Paja

[DailyWord]

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for November 4, 2009

paja (feminine noun (la)) — straw. Look up paja in the dictionary

¿Para qué se ocupa la paja?
What is straw used for?

[laepelba]

Straw, as in drinking straw? Or straw, as in dry hay?

I was told that "bombilla" is the word for a drinking straw. Has anyone else heard this word used before?

[poli]

The word for drinking straw changes from one country to another. Many
Latinos in the USA use pitillo or sorbete.
Paja is straw as in dry grass. It also is one of those words that has
a somewhat sexual context when used in a certain way. I always thought that bombilla was the bulb-like receptical for hierba mate used in Argentia and Uruguay.
Bombilla is

[chileno]

hahaha Poli! "a somewhat sexual contaxt" uh?

Now you'll have to explain it to her. Not me...

Paja = straw, hay

In Chile we use a paja to drink from our Coca Cola bottles.

I guess paja is used to feed cattle.

Does that help?

[pjt33]

If you want to be technical a Panama hat is a sombrero de paja toquilla, which is a fine straw which grows only in Ecuador, in the region around Cuenca. (The English name comes from 49ers who bought exported hats in Panama on their way to California).

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por pjt33

If you want to be technical a Panama hat is a sombrero de paja toquilla, which is a fine straw which grows only in Ecuador, in the region around Cuenca. (The English name comes from 49ers who bought exported hats in Panama on their way to California).

I've seen them and I like 'em

At that time, Chile was busy exporting canned "choclo" to California too. (or also?)

[laepelba]

First of all, no body needs to explain anything to me about that.

SOooooo ... it seems that paja can be either straw (dry grass) OR a drinking implement.

Yes, I used a bombilla in Uruguay to drink my mate. (Mmmmmmmmm) I even bought one and brought it back to DC with me. But the other day, I asked a Bolivian friend what these things in our drinks were called in Spanish, she answered "bombilla". (Although she didn't say her "ll" sound like my Uruguayan friends do........ jaja!) So that made me curious.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

First of all, no body needs to explain anything to me about that.

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

SOooooo ... it seems that paja can be either straw (dry grass) OR a drinking implement.

Yes, I used a bombilla in Uruguay to drink my mate. (Mmmmmmmmm) I even bought one and brought it back to DC with me. But the other day, I asked a Bolivian friend what these things in our drinks were called in Spanish, she answered "bombilla". (Although she didn't say her "ll" sound like my Uruguayan friends do........ jaja!) So that made me curious.

I am sorry for getting carried away with having fun, and I half answered your questions...

Ok

Yes paja can be either straw and a straw.

Straw = paja, bombilla

Bombilla = straw, light bulb

Light bulb = ampolleta, bombilla


yet?

Homework?

[laepelba]

Thanks, Hernán! I'm not necessarily dancing yet ... and I suppose I don't HAVE homework ... I give the homework. But I'm thinking you meant something else by that, and I totally missed it.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

Thanks, Hernán! I'm not necessarily dancing yet ... and I suppose I don't HAVE homework ... I give the homework. But I'm thinking you meant something else by that, and I totally missed it.

But this time, guess who's giving the homework?

And to whom! (no more, no less)

[laepelba]

Bueno - eso es lo que pensé que querías decir. Pero aún no entiendo..... ¿Qué es la tarea que me estás dando?

[pjt33]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

I've seen them and I like 'em

At that time, Chile was busy exporting canned "choclo" to California too. (or also?)

Too. Aunque mejor dejarlo sin ninguna de las dos, porque lo que hacía Chile no era el mismo. Bueno, a no ser que quieras explicar en qué igualaba y en que se diferenciaba: "Back then Chile was also busy exporting to California, but canned 'choclo' rather than hats."

PD Yo tenía un sombrero de paja toquilla, pero me lo olvidé en un bús porque tenía prisa - iba a una boda, el tráfico se había atascado mucho, y luego el conductor había pasado el límite de horas que podía conducir así que tuve que cambiar de bús inesperada y rápidamente.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

Bueno - eso es lo que pensé que querías decir. Pero aún no entiendo..... ¿Cuál es la tarea que me estás dando?

¿Entendiste todo lo que escribí?

hmmm Congratulations, if you did. :-)

[laepelba]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

I am sorry for getting carried away with having fun, and I half answered your questions...

Ok

Yes paja can be either straw and a straw.

Straw = paja, bombilla

Bombilla = straw, light bulb

Light bulb = ampolleta, bombilla


yet?

Homework?

Sure - pienso que entendó lo que tú escribiste. Estabas haciendo un grade círculo de significados ... asociando una ampolleta a un utensilio para beber a pastos secos. ¿Correcto? Todo parece muy peligroso a mí.

¿Y mi tarea?

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

I am sorry for getting carried away with having fun, and I half answered your questions...

Ok

Yes paja can be either straw and a straw.

Straw = paja, bombilla

Bombilla = straw, light bulb

Light bulb = ampolleta, bombilla


yet? (dizzy yet?)

Homework? (is it (going to be) homework for you?)

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

Sure - pienso que entendí lo que (tú) escribiste. Estabas haciendo un gran círculo de significados ... asociando una ampolleta a un utensilio para beber a pastos secos. ¿Correcto? Todo parece muy peligroso a mí.

¿Y mi tarea?

No estaba asociando, pero los significados son tales que pueden marear a cualquiera.

Me preguntaba si era tarea para ti, pero estás muy bien.

Escrito originalmente por pjt33

Too. Aunque mejor dejarlo sin ninguna de las dos, porque lo que hacía Chile no era el mismo. Bueno, a no ser que quieras explicar en qué igualaba y en que se diferenciaba: "Back then Chile was also busy exporting to California, but canned 'choclo' rather than hats."

Not that Chile and Panama were doing the same thing but they were both doing something...

And that in red, would be another way to say it.

Remember, I do not know (even though it's not terribly difficult to surmise it), that I do not know proper grammar in English nor Spanish.

What I have is what it was left of an education and force of habit.

Escrito originalmente por pjt33

PD Yo tenía un sombrero de paja toquilla, pero (me) lo olvidé en un bús porque tenía prisa - iba a una boda, el tráfico se había atascado mucho, y luego el conductor se había pasado el límite de horas que podía conducir así que tuve que cambiar de bús inesperada y rápidamente.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Lou Ann: I think "bombilla" is only the one for drinking mate.

For drinking straw I've heard "pajilla" in some foreign countries. In Mexico, it's called "popote".



As for the word of the day, "paja" can also be a term for something that doesn't add real content to some written document.

La mitad de tu reporte es paja.
Half of your report is useless junk.

Tu examen era pura paja. Por eso reprobaste.
Your exam was pure nonsense. That's why you failed.

[poli]

I knew that mysteriously that the word for a drinking straw varied greatly
from one Spanish-speaking country to another. I would not advise using
the word pajilla among people in the Caribbean region of it's almost exclusive auto-erotic connotation. How's that for being discreet Hernan?

[irmamar]

To me, a drinking straw is "pajita". "Bombilla" means light bulb. "Paja" means straw. "Paja" also means a bad word (but I'm not going to explain it )

By the way, I wouldn't say "para qué se ocupa la paja", but "para qué se usa", though I don't know if "ocupar" is used in another countries.

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por poli

I knew that mysteriously that the word for a drinking straw varied greatly
from one Spanish-speaking country to another. I would not advise using
the word pajilla among people in the Caribbean region of it's almost exclusive auto-erotic connotation. How's that for being discreet Hernan?

That's excellent! Avoid pajita also, which I use in my country.

From now on, if I go to another Spanish speaking country I am going to ask, while pointing at a drinking straw, "what do you call this"?

Escrito originalmente por irmamar

To me, a drinking straw is "pajita". "Bombilla" means light bulb. "Paja" means straw. "Paja" also means a bad word (but I'm not going to explain it )

Para mi también pajita es lo mismo. Pero bombilla no. Para mi es ampolleta.

Escrito originalmente por irmamar

By the way, I wouldn't say "para qué se ocupa la paja", but "para qué se usa", though I don't know if "ocupar" is used in another countries.

Usar u ocupar para mi es lo mismo.

[laepelba]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

From now on, if I go to another Spanish speaking country I am going to ask, while pointing at a drinking straw, "what do you call this"?

Exceptional idea!!