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/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
A lie, tall tale, or outrageous exaggeration that nobody seriously believes. In Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), when someone tells macanas they are spinning stories that have left the neighborhood of reality entirely.
“Stop making things up; that's obviously not what happened.”
“Everything that comes out of his mouth is pure nonsense; don't believe a word.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
In Argentina and Uruguay, a lie, a made-up story, or a serious blunder someone committed. It covers both deliberate BS and honest screw-ups that ended badly.
“Don't come at me with macanas, I know the truth.”
“He pulled a macana at work and got fired a week later.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
A lie, a blunder, or something that went wrong. In Argentina, 'macana' is when you messed up and there's no going back.
“What a disaster that the flight was canceled!”
“I messed up at work and got scolded.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
Can mean a lie, a mistake, something done wrong, or bad luck in Argentina and Uruguay. '¡Qué macana!' expresses frustration at an unfortunate event, while 'decir macanas' means talking nonsense.
“What a bummer! My phone broke.”
“Don't give me that nonsense, I know you're lying.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
Bad luck or an unfortunate situation that hits you out of nowhere in Colombia. When something is a macana, it went wrong through no fault of your own, and all you can do is accept it and move on.
“What a macana that you have to work on Sunday.”
“It's a macana that you can't make the trip.”
Showing 5 definitions, sorted by votes
Your word isn't here yet
Join Hablaaa and add the expression no one else has documented.
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
A lie, tall tale, or outrageous exaggeration that nobody seriously believes. In Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), when someone tells macanas they are spinning stories that have left the neighborhood of reality entirely.
“Stop making things up; that's obviously not what happened.”
“Everything that comes out of his mouth is pure nonsense; don't believe a word.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
In Argentina and Uruguay, a lie, a made-up story, or a serious blunder someone committed. It covers both deliberate BS and honest screw-ups that ended badly.
“Don't come at me with macanas, I know the truth.”
“He pulled a macana at work and got fired a week later.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
A lie, a blunder, or something that went wrong. In Argentina, 'macana' is when you messed up and there's no going back.
“What a disaster that the flight was canceled!”
“I messed up at work and got scolded.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
Can mean a lie, a mistake, something done wrong, or bad luck in Argentina and Uruguay. '¡Qué macana!' expresses frustration at an unfortunate event, while 'decir macanas' means talking nonsense.
“What a bummer! My phone broke.”
“Don't give me that nonsense, I know you're lying.”
/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mark") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nacho")/
Bad luck or an unfortunate situation that hits you out of nowhere in Colombia. When something is a macana, it went wrong through no fault of your own, and all you can do is accept it and move on.
“What a macana that you have to work on Sunday.”
“It's a macana that you can't make the trip.”
Showing 5 definitions, sorted by votes
Cholito
An affectionate term for someone of indigenous or humble Andean origin, used in Bolivia and Peru. Between lifelong friends from the same community it carries real warmth, but the same word can feel loaded with class and race dynamics when said by an outsider. Tone and relationship change everything.