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carambola

fluke; cannon (billiards)

noun kah-RAHM-boh-lah Rare
Mind & Emotions Mental States

Origin: From Portuguese 'carambola', ultimately from Marathi 'karambal', the star-fruit tree.

Also means

star fruit

Usage Note

Carambola has two quite distinct senses that learners need to keep apart. In everyday colloquial Spanish (especially Spain) it means a lucky accident or fluke — fue una carambola ('it was pure luck / a fluke'). In billiards it is the technical term for a cannon shot. It also names the star-shaped tropical fruit (Averrhoa carambola), more commonly called fruta estrella in Latin America. The phrase de carambola ('by a fluke / indirectly') is idiomatic.

Examples

"Ganó el partido de carambola."

Natural Translation

He won the match by a fluke.

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