Argentina
All expressions
Argentina
All expressions
To let loose, cut loose completely, and have an incredible time without caring about consequences. In Argentina and Uruguay, 'tirar la chancleta' is permission to be fully free — the night where you dance until your feet hurt and forget every responsibility you have.
To bribe someone or pay a bribe to get something done illegally. In Argentina and Paraguay, 'coimear' is part of a well-understood system: you pay the official, they look the other way. The coima (bribe) is so embedded in certain bureaucratic cultures that people plan for it as a cost.
Cocaine — the most common colloquial term for the drug in Argentina and Chile. 'Merca' is street-level vocabulary, used without drama or judgment, the same way you'd name any other substance. The word is specific to the Southern Cone and understood immediately by anyone familiar with the culture.
To stand someone up — not showing up when you had plans without warning or explanation. In Argentina and Uruguay, being 'amurado' is the feeling of waiting for someone who isn't coming, eventually realizing they chose not to tell you they weren't. A specific, unpleasant experience.
To steal the spotlight, always end up in the center of photos, or dominate attention in any group setting. Someone who come cámara gravitates toward visibility and can't help but make every frame about themselves.