- Dictionary
USAGE NOTE
This word is often used in the plural in sense 1).
la cábala(
kah
-
bah
-
lah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
a. guess
No está confirmado que haya sido negligencia. Es solo mi cábala.It's not confirmed that it was negligence. That's just my guess.
b. conjecture
La prensa comenzó a hacer cábalas sobre el paradero del niño extraviado.The press began to make conjectures about the whereabouts of the missing child.
c. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
A la hora de almorzar, todos hacíamos cábalas sobre quién sería el sucesor de nuestro gerente cuando saliera de la empresa.At lunch, we all guessed who would be our manager's successor when he left the company.
¿Por qué no cogiste tu móvil? Pasamos toda la tarde haciendo cábalas sobre dónde estabas.Why didn't you pick up your phone? We spent all afternoon speculating as to where you were.
3. (Judaism)
4. (colloquial) (act believed to bring good luck) (Argentina)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Argentina
a. ritual for good luck
¿Tienes alguna cábala cuando miras el partido? - Siempre me siento en el sillón de la izquierda.Do you have any rituals for good luck when you watch the game? - I always sit on the armchair that's on the left.
Examples
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