I spent the last year in Guatemala and heard this expression a lot... never quite knew what it meant. I'm assuming it's slang? Something along the lines of "no way"/"damn"/"wow" etc?? I don't plan on hearing it in Canada, and I know I won't have occassion to use it, either.. BUT, I'm still curious. So enlighten me, por favor!!
Muchas gracias!!!
2006-10-23 09:12:35 · 5 answers · asked by BeeDee 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Hi!! I'm Guatemalan.
Yes, it's slang. And you grasped the meaning well. =)
2006-10-23 09:15:58 · answer #1 · answered by Karin 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Hi, in Costa Rica you can use either "pucha" or "púchica" and it would mean something like "damn" or "oh man" or "oh no".
I'll give you an example: A friend tells you that she lost her wallet. You may say "púchica, espero que la encuentres". Or you burned something you cooked, and you say "púchica (pucha), se me quemaron las papas".
I think the origin of pucha is the bad word that has the same vowels and starts with a p (got it?). If somebody has a bad mouth and curses, they will say "the other word" instead of pucha or púchica.
I hope this helps!
2006-10-23 10:17:23 · answer #2 · answered by Belindita 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
'Puchica' term has a huge influence in Central America. I am from Guatemala!
2016-08-17 13:05:25 · answer #3 · answered by mr.man 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In guatemala, the less vulvar way to say puta. its more acceptable to say in public.
a la gran puchica
translates to something like "oh crap" (it doesn't quite translate well). you say it in sort of a "holy **** that was crazy" sort of thing. but its not really a swear.
Carpe Diem!
2006-10-26 21:49:28 · answer #4 · answered by afrodyzyak 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Another interesting thing about "Puchica" or "Puchis" is that it s a vestige of mayan language that is universally used in everyday speech in Guatemala. the other notable example of this is "shuco", which means "dirty".
2016-06-24 08:29:18 · answer #5 · answered by bob 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋