Spanish Word of the Day

Quote: Wizard

Hoy es lunes, que significa mi jardinero Lamberto era aqui. Su ayudante dice que una canasta directa es un canasta en baloncesto. Creo un "swish," tal vez de la linea de tres puntos.

Hoy es Lunes, LO que significa que mi jardinero, Lamberto, ESTÁ aquí. Su ayudante dice que una canasta directa es una canasta en BASKETBALL. Creo QUE QUIERE DECIR un 'swish," tal vez de la linea de tres puntos."

Baloncesto is techincally correct, but few people use it. You don't see it used in the sports pages at all.

Quote: Nareed

Hoy es Lunes, LO que significa que mi jardinero, Lamberto, ESTÁ aquí. Su ayudante dice que una canasta directa es una canasta en BASKETBALL. Creo QUE QUIERE DECIR un 'swish," tal vez de la linea de tres puntos."

I think that is fewer mistakes than usual. Perhaps my Spanish grade has gone from an F to D-?

Quote: Pacomartin

So from the context it seems to refer to a basketball game ...

That was my first guess.

Quote: Nareed

Quote: Pacomartin

In the past, if a word is of Catalan origin, you tend not to use it much,

Is it? I'd no idea.

Consistently if the word is originally Catalan, Galician, or Italian then you don't use the word. You prefer the Spanish words of Latin origin. It makes sense as the Spanish in Europe would have undergone continual influence in the last few centuries.

Quote: Nareed

No. I think it means South America, but who uses those terms any more?

It sounded stuffy.

Can anyone help with the translation of this song:

Quote: Al corro de la patata

Al corro de la patata,
Comeremos ensalada,
como comen los señores,
naranjitas y limones
achupe, achupe,
sentadita me quedé

translation

There seems to be several alternate version of the penultimate line
1)achupe, achupe,
2)¡Alupé, alupé,
3)A los pies, a los pies

Quote: Wizard

Can anyone help with the translation of this song:

Sorry, I draw the line at silly songs.

Come to that, some good songs just can't be translated while retaining their emotional impact. Poetry is, in essence, a heartless bitch ;)

Quote: Pacomartin

That was my first guess.

Lupe also says a canasta directa is a "swish" in basketball.

Quote: Wizard

Lupe also says a canasta directa is a "swish" in basketball.

I'm remidned of the time Lisa Simpson sees a sign that reads "Yahoo Serious Film Festival." She remarks "I understand the words, but the sentence has no meaning." :P

Seriously, what the hell is a "swish" in this context?

Quote: Nareed

Seriously, what the hell is a "swish" in this context?

Nothing but net!

The word itself is from the 18th century, although modern basketball is roughly 120 years old.

Words of imitative origin or onomatopoeia, or words created to sound like a natural or man-made sound, such as "swish", "beep", "roar", "aargh", "ugh", "bang", "pop", "tsk", and "meow".

Quote: Pacomartin

Nothing but net!

Thanks.

Fecha: 13-10-13
Palabra: paréntesis

Today's SWD means parenthesis or an interruption.

The question for the advanced readers is to explain the etymology of the prefix "parent," in both English and Spanish. Does it come from the same root as the English word parent?

Ejemplo time.

Mary Ann tomó un paréntesis de fregando la ropa. = Mary Ann took a break from washing the laundry.