‹ Veneno: all episodes
Season 1 · Episode 4
The Curse of the Onassis
C1Castilian60 min
on HBO Max
Castilianon HBO MaxIn the ‘90s, Joselito struggles to survive in Madrid - until she meets Cristina Onassis, who encourages her to start taking hormones and to join her as a sex worker in West Park. As Cristina recounts how her namesake brought her to life, a tumultuous TV show appearance awaits in present-day Madrid.
29 words and expressions9 free to read and keep
Keep one and it comes back tomorrow, then 3 days, then a week, until you know it.
Worth remembering from this episode
Ordered by what we think matters most.
polígrafo
lie detector, polygraphnoun (masculine)El programa le hizo pasar por el polígrafo para comprobar sus declaraciones.The show put her through the polygraph to verify her statements.travesti
cross-dresser, transgender woman (in the context of this era's vocabulary)noun (masculine/feminine)En los años ochenta, muchos travestis trabajaban en las calles del centro de Madrid.In the 1980s, many cross-dressers worked on the streets of central Madrid.esquina
corner (here: a street corner worked as a prostitute's territory)noun (feminine)Cada chica tenía su esquina y no se metía en la de las demás.Each girl had her own corner and didn't encroach on anyone else's.hacer la calle
to work the streets (as a sex worker)expressioncolloquialFixed phrase. 'La calle' here refers not to any street but specifically to street-based sex work. The verb 'hacer' makes it idiomatic: you cannot guess this from 'to do the street'.
Cuando no había otro recurso, algunas mujeres terminaban haciendo la calle.When there was no other option, some women ended up working the streets.hormonarse
to take hormones (as part of gender transition)verb (reflexive)Lleva dos años hormonándose bajo supervisión médica.She has been taking hormones under medical supervision for two years.desmayarse
to faint, to pass outverb (reflexive)Se desmayó en mitad de la calle por el calor y la deshidratación.She fainted in the middle of the street from the heat and dehydration.ni caso
to not pay any attention (to someone), to completely ignoreexpressioncolloquialShort for 'no hacer ni caso'. Used frequently in everyday speech to express that someone is being completely ignored. The 'ni' intensifies the dismissal.
Le dije que era tarde pero no me hizo ni caso y siguió jugando.I told him it was late but he paid no attention to me and kept playing.arruinado
broke, ruined, bankruptadjectiveDespués de las malas inversiones, el negocio quedó completamente arruinado.After the bad investments, the business was completely ruined.cita
date, appointment; here: paid encounter with a sex workernoun (feminine)Le propuso una cita para el viernes por la noche.He proposed a date for Friday night.
9 worth keeping from this episode. Free to read and keep.
An account is all it takes to keep them.
What Pro opens
- 10 more words and 10 more expressions here, and every entry in every other pack.
- Examples spoken in the show’s own dialect, not a browser voice.
Get Pro ›$59 $29.50 a year, or $8 $4 a month in USD. Early bird, 50% off for life. Cancel anytime.