Put Another Nickel In

Our dear friend Tere's Spanish grammar and language skills are exceptional. Through our conversations, she taught me so much during our nearly two years in Sevilla that sometimes when I begin to speak, people are actually impressed with my verb forms. Many tell me most Spaniards don't even use the correct form. Of course, I then try another sentence and they realize it was just one verb. During Tere's last visit from Sevilla, she taught me some more. On a walk in the neighborhood, we passed a shop window displaying a collection of skull-shaped coin banks.

Tere pointed. "Hucha," she discreetly said.  [The "H" is silent.]

I repeated at full voice, "Hucha"?

She whispered, "Sí, hucha."

HUCHA: SPANISH FOR A COIN BANK.

I had no idea why she had whispered. She was laughing as she went on to explain that, in addition to piggy banks, "hucha" is also used to refer to savings, money boxes, and the coin slots themselves (in vending machines and anything else). Great. But, still, nothing to be embarrassed about.

HUCHA: ALSO THE WORD FOR THE COIN SLOT IN A VENDING MACHINE.
I WAS GOING TO INCLUDE AN EXAMPLE OF "SAVINGS"
... BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

By this time, we were crossing Plaza San Rafael. The vendors were getting ready to re-open the gift market for the evening. Tere went on to explain that "hucha" was also slang. She pointed and said, "Hucha."

HUCHA.  (I WAS SO TEMPTED TO DROP IN A CENTIMO.)