Caliche is the local slang terms and phrases that the people use that are not really part of the Spanish language. While it isn't appropriate for missionaries to use caliche when they are speaking with the people, you'll have to learn some of these terms to understand what the people are talking about. Caliche is huge with kids and campesinos. When you hit the rural areas you may find you have a hard time understanding what the people are saying because they use so much regional "caliche".

Don Adán's Guide to Healthy Living in El Salvador

Caliche, the real Spanish

¡Me gusta sopa de pata! and other Salvadoran delicacies

Peeding ride and other miscellaneous tidbits.

packing list

meet your mission president

the real scoop on El Salvador

bicho - little kid, sometimes derrogotory, like "brat" or "punk".

guacal - large bowl, often used in the large cement sinks used to bath with or wash dishes/clothing with.

chucho - dog

ni chicha ni limonada - not one or the other or neither bad nor good.

entre comagua y elote - somewhere in the middle; okay. Usually used as a response to "How are you?"

bolado - thing; object.

chunche - thing; object.

cipote - young boy or girl.

champa - a ramshackle shelter or shanty.

galán - cool, excellent, great!

tacuazín - opossum. It is often eaten in the more rural areas.

cuzuco - armadillo. also eaten in more rural areas.

pisto - money.

achiote - small red pepper that is ground and mixed with tortilla dough to make a dark orangish-reddish color.

chuco - dirty

chivo - cool. awesome.

puchica - oh my gosh! holy cow!

cosas serias - wow! oh my gosh!

las chilipucas - food

guaro - alcohol, usually cheap, strong junk.

pupilaje - apartment. housing.

bayunco - rowdy, immature, crazy.

choyado - similar to bayunco.

alguashte - ground pumpkin seeds. They are usually sprinkled on fruits or vegetables and sometimes served in other dishes.

chulo - cute.

dundo - stupid or dumb. (note that the word estúpido is very offensive and should never be used unless you're really looking for a fight).

chueco - crooked or bent. Can also be used to describe somebody crooked, messed up, disobedient, etc...

pepenar - to clean scraps or pieces of something off the ground. Most commonly used in coffee harvesting, when the beans have been picked off the bushes and the people go and "pepenar" the remaining coffee off the ground.