Spanish · At the Bar (Cantina)
Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro
ah-RREE-bah, ah-BAH-hoh, al SEN-troh, pah DEN-troh · /a.ˈri.βa a.ˈβa.xo al ˈsen.tɾo pa ˈðen.tɾo/
The Mexican toast: up, down, center, and down the hatch
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Up, down, to the center, inside"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The classic toasting ritual — raise the glass, lower it, tap the center, then drink. "Salud" alone is the basic "cheers"; this is the full performance that gets a table going. Clean and joyful. Remember to actually clink and make eye contact — skipping the eye contact is a superstition-level faux pas in Mexico and Spain alike.
Heard in the wild
¡Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa' dentro! ¡Salud!
Up, down, center, and down the hatch! Cheers!
Where it lands
Mexico (universal); toast ritual widespread
Quick answers
- What does "Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro" mean?
- In Spanish, "Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro" means "The Mexican toast: up, down, center, and down the hatch". Literally it's "Up, down, to the center, inside". The classic toasting ritual — raise the glass, lower it, tap the center, then drink. "Salud" alone is the basic "cheers"; this is the full performance that gets a table going. Clean and joyful. Remember to actually clink and make eye contact — skipping the eye contact is a superstition-level faux pas in Mexico and Spain alike.
- Is "Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro"?
- Say it "ah-RREE-bah, ah-BAH-hoh, al SEN-troh, pah DEN-troh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: a.ˈri.βa a.ˈβa.xo al ˈsen.tɾo pa ˈðen.tɾo.
Related in Spanish
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- German Prost! Cheers!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.