Greek · Romance & Rejection
καμάκι
kamáki
kah-MAH-kee · /kaˈma.ci/
Hitting on / chatting up (esp. tourists) — the retro art of the pickup.
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"harpoon / fishing spear"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A gloriously dated word worth knowing precisely because it's retro. "Καμάκι" (harpoon) was the 1970s–80s art of local men "spearing" summer tourists on the islands, and "κάνω καμάκι" = to hit on / chat someone up. Today it's used half-ironically, often mocking the sleazy, dated figure of the beach lothario. Bar-safe 2. If you hear it now, it usually comes with a knowing eye-roll. Say so if you use it — the retro is the joke.
Heard in the wild
Όλο το καλοκαίρι έκανε καμάκι στην παραλία.
He spent all summer hitting on people at the beach.
Where it lands
Greece (esp. islands); now used ironically/retro
Quick answers
- What does "καμάκι" mean?
- In Greek, "καμάκι" means "Hitting on / chatting up (esp. tourists) — the retro art of the pickup.". Literally it's "harpoon / fishing spear". A gloriously dated word worth knowing precisely because it's retro. "Καμάκι" (harpoon) was the 1970s–80s art of local men "spearing" summer tourists on the islands, and "κάνω καμάκι" = to hit on / chat someone up. Today it's used half-ironically, often mocking the sleazy, dated figure of the beach lothario. Bar-safe 2. If you hear it now, it usually comes with a knowing eye-roll. Say so if you use it — the retro is the joke.
- Is "καμάκι" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "καμάκι"?
- Say it "kah-MAH-kee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kaˈma.ci.
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