Moon El Salvador (Moon Handbooks) - Jaime Jacques (2014)
Resources
Glossary
aguacatero: street dog
aguas termales: hot springs
alcaldía: mayor’s office
almuerzo: lunch
artesanías: handicrafts
bicho/a: a slightly disrespectful term for a young person
birria: beer
bolado: to be drunk
bolo: a drunk
buxo: to be ready
cabal: exactly, perfect, right on
cabaña: cabin
caliche: Salvadoran slang
campesino/campesina: rural resident
campo: countryside
Carretera Litoral: coastal highway
casamiento: rice and beans
cerveza: beer
chapín: slang for someone from Guatemala
chela: beer
chele/a: someone with light skin
chicha: fermented maize drink
chivo: cool
chocolate: hot chocolate
la chota: the cops
chupar: to suck; slang for to drink alcohol
cipote: a child
combo: container
comedor: small restaurant serving typical Salvadoran food
comida a la vista: pre-prepared typical Salvadoran food
comida chatarra: fast food
comida típica: fast food
finca: farm
gringo/a: foreigner; usually used to refer to Americans, but can refer to any foreigner with light skin
guanaco/a: slang for someone from El Salvador
guaro: alcohol
huésped: guest in hotel
lancha: small motorized boat
lavandería: Laundromat
licuado: smoothie
mara: gang
la mara: slang for a group of friends, “the gang”
mestizo: someone of mixed ethnicity
moreno/a: someone with dark skin and hair
paleta: ice pop
panamericana: Pan-American Highway
paseo: pedestrian area
pisto: money
propina: tip
puchica: way of expressing amazement, anger, frustration
pupusería: restaurant that sells only pupusas
quesadilla: dense cake made with cheese, milk and sugar
refresco: juice or soda
salchicha: hotdog
salu: good-bye
sorbete: ice cream
tienda: small store with basic goods
torta: submarine sandwich
zancudos: mosquitoes