Читать книгу Cubanisms - Pedro García-Menocal - Страница 21

Then, of course, there are the little rascals. Not exactly bad kids, but not exactly good either. A child who is candela (literally, “flame” or “fire”) is a handful, a bit of a rogue, indeed, a little rascal. Often used to describe children who misbehave or are mischievous, it can be used to describe anyone who behaves this way. Colloquially, to be “la candela” is to be the smartest or the best. This usually has a negative connotation, unlike the positive English phrase, “you’re on fire!”, and used to describe some sort of bad or outrageous behavior or somebody’s poor or unattractive physical appearance. “Estás en candela” (“You are on fire!”), “Eso está en candela” (“That is on fire!”), and “Candela mi son” (more or less, “damn” or “wow,” but in a bad way). These are all phrases that come from the chorus of traditional Cuban songs in the musical and dancing style of son Cubano. In Cuban, if you are en candela, then you are engulfed in flames and burning down to the ground in a very bad way.

A student who is lazy, lax and does not study or do his homework is modorro. Can be used as a noun or an adjective. The literal meaning of the word is sleepy or drowsy. Pescar or pescando or echar una pesca (all different ways of saying “to go fishing”) refer to the act of dozing off. Lazy students will often need help from their less lazy friends. Soplar, during a written school exam, means to whisper the correct answer to one’s deskmate or classmate. The literal meaning of the word is to “blow,” but its probable origin is the Spanish soplón, an informer.

Ponchar, with regard to an automobile tire, means to get a puncture or flat. With regard to baseball, it means to