perra chica

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “small dog”. The 10 peseta céntimos and 5 peseta céntimos coins had a poorly drawn lion on their reverse, leading people to start calling the lion humorously a perra (she-dog). As the 5 céntimos coin was the smallest of both, the coin was called perra chica.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌpera ˈt͡ʃika/ [ˌpe.ra ˈt͡ʃi.ka]
  • Syllabification: pe‧rra chi‧ca

Noun

perra chica f (plural perras chicas)

  1. (Spain, colloquial, historical) 5 céntimos coin
    Coordinate term: perra gorda

Descendants

  • → Basque: txakur txiki (calque)

Further reading

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