perra gorda

Literally, “fat dog”. The 10 peseta céntimos and 5 peseta céntimos coins had a poorly drawn lion on their reverse, leading people to start calling the lion humorously a perra (she-dog). As the 10 céntimos coin was the biggest of both, the coin was called perra gorda.

perra gorda f (plural perras gordas)

1. (Spain, colloquial, historical) 10 céntimos coin

   Synonym: perra grande

   Coordinate term: perra chica

• → Basque: txakur handi (calque)

• “perra gorda, o perra grande”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28