In Nicaragua, a calculating flatterer who praises others to get favors. Andar de brocha means being a sycophant who works the room for personal gain.

A mild Central American exclamation expressing surprise, pity, or mild frustration, used as a softer substitute for a stronger swear word. An everyday filler in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

A shameless, reprehensible person who commits harmful or immoral acts without any remorse. Used across Mexico and Central America as a strong insult to call out someone who has crossed a serious moral line, especially when they hurt people close to them or who are vulnerable.

A lazy person with no desire to work or make any effort. A flojo always has an excuse ready and will let others carry the load every single time. Common across Mexico and Central America as both an adjective and a noun.

Cheap junk, random trinkets, or a pile of worthless stuff. Used in Mexico and Central America, "burundanga" can describe a cluttered shelf full of knick-knacks, a shoddy product that breaks the next day, or a low-quality plan not worth taking seriously.

Rice and beans mixed together that's the sacred traditional breakfast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Simple but addictive, eaten absolutely every single day and it never gets old for those who grew up with it.

A mosquito, an insect that bites and transmits diseases. The arch-nemesis of any summer night in the tropics.

To be going through a rough stretch financially or in terms of luck in Central America. Estar en la mala means you're broke, out of luck, and nothing is going your way.

A powerful, precise, full-force shot on goal in Central American football. A cachimba is a strike with so much power and accuracy the goalkeeper doesn't even see it pass and the ball nearly rips the net.

In Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua), to agree on a plan or coordinate with someone. Also used for asking someone out or making a relationship official.

In Honduras and Nicaragua, a swamp, muddy terrain, or waterlogged area. A direct borrowing from the English word "swamp," used for flooded or muddy zones.

In Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua), a casual youth farewell equivalent to a relaxed "see you later." A short form of "salud" used to close a conversation.

Idiot, fool, or just a casual way to say "dude" in Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. It can be an insult or a friendly filler word depending on your tone and how close you are with the person. Central Americans throw it around constantly in conversation, kind of like Mexicans use "wey.".

Black coffee with no milk or sugar in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. (In Colombia "tinto" also means black coffee, while in Spain the word means red wine.) In Central America, tinto is the drink of the daily grind and early mornings.

In Central America, someone naive or gullible who accepts any story without questioning it. The name comes from the beloved Chilean comic strip character created in 1949, whose innocent and trusting nature made him easy to fool. Calling someone a condorito in Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador means they need to wise up.

A simple cloth bag or rustic backpack carried over the shoulder, the no-frills, practical carry-all of rural Mexico and Central America. Whether it's carrying tools to the field or lunch to school, the morral is the original tote bag, built for function not fashion.

A pretentious, arrogant snob who acts superior to everyone around them. In Central America a come mierda is someone full of themselves with no reason to be.

Unmotivated, low-energy, and disengaged from everything around you. In Central America, when someone is desmotado they have checked out emotionally: no interest, no drive, no spark. Usually temporary but hard to snap out of, especially after a disappointment or a rough stretch.

Rice and beans sautéed together in the same pan, the sacred breakfast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Both countries claim to have invented it and the debate has been running for decades. Almost no Nicaraguan starts the day without gallopinto, and serving it badly is considered a serious offense.

Furious, raging, completely out of their mind in Nicaragua and Honduras. Past mere irritation: this is full-blown anger with no chill left. If someone tells you they are encachimbao, do not engage right now.

A foolish, ridiculous person who does things so embarrassingly cringeworthy it causes secondhand shame in Central America. Being bayunco is acting so absurd and out of place that people around you don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry.

An iconic Nicaraguan street food dish made of boiled yuca (cassava), crispy pork rinds (chicharrón), and a tangy curtido slaw of pickled cabbage, all served on a banana leaf. It is the national street food of Nicaragua, said to have originated in Granada, and is cheap, filling, and eaten with your hands off the leaf.

To talk badly about someone behind their back, without the courage to say it to their face. In Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, rajear is gossip with intent to damage someone's reputation, not just sharing something juicy.

A rope or cord in Mexico and Central America, used for tying, pulling, or hanging things around the farm, house, or anywhere you need to secure something. The word comes from Nahuatl 'mecatl' and is deeply embedded in everyday rural and domestic vocabulary.

A drinking straw in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. The same object called "popote" in Mexico and "pajita" in Spain goes by "pitillo" in Central America. When these countries started banning plastic straws, pitillos were right at the center of the debate.

In Nicaragua and Honduras, a blabbermouth who talks too much and spills everything they hear with zero filter. The confirmed gossip: do not tell them anything.

Drunk or noticeably tipsy: past the point of sobriety but still functioning. Used in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua for someone who has had several drinks and it shows in how they talk and move.

A Latin adaptation of the English 'brother' used for a close friend or a brother from another mother. Your bróder is that friend you tell everything to and trust completely.

An insufferable, hateable person who rubs everyone the wrong way from the moment they walk in. The odioso does not need to do anything specific: their presence alone sets your teeth on edge. Common across Mexico and Central America.

A jinx, killjoy, or someone who brings bad energy wherever they go. The 'agüizote' ruins plans with their very presence or their toxic comments.