A nobody or a low-class loser with little money or education who tries to act like they are something they are not. It also refers to someone holding a position they are completely unqualified for, like a politician given a government post they know nothing about just to collect a paycheck (a practice known locally as a botella).
Pelagatos are all over the Dominican government, since most politicians are in their roles because of friends and not because they have the ability to do the job.
A derogatory term used for a person who lacks money, social status, or influence. It describes a nobody or someone considered totally insignificant (the word literally means cat-skinner, suggesting someone so poor or lowly they have to skin cats).
Don't pay any attention to that pelagato, he only comes here to criticize and he doesn't have a cent to his name.
A person of no consequence or resources who puts on airs of importance or wealth. It is a common insult used to humble someone who acts superior despite being a nobody.
I do not know why this pelagato is acting all sophisticated: last month he was begging for money just to pay his rent.
A dismissive term for a nobody or someone lacking money, status, or importance. It is often used to point out that a gathering has very few people and that those present are insignificant.
We thought the party was going to be packed, but when we walked in we only saw four pelagatos sitting in a corner.
Used to describe a very small and insignificant group of people at a place or event. It suggests that attendance was minimal or that those present were nobodies (the term is almost always used with the number four to emphasize the small crowd).
I went to the store opening but there was nobody there, at best there were four pelagatos wandering through the aisles.
A derogatory term used to describe someone with no money, power, or social importance. It refers to a nobody whose presence or opinion carries no weight.
That guy thinks he is a big shot, but he is nothing more than a poor pelagato who lives off someone else.
A derogatory term for someone who lacks money, social status, or influence. It is essentially a nobody who has no significance in the matter being discussed.
Are you really going to let that pelagato tell you what to do with your money when he does not even have a cent?
A nobody or a person of no consequence. While it is usually a derogatory term for someone poor or powerless, it has been reclaimed in Ecuador to describe citizens who, despite having no political influence, organize others to demand change. It is often used in the phrase 'cuatro pelagatos' (four nobodies) by those in power to dismiss a small group of protesters as insignificant.
The term pelagatos, just like forajidos was in its time (a reference to a 2005 protest movement that reclaimed a presidential insult), does not demoralize: on the contrary, it gathers voices with diverse arguments on social media. I refuse to accept that political leaders insult citizens. What we citizens (pelagatos) want is respect for the Constitution regarding social security and the rotation of power.
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