cara de vainilla
/kaɾa de bainiʝa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "vanilla face" translates to Spanish as cara de vainilla.
This phrase is used to describe a person with a plain or unremarkable appearance.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of cara (face), de (of) and vainilla (vanilla).
How do you pronounce it?
/kaɾa de bainiʝa/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word vainilla is derived from the Latin word vāgīna, which originally referred to a sheath or scabbard for a sword.
- In the Dominican Republic and Colombia, the word vaina can be used as a slang term for almost any object, situation or problem, meaning a cara de vainilla could be jokingly interpreted as having a 'thing face'.
- In certain Spanish contexts, describing something as vainilla is a modern borrowing from English BDSM terminology to describe activities that are conventional or non-kinky.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing a new acquaintance.
- Mateo¿Recuerdas al chico nuevo de la oficina?Do you remember the new guy from the office?
- MaríaSí, pero no recuerdo bien su rostro.Yes, but I don't remember his face well.
- MateoEs que tiene cara de vainilla.It's just that he has a plain face.
- MaríaTienes razón, es muy difícil de recordar.You're right, he is very hard to remember.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cara, de, vainilla, CC BY-SA 4.0.
