I think that there is some ambiguity in some of the words I have used.
I will put explanations here when I think of them. Any I have missed please tell me.
Any queries about directions or road names you can try here http://mapa.buenosaires.gob.ar/ go to the page “Donde Voy” and where it says “hasta” just write in the intersection like this “J Salguero y Guardia Vieja” and that will show you where our apartment is or “Medrano y Corrientes” the nearest subte.
asado – an argentine barbecue not quite like we do at home but with a huge amount of meat.
basta la plancha – Strictly, enough of the ironing. It is what the ladies say when they have sat out too many dances and decide that it is time to leave.
boletaria – ticket office
Chacarera – an argentine folk dance, danced in two rows. Men and women.
Collectivo – A Buenos Aires city bus
Cortina – Curtain, see Tanda
Consorcio – the group that decides how a building is run. In our case I have a 3.65% voting share.
Cumbia – dance music with a strong boom chicka boom beat.
DNI – Argentine identification card.
Easy – A large do it yourself shop chain, sort of Argentine Homebase
Edisur – The electric company here
Empanada – Argentine pasty, although I understand they also have them in Northern Spain, where they are more like a tray bake.
Entrada – Entrance fee
extranjero – foreigner, usually us.(see Turista)
Factura- strictly speaking a bill, but for some reason they also call their pastries facturas
feria americana – second-hand shop, not like our charity shops, Viv and I usually sell more to them than we buy, because they tend to be expensive.
Flete – Man and a van, they deliver anything anywhere.
Folklore – What the argentines call folk dancing, see: Chacarera and zamba
Fuegos Artificiales– Fireworks.
Jumbo – A large supermarket chain, not the cheapest of places.
Junto – Together see separado
Kiosco – Should need little explanation, basically a kiosk where they sell just about anything from cigarettes to phone cards.
Locotorio – A shop where you can use the phones often including internet access as well
Milonga – A type of tango dance with a syncopated rhythm. Confusingly it is also the name we give to the actual dance event itself.
Medialuna – What we would call a croissant
Personal or Personal Light – This is the mobile network we use in Argentina
Picateros – literally pickets, in this case it means strikers or demonstrators.
Portero – The building caretaker.
Quilmes – Beer brewed in Argentina, our favourite being Quilmes Negra their version of stout.
Remis – A regulated taxi service, where you pay in advance and the journeys are logged. (A tip here, if someone offers you a Remis in a milonga or anywhere, if you have not called to an office, it is not a Remis)
Reserva – Reservation.
Separado – Literally separate, when we enter a club they often ask “Junto o separado” meaning do we want to sit together or separate.
Sube – Systema Unico de Boleto Electronico. A pre paid card to use on the transportation system.
Submarino – Chocolate melted into hot milk
Subte – The Buenos Aires Subway system
Tanda – A series of tango tunes played together. Normally four, but sometimes five or three. Separated by a random piece of music known as the Cortina (Curtain)
tarjeta – card, could be credito or sube or any other I have not thought of.
Telo – Anagram of Hotel (silent H here) Rooms hired by the hour. Useful in such an overcrowded city
TIA – Not actually Argentine or even Spanish. In the film “Blood Diamond” Leonardo DiCaprio uses the term for “This is Africa” I have adopted it here for “This is Argentina”
Turista – Of couse we are not included in this category.(See Extanjero).
Y – And. Also used to describe an intersection as in “Salguero y Corrientes”
Zamba – Another argentine folk dance. Not even close to similar sounding samba. It involves much hadkerchief waving.
