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Cacahuate - al principio de la temporada pasada ni quien le diera un cachuate por los Angelinos - at the beginning of last season nobody would have given a nickel for the Angels' chances (Mex.)

cacahuate - él es más que cachuates - he's really good/outstanding (Mex.)

cacao - pedir cacao - to give in, surrender (Nic., RD)
cacerola - cacerolazo - a street demonstration where pots are banged as a sign of protest (Ven.)
cacerola - cacerolear - to have a street demonstration, banging pots and pans as a sign of protest (Ven.)
cacerola - llenar las cacerolas - to feed the poor (RD)

cadena alimentaria - food chain (Arg.)
café - brown (Mex.)
café con leche - reference to a light colored mulatto (RD)
café - café con lengua - ordering just coffee, with nothing to eat (CR)
café - colarle el café a - to defeat someone, hand someone a loss (baseball) (RD)
café - color de café - brown (Mex.)

café (descafeinado) - la poliítica exterior descafeinada - weak foreign policy (Opinión)
café - el café está servido en - things are ready in (Ven.)

café - leer borras de café - akin to reading tea leaves (ESPN)
café - tomarse un cafecito en las ligas mayores - to spend a short time in the majors (baseball) (Ven.)
cajeta - abridor cajeta - easy starting pitcher (Nic.)
cajeta - darle cajeta a - to attack, criticize, give a hard time to (RD)
cajeta - saber alguien lo que es cajeta - to have good taste (Mex..)
calabaza - me dio calabazas - s/he turned me down
calabaza - ¡Calabaza, calabaza, si pierdes, de vuelta a casa! - Win or go home! (Cu)
calabaza - andando el carro se acomodarán las calabazas - things get straightened out over time (Mex.)
calabazas - estoy que se me queman las calabazas - I'm in trouble (Mex.)
caldero - echar más leña al caldero - add fuel to the fire (Mex.)

caldo - el caldo sale más caro que los frijoles - it's more trouble than it's worth (CR)
caldo - al que no quiere caldo, dos tazas/taza y media - It never rains ... (Cuba)
caldo - gallina vieja hace buen caldo - older women have hidden charms (Mex.)
caldo - hacerle el caldo gordo a - to sweeten the pot for/make someone richer (Mex.)
caldo - ponerle sabor al caldo - to spice things up (Mex.)
calentar - calentar en la estufa - to warm up in the bull pen (baseball) (Mex.)
calorías - quemar calorías - to burn calories (PR)
camarón - temporary job to help ends meet (Pan.)
camote - camotes - tired, exhausted, wiped out (estoy camotes) (Mex.)
caña - llevar al país como caña al ingenio - to bring the country to ruin (RD)
caña - tumbar caña - to do/play really well (baseball) (Mex.)
cántaro - tanto va el cántaro al agua que al final se rompe - going to the well once too often (Nic.)
capirotada - inventar la capirotada - to invent the wheel (Mex.) (capirotada - sweet made with fried bread and nuts)
caramelo - chupar el mismo caramelo - to be in the same boat, have the same problem (RD)

caramelo - se escucharán voces acarameladas - you will hear sugary/insincere voices; people will tell you what you want to hear (RD)
caramelo - estar acaramelados - to be lovely-dovey (People)
caramelo - estar al punto de caramelo para - to be just the right moment to/for (PR)
caramelo - fue todo un caramelo para un buen aficionado - it was a pleasure (Mex.)
caramelo - ponerle un caramelito a - to dangle a carrot, to entice (RD)
caramelos - comerle los caramelos a todos - to eat everyone's lunch, to defeat everyone (baseball) (RD)

carne - echar carnes - to put on weight/get fat (Guate.)

carne - esto nos da "carne" para criticar - this gives us something to criticize/food for criticism (PR)
carne - ser un taco de carne - to be a piece of cake, an easy opponent
carne - poner toda la carne en el asadero- put it all on the line, go all out (ESPN)
carne - la carne ya está asada, lista para comer - it's all over but the shouting (tv Fox)

carne - pasar por una picadora de carne - to go through a meat grinder/ be badly beaten (ESPN)
carne - pitcheo sin carne - pitch with nothing on it (baseball) (PR)
carne - sólo mastica carne cuando se muerde la lengua - he's too poor to eat meat (RD)
carne - toda la carne está en el asadero - everything is on the line (Mex.)

carnita - le vemos algo de carnita a la convención - we see some substance/importance to the convention (Mex.)
casta–as - sacarle las casta–as del fuego a - to get someone out of a jam
catufas (popcorn) - cine sin catufas es como catufas sin sal - a movie without popcorn just isn't a movie (Ven.)
cebolla - "sappy", excessively emotional (movie, tv program, etc.) (Chile)
cebolla - dar cebolladas - to criticize, sour grapes (Mex.)
cebolla - telecebolla - soap opera (Chile)
cena - (caminar para) bajar la cena - (to walk to) let dinner settle (RD)
cena - la cena está servida para - things are ready (men on base) for pinch hitter (baseball) (Ven., radio)
cereza - el vuelacercas fue la cereza en el pastel - the home run was the frosting on the cake (Mex.)
cereza - poner la cereza en el pastel - to put the frosting on the cake, add something extra (Mex.)

cereza - ponerle la cereza al pastel - to put the frosting on the cake, add something extra (Mex.)

cerveza - cervecear - to drink beer, have a few beers (RD)

champaña - llevar champaña a una casa de arrabal (poor section) - to be inappropriate, engage in overkill (Mex.)
chayote (fruit) - parir chayotes - to have a terrible time of it (Mex.)
chicha - ni chicha ni horchata - neither fish nor fowl, not amounting to anything (Mex.)
chicha - ni chicha ni limonada - neither fish nor fowl, not amounting to anything (Chile)
chicharrón - estar como un chicharrón - to be red as a beet (sunburned)
chicharrón - No es el amor al chancho sino al chicharrón - to love someone for what s/he has, not is (Peru)
chicle - a person who always hangs around (Mex.)

chicle - el tipo se me pegó como chicle - I couildn't get rid of the guy/he stuck to me like glue (Nic.)

chiclé - hacer bombas con chiclé - blow bubbles with gum (PR)

chicle - ni para chicle le han dado - they paid him peanuts (Mex.)
chicle - ser como el chicle - said of one who stands too close (Mex.)
chile - al chile - directly, up front (D’melo al chile.) (Mex.)
chile - chilear - to tell jokes (Nic.)
chile - enchilado - angry, bothered (Mex.)
chile - joke (chiles políticos - political jokes) (CR)

chile - peor es chile y el agua lejos - things could be a lot worse (Mex.)

china (orange) - cuidado que no cambies chinas por botellas - don't do anything foolish (PR)

chochos (drugs) - ni con chochos llegará el equipo a las finales - there's no way the team will get into the finals (Mex.)                                                                                                                 choclo - ir a pelar el choclo - to go with a prostitute (Peru)

chocolate - bajarle de espuma al chocolate - to tone down the language (Mex.)
chocolate - como agua para chocolate - very upset, very angry (Mex., PR)                                                                                                             

chocolate - darle un chocolate a - to beat someone badly (sport) (Ven.)
chocolate - darle sopa de su propio chocolate - give someone a dose of his/her own medicine (Nic.)
chocolate - hashish, pot (Esp.)
chocolate - las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso - let's get things clear
chocolate - llevarse su ración de chocolate - to strike out (batter) (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - mandar a tomar chocolate a - to strike someone out (pitcher) (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - pisar la chocolatera - to score a run, cross home (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - probar de los dos chocolates - to win and to lose in a series (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - recetar chocolate a - to strike someone out (baseball, Mex.)
chocolate - ser mucha espuma y poco chocolate - all talk and no action (RD)
chocolate - servir chocolates a - to strike batters out (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - sorber chocolate - to strike out (batter) (Jeter sorbió chocolate 3 veces) (baseball) (Mex.)
chocolate - tan claro como el chocolate - clear as mud (Hon.)
chorizo - bribe (CR)
chorizo - choricear - to acquire something illegally (CR)
chuleta - creía que se iba a comer una chuleta de ternera - thought it was going to be a piece of cake (PR)
chuleta - good looking person
chuleta! -wow!
churro - good looking guy (Peru)
churro - tener un churrito de brazo - to have a weak arm (baseball) (RD)
churros - mandar a alguien a fre’r churros - to tell someone to get lost; jump in the lake

churro - mariguana joint (Mex.)
ciruelo - pedirle peral al ciruelo - to ask the imposible (Mex.)
ciruelo - tratar de cortar ciruelo de un manzano - to try to do the impossible (Mex.)
Coca-Cola - a person bald on top, but with a pony tail (CR)
cocer - no cocerse al primer hervor - not to panic easily (Mex.)
cocerse - cocerse aparte - to be a special case (En términos de la defensiva Brooks Robinson se cuece aparte) (Mex.)
cocido - medio cocido - half-baked (Ven.)

cocina - jugar cocinas - to play pickup basquetball (ESPN)
cocinar - cocinarse - me estoy cocinando aquí - it's boiling in here

cocinar - al pelotero lo quieren "cocinar" a fuego lento - they want to bring the player along slowly (Mex.)
cocinar a - to throw out a runner at a base (baseball) (Nic.)
cocinarse - algo se está cocinando - something's up (RD)
cocinarse - cocinarse aparte - to be a special case (En el béisbol Sandy Koufax se cocina aparte) (Mex.)
coco - bald (CR)
coco - cocotazo - smack on the head (RD)
coco - come coco (comecocos) - one who butters people up (RD)
coco - comerse el coco - to worry (Esp.)
coco - intelligent (es un coco - s/he's really bright) (Esp.)
coco - loco en el coco - crazy (CR)
coco - no darle ni a un coco - unable to hit anything (baseball) (RD)
coco - ser paja/una pajita de coco - to be insignificant, a drop in the bucket (RD)
coco - Si parece coco, huele a coco, y sabe a coco, pues es coco. No es pava- If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. (Don't invent problems) (PR)

coco - tirarle cocos a- to attack verbally/insult/criticize someone (PR)
coco - tumbacocos - a type of sound system, blaster ??? (PR)
coco -estar mal del coco - to be off in the head, to be crazy
coctelera - mover la coctelera - to get things going, to get things shaking, to shake things up (RD)
col - entre col y col, lechuga - among similar things add something different to avoid monotony (Ven.)
coliflor - oreja de coliflor - cauliflower ear (Nic.)
comal - el comal le dijo a la olla, "Qué tiznada estás." - the pot called the kettle black (Guate.)
come solo (comesolo) - a politician/leader who steals & doesn't share the spoils; scavenger (RD)

comer- comemierda - dummy, dumb, stupid (Cu)

comer - comemierda - snob (PR)
comer - ¿te comieron la lengua los ratones? - has the cat got your tongue?
comer - comamos, comamos, pongámonos gordos; si algo nos dicen, pongámonos sordos - Let's just eat and enjoy it. (Hon.)
comer - comecocos - brainwashing

comer - come hombres - a man eater, someone to be reckoned with (RD)

comer - comer bastante banco - to spend a lot of time on the bench (sports) (PR)
comer - comer como si no existiera un mañana - to eat as if there were no tomorrow/eat too much (PR)
comer - comer con los ojos - to have eyes bigger than one's stomach
comer - comer cuento(s) - to be gullible, to fall for something (Ven.)
comer - comer de la mano de - to be helpless before someone (Mex.)

comer - comer del plato de - to take advantage of someone else/someone else's (good) situation (RD)
comer - comer lo que debe y deber lo que come - some don't carry their fair share, don't pay their way (Mex.)

comer - comer las tres calientes cada día - to eat three square meals a day (RD)

comer - comerle los dulces a todos - to win everything/win the championship/eat everyone's lunch (PR)
comer - comerse la pelota - to hit he ball hard/well (baseball) (Mex.)
comer - comerse las eses - to swallows one's "s's" when talking (RD)
comer - comerse su ración de banca - to spend time on the bench (to be a bench warmer) (baseball, Ven.)

comer - darle de comer de la mano - to have someone eating out of your hand (Mex.)
comer - darle de comer en la boca - to have someone eating out of your hand (Mex.)
comer - donde come uno, comen dos - there's always room for one more (Guate.)

comer - fanáticos come fuegos - rabid, scary fans (fire-breathing) (PR)

comer - hay que dar del ala para comer de la pechuga - you have to do the little things before you can do/enjoy the big things (PR)
comer - hasta lo que no come le hace daño - He has a really delicate stomach (Mex.)
comer - listo para comer - ready for action (RD)
comer - mi trabajo me da de comer - pays the bills (NH)
comer - parece que comió avispas - he's really jumpy (RD)

comer - pitcher come entradas - a pitcher who can pitch a lot of innings (baseball) (RD)

comer - ¡Qué monito! Me lo como todo. What a cutey! I love him to death/I could just eat him up. (ref: baby) (Arg.)

comer - se la comió” con su performance - did the job/was over the top (RD)
comer - to put up with (Joe Torre no come eso- Joe Torre doesn't put up with that) (RD)
comer - to swallow, believe (RD)

comer - to give in to - aquí no se come miedo - we don't give in to fear here/we're not afraid (Cu)
comerse - comerse la luz roja - to run a red light (PR)

comerse - comerse las palabras - to eat one's words (ESPN)
comerse - David se comió a Goliat - the underdog won (Nic.)
comerse el cuento - to swallow that (story), to believe that (to be gullible) (PR)

comerse las cosas - to internalize things (Mex.)
comesiempre - a politician who is constantly dipping into the public trough (RD)
comida - comida casera (home cooking) - home field advantage (baseball) Mex.)
comida - comida chatarra - junk food (Newsweek)
comida - comida fácil - patsy (no es comida f‡cil para nadie - nobody's patsy) (Cuba)
comida - comida hecha, compañía deshecha - said of fair weather friends (CR)
comida - darle comida en la zona de strikes -to give someone something to hit (baseball) (RD)
comida - dispararle la comida - to pay for someone's meal (Mex.)

comida - ¡está la comida! - time to eat! (Arg.)
comida - ganarse la comida - to earn one's living (RD)

comida - nunca falta un pelo en la comida - there's always something (Nic.)
comida - servir buena comida - to serve up good pitches (baseball) (RD)

comidas sobre ruedas - meals on wheels (PR)
comidilla - comidilla diaria - daily fare, every day events (Cu)
comidilla - la comidilla del día - the latest gossip (RD)
comidilla - topic of conversation (Cu)
comino - importar un comino/bledo/pepino/rábano - not to matter
comino - no dar un comino por - not to care about, not to give a darn for (Nic.)
conchos - left overs, dregs - (concho - youngest child) (RD)
congelador - poner el juego en el congelador - to put the game away, assure victory (baseball) (Ven.)
congrí (black beans & rice) - hay que sacar su congrí aparte-one has to give him/her special notice, special treatment (RD)
copa - la copa está medio llena/vacía - the cup is half full/empty (one is an optimist/pessimist) (Newsweek)

copa - rebasar la copa - to be the last straw (eso rebasó la copa - that was the last straw) (Mex.)
crema - a rich person, of high social standing (Mex.)                           

crema - "u" con crema - "u" with a dieresis
crema - la calidad es como la crema, sube y flota - quality, like cream, floats to the top (RD)
crema - ponerle crema a los/sus tacos - to make oneself look good
crema y nata - the hoiti-toiti, upper crust, the best of the best (RD)
croqueta - (darle croqueta a) - to strike out a batter (pitcher) (Mex. Tv)
cuchara - cucharada diaria - daily fare, every day life (RD)
cuchara - despacharse con la cuchara grande - to have a big day (baseball) (Mex., tv)
cuchara - irse con la cuchara grande - to use big bats; score lots of runs (baseball) (Mex.)
cuchara - meter la cuchara - to butt in (Ven.)
cuchara - sacar las palabras con cuchara - to be like pulling teeth (Guate.)

cuchara - ser conocido/a por su buena cuchara - to be known as a good cook/to be famous for her/his cooking (Nic.)
cuchara - servirse con la cuchara grande - to overdo something, to be greedy (ESPN)

cucharón - servir las críticas con grandes cucharones - to heap on criticism (RD)

cuchilla - tyrant, slave-driver (Cu)
cuchillo - cortar la tensión con cuchillo - to cut the tension with a knife (Mex.)

cuerno de la abundancia - horn of plenty (Mex.)
culantro - bueno es culantro, pero no tanto - that's carrying things too far/getting carried away (Perś)


Dieta - travel/food allowance, per diem, salary for member of government (Nic.)

digerir - el equipo no digirió la paliza de 48-21 - the team couldn't swallow/deal with the 48 -21 licking (ESPN)
dona (donut) - creerse el hueco de la dona - s/he thinks s/he's God's gift (Chile)
dona - repartir donas - to pitch scoreless innings (baseball) (RD)

dosis - repetir la dosis - to do something again, to do the same thing as someone else (PR)

dulce - dulce revancha - sweet revenge (Opinión)
dulces o traversura - trick or treat (Ec.)

dulce - fue como robarle un dulce a un niño - it was like taking candy from a baby/it was easy (PR)
dulce - la venganza es dulce - revenge is sweet (RD)
dulce - qué dulce es la venganza - revenge is sweet (RD)                                                       

dulce - dulcificar la sanción - to soften the sanction, make the punishment more palatable (RD)

dulce - es tan dulce que puede empalagar - he's cloyingly sweet/sickeningly sweet (PR)

dulce - repartir insultos como dulces - to throw out insults left and right (ESPN)
durazno - ser durazno - to be a hard person to understand (Chile)