Apuesta Rusa

Fixed idiomatic phrase meaning to confess everything or inform on others to authorities. Direct calque of the English idiom 'to sing like a canary', equally understood across Spanish-speaking communities.

Common in Mexican Spanish and Mexican-American communities. Refers to a crooked or underhanded deal, often involving corruption or fraud. Can also be used as an adjective (es muy tranza) to describe a person who operates dishonestly.

Refers to an emotional outburst or fit of anger, typically associated with children but frequently applied to adults to belittle their emotional reaction. Widely used across Latin American communities.

A highly offensive ethnic slur used to demean people from Latin America. Its appearance in the dialogue marks a character as contemptuous and racist. Including it here so learners recognize it as a slur and understand the weight of the insult when they hear it, not a word to use.

Standard casual greeting and also used mid-conversation to mean 'what's the deal?' or 'what's happening?'. Extremely common in Mexican and Mexican-American speech. The word onda literally means 'wave' but idiomatically means vibe, situation, or deal.