Dominicanisms Part 1

I have lived in the Dominican Republic for 49 days. In that brief period of time I have become acquainted with A LOT of words and phrases that are almost exclusively used by Dominicans. Below is an alphabetical list of the Dominicanisms I have so far discovered, it is so long I am splitting it into two parts. Enjoy!

• Amarrar la chiva- goes to work but does nothing while there
• Apagón - blackout
• Avion - plane, slang for a promiscuous female
• Baboso/a - someone who talks a lot
• Bola - a free ride
• Bandera - flag, but also refers to the traditional Dominican lunch. Consists of rice, beans, meat, and a salad on the side.
• Banca - a store where bets can be made on the lottery and other things
• Bipear - to call someone but hang up once the phone rings, this causes them to call you back and you save your phone minutes
• Boltar el golpe - when you go to the bar straight from work
• Buen tiempo - good timing, said when a visitor arrives as people are eating
• Bulla - loud noise
• Cañada - stream that swells during heavy rains, these can be very dangerous as they often become impassable and can swallow up nearby pathways and flood houses.
• Chapa - butt cheek, a current popular song is called “La Chapa” and is about shaking it
• Chévere - cool
• Chin - a little bit
• Chulo - cool
• Cocina - kitchen, slang for the back of the guagua (bus) because it gets so hot
• Cocotazo - the smack a kid receives on the head when they behave poorly.
• Conjo - esaid when something bad happens, sometimes yelled
• Crillollo - natural to the DR, typically refers to fruits, vegetables, or traditional meals
• Cuero - prostitute, literally means leather; “quema de cuero” - muffler burn
• Diablo - damn, typically yelled while in pain or surprise, literally translates to devil
• Echar un boche - describes the action of doing something to make another person yell at you, such as when you step on a clean floor in muddy shoes or grab some cookie batter without asking your sister’s permission…
• Estoy harto - I’m full or I’ve had enough of a particular person/thing. This term is considered vulgar but is often heard in the countryside.
• Flojo/a - lazy person
• Fulano/a - John/Jane Doe, used when you don’t want to name a person, such as Fulano told me you went on a date with Jerry.