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From Today's A.M. Costa Rica (3/6):

Here are some great expressions when you are angry
¡Andate al Infierno! y te llevás un saco de carbón pa’ que te dure más

“Go to hell! And be sure to take a bag of charcoal so you can stay longer.” This is rather a long dicho, but I think it is a very clever and witty way of letting off some steam in a frustrating situation.

It’s difficult to drive more than a few blocks in Costa Rica without encountering some infuriating motorist who simultaneously disengaged his brain when he engaged the transmission. You might be tempted, in such situations, to roll down the window and shout: ¡Andate al infierno! Y te llevás un saco de carbon pa’ que te dura más at the ignoramus. But, perhaps it would be better to simply mutter these soothing words under your breath, as some ignoramuses have been known to react in an undesirable manner to such chiding.

I believe that everyone should learn how to swear, especially in his or her native tongue. Swearing is a wonderful way of relieving tension through words rather than actions. The problem is, however, that swearing may sometimes provoke actions on the part of others, which we are unprepared to handle. In today’s dicho the insult of the first part ¡andate al infierno! is softened and somewhat offset by the wit of the second part, te llevás un saco de carbon pa’ que te dure más. Usually, in English at least, an insulting oath is not followed by such mitigating drollery.

But, if you are really angry at someone, and prepared to pay the consequences of your words, you might hurl voy a poner tus dientes a bailar en una esquina de tu boca at them, meaning: “I’m going to set your teeth to dancing in one corner of your mouth.” At this point, of course, you should probably be prepared to either fight, or run like hell.

But when we catch ourselves feeling this kind of anger it’s time to try to calmarnos “calm down,” or llevarla suave “take it easy,” for the sake of our health. Not only because someone is likely to beat the tar out of us, but also because we might give ourselves a heart attack.

There are ways of expressing one’s anger without bursting a blood vessel in the process. We Ticos like to use humor, which is designed to relieve tension rather than creating more of it.

Whenever I drive around Costa Rica with my dear companion he never fails to get angry over the crazy way some Ticos drive, and he is very colorful in the aspersions he launches at the culprits. But when he starts limiting his insults to English, I know that he’s really mad.

I always say, “Hey that guy doesn’t hear you. And even if he did, he wouldn’t understand what you’re saying. If you don’t calm down you are going to turn blue from screaming and give yourself a heart attack for nothing. Just say vete al infierno y si gustas yo te regalo una tonelada de carbon para que la pases más calientico.
This is, of course, an elaboration of my own invention on today’s dicho. It means: “Go to hell, and if you like I will donate a ton of charcoal to you so you will be even cozier.”

I wish to take this opportunity to thank María Mayela Padilla for her book “Dichos y Refranes de Costa Rica,” which has been an invaluable reference resource in preparing this column.

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