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Bandera de Argentina
Bandera de Uruguay

/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mama") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nah")/

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.

Example

"What a bummer! My phone broke."

"Don't give me that nonsense, I know you're lying."

Word family
Regional synonyms:
Bandera de Colombia
Macana
Bandera de Colombia

/Sounds like "mah" (as in "mama") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "nah" (as in "nah")/

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.

Example

"What a macana that you have to work on Sunday."

"It's a macana that you can't make the trip."

Regional synonyms:
Bandera de Argentina
Bandera de Uruguay
Macana

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Bandera de México

Entender algo, captar la idea o adaptarse a una situación nueva en México. Es la forma coloquial de decir que alguien por fin comprendió de qué se trata y dejó de estar perdido en la conversación.