A payment card, either debit or credit. In Mexico, asking for the terminal to pay with card is normal in most stores and restaurants, although markets, street stalls, and neighborhood taquerías still prefer cash. Always carry both, because half the city runs on plastic and the other half doesn't.

A sports field or court where you play soccer, tennis, basketball, or any sport. Used across all of Latin America. In Argentina, "cancha" also means having real world experience or street smarts, someone with "cancha" has been through it all and knows how to handle any situation.

To screw up badly, to make a serious mistake that damages something or lets people down. In Colombia, embarrarla (literally "to mud everything up") is the go-to expression when you have made a real error and there is no pretending otherwise. Admitting you la embarraste means accepting full responsibility.

To wish for luck or hope something goes well, accompanied by the gesture of crossing the index finger over the middle finger. Used across the Spanish-speaking world for those moments when you have done everything you can and all that is left is to hope for the best.

A passionate community of fans of an artist, show, game, franchise, or celebrity that organize on social media. Fandoms are powerful cultural forces.

To lose a match you already had in the bag because of a stupid mistake or bad decision. Throwing is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when nobody else could beat you.

Emotional or behavioral boundaries that one establishes to protect their well-being. The key word in all modern therapy.

To make a massive mistake, royally screw up, or completely ruin something. When someone does something so badly there's no going back and everyone finds out about the disaster.

A close friend and someone you trust unconditionally in Colombia, more than just an acquaintance. Calling someone your llave means they're your ride-or-die, your brother from another mother who's always there.

To cheat on your partner, betray them romantically behind their back. It comes from the horns gesture, a universal symbol of infidelity that everyone dreads.

An affectionate or flirtatious way to address an attractive woman, very common in the Caribbean and Mexico. It has nothing to do with motherhood, it is a compliment that ranges from sweet to intense depending on tone and context.

In a flirty context: attractive, hot, sexy. Nothing to do with money or wealth. When someone says "estás rico/a" with that tone, it is a direct and unambiguous compliment about physical attractiveness. Used across Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

A casual, laid back way of saying "yes" in Colombia, especially popular among young people. It is an informal affirmation used in relaxed conversations, like when your buddy asks you something and you want to confirm without making it a big deal. Think of it as the Colombian equivalent of "yeah" or "yep.".

A person who talks nonstop, a tireless chatterbox who won't shut up even to breathe. Can also mean a fun, flowing conversation that nobody wants to end.

When a reply to a tweet or post gets more likes than the original, causing public digital humiliation. To ratio someone is to destroy them online by proving your take has more support than theirs.

To aggressively advance as a team toward an enemy position in a video game, going all-in on the attack without looking back. Pushing requires coordination and guts, if it fails, everyone gets wiped.

Everything that gets posted on social media: videos, photos, memes, text. "Creating content" became a real profession and now everyone wants to be a content creator.

A connected series of social media posts that develops a topic in depth over multiple parts. The thread is the long-form format of the internet age: a way to tell a full story, break down a complex issue, or drop receipts one post at a time without writing an actual article.

A place that is very far away, remote, or hard to reach. In Colombia, quimbamba signals extreme distance or is used to figuratively send someone off to a place of no importance.

A cicada, the insect that sings deafeningly during summer without stopping for a single second. Also used to describe something very loud or someone who talks too much and never shuts up.

A colorful decorated figure made of papier-mache or cardboard, filled with candy and fruit, hung up to be smashed with a stick while blindfolded. Breaking the piñata is the peak moment of any Mexican birthday party, and the traditional seven-pointed star shape has its own meaning in Mexican folk culture.

Obsessively checking someone's social media profiles, whether it's a crush, an ex, or someone you're curious about. An anglicism from 'stalk' that's completely normalized among young people.

A brainy person obsessed with technology, video games, or intense studying. The Spanglish version of 'nerd' that's been fully adopted into Latin American slang with the same geeky connotation.

To air someone's dirty laundry, exposing their private secrets or embarrassing past, usually mid-argument or when there is nothing left to lose. Once it's all out in the open, there is no putting it back.

A sycophant, apple-polisher, or brown-noser who agrees with everything the boss says and laughs at every joke. In Colombia and Venezuela, the 'patero' (from 'pata,' leg, always kissing them) is the office character everyone recognizes and nobody respects.

To be head over heels or infatuated with someone in Colombia. When you're empilado, you can't get that person out of your head and everything you do revolves around that love that's got you obsessed.

A big, full-blown party with music, food, and dancing until dawn. In salsa and Caribbean culture, a rumbón is more than just any gathering: it implies drums, neighbors joining in, enough food for everyone, and the sound system pushed to the limit. It comes from the musical genre "rumba" but in daily speech it means any high-energy celebration, especially with live music.

A lazy person who refuses to do absolutely anything and would rather lie around staring at the ceiling than be productive. The flojo is a master at coming up with creative excuses to not lift a finger.

An expression of intense embarrassment when something cringy, ridiculous, or painfully awkward happens in front of everyone. It's the automatic reaction when someone makes a fool of themselves and everyone wishes the ground would swallow them whole.

To be in a bad mood or on a bad luck streak in Mexico and Colombia, when everything goes sideways and the universe seems to have it out for you. Can refer to bad luck, bad temper, or both at the same time.