Panamanian slang
Panamanian slang is not something you pick up in a classroom: it shifts from one neighborhood to the next and one generation to the next, and much of it never made it into a printed dictionary. Every word here carries its register — which ones you can say in front of your mother-in-law and which you cannot — the province where it is heard, and whether it is still alive or already sounds like another era. Entries still in draft say so on their own page: they start out generated and only leave that state once a named person signs off.
70 entries in this list
¡ayala vida!
An exclamation of surprise, pity or annoyance depending on tone.
¡chuleta!
An interjection of surprise, astonishment, annoyance or admiration, depending on tone.
¡chuzo!
An interjection of surprise or frustration, a notch stronger than "chuleta" but still acceptable in public.
¡diablo!
An interjection of surprise or emphasis.
¡nombe!
An emphatic no, contracted from "no, hombre".
¡Qué xopá!
The quintessential Panamanian greeting.
¡vergación!
A strong exclamation of shock, anger or admiration.
abarrotería
A neighborhood grocery, bigger than a corner store and smaller than a supermarket.
ahuevao
Foolish, slow, or caught off guard.
arrabalero
Of the arrabal, the working-class neighborhoods of the historic urban core.
arrecho
Sexually excited.
bien cuidao
The informal minder who watches cars parked on the street.
bochinche
Gossip, commotion, a scene.
botella
Someone on a government payroll who draws a salary without working, placed there as a political favor.
buco
A lot, plenty, a large amount.
buhonero
A street vendor working sidewalks and corners, especially on Avenida Central and in Calidonia.
capitalino
From Panama City, the capital.
chantin
House, home, one's place.
chao pescao
A playful rhyming goodbye.
chenchén
Cash, with the implication that it is needed now.
chévere
Cool, nice, great.
chichi
Baby, very small child.
chiva
A small route bus, often informal, covering trips official transport does not.
cholo
A person of indigenous or rural-interior features.
chupata
A get-together whose main point is drinking.
cuara
A twenty-five cent coin.
cuero
It works as a confirmation or affirmation of something.
culillo
Fear, fright.
dale
An expression of agreement, farewell or encouragement, depending on context.
el chino
The corner store, where you buy on credit, some of them until late, and by the unit.
estar limpio
To be completely broke.
fren
Friend, buddy.
fufú
Bad energy, witchcraft, a hex.
gial
Girl, young woman.
goma
A hangover.
guachimán
Watchman, security guard, building or parking-lot attendant.
guapo
Angry, upset.
guaro
Liquor in general, especially cheap or rum.
guillao
Stuck-up, putting on airs.
interiorano
Someone from the "interior" — the provinces outside the metropolitan corridor.
juega vivo
To take advantage of others or of the rules for personal gain.
jumo
A drinking binge.
lamparoso
A show-off, someone who brags.
laopé
Kid, young guy.
maleante
A gang member or criminal.
man
Guy, person.
mopri
A term of address for a close friend, with no actual family relation.
ñorro
Guy, dude, individual.
ofi
OK, all right, got it, agreed.
palo
One balboa, i.e.
pana
Friend, buddy, it coexists in Panama with "fren" and "mopri".
parquear
To hang out with friends in a place, with no particular plan.
pelao / pelá
Kid, young person, boy or girl.
pelar el diente
To flash a smile to please, flirt, or charm someone with an angle in mind.
pinta
A beer.
piquera
A fixed taxi stand, usually outside a mall, hospital or terminal, with its own queue and its own fares.
pritty
Good, nice, well-done, pleasant.
quincena
Payday.
racataca
Someone seen as vulgar, tacky or low-class, usually judged by class markers.
real
Money in general.
roncar
To brag or show off.
salado
Unlucky, on a bad streak.
tongo
A cop.
tranque
A traffic jam.
tumbar
To scam, rob, or stand someone up.
un poco de
A lot, loads.
una fría
A beer.
vacilón
Fun, a party, a good time.
vaina
Thing, matter, situation.
yeyé
An upper-class person, or someone who acts like one: snobbish, affected, given to mixing English into their speech.