Even though it sounds plural, can be used to describe one person. Example: The teachers came to school dressed in costumes today, it was a basilón!īicho - pronounced “beecho”, means a creepy critter whether a person, animal or insectīostezo - literally means a yawn, but when used to describe something, it means it was really boring. Qué basilada! How funny!īasilón - this is slang for something like an event that happens that’s very funny. “did you see that rainstorm! Wow, what a baldazo!”īandido - literally means bandit, can be used to describe someone or something who is sly or clever (even a pet).īasilada - adjective for basilón. When using it to describe a person, it means unbathed.īaldazo - loosely means, a bucketful. You may have seen it on a tequila bottle. Monday mornings are an agüevazón, too.Īñejo - literally means aged. “He was totally agüevado as he won’t receive his pay for another week.” Not necessarily vulgar, but you might not want to use it on a first date.Īgüevazón - a thing that is a HUGE BUMMER. Many times it’s shortened to simply “Diós”….if someone says this to you, respond with the same.Īgüevado - adjective meaning bummed out, like a limp biscuit. Costa Rican Slang Words and TiquismosĪ pata - by foot, walking (pata means paw)Īdiós - not only does this mean goodbye, but in Costa Rica, many strangers or people that are merely acquaintances will say this if they pass one another on the street. Without further ado, here in alphabetical order and for your entertainment is a list of my favorite slang words/tiquismos and a brief meaning or example. Keep in mind, knowing slang words doesn’t mean you should necessarily use them! So, for your convenience, words in RED mean danger danger! Go placidly, amigos, and use your better judgement. As a gringa, using these words has gotten me surprised looks, laughs and more than one head shake.Īfter over 30 years of traveling to Costa Rica, I’m still learning slang words, so I’ll keep this list updated as much as possible. Knowing the gist of most of these words makes me feel like a real part of Costa Rican society.

In other words, you will only hear most of these phrases in Costa Rica. Costa Ricans have an unusual amount of slang words and some sayings are known as “tiquismos”.

Tico name meaning