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.
184 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.
¡epa!
A shout to get attention, or a short greeting across a distance.
¡meto!
An all-purpose interjection for almost any strong reaction: surprise, anger, admiration or annoyance.
¡nombe!
An emphatic no, contracted from "no, hombre".
¡Qué xopá!
The quintessential Panamanian greeting.
¡ve!
An interjection that comes from "ver" (to see), like a "look", but asks no one to look at anything: it expresses disbelief, complaint or surprise, calls for…
¡vergación!
A strong exclamation of shock, anger or admiration.
¿oíste?
A tag at the end of an instruction or warning, making sure it landed.
¿sí o no?
A tag stuck on the end of a statement asking the other person to agree.
abanico
An electric fan.
abarrotería
A neighborhood grocery, bigger than a corner store and smaller than a supermarket.
acera
The sidewalk in front of the house.
aguacero
A hard, short downpour, the kind that arrives suddenly in the afternoon and stops within half an hour.
aguanchinche
Carrying someone on your back, piggyback style, as if they were a backpack.
ahorita
A deliberately ambiguous word for time: it can mean in five minutes, in two hours, or never.
ahuevao
Foolish, slow, or caught off guard.
alborotao
Said of a person, usually young: hormones running high, restless with desire or a crush.
apartar
Putting an item on layaway, paying it off bit by bit and collecting it only at the end.
apolismao
Beaten up and battered, like someone who came out badly from a fall or a fight.
arrabalero
Of the arrabal, the working-class neighborhoods of the historic urban core.
arrecho
Sexually excited.
arrimado
Someone living in another's house, usually a relative's, rent-free or nearly, while they sort themselves out.
barriada
A housing development of identical homes, usually social housing, built all at once and given its own name.
berraco
Someone very good at what they do: skilled, capable, someone who gets things done.
bien cuidao
The informal minder who watches cars parked on the street.
billetero
Someone who sells lottery tickets and chances on the street.
bingo
Besides the game, it is the classic Panamanian fundraising format: the church bingo, the school bingo, the bingo-with-dancing to pay for someone's operation.
bochinche
Gossip, commotion, a scene.
bochinchoso
Someone who spreads gossip.
bolitas
Marbles.
bomba
The gas station.
botar
To throw away, and also to fire someone.
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.
bulto
It refers to a useless, incapable person, that adds nothing.
bumear
To hit someone or give them a beating.
cafecito
The coffee that gets offered and drunk constantly, at the office and at home.
camarón
A one-off side job done outside regular employment.
cancha
The neighborhood court, usually concrete and roofed, where everything gets played and where parties, bingos and school events are held.
capitalino
From Panama City, the capital.
chance
A small bet on two numbers of the draw, cheaper than a whole ticket.
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.
chichón
The lump that comes up on your head after a knock.
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.
cita
A medical appointment in the public system, which can take months to come through and is treated as a scarce good.
cloch
A car's clutch.
costurera
The woman who mends and sews clothes to order in the neighborhood.
cuadrar
To arrange or settle something.
cuara
A twenty-five cent coin.
cuero
It works as a confirmation or affirmation of something.
culillo
Fear, fright.
curita
A small adhesive bandage for cuts.
daime
A ten-cent coin.
dale
An expression of agreement, farewell or encouragement, depending on context.
de barrio
Of working-class origin.
de crianza
Said of a child, sibling or grandchild: not related by blood but raised in the house and counted all the same.
de gratis
Free of charge.
de una
Yes, right now, no discussion.
déjate de vainas
Cut it out, stop with that.
dominó
The board game of the neighborhood and the beach, played in pairs with the tiles slammed down hard.
doña
A respectful way to address a woman whose name you don't use or don't know: the neighbor, the owner of the fonda, the lady of the house.
el chino
The corner store, where you buy on credit, some of them until late, and by the unit.
el gordito
The top prize in the draw.
el jefe
Besides your superior at work, it is a friendly way to address any man whose name you don't know, especially between someone serving and someone being served.
empacador
The person who bags your groceries at the supermarket and often carries them to the car.
está bueno ya
Enough, that's it.
estar delicado
The phrase used to report that someone is seriously ill without saying the word.
estar limpio
To be completely broke.
familia
In Panama "family" is understood broadly: it takes in second cousins, those raised in the house, compadres and lifelong neighbors.
fiado
Taking the goods now and paying on payday.
fila
The queue for any errand, which in Panama can start before the office opens.
fren
Friend, buddy.
fufú
Bad energy, witchcraft, a hex.
full
An anglicism working as both adjective and adverb: full, a lot, very.
garita
The guard booth at the entrance to a housing development, building or parking lot, where the watchman sits.
garnatón
A hard slap to the face, usually with an open hand — the kind you hear.
gas
The cooking gas cylinder, bought by exchange from the truck that comes through the neighborhood or at the shop.
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.
guaya
A braided steel cable, the kind used to tow a car or rig something heavy.
guillao
Stuck-up, putting on airs.
guindar
To hang.
hacer un mandado
To run a short errand, usually buying something nearby.
hacer una diligencia
Going out to deal with an errand or a piece of paperwork away from home or the office.
hueco
A pothole.
interiorano
Someone from the "interior" — the provinces outside the metropolitan corridor.
invierno
The rainy season, May to November.
inyección
In Panama doctors commonly prescribe injectables, and a neighborhood nurse or the pharmacy itself administers them, not necessarily a hospital.
jarabe
Liquid medicine, almost always for a cough.
jolgorio
The festive uproar of a big celebration: the fair, carnival, the patron saint's day.
juega vivo
To take advantage of others or of the rules for personal gain.
juma
A drinking binge.
kiosco
The school snack stand, where recess quarters get spent.
la muchacha
The domestic worker, called this in almost every Panamanian household that has one.
lamparoso
A show-off, someone who brags.
laopé
Kid, young guy.
las dos últimas
The last two digits of the winning number, the most popular bet because it is the cheapest and the one most people hit.
mal de ojo
Harm believed to be caused by the gaze of someone with a strong eye, especially to babies and plants.
maleante
A gang member or criminal.
maluco
Feeling off without anything specific: not properly sick, not well either.
man
Guy, person.
manicurista
Someone who does nails, in a salon or at your home.
marquesina
The roofed carport beside a house or an establishment.
mecánico de confianza
The shop you always take the car to, on the recommendation of family or friends.
menos mal
An expression of relief at something that could have gone worse.
mi vieja
My mom, my dad.
mofle
The exhaust muffler.
mopri
A term of address for a close friend, with no actual family relation.
multi
A low-rise social-housing apartment block with open walkways.
ni modo
Resignation at something that can no longer be changed.
ñapa
The little extra a vendor throws in to close the sale, and by extension anything that comes on top.
ñorro
Guy, dude, individual.
obra
Construction as a workplace.
ofi
OK, all right, got it, agreed.
ombe
A contraction of "hombre" used as an interjection, not a noun.
pa'lante
Forward, let's go, no turning back.
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.
parranda
Going out partying, especially the kind that runs long and moves from place to place.
patio
The ground behind or beside the house, where the clothesline, the water tank, the fruit trees and sometimes the chickens are.
pelao / pelá
Kid, young person, boy or girl.
pelar el bollo
To die.
pelar el diente
To flash a smile to please, flirt, or charm someone with an angle in mind.
pelarse
To miss or get something wrong.
pelota
Baseball.
picao
Sore and resentful about something, while pretending not to be.
pinta
A beer.
piquera
A fixed taxi stand, usually outside a mall, hospital or terminal, with its own queue and its own fares.
planta
A backup generator that kicks in during an outage.
ponchar
To get a flat tire.
poner los cuernos
To cheat on your partner.
por ley
For sure, obligatory, no question.
pretendiente
Someone interested in another person and making it known, before anything is official.
pritty
Good, nice, well-done, pleasant.
propina
In Panama many restaurants add ten percent to the bill, so it is worth checking before leaving more.
quincena
Payday.
rabiblanco
A member of Panama's traditional economic and social elite, generally white and from a well-known family.
racataca
Someone seen as vulgar, tacky or low-class, usually judged by class markers.
rancho
An open structure with a thatched roof and no walls, for eating and hanging out.
rastro
A salvage yard where wrecked or stripped cars are taken apart and their used parts sold for far less than new ones at the dealership.
real
Money in general.
regarla
To mess up badly, on something that mattered.
reja
The bar grating on windows and doors, practically universal in Panamanian homes.
roncar
To brag or show off.
salado
Unlucky, on a bad streak.
suiche
A light switch, and also a car's ignition switch.
tanque de reserva
A household water tank installed to ride out supply cuts.
tas claro
"Got it?" or "are we agreed?", depending on the intonation.
taxi pirata
A private car working as a taxi without a public-transport plate or permit.
tendedero
The line where clothes dry in the sun.
tirar un partido
To play a pickup game, no referee, no kits, on the neighborhood court or in the street.
toldo
The rented tent for a backyard party, with its chairs and tables.
tongo
A cop.
tranque
A traffic jam.
tranqui
Short for "tranquilo", used to calm someone down or to say it's no trouble.
trompo
A wooden spinning top with a metal tip, launched with a string.
tumbar
To scam, rob, or stand someone up.
tumbe
A robbery or con, especially one that exploits trust.
un poco de
A lot, loads.
una fría
A beer.
vacilar
To enjoy something, and also to tease someone affectionately.
vacilón
Fun, a party, a good time.
vaina
Thing, matter, situation.
vaina seria
A phrase marking something as serious or remarkable, depending on tone.
verano
The dry season, December to April.
voy por fuera
I'm off.
ya mismo
Right away — though in practice it is a cousin of ahorita and commits to just as little.
ya tú sabes
A sentence-ending phrase that takes the unsaid as understood.
yeyé
An upper-class person, or someone who acts like one: snobbish, affected, given to mixing English into their speech.
zafarse
To wriggle out of an obligation.