A

afanar [v] steal, rob. (Note afán means ‘toil, hard work, effort’ and the verb afanarse means ‘to work on, to put one’s strength in a task’, and both words are appreciative, though rare.) Afanar is mildly derogatory and in wide use, esp. of politicians; and the corresponding noun is afane ‘robbery’ (usually more as in ‘rip-off’).

after [m] afterhours club, in the literal sense. Alcohol curfews don’t exist in Argentina, and regular clubs close at 5 or 6 AM, so after is just a cool name for a club that gets crowded after the other clubs close. A club may function during normal hours and then close down part of the facilities while other parts are set aside for late visitors.

aguantar [v] lit. to bear, to stand; 1 to wait, to remain in a place or state for someone else’s benefit (Aguantáme hasta que venga el cole ‘Stay here for me until the bus comes’); 2 to support and/or physically stand by someone (Fuimos a aguantar al equipo ‘We went to cheer/support the team’); 3 to loan (money, an object) as a friendly act of support (Si no tenés para la entrada te aguanto unos pesos ‘If you don’t have money for the ticket I can lend you some’).

alcahuete/a [m, f, adj] [from Arabic al-qawwâd] 1 [rare] pimp, intermediary for illicit romances; 2 stool-pigeon, informer; anyone who betrays some other person’s confidence and tells a secret (alcahuetear).

año verde [m] [fixed phrase] lit. ‘(the) green year’ an imaginary time where extraordinary things happen; usually in the phrase Argentina año verde. (This would need pages of explanation. In short, suppose the country is ruled by honest politicians and all public services work fine; that’s Argentina año verde.)

apoliyar [v] to sleep. (Proper spelling, I think, should be apolillar, from polilla ‘moth’; the verb apolillarse [ps-ref] means ‘(of clothes) to become old-looking and unwearable because of being eaten by moths’ and by extension ‘to become decrepit’, and it may have something to do, but is not directly related in meaning.)

apurar [vt] 1 to hasten; 2 by extension, to force something (apurar el asado ‘try to make asado cook faster’); to bully or attempt to force someone into doing something, leaving a place, etc. (the noun for this is not apuro ‘haste’, but apurada); e.g. Los del gremio me vinieron a apurar para que no trabajara durante el paro ‘The union guys came and tried to force me not to work during the strike’.

arriba [n, adv] above, the place above; fig. the higher spheres of power; [fixed phrase] de arriba free of charge, esp. granted by someone one doesn’t know or expect, or through sheer luck (lit. ‘from above’).

atorrante/a [adj, m, f]: (being) a scum, a good-for-nothing, someone who leads a useless life (generally meaning not working, not studying, just going to parties and having fun). When used of women: easy, whorish, a whore (in figurative or literal sense), esp. one who is ‘known’ by every men wherever she goes. When said of children or young boys, the word can even be appreciative and friendly (un atorrante as ‘a cute little imp’ or ‘a sharp boy’ à la Bart Simpson in a good day).

autobombo [m, uncountable] self-advertising. Etymology: from auto- ’self-’ and bombo, a kind of big drum used a lot in public demonstrations, strikes, etc., presumably to call for attention.