# Does anyone say "Caramba" any more? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485 "2011-09-16T04:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/1 "2011-09-16T04:48:44Z")
Mexicans, Latinos, Hispanics, or pretty much anyone else? Is it still uttered, or is it totally passe – er, passé – like “Holy Cow” or “Gollywompers” or “Groovy?” Trinopus (still says “Groovy”) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/2 "2011-09-16T05:41:23Z")
Yes. I do. I’m American with Irish ancestry. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/3 "2011-09-16T05:58:42Z")
Bart Simpson? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/4 "2011-09-16T07:09:35Z")
Are you asking only about people not speaking Spanish, or about people who are speaking Spanish? It’s not the commonest of exclamations, but yes I’ve heard it. And thanks for spelling it correctly 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/5 "2011-09-16T07:16:37Z")
Sure! How else would you refer to the mysterious Swedish musical group and their eponymous 1981 album? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/6 "2011-09-16T13:16:54Z")
Gollywompers is now passé? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/7 "2011-09-16T14:00:59Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Gollywompers is now passé? :eek: Fiddlesticks! ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/8 "2011-09-16T14:03:17Z")
Just out of curiosity, what does that expression mean? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/9 "2011-09-16T14:08:29Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what does that expression mean? It’s Spanish for “[penis ensues](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%A1Ay,_caramba!)”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/10 "2011-09-16T14:43:41Z")
Gee willikers! ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/11 "2011-09-16T14:46:33Z")
Crikey! Or if the sitation really demands it… crumbs! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/12 "2011-09-16T15:05:10Z")
**Re: Does anyone say “Caramba” any more?** Aye. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/13 "2011-09-16T16:31:06Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > **Re: Does anyone say “Caramba” any more?** > Aye. Nicely played, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/14 "2011-09-16T18:36:28Z")
Horse apples! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/15 "2011-09-16T18:49:05Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what does that expression mean? Nothing much, really. The most common meaning is the first one [listed by RAE](http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=caramba): 1.- euphemism for _carajo_(=penis, as **pat** said), used as an exclamation to denote surprise or mild anger There is also 2.- a tipe of hat decoration, named after a singer whose nom de guerre was La Caramba (with a name like that, she sounds like “a woman who’d take up arms if provoked”, definitely more nom de guerre than nom d’art) And 3a.- in Honduras, quijongo (a single-string instrument whose mast is a thin pole and the box a small clay jar) or 3b.- in Costa Rica and always pluralized, dude ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-say-caramba-any-more/596485/16 "2011-09-16T20:19:17Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Are you asking only about people not speaking Spanish, or about people who are speaking Spanish? > > It’s not the commonest of exclamations, but yes I’ve heard it. > > And thanks for spelling it correctly 🙂 I was mostly thinking about working class Mexicans, in Mexico. I didn’t know there were incorrect spellings! > [@Eonwe](#): > > **Re: Does anyone say “Caramba” any more?** > Aye. Grin! Useful word, innit? Trinopus (and, yes, Gollywompers and Gosharooty!)