mandanga

Catalan

Etymology

Perhaps via metathesis from mangada, variant of mancada (“thing lacking”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [mənˈdaŋ.ɡə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [manˈdaŋ.ɡa]

Noun

mandanga f (plural mandangues)

1. (colloquial, often plural) a miscellaneous item of little value
   • 2015, Ferran Torrent, Un dinar un dia qualsevol:

     Això del colesterol, el sucre... són mandangues de la indústria farmacèutica.

     All this about cholesterol, sugar...it's pharmaceutical industry junk.

Further reading

• “mandanga” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Spanish

Etymology

Slang term of unknown origin. Possibly a corruption of mundano (“dull, boring”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /manˈdanɡa/ [mãn̪ˈd̪ãŋ.ɡa]
• Rhymes: -anɡa
• Syllabification: man‧dan‧ga

Noun

mandanga f (plural mandangas)

1. (colloquial) slowness, sluggishness

   Synonyms: flema, indolencia

2. (slang) cocaine, coke

   Synonym: cocaína

3. (Spain, slang) loving (sexual intercourse)

References

• Pharies, David (2015): Structure and Analogy in the Playful Lexicon of Spanish, p. 205

Further reading

• “mandanga”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10