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/Sounds like "kah" (as in "car") + "mah" (as in "mark") + "ROHN" (as in "row") + "AH" (as in "art") + "KYEHN" + "SEH" (as in "set") + "DWEHR" + "meh" (as in "met")/

Meaning

Short form of the Mexican and Colombian proverb "Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente" (the shrimp that falls asleep gets swept away by the current). The warning: if you are not alert and quick, you will miss your chance.

Examples

If you snooze, the opportunity slips right past you.

Stay sharp or you will miss out.

Regional synonyms

A debt, lingering problem, or pending obligation that's hard to resolve. In Colombia, culebras are those tangled commitments that wrap around you, they can be financial, personal, or social, but they always hang over you.