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Despiole, Pavadas, and Tomarse el Olivo: A Mess of Olives and Turkeys?

At the estancia in Provócame, there's an obvious and deep class divide between the wealthy landowners and the support staff that takes care of all their horses and messes. Toti, the goofy stablehand sporting a gaucho cap, is definitely of the lower class. He speaks in a way they don't teach you in school. When Toti gossips with a fellow staffer and her daughter, some knowledge of local slang is needed.

 

¿Lo dejó plantado a Mariano? -Sí, se tomó el olivo.

She stood Mariano up? -Yes, she took off.

Caption 22, Provócame - Piloto

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No sabés el despiole que hay en esa casa... ¡Impresionante!

You have no idea what a mess there's in that house... impressive!

Caption 23, Provócame - Piloto

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

So, what did he say? Se tomó el olivo literally means "She took the olive," but the slangy significance, which is made clear to all in the context, is that the would-be bride "took off--skedaddled".

Toti calls the resulting scene a despiole, which is a slangy way of saying "mess" (lío or desorden). [Note Toti also uses this distinctly Argentine word in Part 6, so it might be a favorite of his.]

 

Buah, era esa pavadita que venía a contar... Chau.

Well, it was that little silliness I came to tell... Bye.

Caption 24, Provócame - Piloto

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Pavo, you may have discovered one Thursday in late November (if you're a Yank), is "turkey," a pavero is a "turkey farmer" and a pavada is a "flock of turkeys," but figuratively una pavada is "a silly thing." So when Toti says "era esa pavadita venia a contar..." he is telling Marisol and Julieta "that was the silly little thing I came to tell." [Che, there's contar again!]

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Vocabulary

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Caption 24, 23, 22
Adv-Intermediate

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