cinco
five
The number 5 and its idiomatic extensions — from counting and quantities to slang expressions about high fives, being broke, and being street-smart.
Encoding Strategies:
repetition
quint-
five
Cinco means five and shares the same Latin root as the English prefix quint-0 (as in five0tuplets), where Latin 'qu' became 'c' in Spanish.
cinco
five
The number five (5). Used for counting, quantities, ages, time, and dates.
¡Choca esos cinco!
high five
Used in the expression '¡Choca esos cinco!' to give someone a high five, referring to the five fingers of the hand.
no tener ni cinco
to not have a penny, to be broke
Historically referred to a tiny coin (cinco céntimos), so not having even five cents means total poverty.
saber cuántas son cinco
to know the score, to be nobody's fool
Literally 'to know how many five is', meaning to be sharp and not easily fooled. If someone knows how many make five, they know the basics so well that nobody can trick them.