Spanish slang: peineta

Here in Spain, the word peineta refers to the big comb that is used with a mantilla, a lace headcovering sometimes worn on very formal occasions.



Turn a peineta upside down and it sort of looks like a digitus impudicus, a one-fingered salute. And that’s another meaning of the word “peineta.”

You can see an example of it here, a photo a Spanish politician involved in a corruption investigation greeting the media:
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2013/02/17/espana/1361138434.html

They didn’t teach this word in school, but it’s what you really wanted to learn.

— Sue Burke