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I just read about “Upe” and it piquied my curiosity regarding the “Sarpe?” (spelling). You know the famous final drink that is not the final drink because your final drink is the last drink you have before you die.
Scott, or anyone care to comment? – much appreciated.
My Spanish is virtually nunca, but I have this handy dandy Franklin Translator. Zarpe’ (“z” is pronounced like an “s”)is a conjugation of the verb “zarpar” meaning “to set sail”. So that last drink of the evening is the one just before you set sail for home? That’s just a wild a__ guess!
Jim PJim,
Your Franklin Translator translates Spanish and English, but not Costa Rican. It gave you the true meaning of the word according to the “Real Academia Española” (Royal Academy of Spanish). This is the group that decides what is proper Spanish and what isn’t. Why, just a few years ago they decided that “ch” was no longer a separate letter, and so all the Spanish dictionaries, encyclopedias and phone books in the world had to be re-alphabetized. I wonder how you get that kind of job? I also wonder whether they solicit contributions from printing companies. Can you imagine the ridicule Gringos would offer up to such a panel if it were to exist for English?
Sometimes the very language one speaks is a reflection of one’s culture. English is dynamic, with more exceptions than rules, and always naturally evolving. Spanish is static, with strict rules and few exceptions, and amendments must be blessed by the Royal Academy.
Anyway, in any bar in Tiquicia the “zarpe” is the last drink of the night, as both of you indicated. However, the typical Tico (and Gringo) will actually have several “zarpes” before finally leaving. That’s why everyone laughs when you call it a “zarpe”.
There are a string of very interesting and unique words and phrases in Costa Rica, either in Spanish, or the local “underground” language, called “pachuco”. It’s not a dialect, but a “street” language made up of homegrown words that you won’t find in any Spanish dictionary. Here’s another one for y’all to guess the meaning and origin. This one is much harder because there is no official root word in Spanish from which it originates:
“Tuanis”
Pura Vida!
Re: Zarpe, thanks for the spelling and the replies. Does anybody know the story behind the word? I don’t think Zarpe is in the dictionary, so what are its cultural orgins?
Tuanis, as I hear it being used, seems to mean “cool.” What are its orgins?
I can see the relationship to the set sail analogy, as in “this next drink is going to really set my sails, or make me set sail (set me off/get me drunk). It does sound as if this word may be part of its orgin. Can anybody add more?
Edited on Nov 15, 2006 05:52
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