanish.

assist (noun) — la asistencia
backboard — el tablero
bank shot — el tiro a tabla
basket (goal) — el cesto, la canasta
basket (score) — la canasta, el enceste
basketball (ball) — el balón, la pelota
basketball (game) — el baloncesto, el básquetbol, el basquetbol, el básquet
bench – la banca
box out (verb) - ganar la posicion en la zona
center — el/la pívot
coach — el entrenador, la entrenadora
corner — la esquina
court (playing field) — la pista, la cancha
crossover dribble— dribbling de cambio de mano
defend — defender
double team — defensa de dos contra uno
dribble (noun) — el drible,  el dribbling
dribble (verb) — driblar
dunk (noun) — el hundimiento
dunk (verb) - hundir or clavar
fast break — el ataque rápido, el contraataque
forward — el/la alero
free throw — el tiro libre
free throw line – la línea de tiro libre
foul  (noun)- falta
foul (verb)  – cometer una falta
foul out (verb) – quedar fuera del partido por acumular faltas
full court press — la defensa de presión
give and go — dar y seguir
half, quarter (period of play) — el periodo, el período
high post — poste alto
hook shot — el gancho
jump ball — el salto entre dos
jump pass — el pase en suspensión
jump shot — el tiro en suspensión
key — la botella, la zona de tres segundos, la llave
low post — poste bajo
man-to-man (defense) — (la defensa) hombre a hombre, (la defensa) al hombre
offense — el ataque
overhead pass - pase por encima de la cabeza
overtime — la prórroga, el tiempo añadido, tiempo extra
pass (noun) — el pase
pass (verb) — pasar
personal foul — la falta personal
pick and roll and roll — the same in Spanish, too
pivot (verb) — pivotear
play (noun — la jugada
player — el jugador, la jugadora, el/la baloncestista
playoff — la eliminatoria, el playoff
point (score) — el punto
point guard — el/la base, el armador, la armadora
post — el poste
power forward — el/la alero fuerte, el/la ala-pívot
press (noun) — la presión
rebound (noun) — el rebote
rebound (verb) — rebotar
referee — el/la árbitro, el/la referee
reserve — reserva
rookie — el novato, la novata, el/la rookie
screen (noun) — el bloqueo
screen (verb) — bloquear
scrimmage — la escaramuza — la temporada
shoot — tirar
shot — el tiro
shooting guard — el/la escolta
starter — titular
team — el equipo
technical foul — la falta técnica
three-point play — la jugada de tres puntos
timeout — el tiempo muerto or tiempo fuera
tournament — el torneo
turnover — el balón perdido, la pelota perdida, el turnover
warmup — el calentamiento
wing — el/la alero
zone defense — la defensa en zona
zone offense — el ataque zonal
zone press — el marcaje en zona

A gatas or gatear – to walk on all fours
A otro perro con ese hueso.- Literally means: To another dog with that bone. The English equivalent is: You’re pulling my leg.
Buscarle tres pies al gato – Literally means: To look for three feet on cat. The English equivalent is: To look for trouble.
Correr como gato por ascuas/brasas – Literally means: To go like a cat on hot bricks or coals. The English equivalent is: To go like a bat out of hell.
Cuidado con el perro – beware of the dog
Echar los perros a uno – Literally means: To get the dogs on someone. The English equivalent: To persecute someone
El hijo de la gato, ratones mata – Literally means: The son of a cat kills mice. The English equivalent is: Like father like son.
Estar lloviendo gatos y perros, sapos y culebras – it is raining cats and dogs or toads and snakes
Gato escaldado de agua fría huye – Literally means: a scalded cat even flees from cold water. The English equivalent: once bitten, twice shy.
Gato con guantes no caza ratones – Literally means: A cat with gloves can’t catch mice. The English equivalent: Nice guys finish last.
Dar gato por liebre – Literally: To give a cat for a hare (rabbit). The English equivalent: to jip
De noche todos las gatos son pardos – Literally means: The darkness of night hides everything that is clear during the day
Defenderse como un gato panza arriba – Literally means: Defend self like a cat on its back. English equivalent: Refers to the ferocity of a cat when he is cornered
Hay un gato encerrado – Literally means: The cat is locked up. The English equivalent: There is more than meets the eye.
Hasta los gatos tiene zapatos – Literally means: Even cats have shoes. The English equivalent: Someone who tries to do things beyond their age or beyond their means.
Hay más de una manera de matar pulgas: Literally means : There is more than one way to kill fleas. The English equivalent: There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Jugar al gato y al ratón- To play cat and mouse game
Lavarse a lo gato – Literally means: To clean yourself like a cat. The English equivalent: Used for people who don’t like to bathe with water. To similar expressions in Spanish: La cáscara guada el palo or Es mejor tierra en el cuero que cuerpo en la tierra
Llevarse un gato al agua – Literally means: To take a cat to water. As you know cats don’t like water. The English equivalent: To accomplish a difficult task
Pelear como gatos y perros – To fight like cats and dogs.
Perra – female dog or bitch. Also used as a derogatory term for promiscuous woman or a woman who dresses provocatively (Don’t use it).
Perro caliente – Hot-dog
Perro que ladra no muerde – Literally means: A dog that barks doesn’t bite. The English equivalent: His bark is worse than his bite.
Revelar el secreto – Literally: To reveal a secret. English equivalent: Let the cat out of the bag

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week:

Amarrar el perro – To tie up the dog The English equivalent is: To not pay a debt
Echar el perro or el zaguate- To make an advance on someone or try to enamor a person. Echar el caballo and echar el ruco are also used.
Perrear – To chase a lot of women
Pierda que está para el perro ni metiéndose al cafetal – Can’t avoid certain situations.

Al no haber pan, bastan las tortillas – When you are hungry anything is good
Amor con hambre no dura – Love with hunger doesn’t last
Comer como lima nueva – To eat a lot. Lima is a file (tool).
Comer como huérfano – To eat like an orphan or be very hungry.
Comer y tragar porque el mundo se va acabar – Enjoy food because the world will end.
Comerse vivo a alguien – To eat a person alive (figuratively).
Con pan y queso, nadie se pone obeso – Even if you eat poorly you won’t get fat.
Cuando no hay lomo de todo como – When you are hungry you will eat everything.
Culo sentado no gana bocado – If you sit on your butt you won’t earn money to buy food. Bocado is a mouth full or a snack. Another version is. Barco anclado no gana flete. An anchored boat won’t make money.
De la mano a la boca se pierde la sopa – Easier said than done
El caldo sale más caro que las albóndigas – Means that something that is apparently cheap is going to end up costing more
El toro vivo embiste, el muerto en bistec – A live bull attacks and a dead bull ends up as a steak. This is a rhyme.
Eres lo que comes – You are what you eat,
Es mejor comprar un bistec que toda la vaca – It is cheaper to rent a woman than to marry one.
Es mejor de morir de indigestion que de hambre – It is better to die of indigestion than hunger.
Faja larga, vida corta – A long belt (fat stomach) will lead to a short life
Gallina vieja hace buen caldo – An old hen makes a good broth. Older women aren’t so bad.
Hay más hambre que comida – There is more hunger than food in the world.
Hombre casado es el mejor bocado – Married men are best for romance.
Hombre casado ni frito ni asado – This expression is the opposite of the last one. Don’t get involved with married men.
Hoy comemos, mañana no sabemos – We are here today and gone tomorrow (death).
Los cementerios y panteones están llenos de los hartones – Cemeteries are filled with people who eat a lot
Más gente se muere de envidia que de hambre – More people die of envy than hunger.
Más tieso que un pan de tres diás – Stiffer than a three-day-old piece of bread. We also say “Más tieso que un cocodrilo enyesado” Stiffer than a crocodile coated with plaster.
Media naranja – One’s mate
No entrarle ni una bala – To be so full after eating that a there is even no room for a bullet in your body.
Pan comido – Something that is a very easy
Pan duro es mejor que ninguno – Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to food.
Panza llena, corzón contento – if you are full, you are happy.
Para la buena hambre no hay mal pan – if you are hungry, any food is good
Perro que come huevos, ni quemándole el hocico – Hard to change a person’s negative behavior.
Ser como ballena, que todo le cabe y nada le llena – A person who likes to eat a lot and is never satisfied.
Un queque – Something that is easy or a piece of cake as we say in English.
Quedar como perro de cura – To be full after a meal. Estar satisfecho is the correct way to express this idea.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week:
Tener filo – To be hungry

The verb torcer means to twist similar to our English word torsion which is the act of twisting or turning. Like many Spanish words torcer and its derivations are used in a variety of expressions.

Dar un giro – to take turn figuratively. Mi vida ha dado un giro de 360 grados. My life has turned around or changed completely.
Torcedura – is a sprain. Esguince is also used. El hombre tiene una leve torcedura en el tobillo. They guy has a slight ankle sprain.
Torcer – can also mean to ring out wet clothing or twist one’s hands.
Torcer – is also used to turn to the right or to the left. For example, El carro torcío a la izquierda. The car turned to the left.
Torcerse – is to sprain something. Me torcí el tobillo. I twisted or sprained my ankle.
Torcido – crooked. El cuadro está torcido. The picture is crooked. Torcido also means a road with a lot of twists and turns. For example, The road twists to the left. El camino tuerce a la izquierda. When you say a person is “torcido/a” you mean the person is corrupt or has a twisted mind.
Torcidamente is the adverb. For example, El criminal piensa torcidamante. The criminal thinks twistedly.
Retorcer – means to twist someone’s arm or ring their neck. Te voy a retorcer el pescuezo si no te portás bien.I am going to twist or wring your neck if you don’t behave. Pescuezo is actually used to refer to an animal’s neck.
Lógica retorcida – is twisted logic
Los hechos distorcionados – are twisted facts

Tiquismos or Costa Rican Expression

Más torcido que cola de chancho – More twisted than a pig’s tail or to be unlucky
No dar el brazo a tocer – to not give in when arguing.
Torcerse el pie – to go astray or go wrong. We also used to express “irse por mal camino” to express the same idea.
Torcido/a – to have bad luck. Here we say salado, tener mala suerte or ser desafortunado. we also use “Más salado que moco de marinero.” Saltier than a sailor’s mucous. As I just said “salado” means unlucky but it also means salty. So this expression is a play on words.