Many expressions are hidden behind the Canarian dialect. Among them, some that have endured throughout the history of the islands and others that have been lost. A word of affection, a call for attention and even a card game becomes something different in the Canary Islands. In the islands we don't say: "I'm tired", but "I'm as crushed as a zurrón".
To mark Canary Islands Day and with the collaboration of our readers, we have rescued some terms used in the islands:
- Acabante: Adjective. Newly finished. or adverb. It is not good to go to the beach right after eating.
- Sharpener: Instrument for sharpening pencils. Echedey, lend me the sharpener, my tip broke.
- Arretranco: Despicable person or old and useless junk that gets in the way. He has the living room full of junk because he doesn't throw anything away.
- Babiecada: Foolish or simple action or saying. I don't know how she puts up with that man, who only says foolish things.
- Baifo: Baby goat. My baifo got away!
- Belingo: Party, revelry, spree. Of belingo. He has been partying for several years and now he has gotten it into his head to study.
- Bregar: To compete in the sport of Canarian wrestling. In the Arrecife tournament, the best conejeros teams fought.
- Cachanchán/a: Inexperienced and often incompetent worker. The contractor sent three cachanchanes who didn't know how to pick up a shovel.
- Callao: Stone smoothed and rounded by the rolling produced by the force of the sea and a space covered with this type of stones, especially when they are large. There's nothing like a good callaos beach!
- Cancanear: To rattle with a certain noise, especially the engine that is malfunctioning. To stutter or to dodder. Don't you see that it's already rattling?
- Chacho: Appellative formula that is used between equals, generally to call attention or express surprise. Chacho, let's see if we can get together and have a glass of wine.
- Chocho: Plant of the legume family, just over half a meter high, with white flowers and fruit in a pod, containing five or six round, flat or very elongated grains.
- Chafalmeja: Person of informal and irresponsible behavior. I wouldn't trust him, he has always been a chafalmeja.
- Chinijo: A minor who is very young or something very small in size. For example, the Chinijo Archipelago is called that because it is made up of small islands. No, no, I have to go now because I have to pick up the chinijo from school.
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Esmorecer: To become exhausted as a result of physical effort. After spending all day cutting vines I am esmorecida.
- To faint, to lose breath from excessive crying or laughter. When he told her, she fainted with laughter.
- Fachento: Adjective. Vain, boastful. Juan came all fachento because he had passed his driving test.
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Fajarse: To tuck the shirt inside the pants and adjust them. Tell the chinija to tuck in before going out.
- Or also to get into a fight. They argued for a long time, they only needed to fajarse.
- Gandul: Young or adolescent physically very developed, but of indolent and informal behavior. Chacho, don't be gandul and pick up the house.
- Godo: Derogatively, peninsular Spaniard. He was a godo, he said that in the Canary Islands we were aplatanados.
- Macanazo: Very strong blow. I got out of bed and hit the shelf hard.
- Magua: Sorrow, pity, grief for the lack, loss or longing for something, or for not having done something that would have benefited oneself. They were sorry they hadn't gone, but they had been having a bad stomach for two days.
- Pejiguera: Annoying insistence or heavy, annoying person. It seems that he doesn't know how to talk about anything else, he is a pejiguera.
- Pelete: Intense cold. Take a sweater, because at night in the Villa it's pelete.
- Rebenque: Clumsy person, who takes time to understand. He is so rebenque that he won't understand even if you explain it to him.
- Remontar: To instill worry in a person. Every time they come to visit, they remontan her with their problems.
- Soco: Site or place sheltered from the prevailing winds. If it weren't for the soco, I wouldn't be able to stand the ventoral.
- Tea: Resinous and very resistant wood that is extracted from old Canarian pine trees. Keep that tea box for me, it has been in my family all my life!
- Tenderete: Boisterous fun in which people eat, drink, chat and sing. We made a great tenderete to celebrate that he passed the exams.
- Tolete: Foolish, vain, ridiculous. She is smart as a tea, but the friend is a tolete.
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Totufo: Swelling that forms on the skin as a result of a blow or other cause. The blow was so strong that I got a totufo.
- Person takes time to understand. The truth is that he is a totufo.
- Vacilar: To have fun, to joke. You can't take it seriously, está all day vacilando.
- Ventoral or Ventanero. Typical of Lanzarote and is a strong and prolonged wind. With the ventoral that there was, the house was filled with earth.
- Zurrón: Bag made with the skin of the baifo or kid, used to knead the gofio. In addition, it can be used in some contexts as synonyms for being tired or exhausted. I'm more crushed than a zurrón.
*All definitions have been taken from the Canarian Dictionary of the Language.
Canarian expressions
- ¡Arráyate un millo!: To scratch, to write down the points won in the game of the deck, which is normally counted with grains of millo. How are we going to get lost, if you always forget to scratch?
- Mi niño: It is used as a vocative in situations of familiarity or trust and in reference to people who are no longer in childhood.
- ¡Fuerte solajero!: Expression that is used when it is very sunny. Strong solajero my child, put on your hat!
- ¡Ños, mi niño, cuánto tiempo!: Expression that is used when you have not seen someone for a long time and you meet them by chance.
- ¡Oh, qué fue mi niña!: Usual greeting between acquaintances.
- The rabbit esriscó the bitch: Phrase with a tone of lament, which is used when an unforeseen inconvenience or problem arises.
- To be or stay in the tea: To be very thin due to illness, worries, excessive work or other causes. After that bad flu he stayed in the tea.
