lucas

What it means

1. 1.

   Thousands of pesos. Una luca is 1,000; veinte lucas is 20,000. Because Colombian prices run in thousands, this is how everyday amounts are actually spoken.

2. 2.

   Loosely, money in general: 'no tengo lucas' means I'm skint.

Examples with translations

• El almuerzo son quince lucas.

  Lunch is fifteen thousand pesos.

• Ando sin lucas hasta el viernes.

  I'm broke until Friday.

• Préstame dos lucas para el bus.

  Lend me two thousand for the bus.

  Note: Quoted without 'pesos' — adding the currency name sounds oddly formal.

Where it comes from

Origin unresolved. The same word for 1,000 units is used in Chile and Argentina, so the derivation is probably shared and predates its Colombian use; explanations involving a person named Lucas are unsupported. A million is un palo, and that one is transparent enough.

Other forms

Spellings and variants:

luca, luquita

Similar terms:

barras, palos