To find creative ways to get money or solve a difficult situation with what you have. This is a hallmark of Latin American resourcefulness.

An extremely wild, provocative, no-holds-barred reggaeton dance session. It's the maximum level of perreo where everyone lets loose to the beat.

An eraser used to remove pencil marks, in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The word also means a draft or preliminary version of a text, two very different meanings sharing the same word.

Someone who oozes confidence with a slightly cocky edge, or a person who dances with incredible flavor and rhythm. It can be a compliment about someone's swagger or a dig at someone acting full of themselves.

The traditional Venezuelan men's outfit with matching light-colored trousers and shirt. In Venezuela the liquiliqui is the dress of cultural celebrations and a symbol of Creole elegance and national pride.

People or traditions from previous generations who resist change and are often opposed to innovation.

In Venezuela, a thingamajig or whatchamacallit: a word used when you can't remember or don't know the name of something but still need someone to hand it to you right now.

A nosy person who gets into everything that's none of their business and always wants to know what everyone else is doing. The metiche can't help it: if there's gossip, they're there; if there's someone else's problem, they're there too.

The activity of spreading gossip, rumors, and other people's secrets nonstop and without any guilt. Chismorreo is the favorite sport of every office, WhatsApp group, and family gathering without exception.

The response time of your internet connection, measured in milliseconds and critical for online gaming. The lower the number the better: anything under 50ms is smooth, once it climbs past 100 you start feeling every delay and losing fights you should have won.

A stomach ailment caused by overeating, bad digestion, or eating something that didn't sit right. In Latin American folk medicine, empacho is treated with traditional massages and herbal remedies.

An apartment or flat inside a building in Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. It's the same thing as 'departamento' in Mexico, different word, same concept of vertical living.

To generate massive hype and excitement around something, often more than it actually deserves. When marketing or social media inflate something so much that reality can never compete.

To feel so embarrassed you genuinely wish you could disappear from the planet at that exact moment. Used across the Spanish-speaking world to describe the peak of social embarrassment, when you do not know where to look or what to do with yourself.

A girl's fifteenth birthday celebration that marks her symbolic transition from childhood to womanhood, a big deal across Mexico and much of Latin America. Think a waltz with chambelanes (escorts), a princess gown, months of planning, and a party that rivals a wedding.

A big chaotic mess, total disorder. In Venezuela, "se armó un bololó" means everything went sideways at once: a fight broke out, the party got out of control, or traffic turned into a nightmare. Any situation where multiple things are going wrong simultaneously.

To mop the floor with a wet cloth or mop in Mexico, the mandatory step that follows sweeping. To leave the floor shiny like a mirror so your mom doesn't scold you.

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 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.

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

A little kid or young child in Venezuela. It's the affectionate, everyday way of referring to children with that Venezuelan tenderness that only a little one can spark in a family.

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 housekeeper or domestic worker in Venezuela. The term is used casually across the country to refer to the person who helps with cleaning and household chores. Depending on the tone, it can sound dismissive, so some people prefer not to use it, but it remains part of everyday Venezuelan vocabulary.

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.

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.

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 cheap, stingy person who refuses to spend money on absolutely anything under any circumstance. The one who always goes to the bathroom when the check arrives, forgot their wallet, or asks to split the bill to the exact cent.