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This linguistic academy, headquartered in Spain, is the foremost entity that determines what words have been accepted in the Spanish language for universal usage. If you want to go deeply into Costaricanisms, the book in Spanish Nuevo Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos by university professor Miguel Angel Quesada Pacheco is available in many bookstores in San José. It's helpful to know some of these words and expressions so when you hear them spoken you'll understand their meaning, although most certainly you won't be using many of them. Generally refined or educated persons prefer to use only a few and very sparingly.
Here are some words and expressions of popular usage:
está bateando: affirming something being true without being sure that it is.
es un bombeta: he's a boastful, conceited person, a know-it-all.
estar de chicha: be angered, to be in a fit of temper.
chillarse: to blush.
es un concho: he'slshe's a rude, uncultured person .
chotear: scoff, to mock, show a sarcastic attitude toward someone.
jalar: to go steady (boy and girl) as lovers.
es macho: having blonde hair or pale face. Historically an American.
un miche: a fight, heated discussion.
un palo: a tree.
un polo: a rural man, a rustic, uneducated person.
dar un piropo, piropear: say nice things to a girl, mostly about her body and looks, to endear her to you.
pulsearla: to try it, give it some effort.
una soda: a small and low cost eating place.
agarrar de chancho: to make one feel foolish.
amarrar el perro: when having to pay something, leaving a dog tied in the creditor's premises in guarantee of payment but never returning for the dog nor to pay.
vinear: to gossip, meddle, habitual prying and curiosity.
matar la culebra: spending time doing nothing, to goldbrick, shirking duty or responsibility.
samuelear: voyeurism, to observe girls for sexual pleasure.
un Samuel: a Peeping Tom. This expression is said to have originated in the town of Grecia where a man named Samuel passed his time spying on nude girls.
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