To put on airs, show off, or pretend to be wealthy and important without actually having the means to back it up. Garbear is performing a lifestyle, designer clothes on a renter's budget, expensive tastes on a minimum wage.

In Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, to catch up to the energy or drinking level of the group, especially when you arrive late to a party or pre-game. More broadly, to get up to speed on something you missed. The person who shows up late has to ponerse a tono fast.

To catch up on something you missed, get up to speed on a topic, or get yourself in the loop before jumping into a conversation or project. Used in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

A pre-game gathering to drink alcohol before heading out to the actual party in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. The previa is often more fun than the actual event, cheaper drinks, better music, and your closest friends.

To give someone a hand, to help with a task. A very common everyday expression in Argentina and Uruguay, used in informal and work contexts alike. Simple, warm, and direct: you need help, you ask for a mano.

Mom and dad, the parents. A casual and youthful way to refer to your parents in Argentina and Uruguay, used especially by teenagers and young adults who would rather not say "mis padres" like they are writing a formal letter.

Someone who complicates everything unnecessarily, takes forever to get to the point, or wraps simple things in layers of excuses and detours. Used in Argentina and Uruguay. The irony is that milonguero comes from milonga (tango dance hall), but in this sense it refers to someone who dances around the subject instead of just saying what they mean.

Unnecessary detours or beating around the bush instead of getting to the point. "Dar vueltas" means going around in circles, avoiding a direct answer out of discomfort, strategy, or just a lack of clarity. When someone tells you to stop giving vueltas, they want you to drop the roundabouts and say what you actually mean.

To fail an exam or a subject in Argentina and Uruguay. The inevitable result of not studying enough, or of a course that simply gets the better of you. Getting bochado means you will have to retake it.

A grilled slice of provolone cheese, melted on the outside with a golden crust and creamy inside, an unmissable starter at any Argentine asado. No real asado is complete without provoleta.

The goal or goalmouth in soccer, the space the goalkeeper defends with everything. What Spain calls "portería" or "meta," Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay always call the arco. It's the sacred target every striker wants to hit and every keeper wants to protect.

A medicinal herb used in traditional home remedies in Argentina and Uruguay. The neighborhood grandma always has a yuyo for every ailment, from stomach aches to nerves, brewed into teas or applied as poultices.

In Argentina and other countries, to provoke a scandal, a conflict, or a fight where it didn't need to be. The person who 'stirs up trouble' always has an excuse ready. This expression conveys a sense of unnecessary drama and confrontation, often stemming from a desire for attention or to create chaos.

A large wardrobe or armoire for storing clothes. In Argentina and several other countries, the ropero is a household staple: the piece of furniture where you hang, fold, and quietly accumulate far more clothes than you will ever actually wear.

In Argentina and Uruguay, a handsome man with great presence, the kind who turns heads when he walks into a room. Pintón carries a visual quality, like he was drawn well. The feminine pintona exists but gets used less often.

To pour fuel on the fire: to make an already tense situation worse by adding comments or actions that escalate the conflict instead of calming it down. The person who always makes things worse when they intervene, used across the entire Spanish-speaking world.

A party or night out, especially one that goes on for a long time with no set end time. "Irse de farra" means committing fully to the night with zero plans to come home early. Classic Río de la Plata slang, still very much alive in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.

Literally a fat person, but in Argentina and many other countries it's used as an affectionate nickname regardless of actual weight. You can call your skinny partner "gordo" or "gorda" and it's pure love.

In Argentina and Uruguay, someone who only acts tough or starts trouble when surrounded by their crew. Take away the group and the bravery vanishes completely. The pack warrior who would never say or do anything alone.

In Argentina and Uruguay, a stingy, two-faced, or lowdown person who lets friends down, never chips in, and acts with petty selfishness. Being called choto is a real character indictment, covering both cheapness and general disloyalty.

A dumb, simple, naive person who doesn't get things even if you explain with drawings. The sonso goes through life missing signals, lost in their innocence or just completely disconnected from reality.

To go overboard, overdo it, or take advantage of something or someone past the point of what's acceptable. In Argentina, when someone 'se ceba' they went way too far with a joke, action, or situation.

To fail suddenly and spectacularly, to blow up or collapse all at once. Applies to situations, plans, projects, or relationships that fall apart in a sudden, irreversible way. The image is of something literally exploding into the air.

Short for celular (cell phone) in Argentina and Uruguay. The bodily extension you take everywhere, check every five minutes out of pure reflex, and panic about the moment the battery dies.

A mild Argentine insult for someone naive, dumb, or easily fooled. Literally "french fry," it sounds more like friendly ribbing than a real put-down. You use it when a friend does something obviously dumb or falls for the most obvious trick.

To have it in for someone: to hold a grudge and look for any excuse to criticize, sabotage, or judge that person no matter what they do. Used in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Once someone has you "entre ceja y ceja" (right between their eyebrows, squarely in their sights), nothing you do will ever be enough.

To make stuff up, say random things without any basis, or improvise wildly without thinking in Argentina. When someone 'manda fruta,' they're talking out of their ass with full confidence.

To be in very bad physical or emotional shape, at the absolute limit of your strength. In Argentina and Uruguay it applies equally to a person running on empty and to an object that has critically deteriorated.

The brutal physical misery after a night of overdoing it with alcohol: headache, nausea, and regret. It's universal across the Spanish-speaking world and always comes with the promise to never drink again.

Butt, buttocks in Argentina and Uruguay. In most other Spanish-speaking countries "cachetes" means cheeks on your face, but in the Río de la Plata it means the other set of cheeks entirely. Context matters a lot here.