Spanish Word of the Day

Feliz dia de los muertos!

What does miertera mean? It is all over a book I'm reading and I can't find it in any dictionaries.

I'm also seeing the word garlopa a lot, which the dictionaries say means a plane, like the kind to smooth wood, but I didn't make sense in context. For example, here is one sentence:

Que garlopa estas diciendo? Please forgive the lack of accent marks, my computer now throws a fit when I try to write them.

Quote: Wizard

What does miertera mean? It is all over a book I'm reading and I can't find it in any dictionaries.

Quote: random tweet

"Miertero garlopo" jaja, esas palabras las he leído antes: "Maze Runner" *-* Que groseros D: Pero que curioso xD

Obviously it is vulgar ( Que groseros), but I can't figure it out. Maybe the context of the movie Maze Runner helps. Is that what you are reading?

Quote: Pacomartin

Maybe the context of the movie Maze Runner helps. Is that what you are reading?

Yes! They have to make up some terminology for the book and this may be one of those made-up words that got translated to a Spanish made-up word.

Upon checking the English version, miertera is a translation of the adjective "shuck," which seems to have a context of "damn."

A thrust of the Maze Runner books is that most of the characters had their memories erased. Although they didn't forget how to speak, they had a propensity to make up some of their own words for things. As if they forgot their slang vocabulary.

In retrospect, maybe not the best books to be learning Spanish from, but it is a good story.

Quote: Wizard

In retrospect, maybe not the best books to be learning Spanish from, but it is a good story.

I could only find references to the word in discussing the book Maze Runner. The word looks like some variation of "earth shit" or "tierra mierda". Maybe some context might help.

I think JK Rowling sort of set the modern Young Adult standard with "Mudblood" , "Muggle-born", "cat's among the pixies" , "creature of dirt", "eat dung" , "Gallopin' Gorgons", "losing a Knut and finding a Galleon" , "Merlin's Beard!" , "obsolete dingbat" and the rest of her slang, argot and jargon.

Shakespeare invented a huge long list of what are now common words. In addition many phrases like "sweets for the sweet" have double meanings.

Quote: Wizard

Upon checking the English version, miertera is a translation of the adjective "shuck," which seems to have a context of "damn."

Actors discussing slang in Maze Runner universe

Today I had lunch with a friend at a Mexican restaurant. We usually meet once a month at the same restaurant and get the same waitress. She remembered us and that my friend always asks for mustard. She has remarked before that he is the only person who ever asks for it so they keep it in a specific place just for him.

So, when it came time to leave I said adios and my friend said Hasta la vista, like in the Terminator. He then rebuked me for being rude, saying that adios means an eternal goodbye whereas hasta la vista means more like "Goodbye for now." We're clearly friendly with this waitress so he said that "adios" was like a statement that we were never returning, presumably because we were leaving unhappy.

My question is was my friend right in claiming I was rude and his interpretation of adios?

I thought you'd given up.

Quote: Wizard

He then rebuked me for being rude, saying that adios means an eternal goodbye whereas hasta la vista means more like "Goodbye for now."

Your friend's wrong (see I can be curt with other people).

Adios simply means goodbye. It can be permanent or not, depending on context. Hasta la vista means "see you alter," "be seeing you," and so on (try a literal translation of Hasta la Vista. I dare you <w>).

It's not commonly used in Mexico, either. The most common forms of goodbye are "hasta luego," which means the same thing, and "hasta mañana" which means "see you tomorrow." On weekends people often say "hasta el lunes."

Thank you.

Quote: Nareed

try a literal translation of Hasta la Vista. I dare you

I've always wondered that but hesitated to ask, lest I get the figure of speech lecture again.

My best guess at the literal translation is "Until the view." View of what, you might ask? I have no idea. I have a feeling the vista part is some archaic conjugation of ver. Maybe it was thus supposed to be "until I see her."

Short answer is I just don't know. Cue Paco.