Costa Rica, considered to be the happiest country in the world, has some of the most hospitable, warm, patient and helpful people you will ever encounter! They also have a fondness towards using regular everyday words and turning them into slang.
So, before your next vacation in Costa Rica, do yourself a favor and learn a few of the basic slang words. One that you may encounter, although preferably not too often, is the word la Goma.
It is easy to be taken in by everything when you’re from another country, including drinking too many imperials (Costa Rica’s National Beer) as you may not want to disappoint your new found friends. While you’re here on a surf trip and your objective is to surf, you may find that the warm tropical sun combined with a few beers (or shots of guaro) leads you to have an unexpected hangover.
Hence our slang word of the month is goma. You may hear it amongst your newly made friends as: “tengo goma mae”, which means he or she has a terrible hangover, and we are not talking about glue (the actual translation for goma).
“Hungover” or “hangover” is a popular Costa Rica slang word that is often uttered, especially for those who wake up in the morning and find themselves having to still get to work even if they don’t feel so great.
Just to clarify… in Costa Rica, the slang term ‘la goma’ can also be confused with the word ‘gum.’ However, we are not talking about chewing gum, but rather any gummy substance such as an elastic substance, an eraser or adhesive.
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