18 Argentinian Expressions You Want to Know
Ajo y agua.
Literal translation: Garlic and water.
Literal meaning: To put up with it. To face the consequences. Grin and bear it.
Origin: Ajo y agua is the abbreviation of 'a joderse y aguantarse' .
Ejemplo: — ¡Me quedé dormido y voy a llegar tarde al laburo!
— ¡Y bueno ajo y agua!
Example: — I fell asleep and I will come to work late!
— You face the consequences!
Ejemplo: — ¡Me iba sacando fotos y me chorearon el celu, unos motochorros!
— ¡Ajo y agua!
Example: — I was taking pictures and they stole my phone, those thieves on motorbikes!
— You face the consequences!
Chupate esta mandarina.
Literal translation: To suck a tangerine.
Literal meaning: To suck it.
Ejemplo: Aprové el examen de manejo, ja! Jaja chupate esta mandarina!
Example: Huh I passed the driving test! Haha suck it!
Ejemplo: Vos no me tenías confianza, mirá lo que hice... ¡Chupate esa mandarina!
Example: You don't trust me but look at me now... Just suck it!
Comer como lima nueva.
Literal translation: To eat like a new lime.
Literal meaning: To eat like as if you were starving.
Origin: Argentines tend to like eating chicken rolls in hand, it feels good to be eating chicken on the god with hands.
Ejemplo: ¡Tranquila, come más despacio! ¡Comes como lima nueva!
Example: Calm down, eat slower! You eat like as if you were starving for days.
Comer pollo con la mano.
Literal translation: To eat chicken with hand.
Literal meaning: To be the best.
Origin: Argentines tend to like eating chicken rolls in hand, it feels good to be eating chicken on the god with hands.
Ejemplo: ¡Iris está más buena que comer pollo con la mano!
Example: Iris is the best!
Con quince peso me hago alto guiso!
Literal translation: With fifteen pounds I make you guiso stew!
Literal meaning: One can do wonders with all the budget/money given to you!
Origin: An Argentine football fan went viral for complaining about the price of hamburgers at the stadium. The fan is claiming that for the same price (1-2 US$) he could make quite the stew.
Ejemplo: ¿Llamas a esa hamburguesa? ¿Sos loco? ¡Con quince peso me hago alto guiso!
Example: You call that a hamburger? Are you crazy? With all that cash, I make you a top-quality guiso stew!
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El que no comparte tiene un sapo en la barriga.
Literal translation: The one who doesn't share has a toad in his belly.
Literal meaning: To be someone who doesn't like sharing food, like Joey in Friends!
Ejemplo: ¡Te comes toda la comida solo y no lo compartes! ¡Tienes un sapo en la barriga!
Example: You eat all the food alone and don't even share it!
Estar entre San Juan y Mendoza.
Literal translation: To be in between San Juan and Mendoza.
Literal meaning: To be very lost.
Origin: San Juan and Mendoza are two provinces of the most known wine productions companies. The idiom used when one can't decide between two options. To be lost after enjoying wine in both provinces. To be drunk.
Ejemplo: ¿Estas tan ebrio o qué? Me pareces que estas entre San Juan y Mendoza?
Example: You are so drunk or what? You look like you are a bit lost.
Estar podrido.
Literal translation: To be rotten.
Literal meaning: To have enough of something.
Ejemplo: ¡Estoy podrido de vos! Te escucho quejándote todo el día...
Example: I've had enough of you! I listen to you all day complaining...
Hueviar.
Literal translation: To egg.
Literal meaning: To waste time. To fool around.
Ejemplo: ¡Deja de hueviar! ¡Ponete a trabajar!
Example: Don't fool around! Start working!
Inflar los huevos.
Literal translation: To inflate eggs.
Literal meaning: To bother someone.
Ejemplo: — ¿A qué horas volvés mi amor?
— ¿Déjame de hinchar los huevos queres?
Example: — When do you come back my love?
— Leave me alone!
Mala leche.
Literal translation: Bad milk.
Literal meaning: To have bad intentions.
Ejemplo: ¡Que mala leche, que sos! ¿Por qué hiciste eso?
Example: How evil you are! Why did you that?
Más nervioso que pescado en Semana Santa.
Literal translation: More nervous than a fish during the Holy Week.
Literal meaning: To be very nervous.
Ejemplo: ¡Estoy más nervioso que pescado en Semana Santa porque manaña me caso!
Example: I am very nervous because tomorrow I am getting married!
Ordinario como canapé de polenta.
Literal translation: Ordinary as a polenta canapé of polenta.
Literal meaning: To be very dull.
Origin: Polenta is a dish of boiled cornmeal. The dish originally is from North Italy. In Argentina, usually the poor consume polenta. The idiom is used when you say something out of place, misplaced or mismatched. Colloquially, 'polenta' describes something dull, ordinary or boring.
Ejemplo: ¿Que asqueroso, como vas a eructar así? ¡Sos mas ordinario que canapé de polenta!
Example: How disgusting, how you burp! You are so dull!
Un pescado.
Literal translation: A fish.
Literal meaning: A stupid.
Ejemplo: ¡Sos un pescado! Ni siquiera puedes sumar 2+2!
Example: You are stupid! You can't even calculate 2+2!
Tener más hambre que maestro de escuela.
Literal translation: To be more hungry than a school teacher.
Literal meaning: To be starving.
Origin: The idiom derives from how little school teachers gain, compared to politicians, tv celebrities etc.
Ejemplo: ¡Tenes mas hambre que maestro de escuela pero come más despacio por favor!
Example: You are very hungry but eat slower!
Tirar manteca al techo.
Literal translation: To throw butter on the roof.
Literal meaning: To waste or squander something.
Ejemplo: ¡Deja de tirar manteca al techo que la comida no sobra!
Example: Stop wasting everything, there will be no food left!
Vos querés la chancha, los veinte, y la máquina de hacer chorizos.
Literal translation: You want the sow and twenty piglets but the machine to produce chorizos.
Literal meaning: You are very greedy and you are impossible to satisfy. The idiom can be used to say that one cannot or should not have or want more than one deserves or what is reasonable.
Ejemplo: — ¡Quiero que me compres una PS4!
— ¡Bueno dale!
— Y 5 juegos tambien.
— ¡Ahh, vos queres la chancha y los 20!
Example: — I want you to buy me a PS4!
— Yeah sure!
— And five games on top!
— Oh, you are one greedy brat, aren't you?