Graffiti or painted text on a wall — especially political or social messages. In Argentina, 'pintadas' are everywhere: they mark protests, announce elections, proclaim love, and document history on the city's surfaces. Some are art, some are propaganda, all are Argentina.

Someone with far-right or authoritarian conservative ideology, particularly one who defends dictatorial ideas. In Chile and Argentina, 'facho' has sharp political teeth — it comes loaded with the memory of military dictatorships and is not a neutral descriptor.

The jaguar — the most powerful big cat of the Americas — in Paraguayan Guaraní. In everyday speech, 'jaguarete' also describes someone with exceptional strength or ferocity. The word carries the ancient reverence Guaraní culture had for this apex predator.

To laugh uncontrollably, in hysterics, until you can barely breathe. In the Southern Cone, when something makes you 'cagarte de la risa,' you've crossed from normal laughter into something physical — your body gives up on composure and the laugh takes over completely.