Spanish Word of the Day

Oiga, joven!

No, I don't get it. It sounds like "Hear me, children!", but from the photos it has an idiomatic meaning that I don't understand.

Quote: Pacomartin

No, I don't get it. It sounds like "Hear me, children!", but from the photos it has an idiomatic meaning that I don't understand.

That's a common word that's hard to translate.

It means "youth" as in "a youth of 17," or "young man" or "young lady." But It's also how you call over a waiter or any other man in a service position (say a gas station attendant, a cabbie, etc) regardless of age.

I think the closest English comes to it would be "boy," but of course that's really a bad choice to make in anything meant for publication. So you coudl use "kid," or "pal," but they fail to carry the meaning across, too.

In the movie Cantinflas finds himself as a private in the army, in the middle of a war, due to a very vague case of mistaken identity (the whole movie is pretty vague). So addressing a superior as though he were the help is funny. So is the seargent's initial deference and abrupt reversal.

It's a great movie, though, if your intent is to laugh nearly non-stop. the story, such as it is, makes little sense. Later he winds up in heaven, then hell. IN the end it's all revealed to be a dream. As I said, not much sense. But it's hilarious.

BTW in the Hell sequence he meets Nero, who asks him for a match to burn the place down. There is also a bit of wordplay involving Nero's name that would take too long to explain.

Cantinflas interpreta Mimi

Fecha: 8-11-13
Palabra: proporcionar

Today's SWD means to provide.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with the English word proportion.

Ejemplo time.

Ginger proporciona lecciónes de actuación gratis hoy. = Ginger is providing free acting lessons today.

The English word proportion is a cognate. While one definition of proporcionar is "to provide" the verb "proveer" is a cousin of "to provide".

I think that in this case the speaker is more likely to use the verb "dar" or "to give". You would probably be more likely to use proporcionar if you were providing each of the survivors of the Minnow with their share of the foodstuffs.

Fecha: 9-11-13
Palabra: crepúsculo

Today's SWD means twilight.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast crepúsculo y atardecer (as a noun).

Ejemplo time.

El profesor no puede ver muy bien en el crepúsculo. = The professor can't see very well in the twilight.

The word "atardecer" means late afternoon, twilight, or dusk, It has the word "tarde" built into it.

The word "crepúsculo" is confined to simply twilight. But, as in English, you can also use it figuratively as in the "twilight of his career".

Fecha: 10-11-13
Palabra: Margarita

Today's SWD means daisy.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to explain how we got from a daisy to the alcoholic beverage.



Ejemplo time.

Mary Ann decoró la mesa con un ramo de margaritas. = Mary Ann decorated the table with a bouquet of daisies.

There are several competing legends, but it is said that the drink was called a "tequila daisy" when first invented.

Fecha: 11-11-13
Palabra: Columpio

Today's SWD means swing (noun).

The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with the English word column.

Ejemplo time.

Gilligan cayó del columpio = Gilligan fell off the swing.