calar

A versatile verb: literally, to soak through completely (la lluvia me caló hasta los huesos) or to pierce/perforate; figuratively, to see through someone's true intentions (lo calé enseguida) or, in the fixed expression calar hondo, to strike a deep emotional chord. Reflexive calarse also covers jamming a mechanism or firmly pulling on a hat.

• La lluvia me caló hasta los huesos. — The rain soaked me to the bone.
• Lo calé enseguida, sabía que mentía. — I saw through him right away, I knew he was lying.
• Su discurso caló hondo entre los jóvenes. — His speech struck a deep chord with young people.

Learners often only learn calar in its literal "soak through" sense and miss its very common figurative uses — "see through someone" and "strike a deep chord" — which appear constantly in journalism and everyday commentary.

• expression Calar hondo — A widely used Spanish fixed expression describing when a speech, song, idea, or piece of art makes a deep, lasting emotional or intellectual impact on its audience — extremely common in journalism, reviews, and everyday commentary.