Is "terroncito" a typical pet name?

Question

I heard a word used by a mother who was babying her son. The closest approximation I have is "terroncito". It actually sounded a little more like "tarroncito", but I have no guess as to what that would mean.

My guess: terroncito = little lump (of sugar)???

Is it likely that's what I heard?

If so, is my guess on the meaning accurate?

If not, what might I have actually heard?... And, what does it mean?

Thank you for your help!

Where did you hear this? - JoyceM, Mar 11, 2012

It is in the movie "Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal" I'm going to listen closely again later to see if I can make it out for sure. - ciscocaja, Mar 11, 2012

The subtitles don't match the dialogue, by the way. - ciscocaja, Mar 11, 2012

No tilde if diminuitive... :) - cristalino, Mar 11, 2012

Tildes are gone. Thanks! - ciscocaja, Mar 12, 2012

You heard and guessed rightly. Good job! - Gekkosan, Sep 19, 2017

Answer 1

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Commenting on:

My guess: terroncito = little lump (of sugar)???

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Really looks like you were on track right from the get-go! I am leaning toward "My little sugar cube" as the closest translation based on the context you provided! Cheers...

That's pretty much what I was guessing. I guess it's not really all that important. I'd probably never use the expression anyway. But, I'd still like somebody that knows for sure to confirm it, or set me straight. Thanks again! :) - ciscocaja, Mar 13, 2012

This is correct. - Gekkosan, Sep 19, 2017

Answer 2

My guess is that she called him, "terrorcito."

Little terror.

Ah! That is probably it. Thank you! :) - ciscocaja, Mar 11, 2012

This is feasible, if the kid is in fact a little terror. :-) - Gekkosan, Sep 19, 2017

Answer 3

Possibly a dirt clod... Spanish puñado de tierra... just your basic compacted clump of dirt! The context would help tremendously in this case...

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The context is that the woman called her son this in a doting tone. It wasn't sarcastic. She had just given him his way and said, "¿Qué tal, terroncito?" - ciscocaja, Mar 12, 2012

It was the tone you would expect from a mother saying, "How about that, sweetie?". - ciscocaja, Mar 12, 2012

I kind of doubt that she was calling him a "clod of dirt". "terrón" can be a lump of anything. It seems to be commonly used in relation to sugar, which kind of makes sense to me. The kid is on the chubby side also, so maybe that's it. - ciscocaja, Mar 12, 2012

Anyway, after listening closely again (repeatedly), I'm pretty sure the word is "terroncito". It must not be all that common, or someone would surely have recognized it. Thanks for your help. :) - ciscocaja, Mar 12, 2012

Hmmm, well, perhaps we can infer something very similar to "chip off the old block" which would be more affectionate-sounding than "dirt clod!" jeje I was just called a "clod" sans the dirt by my folks! - cristalino, Mar 12, 2012

Good point about the "chip off the ol' block" phrase. I'm sure that wouldn't sound all that flattering either if it wasn't a familiar expression. - ciscocaja, Mar 13, 2012

Answer 4

I like Joyce's guess! Typical in some places: varoncito = "little man" and often just used as an equivalent of "baby boy," for example, when announcing the gender of a newborn.

Another good possibility. Thank you! :) - ciscocaja, Mar 11, 2012

Answer 5

little lump of sugar is correct....

Welcome to SpanishDict, Alex.This thread is old and I doubt they are still looking for answers. - rac1, Sep 19, 2017