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cuajar

to curdle

verb kwah-HAHR Rare
Food & Drink Cooking

Also means

to take hold

Usage Note

Cuajar literally means to curdle or coagulate (milk, blood, a gel), but its most useful figurative sense is 'to take hold, to come together, to work out' — el plan no cuajó ('the plan didn't come together'). It can also mean to fill up completely: la plaza cuajó de gente ('the square filled with people'). This wide range of meanings from physical setting to abstract success/failure makes it a very versatile informal verb.

Examples

"La salsa no cuajó bien y quedó líquida."

Natural Translation

The sauce did not set properly and remained liquid.

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