La kenton
The scam, the trick, or the rip-off. Used when someone flakes on you or fails to follow through on a promise.
That girl did La kenton to me, bro. She told me we were going out and then she stood me up.
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Tag: estafa
Definitions tagged estafa in the street dictionary.
Panamáengatusar
To win someone's trust through fake flattery and acting like a suck-up, only to betray them later. (chupamedias is a common slang term for a brown-noser).
The chick engatusó me, I took her back to my place and, when I fell asleep, she stole all my money.
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ArgentinaCurrar
The act of making money through a scam or a job that requires minimal effort or professional integrity. (In Argentina, this implies a dishonest hustle or racket, unlike in Spain where it simply means to work).
- My brother and I are thinking about trying to currar by representing artists.
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me cogió de arriba de un puente
An expression used when someone has been completely outmaneuvered, dominated, or screwed over by someone in a position of power. It implies being treated with contempt or easily defeated by someone who has all the leverage. (In Argentina, this is a vulgar variation of an older phrase that originally meant being shat on from a bridge).
- Did you meet with the Undersecretary? - Yes, but me cogió de arriba de un puente. He is not going to give us anything we asked for.
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trafa
A scam, rip-off, or fraud. It refers to something that is a sham or intended to deceive people.
Those new weight loss pills are a trafa.
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Perúmorder el anzuelo
To fall for a trap, to take the bait, or to be scammed.
I lied to them. I told them I wasn't going to be there and they mordieron el anzuelo.
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viveza criolla
A term for a specifically Argentine brand of street smarts or cunning. It refers to being sharper than the next guy, often involving trickery, bending rules, or pulling a fast one on someone to get ahead. (Note: Criollo refers to something native or local to the country).
viveza criolla is nothing more than Buenos Aires cunning.
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Engañabobos
A business or scheme that looks legitimate on the surface but is actually a scam designed to swindle gullible people.
Don't give them your money, it's an Engañabobos.
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EspañaCuento del tío
A con game or confidence trick involving a fake story used to deceive and defraud someone. (The term literally means uncle's story, referring to a classic scam about a fake inheritance from a relative).
Elderly people are targeted with the cuento del tío: someone rings their doorbell claiming to be from the gas company to read the meter, then robs them once they get inside.
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chicharron
Figuratively, a scam, a fraud, or a deceptive business deal (while the word usually refers to fried pork, in slang it implies being cheated).
The people who got involved in that illegal gold business were sold a total chicharrón.
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chambón
Refers to a sloppy, poor-quality job or the incompetent hack who performed it.
Who was the chambón who painted your kitchen? | That job turned out very chambón, I am not going to pay anything.
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Tracalero
A person who pulls scams, cheats others in business deals, or is generally a swindler.
That guy is a Tracalero. I don't talk to Tracaleros.
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VenezuelaMete Frio
The act of deceiving, lying to, or tricking someone.
He told me he loved me and it was not true. He metió frío to me.
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República DominicanaIDAC
Acronym for the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation. It is mockingly categorized as an OCAS (Office for Complicating Simple Matters). While its role is to regulate and grow the local aviation sector, it is criticized for being bloated, employing 2,000 people to regulate only 1,000, and for favoring foreign airlines over domestic ones. Historically, its directors have been political appointees (lawyers, dentists, etc.) rather than aviation experts, a result of the country's long-standing system of political patronage.
I intend to start a Dominican flagship airline for international wide-body flights, but the IDAC is making it impossible for me. Military pilots are taking jobs from those who paid for their own flight training because the IDAC grants civilian licenses to the military.
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Palo acechao
A sudden, unexpected move where someone waits for the perfect moment to take advantage of others or pull off a scam. It describes catching someone completely off guard by seizing an opportunity they did not see coming.
They hit him with a Palo acechao by keeping the rent money for themselves.
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Cambiar oro por espejitos
To swindle someone or be ripped off by trading something of high value for something worthless. (This refers to when Spanish colonizers traded glass mirrors and trinkets to the indigenous Taino people in exchange for real gold.)
There is the candidate, giving oro por espejitos.
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Guiso
To pull off an easy deal, job, or hustle for quick money.
Manolo made a guiso with the guy, he ripped him off easily.
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Chivo
A slang term for a cheat sheet or any unauthorized material used to cheat during an exam, such as notes hidden in clothes, answers written on hands, or peeking at a classmate's test.
Look, he is going to fail with those chivos being so obvious.
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