Someone who is always on the move, constantly wandering from place to place and unable to stay still. Used across most of the Spanish-speaking world, the andariego knows every corner of the neighborhood and is rarely found sitting at home.

Juicy, secret, or scandalous information about other people's lives, shared with excitement and nosiness. Chisme is gossip elevated to an art form in Latin culture. It's humanity's favorite entertainment since the invention of spoken language.

Something incredible, top-tier, the absolute best. In Colombia, "chimba" is one of the highest compliments you can give. It conveys pure, unfiltered enthusiasm: when something is chimba, it is not just good, it is the kind of good that stops you in your tracks. Depending on tone, it can also flip into an insult.

To do something extreme or endurance-heavy with zero distractions, aids, or prep. A viral trend of "going raw" through a tough experience, like a long flight with no screen, music, or sleep.

Someone from a small town or rural area who acts naive or visibly out of their element in the city. Used in Colombia. Tierrero can be said affectionately, recognizing genuine small-town authenticity, or with light irony when someone clearly has not picked up urban codes yet. It is never a truly harsh insult, more of an observation.

To publicly expose or embarrass someone by revealing their secrets, lies, or failures in front of others. When someone boletea you, they put you on blast and all you can do is stand there and take the shame. Common in Mexico and Colombia.

A neighborhood or district in a city with its own identity, culture, personality, and reputation. Your barrio is where you grew up, where people know your name, and where you always feel at home.

Completely off the deep end, unpredictable, and beyond all hope of normal behavior. Someone "rematado" has no brakes, no filter, and always does the thing that leaves everyone speechless. The word implies this person is fully beyond repair: they have been auctioned off to chaos.

From English "bait." In competitive gaming across Latin America and Spain, to lure an enemy into a trap or to let a teammate die on purpose to use them as bait. A deliberate deception play.

Keeping someone as a romantic backup option without committing but without letting them go either. Like having a player on the bench: they don't play but you don't release them just in case you need them.

Sounds like the English word "astroturfing". A campaign disguised as a grassroots movement but secretly funded and orchestrated by a brand, company, or interest group. Fake popular support manufactured at scale.

The alpha male of memes, confident, successful, and doing whatever he wants without caring about anyone's opinion. He's the opposite of the virgin in internet culture.

An eye for an eye: the principle of taking revenge that exactly matches the harm received. In everyday Spanish it is used to justify payback and getting even, and is the foundation of the idea that justice means suffering equal consequences.

A mainstream person who follows popular trends without belonging to any internet subculture. Used across Spanish-speaking internet communities to mark distance from the general public.

A group collection, when everyone chips in money for a shared expense like a gift, a night out, or a trip. In Colombia, la vaca is how things get done collectively: nobody carries the full weight alone. You pull out what you can, others do the same, and the goal gets funded.

An ultra hardcore group of soccer fans in Argentina, similar to European football hooligans or ultras. Barrabravas are known for their extreme passion, stadium chants, massive flags, and sometimes violent clashes with rival groups. They hold serious power within clubs, controlling ticket sales and even influencing team decisions. The culture has spread to Colombia and Peru as well.

To dress up stylishly and put together a sharp outfit before going out. Fachar implies real effort and intentional style: when you fachar, people notice and say something without you having to ask.

A hard worker who never shies away from effort in Colombia. The "camellador" is the one up early, grinding without complaining.

To behave toxically in an online game: insulting, blaming everyone but yourself, typing in caps, and ruining the experience for your own team. The toxic player in the lobby that nobody wants.

To defuse the bomb planted by the enemy team in a tactical shooter before it explodes. The clutch defensive action that wins the round. Used across Latin American and Spanish gaming communities.

Short for "damage per second," the amount of damage a character deals each second in video games. Also refers to the role of a player whose job is to deal damage to enemies.

An informal Colombian greeting to ask how you're doing and what's new. It's as automatic in Colombia as saying 'hello', it always follows the first greeting.

To collect payment for a service or product, or the act of having someone bring you the bill. In Mexico, the waiter cobras you at the end of the meal, and if you say 'me cobra por favor,' it's clear you want to pay and leave. It's the polite verbal cue to wrap things up.

A salsa singer who improvises lyrics over the chorus in real time, the hardest and most respected skill in the genre. A true sonero invents lines on the spot, plays with the audience, responds to the coro, and makes it all lock into the clave. Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera, Ruben Blades: legendary soneros. Being one is the highest form of respect in salsa.

A roommate you share an apartment and expenses with. The roomie relationship can be amazing or a total nightmare, there's no in-between, and cleaning habits usually determine which.

A feint or fake move made to deceive an opponent. A well-executed amague leaves the rival off-balance, reacting to something that never actually happened. Used in soccer and sports generally, but also in everyday speech for any deceptive gesture or false signal.

A spectacular soccer move where you chip the ball over a defender's head and collect it on the other side. It's the ultimate humiliation for the defender, you literally put a hat on them.

To search for something on Google, the verb born from the internet that everyone uses as if it were the only way to find information. If you haven't googled it, it doesn't exist in the modern world.

A viral trend describing a state of total self-abandonment: eating junk, skipping hygiene, and embracing laziness without guilt. Used across Spanish-speaking internet communities.

To go at something with maximum energy and total commitment, no half-measures and no reservations. Used across Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. When you "le das con todo," you hold nothing back and leave everything on the table.