La raja
Fantastic, the best — Chile’s strongest everyday compliment, and a mildly rude one.
Related lesson: Chilean Spanish: A Survival Guide.
Hear it in context
El concierto estuvo la raja.
The gig was amazing.
Tu hermano es la raja, nos ayudó en todo.
Your brother is a legend, he helped us with everything.
Quedó la raja el asado.
The barbecue turned out brilliantly.
What It Actually Means
La raja is Chile’s superlative: brilliant, excellent, the absolute best. It is used as a predicate — something is or turned out la raja — rather than as an ordinary adjective.
Where It Comes From
Literally a crack or a slit, and anatomically the backside — which is what makes it vulgar. Chile is fond of this move: the crudest available noun, promoted to the highest praise, the same instinct behind Spain’s de puta madre.
How Natives Use It
Among friends, freely; in family company, with a quick glance at who is listening. It is one step stronger and one step ruder than bacán, which is the safe choice in any company.
Common Pitfall
Keep it out of the office, and out of the mouth you use with your partner’s grandmother. Note too that the closely related la zorra also means excellent in Chile, while in Spain the same word is a serious insult to a woman — one of the most dangerous false friends in the language.