noun, feminine/ˈt͡ʃamba/plural: chambas
fluke; ditch, trench; deep scar (by comparison with a ditch)
Borrowed from Old Galician-Portuguese, perhaps related to chiripa.
/ˈt͡ʃamba/
fluke; ditch, trench; deep scar (by comparison with a ditch)
Borrowed from Old Galician-Portuguese, perhaps related to chiripa.
work, employment; task
“Me transó, pensé, tendré que conseguir chamba; linda forma tiene Humberto para pescarme.” — (In the context of a story in Mexico) "He swindled me", I thought, "I'll have to get work. Humberto has a great way to catch me red-handed."
Synonyms: faena, quehacer, tarea, trabajo
Related: chambeador, chambear, chambón
According to the DRAE (23rd ed.), the same etymology as the previous entry, from the meaning 'fluke, lucky event', from an Old Galician-Portuguese word. A folk etymology exists that it is a Latin American rendering of English chamber, as Latin American temporary workers in the US requested work from the American Chamber of Commerce.