Oca is a female goose. I met a man the other day whose last name was Montes de Oca. Not knowing what an oca was he tried to explain it to me. In the end a good dictionary came to the rescue. There are times when learning through experience and trying to figure out a […]

I have an Argentine friend who often repeats himself (he is 86 years old) and says that he is chinchudo. It took me a while to figure out the meaning of this word. It is grumpy or easily annoyed. Sometimes he uses it with the idea of having a short temper. This is definitely an […]

Maña is a word with many definitions, but in the context I heard it in it meant bad habits. In that context it could also be quirky, cranky, odd or eccentric. When used this way it is usually referring to an older person who is set in his ways. The positive meaning of maña is […]