A dangerous or troublesome person, someone with a history of risky behavior that makes them best avoided. Used in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua to flag someone as bad news before you get involved with them.

An informal Panamanian greeting meaning 'What's up?' or 'What's good?' It's the most typical way to say hi in Panama, registered trademark of Panamanian street talk.

To ruin something that was working fine, whether food that spoils, a plan that falls apart, or a relationship that gets damaged beyond easy repair. What gets "echado a perder" does not have a simple fix anymore. Used widely across Mexico and Central America.

Your crew, your squad, the tight group of friends you always hang out with. In Central America, parche refers specifically to the people themselves: the homies you go out with every weekend, the group that stays together from school through adulthood.

A person who knows a place, path, or terrain really well and serves as an expert guide. In Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama, a baquiano can get you out of any jungle.

Finger-licking good, so delicious you keep licking your fingers after eating. The highest possible compliment you can give food in Mexico and Central America.

To wake up very early, before dawn or at the crack of day. In Mexico and Central America, madrugar is treated as a virtue: the one who rises early gets ahead. It also works figuratively to mean getting a head start on something or beating someone to the punch.

A sweatshirt, hoodie, or jacket: the outer layer you grab before heading out. In Central America, "chompa" covers everything from a light pullover to a proper warm jacket. The word comes from the English "jumper," adapted phonetically into Central American Spanish.

To catch, grab, or arrest someone who was escaping or doing something wrong. In Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama, getting trincado means getting caught red-handed with no way to deny it.

Boyfriend, crush, or the person you're in a relationship with in Colombia and Panama. It's the youthful, no-nonsense way to refer to your partner when talking to friends about your love life.

To treat, to pick up the tab, to pay for someone else. In Mexico and Central America when someone dispara they're being generous, dinner, drinks, the whole thing is on them.

Someone who is annoying and difficult to deal with, whose attitude wears everyone around them out. In Mexico and Central America, a pesado tends to complain too much, exaggerate, or create tension in any environment without even trying.

Tripe soup made from beef or pork intestines, a staple across Central America and the undisputed go-to hangover cure. After a rough night, mondongo is what people swear by to get back on their feet. Grandmothers across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama make it with the confidence of someone who knows it works.

In Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras, someone who showed up looking sharp, well-dressed, and put-together for the occasion. The enchufetado is clearly making an effort and stands out in a room for all the right reasons.

A girlfriend, attractive woman, or romantic partner in Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Panama. It's the Caribbean way of saying 'girlfriend' in informal, street-level contexts.

A Panamanian catch-all word for "thing," "object," or "junk" when you can't remember the name of something or don't feel like being specific. In plural (chécheres) it usually describes the random accumulated stuff around the house, like that corner with odds and ends you're "definitely going to use someday."

The Panamanian phonetic spelling of English "pretty," meaning cute, nice, or good-looking. Used for people, things, and places. It's one of many anglicisms that entered Panamanian Spanish through the strong American cultural presence around the Canal.

Got it, agreed, sounds good. The most direct and drama-free confirmation in Mexico and Central America. Works like "check" in English, which is exactly where it comes from.

A Panamanian anglicism meaning to hang out, do nothing, chat without any plan. It comes from English "parking" used metaphorically: when you're "en el parkin" you're not driving anywhere, you're still with your crew. It's heavily used in youth zones of Panama City: "vamos a parkin en la playa" means go chill, not park a car.

Soaked to the bone, completely drenched. During rainy season in Mexico and Central America, it is impossible not to arrive calado somewhere if you stepped out without an umbrella.

Sugarcane spirit or any cheap strong liquor. Guaro is the working-class drink of Central America, raw, affordable, and gets the job done at every village party and family gathering.

Awesome, cool, or genuinely excited about something. In Central America, copado expresses real enthusiasm and approval for a thing, person, or experience. Also widely used in Argentina where it carries a similarly positive, easy-going vibe.

A bump or lump on the head or forehead from a hard knock, caused by fluid building up under the skin. The classic result of banging your head somewhere, common in Mexico and Central America, and universally recognizable to anyone who has rushed through a low doorway.

A lighter, the gas-powered kind you click to light cigarettes or candles. In Spain and Latin America mechero is the everyday word for the little fire-starter in everyone's pocket.

A stingy, tight-fisted person who hates spending money in Panama. The 'congelado' (literally 'frozen') always has an excuse when the bill arrives, conveniently broke, suddenly distracted, or mysteriously disappeared to the bathroom at the exact right moment.

To look at something, observe, or take a quick peek. Comes from English 'look' and is widely used in Central America to mean watching something carefully or discreetly.

Sandals or flip-flops, the simple open-toed footwear of everyday life in Central America. In Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, ojotas are the honest footwear of every hot-weather day: practical, comfortable, and zero pretense.

To take the fall for something you didn't do. Whoever 'pays the duck' carries someone else's guilt without having deserved it, the classic innocent bystander who gets punished.

A rascal, a mischievous person or lovable troublemaker. Across Mexico and Central America, "bandido" is used affectionately for someone who pulls pranks or bends the rules with a grin. Coming from a grandmother, it is practically a term of endearment.

Broke, stuck, or stranded with nowhere to go. Across Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama, varado captures that helpless feeling of having no money, no job, or no visible way out of a situation. Equal parts broke and trapped.