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TheSpanish language employs a wide range of swear words that vary betweenSpanish speaking nations and in regions and subcultures of each nation.Idiomatic expressions, particularly profanity, are not always directly translatable into other languages, and so most of the English translations offered in this article are very rough and most likely do not reflect the full meaning of the expression they intend to translate.[c]
In Spanish, as in most languages, swear words tend to come from semantic domains consideredtaboo, such as human excretions, sexuality, and religion,[1] and swearing serves several functions in discourse.[2][3][4][5][6][7][c] Spanish insults are often of a sexual nature, taking the form of implying a lack of sexual decency if the insulted person is a woman (e.g.puta, "whore",perra "bitch") or implying a supposed lack of masculinity if the insulted person is male (e.g.maricón "faggot",puto "male prostitute").[8] A particularly forceful Spanish insult is any mention of someone else's mother, including also in its strongest form (e.g.¡me cago en tu puta madre! "fuck your whore of a mother!",[9][10][11][12][13] in which "me cago" out of context means "I shit", but in this sentence it expresses disregard). Emphatic exclamations, not aimed to insult but to express strong emotion, often include words for sexual relations (e.g.¡joder! "fuck!",¡chingados! "fuckers!") or to excretions or sexual organs (¡mierda! "shit!",¡coño! "cunt!"). Sexual taboo words that describe a masculine sexuality may be used in a positive sense (e.g.cabrón "billy goat",gallo "rooster",cerdo "pig").[8]
The following words are indicative of a variety of sexual acts, especiallysexual intercourse andmasturbation, though mostly limited to specific geographic regions.
chingar — originating from theBasque verbtxingartu, meaning "to burn with coal" or fromCaló (Spanish Romani) wordčingarár, meaning "to fight".[14] In the workLa Chingada, it was famously applied toLa Malinche, the mistress ofHernán Cortés.[a]
The word is derived from "chingar" which means "to fuck." This word has many meanings in the Spanish language, most limited to Mexico:[a]
These words are often used in the following contexts:
Likechingado, the word comes fromchingar.[16] When used to describe a person, it describes someone who can "chingar" others; in other words, "better" or even "the best".[a]
follar (used particularly in Spain and to a lesser extent in Cuba, but rarely found elsewhere) literally means "to blow air with the bellows"[17] and probably refers to panting during sex.[a]
The verbjoder/joderse is a harsh way of saying "to bother" and its English equivalent is "fuck". It can literally mean "to fuck somebody" e.g.anoche, Juan y su novia jodieron ("last night Juan and his girlfriend fucked"), or it can mean "to annoy", "to ruin", etc.no me jodas (don't annoy/bother me), orlo has jodido (you've fucked it up). It can be used as an adjective, like the English "fucking" (jodido) and is often used as a light interjection:¡Joder! Olvidé mi abrigo ("Fuck! I've forgotten my coat").[a] Alternative ways of referring to sexual intercourse include:follar, echar un polvo (Argentina, Spain),coger (Argentina, Mexico),chimar, pisar (Central America),culear (Argentina, Chile and Colombia),singar (Cuba),garchar,mojar la chaucha, ponerla (Argentina),cachar (Peru) andenterrar el boñato (Uruguay).[a]
Remojar el cochayuyo (lit.to soak thecochayuyo) — used in Chile[18] The expression alludes to the cochayuyo algae that is harvested on Chile's coast. The algae is preserved by sun-drying. To be used for cooking, it then needs to be softened by soaking in water.[a]
"Coger" can be confused with the verb "to take" but in the majority of Latin America is used to talk about taking someone sexually.[19]
Cojón (pluralcojones) is slang for "testicle" and may be used as a synonym for "guts" or"[having] what it takes", hence making it equivalent to Englishballs orbollocks.[a] A common expression in Spain is anything to the effect ofhace lo que le sale de los cojones ("does whatever comes out of their balls"), meaning "does whatever the fuck they want". Variations aresale de los huevos,sale de las pelotas, etc. A commonBasque aphorism islos de Bilbao nacemos donde nos sale de los cojones ("weBilbao natives are born wherever the fuck we want"). Sometimes, to denote obnoxious or overbearing behavior from someone else, idiomtocar los cojones/huevos/pelotas ("to touch someone else's balls") comes to play. For instance:Venga, dame eso y para ya de tocarme los cojones ("Come on, give me that and stop bothering me.") It can sometimes be an understatement:A principios de los treinta, los nazis ya empezaban a tocar los cojones (meaning, roughly, "At the beginning of the 1930s, the Nazis were already being an annoyance."). It is also frequent to derive other words, such as adjectival formcojonudo (lit. 'ballsy'), indicating admiration. A famousNavarran brand ofasparagus has this name.[20]
Cojones can also denotes courageous behavior or character. Acts of courage or bravery are expressed by using the wordcojones. For example,"Hay que tener cojones para hacer eso" ("it takes cojones to do that"). It is sometimes used, at least in Spain, as a suffix, complement or termination to a word or name in order to confer it a derisive or overbearing quality. For instance:el Marcos de los cojones ("That fucking guy Marcos"),¡Dame ya la maleta de los cojones! ("Give me the fucking suitcase why don't you!") However, it is more common to use "de cojones" as a superlative, as inEs bajo de cojones ("He's short as hell" or "He's short as fuck"). The phrasesme importa un cojón orme importa un huevo mean "I don't give a fuck about". In alternative variations one would raise the number, usually to three:me importa tres cojones.Cojones alone can be used much like the four-word exclamations, though less usually; it is frequently a giveaway for native Catalan speakers when they speak Spanish, ascollons is used much more profusely in situations akin to those for "fuck" or "shit".Tocarse los cojones/los huevos/las pelotas/las peras (lit. 'to touch one's own balls') refers to idleness or laziness; in Chile, the preferred variant israscarse las huevas (lit. 'to scratch one's own balls'). Unfamiliarity with this expression in the United States may have been a factor in the dismissal andsuicide of Antonio Calvo, a senior lecturer atPrinceton University, in April 2011.[21]
| Derivative ofcojón | English equivalent | English literal translation |
|---|---|---|
| Un cojón | A lot | A ball |
| ¡Los cojones! | No way! | The balls! |
| Costar un cojón | Cost a fortune | Cost a ball |
| Importar tres cojones | Not mind at all | To mind three balls |
| Mil pares de cojones | Very difficult | A thousand pairs of balls |
| Tener cojones | To be brave | To have balls |
| ¡Tiene cojones (la cosa)! | To be upset about something | (The thing) has balls! |
| Cortarle los cojones | To threaten | To cut (his) balls |
| Tocarle los cojones a | To annoy somebody | Touch (his) balls |
| Acojonado,-a | Scared | N/A |
| Descojonarse de la risa | To piss oneself laughing | N/A |
| Acojonante | Very funny / scary | N/A |
| ¡Tócate los cojones! | What a surprise! | Touch your balls! |
| Cojonudo,-a | Perfection | Ballsy |
| De cojones | Perfectly | Of balls |
| Por cojones | With no other choice | By balls |
| Hasta los cojones | Up to the brink | Up to the balls |
| Me toca los cojones | It annoys me | It touches my balls |
| Con dos cojones | Bravely, courageously | With two balls |
| Lo que me sale de los cojones | Whatever I want | What comes out of my balls |
| No tener cojones | To be a coward | Have no balls |
| Pasárselo por los cojones | Don't give a shit | Pass it by the balls |
| Echarle cojones a algo | To brave something out | Throw balls on something |
| ¡Olé tus cojones! | Good for you! | Hurray your balls! |
| Los cojones morados | Cold as hell | Purple balls |
| Mis cojones treinta y tres | I don't believe you, liar | My balls thirty three |
| Me repatea los cojones | It infuriates me | It kicks my balls |
| Por mis santos cojones | I promise | By my holy balls |
Carajo (lit. 'crow's nest') is used in Spain in reference to the penis.[citation needed] In Latin America (except Chile), it is a commonly used generic interjection similar to "fuck!" "shit!" or "damn it!" in English. For example:Nos vamos a morir, ¡carajo! ("We're gonna die, fuck!") or a far away place, likened tohell:¡Vete al carajo!.[a] In Argentina, the term "Vamos Carajo" was used inQuilmes advertising in advance of the2014 FIFA World Cup[22] as a statement or cheer that an Argentine supporter would use to urge their team to victory. The diminutivecarajito is used in Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to refer to (usually annoying) children, or to scold someone for acting immaturely, e.g.,No actúes como un carajito ("Don't act like a little dick!").[citation needed]
Caray is a mildminced oath for this word.Ay caray could be translated "Dang it" or "Darn it!" The wordcaracho is also considered mild likecaray.[citation needed] The connotation of "far away place" is supposedly based on the name of theCargados Carajos, which belong toMauritius. Nationalistic chants commonly use the phrase:¡Viva Cuba, carajo!,¡Viva el Ecuador, carajo!, and¡Viva el Perú, carajo![a]
Bicho (lit. 'bug' or'baitworm') is one of the most commonly used references to the penis in Puerto Rico. It is similar to the much less commonly used wordpinga. In most other regions it is a non-vulgar reference to an insect or several species of small animals.[a] In the Caribbean coast of Colombiabicho is used to reference the anus or the bottom. In Venezuela, it can be used as an interjection. In El Salvador, it is commonly used as the slang equivalent of "kids". In Nicaragua, and some parts of Costa Rica,bicho is used to reference the vagina. In Spain, Dominican Republic, Mexico and many other Spanish speaking countries it refers to people (both male and female) who are a negative influence on others, often used asmal bicho ("bad bug"). When applied to children, it can mean one who is misbehaving.
Huevos (lit. 'eggs'),pelotas andbolas (both literally meaning 'balls'),peras (lit. 'pears'), andalbóndigas (lit. 'meatballs') all refer totesticles in a profane manner. They are equivalent tocojones in many situations. In Mexico, the word is not used in a potentially ambiguous situation; instead, one may use the inoffensiveblanquillos (lit. 'little white ones').[a] Sometimes the wordslavahuevos ('egg-washer') orlamehuevos ('egg-licker') are used in the same context as 'brown-noser' (meaning ambitious and self-effacing) in English. Highly offensive Dominican insults involving this term aremamagüevo(s) ('egg-sucker') andmamagüevazo ('huge egg-sucker').Mamagüevo is also used in Venezuela where it is considered less offensive.
Huevada andHuevá (lit. 'covered in egg') is used in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru in reference to objects ("¡Qué huevá más grande!" may translate to "What an annoyance!"). Shortened formshuevá or evenweá andwa are usually intended to be less offensive. Many expressions usingcojones in other countries are used in Chile withhuevas replacing the former word. There's also a local expression:"¿Me hai visto las weas?" (lit. '"Have you taken a look at my testicles?"'), meaning "How much of a fool do you think I am?"Ñema a corruption ofyema, meaning 'yolk', refers to theglans. The wordmamañema is functionally similar tomamagüevo.Pelotas can have another meaning when it comes to nudity.Andar en pelotas means 'to walk about stark naked'.
In Mexico,huevón is a pejorative term usually translated as 'slacker'. In Mexico, Panama and El Salvador, it can be loosely translated as 'couch potato'. One may also saytengo hueva, meaning "I'm feeling lazy." In Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela,güevón/güebón is the preferred form. In Venezuela, it is pronounced more likegüevón or oftenueón. In Chile and Peru, the preferred form to use ishuevón (often shortened tohueón orweón) andahuevonado/aweonao. In Panama,awebao is the popular form, and a good example of the clipping of consonants (and sometimes vowels) in informal Spanish.
In Argentina,boludo can be used by young people as a culturally appropriated term of endearment (¿cómo andás, boludo? = how are you doing, pal?), but it can also mean 'slacker', 'idiot', 'ignorant', etc. In Chile, Peru and theQuito region of Ecuador,Ni cagando, huevón is a phrase commonly used among youth meaning "Don't even think about it" or "Not a chance". In Mexico,Tenga huevos (lit. 'Have eggs') translates as "Have some balls". For example, one can hear a Mexican sayNo corras, ten huevos which means "Don't run away, have some balls".
Verga (lit. 'ayardarm'—a part of a ship'smast that holds the sails) occurs in a number ofRomance languages, including Portuguese and Italian.[a] In Colombia, Panama and Venezuela it can be used as a vulgar generic filler, as well as a boastful self-reference (similar to the English "That shit" or "I'm the shit"). For example,¡Soy bien verga! (lit. '"I'm very dick!"') means "I'm very good at it!", and¡Soy la verga andando! (lit. '"I'm the walking dick!"') means "I'm the best that there is!"[a]. However, in the Venezuelan state of Zulia, the word is commonly used instead ofvaina
In Mexico it refers to the penis; "Te voy a meter la verga" means "I'm going to insert my penis in you"; referring to somebody else, "Le metió la verga" or "se la metió" means "he fucked her/him" which may be the literal meaning, or more likely, it means that in a business, he got away with what he wanted for little money. It also have another meanings and derivative terms, for example: "Soy la verga" ("I am the best one"); "Me fué de la verga" (roughly "something bad happened to me"); "Me vale verga" ("I don't care"); "Vergueé" ("I ruined it", "I failed"); "Me verguearon" ("They defeated me"); "Me pusieron una verguiza" ("They scolded me", "They beat me"); "Vergón" ("cocky", "cool", "sexy"); "Está de la verga" ("That's ugly/bad" but also "That's very cool", "That's awesome") etc.
A common expression in Mexico is¡Vete a la verga!, meaning "Get the fuck out of here!" In Mexico this can be used to mean difficult or impossible:¡Está de la verga!, "This is very difficult!" InGuatemala, it also refers to a state of drunkenness as in¡Está bien a verga!, meaning "He's drunk as Hell!" or "He's shit-faced!". InEl Salvador it can also be used with an ironically positive connotation as in¡Se ve bien vergón! or¡Está bien vergón!, which means "It looks great!" In Colombia, Honduras and Panama the expressionno vale (ni) verga is used as a vulgar form ofno vale la pena, meaning "it's not worth it". In Nicaragua, the expression "¡A la verga!" means "Screw it!" which is used in Honduras also. In the United States, the variant "a la verga" or "a la vé" for short, is very common in northern New Mexico, and is used frequently as an exclamatory expletive.[a]
Chilean Spanish has a variety of alternative names andeuphemisms for the penis. These range from inoffensive, such aspito (lit. 'whistle'),diuca (after asmall bird), through vulgar (pichula,pico) and euphemistic (cabeza de bombero (lit. 'firefighters head'),dedo sin uña ("nail-less finger")) to markedly euphemistic and humorous ("taladro de carne" (lit. 'meat drill'), "cíclope llorón" (lit. 'crying cyclops'), "chacal de las zorras" (lit. 'cunt jackal in the sense of the jackal being a relentless predator'), et cetera).[23]
Something similar happens inArgentina. From the classic "pito" or "pirulín" (a cone-shaped lollipop), which are innocent and even used by children, you can go all the way to the most vulgar ways as "pija", "verga" (lit. 'yardarm'), "choto/chota" (after "chotar" which means "to suck"), "porongo/poronga" (a "gourd", which is also used to craft "mates"), "banana", "salchicha/chorizo" (two kind ofsausages), "pedazo" (lit. 'piece'), "garcha" (also used as the verbgarchar, which means "to fuck" or something of extremely bad quality), "palanca de cambios" (gear stick), "joystick", "bombilla de cuero" (lit. 'leathery bombilla Bombillas are used for drinking mate by sucking into them'), etc.[24] Among young people, almost every word can be turned into meaning "dick" if said effusive and with connotation[citation needed]: -"¿Me pasás el encendedor?" -"¡Acá tengo un encendedor para vos!" (-"Can you give me the lighter?" -"I have a lighter for you right here!"). In the Caribbean coast of Colombia, "mondá" (frommondada, the peeled one) is used as a variant for verga. Other words include picha, pinga, yarda, yaya, cañafístula, guasamayeta, animaleja, copa, cotopla, gamba, palo, trola, tubo and pipí, the latter being innocent and mostly used to refer to a child's penis.
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Concha (lit. ' mollusk shell' or'inner ear') is an offensive word for a woman's vulva or vagina (i.e. something akin to Englishcunt) in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Mexico. In the rest of Latin America and Spain however, the word is only used with its literal meaning. In such regions, it is commonly heard in the phrase¡(La) concha (de) tu madre! ("Thecunt of your mother"), which may be used as an expression of surprise or grief, or as a highly disrespectful insult. The contracted termconchatumadre/conchetumadre is common and extremely offensive in Chile, Bolivia and Peru as well.
In Mexico,concha, which is used in its literal meaning, is also a type of sweet bread, round conch-shaped and covered in sugar, as well as having the aforementioned meaning and is offensive when used in said context. In Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Mexico, "Concha" is a common name for females (corruption ofConcepción). Also in Puerto Rico there is a popular hotel calledLa Concha Resort (The Seashell). Key West, Florida also has a famous hotel named La Concha. Concha can also mean a seashell-a conch.Chucha[25]/¡Chuchamadre! and¡Chucha de tu madre! are Panamanian, Chilean, Ecuadorian, Peruvian or southern Colombian equivalents. Random examples and expressions:Vení, oleme la chucha ("Come and sniff my pussy"),¡Ándate a la chucha! (roughly "Fuck off").[a]
Chocha (orchocho, usually used in Spain) employed term for "pussy" predominantly in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia (chocho), Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic. In the Spanish province ofAlbacete is also usedchoto (var.chotera,chotaco) in the same sense. The word is ahomonym as it is also synonymous with "senile" when used as "He/she is chocho/chocha". In Chile, the word is used to mean "happy", and is used for old people; for example, the sentence "La abuelita quedó chocha con el regalo que le dí" means "Granny was happy with the gift I gave her".[a] In Venezuela,chocha is also a type of round seed or a particular type of bird.[26] The name of the Latin American restaurant Chimi-Changa originated as aminced oath ofchocha.
Coño (from the Latincunnus) is a vulgar word for a woman'svulva or vagina. It is frequently translated as "cunt" but is considered much less offensive (it is much more common to hear the wordcoño on Spanish television than the wordcunt on British television, for example).[a] In Puerto Rico, Spain, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Panama it is amongst the most popular of curse words. The word is frequently used as an interjection, expressing surprise, anger or frustration. It is also common to use the expression¿Pero qué coño? to mean "What the fuck?" Its usage was so common among Spaniards and Spanish-Filipino mestizos living in the Philippines thatkonyo became aTagalog word for upper-class people. In Ecuador and Chile, it means stingy, tight-fisted, although in the latter country the variationcoñete is becoming more common.
In Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines,panocha (or panoche) refers generally to sweet breads or cakes, or, more specifically, to a raw, coarse form of sugar produced there. It is also a fudge made with brown sugar, butter, cream or milk, and nuts (penuche). InNew Mexico it means asprouted-wheat pudding. In the southwestern United States outside of Northern New Mexico (and in northern Mexico and some places in Cuba), however, it often refers to the female genitalia. Use of this word has been known to cause embarrassment amongHispanos of New Mexico when speaking with Mexicans from Mexico. The word is a combination ofpenuche andpanoja meaning "ear of corn", from the Latinpanicula (from whence comes the English word "panicle"—pyramidal, loosely branched flower cluster).[a]
Cuca (short forcucaracha, lit.: "cockroach") is used in Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, southeastern México and Colombia. Slightly milder thancoño, and is almost inoffensive in the Dominican Republic.[a] In the Dominican Republic it is a common term for a parrot. In Chile it is criminal slang forpolice van. In general, it is used to refer to something considered scary. It is also an inoffensive word for penis that many children use in Spain. It also has a slightly archaic use in Spain. In Latin America, it may describe a congenial, outgoing person with a gift for flattery ("Julia is very cuca") or ("Eddie is so cuco; look at all the friends he has."). In Nicaragua and in the Canary Islands, it is used as slang for "penis."[a] It is often the diminutive of the name María del Refugio. In Cuba, it is also used as a term for acharley horse.
Polla (lit. ' female pollo ie chicken' or'hen') is used in Spain, Nicaragua, El Salvador and to a lesser extent in Puerto Rico. It is also used to mean a (young) female (similar to "chick"). Some years ago, in Costa Rica, the termjupa de pollo ("head of a chicken") was popular slang for "penis". The termtodo el jupa de pollo was a popular way to say "the whole shebang", "the full Monty" or "it's complete now".[a] In Spain, to say that something, especially a situation or an arrangement, isla polla is to have a high opinion of it.Esto es la polla. El hotel está al lado de la playa y además es muy barato means "This is fucking great. The hotel is close to the beach and it's cheap, too."[citation needed] In Spain, it also means penis. Common expression in Spain is anything to the effect ofhace lo que le sale de la polla ("does whatever comes out of his penis"), meaning "does whatever the fuck he/she wants". It can be used as a vulgar generic filler, as well as a boastful self-reference (similar to the English "That shit" or "I'm the shit"). For example, ¡Soy la polla! (lit. ' I'm the hen!') means "I'm very good at it!"[citation needed]
Although less used as profanity, some words for the bust can also be used derogatorily or humorously. Among them, some noteworthy areperas (i.e. pears),perolas (i.e. pearls),[27]mingas,tatas,tetas,[28]tetamen,tetitas,tetazas,tetorras,tetotas,tetarracas,tetuzas,tetacas,teturras,tetungas,tetillas,bufas,bufarras,bufarracas,bufoncias,bakugans,mamelungas,mamelones,domingas,bubalongas,babungas,pechugas,peritas,mamellas,tetolas,gemelas,pechamen,melones,lolas, orchichis.[29]
Culo is the most commonly used Spanish word for "ass." In Spain, it is mild to inoffensive, and usually the only common way to talk about the buttocks and anus area in a colloquial context. It is also used, even formally, for the bottom part of many things (e.g.el culo del vaso =the bottom of the (drinking) glass, etc.) There's an even milder diminutive,culete, that is only used with little children or for humoristic effect, if ever. Another diminutive,culín, can also be used with very little children but is more often heard to refer to a small amount of a drink served in a glass or cup (ponme un culín de whisky, por favor =please serve me a little bit of whiskey). In El Salvador and Honduras,culero ("one who uses theculo") refers to a gay man, while in Mexico it refers to an unjust, unkind, aggressive or insensitive person likened to the connotation provided by the word asshole but usually more offensive.Vete a tomar por el culo ("Go and take it in the ass") is an expression used in Spain, it is likeVete a la mierda but more offensive.[a]Me parto el culo ("I break my ass") is used to express laughter. It can also mean to do excessive work, usually accompanied by a verb that indicates the work, e.g.Me parto el culo barriendo ("I work my ass off brooming").[citation needed]
InChile andPeru,culo is considered offensive (as it sounds very much likeculear);poto is used instead. InArgentinaculo orculito are almost innocent words, though they can also be considered vulgar depending on the context. Expressions likeen el culo del mundo (lit. 'in the ass of the world'),en la loma del culo (lit. 'In the ass hill'), which mean "too far away" orcara de culo (lit. 'ass face used to describe an unpleasant face expression') are regularly used. InPanamaculo is used to construct slang terms and phrases which range from slightly inappropriate to offensive but commonly used regardless.Cara de culo (ass face) refers to an unattractive person especially when the person in question has a round face with protruding cheeks.Culo del mundo (asshole of the world) andcasa del culo (ass house) mean far away e.g. Vivo porcasa del culo/en elculo del mundo (lit. 'I live by ass housein the asshole of the world').Culear means to have sexual intercourse—the same asfuck in its literal meaning— but does not imply anal sex.[citation needed]
Culito (little ass) is used by a penetrative partner to refer to a receptive partner in a sexual context; it is also used to refer to the buttocks in an inappropriate but affectionate way.Culo de botella (bottle ass) refers to thick eyeglasses.¡Ponte placa en el culo! (put a license plate on your ass!) is a phrase yelled by motorists at pedestrians who are standing or walking in the middle of the road, particularly in heavy traffic.Recular means to go on reverse whileestacionarse/parquearse de recula means to reverse park.Culillo means fear whileculilloso/a refers to someone who gets scared easily.Hablar hasta por el culo (To talk out of the ass)—a local, impolite variant of the well-known phraseHablar hasta por los codos (to talk through the elbows)—refers to someone who talks a lot; this variant is used to refer to a person in a negative way (as in "He/she won't shut up") whileHablar hasta por los codos does not necessarily imply annoyance.[citation needed]
Fundillo/Fundío—heard in Mexico and the southwestern United States as an obscene term specifically for thehuman anus. It carries about the same weight as the American usages of the words "(someone's) asshole" or "the crack of (someone's) ass."Fundío refers literally to theanus and is not used as a personal insult. For example,¡Métetelo en fundío! (or in Mexico,Métetelo por el fundillo) is an expression of reproach. ("Shove it up your ass!") The variantfondillo is also found in Puerto Rico and Cuba. In the Dominican Republic, the milder termfullín and the very offensivecieso may also be used.[a]
Ojete (lit. ' eyelet')—refers to the anus in some countries, and also is used to mean "asshole":Se portó para el ojete conmigo ("He was a really bad person with me", or "He was an asshole to me").[a] A popular obscenegraffito in Mexico among schoolchildren isOGT; when the letters are pronounced in Spanish, they sound likeojete. InArgentina and Uruguay, "ojete" and also its synonymsculo andorto can all be used to mean "good luck": "¡Qué ojete tiene ese tipo!" (He's such a lucky guy!), "Ganó de puro ojete!" (He won just because he was so terribly lucky).
Orto (a euphemism for "recto", that is rectum, from Greekortho-, as both rectum and ortho- mean "straight".[30] Although due to its lower class origin it is also believed (and more likely) to be thevesre form ofroto, which means "broken", for "culo roto".[31])—in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, refers to buttocks (as either an object of appreciation or disgust): "Qué tremendo orto tiene esa mina" (in praise of a woman's buttocks), "Qué cara de orto" ("What an ugly/bitter/moody face"); or luck—either good or bad. "Me fue para el orto" and "Me fue como el orto." mean "I had an awfully bad luck on that". "Tiene un orto que no se puede creer" may mean "He/She is incredibly lucky" but can also be an appraisal of a someone's derrier, depending on context.[a]
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Cagar, just as inPortuguese,Catalan, orOccitan, is a verb meaning "to shit." It also means toscrew (something) up, e.g.¡Te cagaste los pantalones! ("You shit your pants!"). Particularly in Spain and Cuba, there are a number of commonly used interjections incorporating this verb, many of which refer to defecating on something sacred, e.g.Me cago en Dios ("I shit on God"),Me cago en la Virgen ("I shit on the Virgin"),Me cago en la hostia ("I shit on thecommunion host"), "Me cago en el coño de tu madre" (Lit: I shit in your mother's cunt) is the strongest offense among Cubans. In Cuba, to soften the word in social gatherings, the "g" is substituted by the "s".[a]
In Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Cuba, Chile and Panama it also means to make a big mistake or damage something i.e. fuck something up, e.g.:La cagaste (lit. ' you shat on it') or "Nos van a cagar." ("They're going to fuck us"). In Argentina and Chile, it can also mean "you screwed" or "scolded" somebody (e.g.:Te cagaste a ese cabrón, "You took a shit on that guy"). In Colombia and Panama "la cagada" ("the shit") refers to something or someone that makes everything else go wrong or the one detail that is wrong about something (and is thus the complete opposite of the American slangthe shit); e.g.,Ese man es la cagada ("That dude is the shit" i.e. a fuck up/fucks everything up),La cagada aqui es el tranque ("The traffic jams are shit here" i.e. are fucked up, fuck this place/everything up).
In Mexico City, it may be used ironically to refer to a fortunate outcome:Te cagaste ("You really shat on yourself") or an unfortunate outcome such asEstás cagado meaning "you're fucked". In Chile and Cuba,cagado ("full of shit") means "stingy" or "miserly". It can also mean "depressed" in some contexts ("Está cagado porque la polola lo pateó." translates as "He's depressed because his girlfriend dumped him."). Also, in Chile it can also have a more neutral connotation.La cagó ("shat it") can be used to agree on a previous statement ("Chilean Spanish makes no sense", "Sí, la cagó")
Mierda is a noun meaning "shit." However, phrases such asVete a la mierda (literally: "Go to (the) shit") would translate as "Go fuck yourself."[a] In Cuba,comemierda (shit-eater) refers to a clueless idiot, someone absurdly pretentious, or someone out of touch with his or her surroundings. Ex. "que comemierderia" (how stupid), "comerán mierda?" (are they stupid or what?) or "vamos a prestar atención y dejar de comer mierda" (Let's pay attention and stop goofing off). It is also used in both countries to describe someone who is "stuffy" and unnecessarily formal. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic comemierda refers solely to a snobbish person, while in Panama it refers to someone who is both snobbish and mean and/or hypocritical. In Peru,irse a la mierda means "to be drunk as Hell." In Mexico, Cuba, Chile and also in Peruestar hecho mierda means to be very exhausted.
Innorthern Mexico and the southwestern United States (particularly California), the phrasemierda de toro(s) (literally "shit from bull(s)") is used often as a Spanish translation ofbullshit in response to what is seen by the Spanish speaker as perceived nonsense.[a] It is also used generally to describe anything that is vexing or unpleasant, such astiempo de mierda ("shitty weather") orauto de mierda ("piece-of-shit car"). A less common use is as a translation of the British profanity "bugger". Theeuphemismsmiércoles (Wednesday) andeme (the letterm) are sometimes used asminced oaths.Caca is a mild word used mostly by children, loosely comparable to the English "poop" or "doo-doo."Comecaca is functionally similar tocomemierdas.[a]
Pedorrez (bullshit) is slang to characterize a stupid, stupid action or idea, especially lacking in energy, relevance, and depth.[32]Mojón A term originally meaning a little marker of the name of the street or a particular place in a road, it later went into general use to refer to a turd and thus became a synonym for shit; it is used freely as a substitute. In Cuba, the term "comemojones" is frequently used instead of "comemierda"; "Es un mojón." ("He's a piece of shit.") is also commonly used in said country.[a]
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Maricón (lit. 'big Mary') and its derivative wordsmarica andmarico are words used for referring to a man as gay, or for criticizing someone for doing something that, according to stereotypes, only a gay person would do (marica was originally the diminutive of the very common female name María del Carmen, a usage that has been lost). The suffix-ón is often added to nouns to intensify their meaning.[a] In Spain, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, the word has a stronger meaning with a very negative emphasis; akin to "faggot" or "poof" in the English language. In Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Mexicomaricón ormarica is especially used to denote a "chicken" (coward). In Chile,maricón also means "irrationally sadistic".[a] Some examples of the uses of this word are:
Two important exceptions are Colombia and Venezuela;[citation needed] in Colombia,marica is used as a slang term of affection among male friends or as a general exclamation (¡Ay, marica! being equivalent to "Aw, man!" or "Dude!" in English)., whereas in Venezuelamarico is used as the masculine form withmarica being feminine.[citation needed] In Colombiamarica can also mean 'naive' or 'dull' you can hear sentences like "No, marica, ese marica si es mucho marica tan marica, marica", (Hey dude, that guy is such a fool faggot, boy) This often causes confusion or unintended offense among Spanish-speaking first-time visitors to Colombia.Maricón, however, remains an insulting and profane term for homosexuals in Colombia as well. A similar case is seen in Venezuela, where the wordmarico is an insult; however, the word is widely used among Venezuelans as "dude" or "man." For example, "¿qué pasó, marico?" would mean "what's up, dude?" The word carries at least a third meaning in Venezuela because it often is used to show that someone is being very funny. For instance, after hearing a joke or funny comment from your friend, you laugh and say "haha sí eres marico haha" which would be equivalent to "haha you crack me up man."[a] Derivatives ofmarica/maricón:
Manflor (combination of the English loanword "man" and the wordflor meaning "flower") and its variantmanflora (a play onmanflor using the wordflora) are used in Mexico and in the US to refer, usually pejoratively, to a lesbian. (In Eastern Guatemala, the variationmamplor is used.) It is used in very much the same way as the English word "dyke." For example:Oye, güey, no toques a esa chica; todos ya saben que es manflora. ("Hey, dude, don't hit on that girl; everyone knows she's a dyke."). It can be used as an ironic term of endearment between friends, especially within the gay and lesbian communities.[a]
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Many terms offensive to homosexuals imply spreading, e.g.: the use of wings to fly.
With Spanish being agrammatically gendered language, one's sexuality can be challenged with a gender-inappropriate adjective, much as in English one might refer to a flamboyant man or atransgender man asher. Some words referring to a male homosexual end in an "a" but have the masculine article "el"—a deliberate grammatical violation. For example, althoughmaricona refers to females, it may also be used as a compounded offensive remark towards a homosexual male, and vice versa.[33]
Chocho means literally a senile person, from the verbchochear.[39]
Pendejo (according to theDiccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española,lit. 'a pubic hair'[c]), according to theChicano poetJosé Antonio Burciaga, "basically describes someone who is stupid or does something stupid."[c] Burciaga said that the word is often used while not in polite conversation.[c] It may be translated as "dumbass" or "asshole" in many situations, though it carries an extra implication of willful incompetence or innocent gullibility that is ripe for others to exploit. The less extreme meaning, which is used in most Spanish-speaking countries, translates more or less as "jackass". The term, however, has highly offensive connotations in Puerto Rico. An older usage was in reference to a man who is in denial about being cheated (for example, by his wife).[a] Burciaga said thatpendejo "is probably the least offensive" of the various Spanish profanity words beginning with "p" but that calling someone apendejo is "stronger" than calling someoneestúpido.[c] Burciaga said, "Among friends it can be taken lightly, but for others it is better to be angry enough to back it up."[c]
In Mexico,pendejo most commonly refers to a "fool", "idiot", or "asshole". In Mexico, there are many proverbs that refer topendejos.[c] In Peru, it means a person who is opportunistic in an immoral or deceptively persuasive manner (usually involving sexual gain and promiscuity but not limited to it), and if used referring to a female (ella es pendeja), it means she is promiscuous (or perhaps aswindler). There the wordpendejada and a whole family of related words have meanings that stem from these.[a] In South America,pendejo is also a vulgar, yet inoffensive, word for children. It also signifies a person with a disorderly or irregular life.[citation needed] InArgentina,pendejo (orpendeja for females) is a pejorative way of sayingpibe. The word, inChile,Colombia, andEl Salvador, can refer to a cocaine dealer, or it can refer to a "fool".[c]
In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it has different meanings depending on the situation. It can range from¡Te cogieron de pendejo! ("You were swindled!") to¡Qué tipa pendeja! ("What a dumbass!" as when a strange woman behaves offensively and then suddenly leaves). In Mexico and some countries in Central America, especially El Salvador,una pendejada/pendeja is used to describe something incredibly stupid that someone has done.[a] In many regions, especially in Cuba,pendejo also means "coward" (with a stronger connotation), as in¡No huyas, pendejo! ("Don't run away, chicken-shit!") orNo seas pendejo! ("Don't be such a coward!").[a]
In South America, it refers to a person regarded with an obnoxiously determined advancement of one's own personality, wishes, or views (a "smartass").[a] In Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay,pendejo orpendeja refers to a child, usually with a negative connotation, like that of immaturity or a "brat".[citation needed] Also in Argentina, sincependejo literally means "pubic hair", it usually refers to someone of little to no social value.[a] In Peru, however, it does not necessarily have a negative connotation and can just refer to someone who is clever and street-smart.[a] In thePhilippines, it is usually used to refer to a man whose wife or partner is cheating on him (i.e. acuckold). InNorth Sulawesi,Indonesia,pendo (a derivative ofpendejo) is used as profanity but with the majority of the population not knowing its meaning. The word was adopted during the colonial era when Spanish and Portuguese merchants sailed to this northern tip of Indonesia for spices.[a] In the American filmIdiocracy, Joe Bauers's idiot lawyer is named Frito Pendejo. Burciaga says that theYiddish wordputz "means the same thing" aspendejo.[c]
Cabrón (lit. ' big goat' or'stubborn goat'), in the primitive sense of the word, is an adult male goat (cabra for an adult female goat) and is not offensive in Spain. It is also used as an insult, based on an old usage similar to that ofpendejo, namely, to imply that the subject is stubborn or in denial aboutbeing cheated on, hence the man has "horns" like a goat (extremely insulting).[a] The word is offensive in Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, as it means "asshole" and other insults in English. The seven-note musical flourish known as "Shave and a Haircut (Two Bits)", commonly played oncar horns, is associated with the seven-syllable phrase¡Chinga tu madre, cabrón! (Go fuck your mother, asshole!). Playing the jingle on a car horn can result in a hefty fine fortraffic violation if done in the presence of police orroad rage if aimed at another driver or a pedestrian.[40] In Mexico, "cabrón" refers to a man whose wife cheats on him without protest from him, or even with his encouragement.
The expression¡Ah cabrón! is used sometimes when one is shocked/surprised by something. Among close friends, the term is often inoffensive; however, it is not a word to be used casually with strangers. As an adjective, it is equivalent to "tough" as in "It is tough" (Está cabrón). To some extent, it can also be used with an ironically positive connotation meaning "great", "amazing", "phenomenal", or "badass". Such expressions would be said as¡Estás cabrón! or¡Yo soy cabrón!. The word is quite flexibly used in Puerto Rico, and it can even have completely opposite meanings depending on the context. Best friends call each othercabrón in a friendly manner, while it may also be used in an offensive manner. One might sayEstá cabrón to describe something as very good or very bad depending on the circumstance.
In Panama, it is used as an adjective to mean something/someone very annoying (who pisses you off). The verbcabrear can mean "to piss off (someone)". This verb form is also used in Chile. In Peru,cabro is a reference to a homosexual, hencecabrón is a superlative form ("big faggot"/"flaming faggot"). The termcabrón also means a handler of prostitutes, comparable to "pimp" in English. The most common way to refer to a pimp in Spanish is by using the termchulo as a noun. In some countries,chulo can be used as an adjective somewhat equivalent to "cool" (Ese hombre es un chulo = "That man is a pimp" versusEse libro es chulo = "That book is cool"). The wordchula is a completely benign reference to an adorable female orfeminine object, as in "¡Ay, que chula!". In Chile, however, "chulo" and "chula" always mean "vulgar".
Gilipollas (and rarelygilipolla) is a term used mostly in Spain and lacking an exact translation to English; the most frequent equivalents when translated in books, films, and other media are "jerk", "jackass", "douchebag", "asshole", or "buffoon" (in English),con (in French), andboludo orpendejo.[a] The canonical definition of agilipollas is a person whose behavior, speech, outlook or general demeanor is inconsistent with the actual or potential consequences of their own intellectual inadequacy. Paragons of this taxon include stupid people unaware of their own stupidity or unwilling to accept the consequences thereof, people with an ostensible lack ofself-criticism, people unable to realize their own limitations, people who engage in repeated self-defeating behavior, and even a category which is seldom captured in languages other than European Spanish—to wit, people characterized byself-aware idiocy or incompetence, with this self-awareness occasionally stressed to the point of (presumably futile) complacency.[a] By extension, its use in daily life is dedicated to any of the following types of people:
Occasionally it may be used for people who appear to be unpleasant or stupid (without necessarily being either) out of extremesocial ineptitude.[a] When selecting a word denoting low intelligence, most Spanish speakers have three options:
The etymology of the word itself immediately confirms its genuinely Peninsular Spanish origins and preponderance, as opposed to other profanities perhaps more linked to Latin America: it is the combination of theCalójili, usually translated as "candid", "silly" or "idiot", and a word which according to different sources is eitherpolla (listedabove) or a colloquial evolution thereto of the Latinpulla (bladder). Perhaps due to the alternative origins of the latter part of the word, there has been some controversy concerning its status as areal profanity, although its clear phonetic evocation of the wordpolla leaves little room for doubt, at least in its common daily use. It is due to this that attempts at aeuphemism have at times become popular, as is the case withgilipuertas (puerta standing fordoor). Recently, similar phrases have appeared, especially in Spain, although most of them (such assoplapollas, "cock-blower") delve much further into plain profanity.
A usual derivation of the wordgilipollas into anadjective form (or a falseadjectival participle) isagilipollado/agilipollada. For example:… está agilipollado/a would mean "… is behaving like agilipollas." Regardless of whether or not such condition or irreversible, the verbestar is always used, as opposed toser. Another Spanish construction with similar rationale isatontado, derived fromtonto ("silly"). A noun form of the word isgilipollez, meaning "stupidity" or "nonsense."
Capullo (lit: "cocoon" or "flower bud", also slang forglans penis) is nearly always interchangeable with that ofgilipollas.[a] The main difference between the two of them is that while agilipollas normally behaves as he does out of sheer stupidity, acapullo normally acts like one by applying certain amount of evil intentions to his acts. While one can act like agilipollas without being one, in thecapullo instance that is not possible. A near-exact English translation iswanker. In Englishto be means at the same time both the permanent/ fundamental characteristics and the non-permanent/ circumstantial ones of anything, in Spanishto be separates into two distinct verbs:ser andestar which respectively reflect the aforementioned characteristics. So, to say about anyone thates un gilipollas means that he is stupid/ annoying permanently, while to sayestá agilipollado reflects both his present state and the fact that it could change at any time to a nonagilipollado one. This is not true for acapullo: if someone thinks about someone else that he is acapullo, he thinks so permanently, because the degree of evil he sees in thecapullo's actions tends to be thought of as a permanent characteristic, inherent to thecapullo's personality. So the correspondent verbser would be used:es un capullo, and theestar verb would never be used.
Whenever used as an affectionate or heavily informal form of teasing rather than as an insult, though,capullo is used a bit more often. This may be because someone who does not have an intention to offend will resort to a lower amount of syllables, hence rendering the expression less coarse and ill-sounding. Therefore, expressions such asvenga ya, no seas ___ ("come on, don't be silly") would usecapullo more frequently thangilipollas.[a]
Buey/Huey/Güey/Wey/We is a common term in Mexico, coming from the wordbuey that literally means "ox" or "steer". It means "stupid" or a "cheated husband/boyfriend/cuckold".[a] It can be used as a less offensive substitute forcabrón when used among close friends. Mexican teenagers and youngChicano men use this word routinely in referring to one another, similar to "dude" in English.Vato is the older Mexican word for this.
Joto (lit. ' the jack' or'a knave in a Western card gamedeck of cards') is used in Mexico and the southwestern United States, usually pejoratively, in reference to an over-sexed male. Arguably more offensive thanmaricón,joto usually refers to a man who is indifferent to pertinent matters, or who is a "loser", with perhaps a hinted accusation ofcloseted homosexuality. For example, a gay man in Mexico might derisively refer to himself as amaricón, but probably not as ajoto. Recently the use ofjoto in Mexico has changed, and is being embraced by thegay community, mainly as an adjective:Es una película muy jota ("It's a very gay movie"). Not to be confused with the wordjota, which refers to a traditional Spanish, Mexican or Argentine parlor dance.
Madre, (mother) depending on its usage (for example:madrear—"to beat" orhasta la madre—"full"), is an insult to one's mother. This dishonors her, and the reputation of the family. It can be profane in Mexico.Chinga tu madre ("Fuck your mother") is considered to be extremely offensive.[a]Tu madre Culo ("Your mother's ass") combines two Spanish profanity words, Madre and Culo (see above), to create an offensive jab at one's mother or mother in-law.Madre could be used to reference objects, like¡Qué poca madre! ("That's terrible!") andEste madre no funciona ("This shit doesn't work"). It can also be used with an ironically positive connotation, as in¡Está de poca/puta madre! ("It's fucking awesome!").Madrazo, in Colombia, refers to insults in general, and "echar madrazos" means "to insult/curse somebody out."Puta madre can also be used to insult someone ("motherfucker"), as well as to describe something of great excitement ("the shit", "awesome") as mentioned before.[41]
Pinche has different meanings, depending on geographic location. The word is not offensive in Spain and it mostly refers to a kitchenscullion,[2] who acts as an assistant to chefs and is assigned to menial kitchen tasks such as preparing ingredients and utensils, though it may also extend tobussing staff and dishwashers. It is seldom used as an insult, as inpinche güey ("loser"), or to describe an object of poor quality,está muy pinche ("It really sucks"), but only to a lesser extent.[citation needed] Many restaurants in Spain have the name "El Pinche", to the great amusement of Mexican and Chicano tourists.[2]
In Mexico, the saying can range anywhere from semi-inappropriate to very offensive depending on tone and context. Furthermore, it is often equivalent to the English terms "damn", "freakin'", "bloody" or "fuckin'", as inestos pinches aguacates están podridos… ("These damn avocados are rotten…");Pinche Mario ya no ha venido… ("Freakin' Mario hasn't come yet"); or¿¡Quieres callarte la pinche boca!? ("Would you like to shut your fuckin' mouth?"), but most likely should be translated to the euphemism "frickin'" in most situations. Therefore, it can be said in front of adults, but possibly not children, depending on one's moral compass. Sometimespinchudo(a) is said instead.[citation needed] It also refers to a mean-spirited person or someone who is stingy: "Él es muy pinche." ("He is very stingy.").[citation needed].[2]
In Chile, thenounpinche is not vulgar, and it refers to the people involved in an informal romantic relationship with each other. The verbal formpinchar can be translated as "kissing" or "make out".[citation needed]Pinchar also means "to ping" (the act of calling someone and then hanging up with the intent of having them call back). Theadjectivepinche has seen a rise in usage, as a "lightly vulgar" form of the "puta" adjective: "La pinche inspectora." instead of "La puta inspectora." ("That darn inspector." instead of "That fucking inspector."). In Puerto Rico,pinche simply refers to ahairpin, whilepincho has the same meaning in Dominican Spanish.
Puta literally meanswhore, and can be extended to any woman who is sexually promiscuous. This word is common to all other Romance languages (it isputa also in Portuguese and Catalan,pute/putain in French,puttana in Italian, and so on) and almost certainly comes from the Vulgar Latinputta (fromputtus, alteration ofputus "boy"), although theRoyal Spanish Academy lists its origins as "uncertain" (unlike other dictionaries, such as theMaría Moliner, which stateputta as its origin).[citation needed] It is a derogatory way to refer to a prostitute, while the formal Spanish word for a prostitute isprostituta. It is used similarly to the English wordbitch.[2]
In the Spanish region ofLa Mancha, the formation of neologisms is very common to refer with humoristic sense to a certain way of being some people, by the union of two terms, usually a verb and a noun. E.g.,capaliendres (lit. 'person') who geld nits, "miser, niggard"),(d)esgarracolchas (lit. 'person') who rends quilts, "awkward", "untrustworthy"),pisacristos (lit. 'person') who tramples Christs—"blasphemous person"), and much more.
Estupidez, acción o idea estúpida, especialmente por carecer de energía, relevancia y profundidad.[permanent dead link]
Media related toSpanish-language profanity at Wikimedia CommonsDifferent variations of "chingar"
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