Cola

Cola
 

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

cola - feminine noun (la) - tail, line. Look up cola in the dictionary

Muchos animales tienen cola.
Many animals have a tail.

I believe it has NOTHING to do with Coca Cola.


What would line be referred to? What kind of line?

@jchen: "line" like in "standing in line"

"Hice una cola de 7 horas para comprar un iPhone" = "I stood in line 7 hours to buy an iPhone"

"Coca-cola" comes from an ingredient called "cola nut". ;)

I love my iPhone, but not so much that I'd wait in line for that long. :)

Seriously ... Jessica, I found "cola" once when I was looking up "queue". Do you ever use "queue" to talk about a line, like waiting in line for the roller coaster at an amusement park....

Another question ... previously, in another thread awhile back, when I was complaining about not being able to say my "r's" in Spanish (I still can't ... arrrgh!), someone gave me a trabalenguas that went something like this: "El Perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramón Ramirez se lo ha cortado." So, in this saying, isn't "rabo" a synonym with "cola" when used like in the sample sentence? Are there any subtle differences?

@Lou Ann: "rabo" is the tail of four legged animals... "cola" is a more general term.
-> All "rabos" are "colas", but not all "colas" are "rabos". :)

Ooooh ... I'm going to have to contemplate that one........... Hmm.... Can you use "cola" in a sentence where it would mean "tail" but could NOT be replaced with "rabo"?

"Las lagartijas desprenden la cola cuando están en peligro" = "Lizards detach their tails when they're in danger"

Listen to both words and the sound of the cola is finer than rabo.
An ox has a rabo but a monkey has a cola.
Also cola is a vernacular but not very vulgar way of saying butt.
Rabo is a very vulgar way of saying penis.

I think "queue" is the British way of saying "line" that you wait in.

You know, though, I have found that I hear "queue" more and more often here in the US over the past few years. Like I have a "queue" of books I want to read - I'll say that such-and-such a book is "in the queue"....

:thumbsup:
I only add a detail: Rabo is a VERY-VERY vulgar way of saying penis. At least in Spain, it's better that you don't use it if you don't want to show yourself as an absolutely unpolite person :)

Cola is used as a synonim of penis, too. But it's not vulgar. Specially in diminutivo "colita", is a usual way to speak with babies or little children about their penis. If you are bathing your little boy you may say: Ven, que vamos a lavar la colita.

(I edit my message while remembering new meanings). I think that in Latin American Spanish they don't use cola as a synonim of penis, and do use it as bottom. There is a famous song, "a mover la colita", that obviously mean "move your bottom" and not "move your penis" ^_^ .

Some small corrections. :)

This is a perfect example of what a mine field Spanish can be when dealing with vulgar works. The "no-no" words vary greatly from one country to another. Sometimes it can provoke fights, but most of the
time laughs. Anyone who has dealt with various Spanish-speaking nationalities has funny stories to tell about these misunderstandings.

This is a said very old between the people.

Tienes cola que te piese.


I don't know if you have heard this before. But believe this a way to say that you have secrets.

I have to say that I am more than slightly embarrassed at the direction of parts of this conversation that I suppose I started without realization.......... :eek:

I was going to say.... :D

:lol:

:thinking:¿How do you say sonrojo in Spanish?:lol:

:lol:

o ponerse rojo/colorado (como tomate) :)

I'm not sure if you wanna say this.

Estoy sonrojado con mi novia

I'm embarrassment with my girlfriend.:o

Es un chiste. Pregunté cómo se dice algo en español con la misma palabra. Tambien puedo preguntar: Como se dice blush en inglés? Yo mismo la contesté.:)A veces trato de agudizar mi ingenio pero con
éxito variado;)