perra
A handgun.
He tried to pull a heist and they put a perra in his face.
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Definitions by Individuo
Words and definitions Individuo has contributed to the street dictionary.
República DominicanaFantasía
A small neighborhood store that sells sewing notions, ribbons, buttons, and craft supplies. (In the Dominican Republic, these are common spots for buying haberdashery items).
Go buy some orange thread at the fantasía on the corner.
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Burra
In betting and lottery slang, a number that few people bet on or that rarely wins. (The term comes from the wooden easel or stand, called a burro, where vendors display tickets that remain unsold).
On Sunday 00 won the first prize, what a damn Burra.
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Pipiripao
Something of poor quality, flimsy, or a cheap knock-off (often referred to locally as carabelita, which describes generic or imitation goods).
Who are you trying to fool selling those pipiripao shoes?
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Casimente
The Dominican slang version of almost. It adds a suffix to the standard Spanish word casi to mean practically or just about.
We are casimente getting there.
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Encacatarse
To bristle up or fly into a rage due to intense anger or desperation. It describes the human equivalent of a cat arching its back and puffing out its fur when it feels cornered or furious.
The guy se encacató when they told him the check had no funds.
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Ponerse alante
To play the victim or start making excuses before anything happens, so you have a justification ready if things go wrong. (Escogidistas refers to fans of Leones del Escogido, a major Dominican baseball team).
Listen to those Escogido fans poniéndose alante, saying they are not the favorites in the final.
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Can
1. A party, bash, or get-together. 2. Joking, kidding, or messing around. (Patronales are annual festivals celebrated in Dominican towns in honor of a patron saint.)
Let's go to the can at the town festival. Stop the can and get to work on your homework.
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Costilla Records
To carry out a project entirely on your own, with limited resources and almost no help. It is a humorous way to refer to people who lack professional or financial backing (it plays on the Spanish idiom 'a costilla de,' meaning at one's own expense, by making it sound like a low-budget record label).
The insurance did not cover the accident and I had to fix the car a Costilla Records.
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Venta pesada
The difficulty of finding a romantic partner, usually caused by being intimidating, bossy, or having a difficult personality (likening the person to a product that is a tough sell).
Stop being so difficult, because with that venta pesada nobody is going to pay you any attention.
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relajo
A joke or teasing. It refers to the act of making fun of someone or something in a lighthearted or mocking way.
Don't relajar me about the shirt, I have to wear it for work.
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Pelarse a caco
To shave your head completely bald or get an extremely short buzz cut. (Caco is a common Dominican slang term for head).
If you don't want people to notice you're going bald, just pélate a caco and grow a goatee.
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Vidrio Inglés
A turd or piece of excrement (this is an ironic Dominican euphemism for feces found on the street, treated jokingly as if it were a shard of glass).
Watch out or you might cut yourself on that dog Vidrio Inglés.
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Ombligofónica
A deep, resonant, and authoritative voice. This style was popular among old-school radio announcers who spoke with great solemnity (the term suggests the sound originates from the navel).
And now let us hear a Barcelo ad with the ombligofonica voice of John Gres (Barcelo is a popular Dominican rum).
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Conflé
Corn flakes or breakfast cereal in general (often used to imply a privileged or middle class upbringing, as cereal was historically seen as a luxury import compared to traditional local staples).
That guy was raised eating conflé, he has never struggled a day in his life.
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El Griego Invita
Legend says that back in the 90s and 2000s, there was a TV show so bad it broke every record for low-class tackiness (chopería) on Dominican television. Hosted by Nick Kioussis, aka El Griego, the show featured him gossiping about celebs in a thick accent, raffling tickets to cheap backyard parties, posing with curvy models, and smoking cigars while mocking people he claimed were jealous of him. It aired on minor local channels. Even today, no other show, not even those on the Telemicro network (a channel known for its populist and often vulgar content), has managed to beat the legendary tackiness of El Griego Invita.
Envious journalist do not criticize me, because one day you will work for me, said El Griego.
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Cocaleca
A sweet snack made of puffed rice pressed into small, colorful squares. Historically sold by street vendors (paleteros), it is also called arrocito. Today, the term is more commonly used to mean popcorn.
Go to the candy vendor and bring me a cocaleca and a peppermint.
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Plumú
A person or team that chokes or loses their nerve in high pressure situations, failing right at the finish line. It is most commonly used in sports to describe those who fold when the game is on the line (Escogido and Licey are rival professional baseball teams in the Dominican Republic).
Those Plumú from Escogido did not know how to beat the Licey.
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Musicólogo
While the word technically refers to an academic music scholar, in the Dominican Republic it is used for people who install massive sound systems in their cars to blast music as loudly as possible (these individuals often gather in public spaces for volume competitions known as voceteo).
That pack of musicólogos in the parking lot won't let anyone sleep.
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Mandarse
To bolt, take off, or escape in a hurry.
He lit a firecracker and se mandó before it exploded.
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robobestia
A very unattractive woman, a dog. (Similar to the slang term grillo, literally cricket, which is another Dominican term for an ugly or low-status woman).
He showed up with a bottle of Don Rhon rum and a couple of robobestias.
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Galloloquismo
A stupid and nonsensical attitude, or sheer absurdity.
There is so much galloloquismo in those politicians who do not know how to lose.
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Medio uso
Used to describe an item that is not brand new, meaning it is secondhand or pre-owned.
He bought a medio uso Honda Lead with his severance pay (a Honda Lead is a popular scooter model).
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Pan violado
A bread roll that has a hot dog sausage shoved through the middle of it from end to end (the name is a crude reference to the bread being pierced).
He got hungry and went out to buy a Pan violado and a sugarcane juice.
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Chubar
To set a dog on a person or another dog to attack. It is also used as a synonym for juchar, meaning to egg on, incite, or provoke.
He started stealing mangoes and they chubaron the guard dog on him.
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Vinagrillo
A small, elongated, and very sour green fruit from the bilimbi tree. Even though they are tart, children often eat them. The thin branches of the tree are also used to give children light spankings (a common form of physical discipline in Dominican households).
The little rascals took all the vinagrillos from the yard to eat them with sugar.
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Chapulines
Canvas Converse All Star sneakers. They are named this way because they look like the shoes worn by El Chapulin Colorado (a clumsy, iconic superhero from a classic Mexican TV show popular across Latin America).
They gave me some gray Converse chapulines.
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GuatemalaBuscapié
A firework that zips and skitters along the ground instead of flying up, forcing people to scramble out of its way until it explodes (common at street festivals and known for being unpredictable).
At the concert, someone let off a buscapié and it caused a total stampede.
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Biuro
A chest of drawers or dresser, usually a tall one. (Villacon refers to Villa Consuelo, a neighborhood in Santo Domingo famous for its furniture stores).
I bought a 6-drawer biuro in Villacon.
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Morao
A person with very dark skin that, according to the speaker, has a purple tint. It is typically used as a racist slur. (Villa Mella is a district in Santo Domingo known for its high population of people of African descent).
My daughter, do not go looking for a morao from Villa Mella as a boyfriend.
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Queso de Hoja
A fresh Dominican cheese similar to a salty mozzarella. It is made using curdled milk, an additive, and salt. The name refers to how the cheese balls are formed by layers or sheets (hojas) that can be peeled apart, rather than its ingredients or flavor.
Queso de Hoja is eaten with small crackers.
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chongo
An old, worn-out, or low-quality horse.
I am not betting on that race of chongos.
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Medalaganario
Something done purely on a whim, following one's own will and desires while ignoring any objections. The term is a contraction of the phrase 'me da la gana' (because I feel like it) and was coined by Dominican writer Jacinto Gimbernard in the 1920s.
I do not use the transit union buses because of that medalaganaria way they drive, like they just do whatever they want.
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Carabelita
A knock-off, counterfeit, or low-quality product (Avenida Duarte is a commercial hub in Santo Domingo known for informal street markets and cheap goods).
He bought some carabelita Reeboks on Duarte Avenue.
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Conani
A person who hangs out with or dates people who are much younger than themselves. (The term is derived from the acronym for the National Council for Children, the government agency in charge of protecting minors in the Dominican Republic).
Do not invite that guy, he is always running around with a Conani and they are going to ruin the party by getting into trouble.
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Ampaya
A baseball umpire. The term is a phonetic adaptation of the English word umpire (baseball is the national sport of the Dominican Republic).
That damn ampaya is not calling the outside strikes.
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Chuplú
The sound of a splash or something falling into water.
He jumped into the deep pool and all you heard was chuplú and they had to pull him out.
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Ahuevá
Used to describe a ball, usually a basketball, that has become misshapen or lumpy, making it difficult to play with properly.
Those cheap balls they sell at Mundo del Juguete (a toy store chain) get Ahuevá fast.
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Cama sandwich
A folding cot, common in rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and the small living quarters provided for domestic workers or watchmen (a guachiman is a private security guard).
Your cousin put a camita sandwich in the service room to stay for two weeks, and he has been here for seven years now.
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Machete vaciao
A machete that has been filed down to remove metal, making the blade thinner and lighter so it can be swung faster (often done to make the tool more effective as a weapon or for specific types of brush work).
He caught him groping his girlfriend and went after him with a machete vaciao.
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Bonete
The hood or engine cover of a car.
Open the bonete to check the battery.
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El doble
A common shorthand for the 13th month salary paid to workers in December (Dominican law mandates an extra month of pay for employees at the end of the year).
- Did you get your El doble yet? - Yeah, now I have more credit to keep on borrowing.
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Na e na
A contraction of nothing is nothing. It describes a situation where rules, morals, or ethics are ignored and anything goes, implying that standards do not matter or can be bypassed.
The car is missing the fire extinguisher and has a burnt-out light, but na e na, hand me a five-hundred bill and I will give you the permit.
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Hembro
A handsome or attractive man, a hunk. (This term is a masculine play on the word hembra, which literally means female).
When that girl goes after a hembro, she loses focus at work.
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Prendi
A state of being wasted, drunk, or having a heavy buzz. (Jumo is a common local synonym for drunkenness).
They gave him a liter of red-cap Siboney and he spent Christmas Eve with a prendi. (Siboney is a brand of rum from the Dominican Republic).
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Caco e' Nima
A supernatural creature from Dominican folklore, mainly from the northern Cibao region. It is described as a human or animal figure engulfed in fire or sparks, seen running through the countryside at night. (The name nimas refers to a local type of firefly).
My buddy went to the farm plot at night and Caco e' Nima appeared to him.
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Pelada caliente
A pelada caliente is an edgy or flashy haircut that is banned in schools and military institutions because it is associated with tígueres (a Dominican term for street-smart or tough individuals from urban areas). These styles include flat tops, braids, small ponytails, mohawks, and very high fades or razor cuts.
They sent him home from school because of his pelada caliente. I told him not to keep that little ponytail.
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Quitimani
A phrase used in Dominican children's games, like cops and robbers, to tell an opponent they have been caught and must surrender. It is a phonetic corruption of the English phrase 'Give me the money' (likely from old detective movies). Figuratively, it describes having someone under total control or cornered.
Quitimani! Hands up and give me the Game Boy! That woman has him Quitimani with the child support for the kid.
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