Panamanians refer to their country by some very grandiose nicknames: “the bridge of the world”, “the heart of the universe”, “earth, wind, fire, with our powers combined we create Capitan Planet”. Ok, so I made the last one up, but Panama's nicknames are not the only embellished facet of its culture. Its language and more specifically its Spanish-English slang, has fully evolved into almost a quirky dialect of its own. 

When I first noticed that the local laundromat was called “Su-Per-Kleen”, I started documenting this slang so that people like you could laugh at it just as much as I do. The following are a few words and phrases in regular Spanish slang, that you may want to master before your next trip to Panama.

• ni chicha ni limonada= not one thing nor the other. (literally means “neither juice nor lemonade”)

• me sabe a cake= I don't give a damn (literally means “it tastes like cake to me”)

• Comearroz= Child or baby (literally means “rice eater”)

• Tatequieto= A punch that leaves you without movement.

• Sin suan= A playground swing (literally means “swing swang”)

• echar un cinco= 1. To sleep for a little while 2. To fight (Use with caution)

• Inchi-Pinchi= Very close friends. Inseparable

• Se te sale el cobre= You are showing the ugly side of your character (literally means that copper is coming out of you)

The following are Spanish-English slang terms. Although some of them sound like they are merely being pronounced by someone with a heavy speech impediment, they are actually used in day-to-day Panamanian life.

• fren = from the word friend. "you are my friend" - "tu eres mi fren"

• daim = from dime, 10 cents coin.(E.g. Mae prestame un daim.= Lend me a dime buddy)

• camaron = from "come around" meaning temporary or non-permanent work.

• wapin = from "what's happening" – “wapin mi fren"

• parkear = 1. to hang out 2. to park your car

• likibuay = little boy

• guarever= whatever!

• gualet= wallet

• eslipinbag= sleeping bag

• yacama= a jackhammer

• guichi guaiper= wind shield wiper

• porcambín= pork and beans

• char cot= from "short cut". A faster way to get to another place.

• ara bauns= "Out of bounds", when playing American football.

Lastly, here is a list of some slang words that I have invented myself. My hope is that they will save their user time in saying them. I am planning on spreading them to my friends and co-workers so that perhaps (if all goes as planned), by the time you visit Panama you will hear them yourself.

• feeshtee= fish sticks

• espellen bee= spelling bee

• ouch, mi tow= hey, you there. That's my food you are stepping on.

• Sí. I crow-wisp= that's right. I'm a crow-whisperer. What are you gonna do about it?

• super= supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (this one could really catch on)

• feeta= from English term “fetus”. Used in Spanish to describe something roughly the size of a human fetus. (E.g. La fiesta fue feeta=—The party was small. It was the size of a human feetus.

• beestragana= beef stroganoff

• batawata: bottled water

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