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pelotazo

big hit

noun peh-loh-TAH-soh Rare

Also means

large ball strike

Usage Note

Pelotazo is an augmentative of pelota (ball) and literally means a hard ball strike. In Spanish colloquial and journalistic language it famously refers to a sudden, often corrupt windfall or get-rich-quick scheme (el pelotazo of the 1980s–90s property bubble). Context distinguishes the sports sense from the financial-scandal sense.

Examples

"Le dio un pelotazo en la cabeza sin querer."

Natural Translation

He accidentally hit him in the head with the ball.

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