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Mugre

» by David June 29th, 2008 at 9:48 pm » Comments (0)

On a bottle of cleaner I saw the word mugre. I knew it had to be something related to filth. I think the best definitions of mugre would be grime, gunk or muck. One dictionary I read said it was greasy filth.



Fuga de agua

» by Stephanie June 27th, 2008 at 8:38 pm » Comments (0)

We had a pipe break in the street in front of our house recently. While trying to figure out who to call  we found the phrase fuga de agua. Literally it means a flight of water but is used to refer to water escaping accidently.



Inalámbrico

» by David June 26th, 2008 at 10:00 pm » Comments (0)

It seems that the word inalámbrico is popping up everywhere. At all our city parks one can get internet inalámbrico or wireless internet. It is also used to refer to cordless phones.
Alambre is wire, therefore inalambre is without wire.



Constipado

» by David June 25th, 2008 at 10:54 pm » Comments (0)

Constipado probably does not mean what you immediately think. It is to have a cold or a stuffy nose.
Estreñimiento means to be constipated.



Colloquial Spanish

» by David June 24th, 2008 at 10:07 pm » Comments (0)

Instead of a word today, I wanted to share another resource that I found on the net. At Colloquial Spanish the author teaches meanings for idiomatic expressions. I spent quite a bit of time reading there today and look forward to reading the site in the future. When you come to Discover Spanish With Us, […]



Periférico

» by David June 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 pm » Comments (0)

The strict definition of the word periférico is that it has to do with the periphery, or outlying area of an object or location.
It is commonly used here in Mexico to mean the highway loop around the city. Also sometimes called el anillo periferico–the periphery ring.



Credencial

» by David June 22nd, 2008 at 9:54 pm » Comments (0)

In Spanish the word credencial simply means an identification.
In English credential has more of the idea of paperwork which proves your level of access or education. It could be a diploma or an ID badge that gives you special access.
Of course, in Spanish it can mean all of that too, or just be a simple […]



Harina, Arena

» by Stephanie June 21st, 2008 at 5:44 pm » Comments (1)

These two words, harina and arena, give me fits. Although they look very different, their pronunciation is very close, the difference of an i and an e.
Harina is flour and arena is sand. I don’t know how many times, no matter how hard I try, I have ordered sand tortillas.



Hoyuelo

» by David June 20th, 2008 at 9:49 pm » Comments (0)

Don’t you just love dimples? They are so cute. But the word in Spanish, hoyuelo, doesn’t seem to me as cute as the dimples. Hoyuelo is dimple.
I read that in Chile they also use the word margaritas to mean dimples.



Rótula

» by David June 19th, 2008 at 11:07 pm » Comments (0)

Rótula is the kneecap. It can also be used for any ball and socket joint. I learned this word when I needed to replace a sway arm bushing on my car. I took the old rótula to the transmission shop next door. I wasn’t needing them to change it for me, I just needed them […]



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