Definitions tagged patatus in the street dictionary.
A sudden blackout or fainting spell that happens without any warning. A person might be in the middle of a sentence and just collapse instantly.
So-and-so had a sirimba and fell flat on the floor. The man was very excited when he suddenly got a sirimba and died.
Automatically translated from Spanish
A sudden fainting spell, dizzy fit, or physical collapse, typically caused by intense emotion, shock, or drama. It refers to a state where someone loses consciousness and falls to the ground.
Girl, calm down please, for God's sake you might have a Sirimba!
Automatically translated from Spanish
A Dominican idiom for a sudden spell of dizziness, lightheadedness, or a fainting fit. It describes a medical episode where a person might lose consciousness and need to be rushed to a doctor or revived with home remedies like rubbing alcohol (mentholated alcohol is a common household remedy in the Caribbean). The term often carries a social connotation: a yeyo is seen as an ailment of the common people, whereas the wealthy are said to suffer from formal medical conditions like arrhythmias.
Note, during a yeyo there is always someone to catch you so you do not fall, and it is that same person who yells, she got sick! The use of this word is related to economic status: a rich person does not get a yeyo, they get an arrhythmia, a heart attack, and so on. In the case of women, a yeyo without an obvious cause puts their personal life in question, like, Careful, maybe she is pregnant? or, It is that man making her suffer, etc.
Automatically translated from Spanish
A sudden fainting spell or dizzy fit brought on by a shock or bad news, usually affecting older people. (In the Dominican Republic, this specific term is associated with the upper class, whereas the term patatús is used for the same condition among other social groups).
Wait until the lady of the house sees you broke the china! She is going to have a soponcio.
Automatically translated from Spanish
A sudden, vague health episode or fainting spell serious enough to require medicine, a doctor visit, or time off from work or school. It describes anything from a dizzy spell to a minor collapse (often used as a synonym for patatus).
Make some tea for Dona Maria, she just had a yeyo.
Automatically translated from Spanish
A sudden seizure or convulsion caused by health problems. It is a term from the Cibao region (northern Dominican Republic) similar to a fainting spell or 'yeyo', but much more violent or traumatic.
Jorge was doing perfectly fine and then suddenly he had a Tepeterete.
Automatically translated from Spanish
To experience a sudden, overwhelming onset of anxiety, fear, or distress. In the Dominican Republic, nerves are treated as something that strikes or hits a person rather than a state of being, and it is often seen as a physical ailment that can lead to a collapse or fainting spell.
When the shootout broke out, me dieron unos nervios so bad that my knees even buckled, I thought I was going to have a patatu.
Automatically translated from Spanish
Esta página también está en español.
Leer en español
Cuba
Panamá
República Dominicana