During the holidays, I attended a couple of parties at which visiting
young North Americans claiming fluency in Spanish seemed enamored (to the point of recklessness) of the word chingadazo. True, that noun,
indicating a severe blow or coup, is highly popular today. But it also
is too rough a term to be wedged into absolutely all social
conversations. These youngsters, obviously not familiar with the
Spanish language, should have done themselves the favor of reading the
mini-features appearing in these pages concerning the way the Iberian
tongue is used in Mexico. And it is usage that often gets foreigners
into linguistic - and often social - trouble.
Though it is hard to walk through the door of most financial
institutions or restaurants or cinemas without hearing the "c" word
being fervently conjugated, newcomers to the language are well advised
to stay clear of the term.
The best exegesis of what the verb ch...gar and its many variations
can mean to Mexicans is in Octavio Paz's brilliant examination of
Mexican culture and character, "The Labyrinth of Solitude." (This is a
book all foreigners with serious interest in Mexico should acquire,
read and reread frequently. Though it was written in the late 1940s,
"Labyrinth" remains a central instructive text concerning the culture
- no matter the cellular phone-Armani-Gucci-Tommy Hilfiger costumery
urban Mexico affects. Its direct antecedent is Samuel Ramos' ground-
breaking 1934 "A Profile of Man and Culture in Mexico," a more
academic text.)
Heard on the street
On your way down to the bank you may also hear a number of words that
may not make a lot of sense at first. "Chale!" for instance is a
favorite and expresses disbelief: "You've got to be kidding," "Oh,
come on," "No way." Also frequently heard "Caray!" and "Hijole!" are
traditional words for "Damn," "Wow," "Gosh." The word "Zaz!" is an old
standby for "Zap!" "Pow!" "Oh no!"
"Ay, Chihuahua!" is another old-fashioned term for "Golly," and "Gee"
and "Gosh." A bit newer are the euphemisms "Chispas!" and "Chicle!"
Newcomers to the language are always puzzled by "Aguas!" a warning
meaning "Look out!" or "Heads up!"
"Andele!" of course means "Hurry up," "Get the lead out," but can also
express disbelief, as in "Oh, go on," or "Really" to indicate doubt
about a foregoing statement or claim.
The word "Arre!" is the old command muleskinners have yelled at burros
for centuries. And though it clearly means "Git up," "Move it" and
"Get going," because its target has traditionally been burros (another
term for dunce), it has an especially sharp, derogatory meaning when
applied to humans.
"Arriba" means "Up with," "Hurrah for."
Other slang
Among East Los Angeles gangs in the 1950s a word you heard all the
time was "ese," which transliterated means "that," but was used to
mean "Hey, man," "Hey, buddy" and it comes from the older expression,
"ese vato," meaning "that guy," "that cat." Another term popular on
the East Side was "carnal," which is the equivalent of "bro" and
racially specific, meaning that vatos never used it to refer to a
gringo friend unless they were very, very tight with that person. (An
old-fashioned term for gringos is "bolillo," indicating that doughy
pale skin.)
"Compa" is a traditional term for "pal" or "buddy," and comes from
"compadre" (godfather). "Mano" - from "hermano" means brother when you
are addressing a non-relative.
Other terms for "amigos" and "compañeros" include "socio" - partner -
"parna," and of course "cuate" - meaning twin - and by some peculiar
extrapolation of sound, "cuaderno" - meaning notebook. You also hear
"piojo" - which means "louse" - used among friends, and "valedore,"
usually shortened to "vale."
Tread carefully
Also on the street, and certainly in the cantina, you will hear a ton
of "madre" -associated terms. For most foreigners, until they are
intimately familiar with Mexican culture, it is well to diligently
avoid most of these, because the whole mother-father thing in Mexico
is complex, filled with contradictions and emotionally loaded. Thus,
it is easy to step on toes. Example: "Una madre" is something
worthless, while anything "muy padre" is something excellent. A
"madredor" is a bouncer in a bar, and "pocamadre" means a jerk. Yet "a
toda madre" is something done superlatively, while "Me vale madre" -
"It's worth mother to me" - means "I don't give a damn."
Besides, with Mexican slang now in swift transition, what was "cool"
yesterday in this area may get you poked in the nose today. Example:
"No tiene madre" - literally, "has no mother" - can indicate someone
who has no shame, but it can also mean something that is "absolutely
the finest."
Then, too, you can generate an unbelievable amount of bad news if,
under the influence of several tequilas, you get clumsy with this
word, or forget that what is hip concerning this term in downtown
Guadalajara may be considered loathsome in some rural cantina or in
other precincts where the latest urban slang is looked upon with
contempt.
Big suffix
A common suffix to indicate big stuff - size or capacity - is "-ote"
or "-ota." Large gringos often get remarks about their "zapatotes" -
"big shoes," meaning, of course, "big feet." A big car is a
"cochezote." A kid who is larger or more advanced than normal for his
or her age is a "niñote" or a "niñota." But so is a teenager or an
adult who refuses to grow up. So be careful.
Then there is "-on" and "-ona," which when added to verbs indicate
people who indulge, almost invariably to excess, in the verb's
declared action. A "lloron" is not a crier, but a squealer - and
therefore a coward. An "ojon" is not merely big-eyed, but bug-eyed. A
"miron" is a busybody or a rubbernecker. However, a "guapeton" is an
exceptionally handsome man. But an "arrancon" - formed from the verb
"arrancar," to start up - is not a person at all but an act: a quick,
rubber-peeling getaway in a car.
Thus, there are few reliable rules to describe how such slang is
formed and used. You have to put in time listening with clear
attention to how these terms are used before trying them out on some
Spanish-speaker. To avoid getting poked in the eye, always pick a
friend you know well.
If you do concentrate on listening well, they will soon be calling you
a clever "listote" instead of an addlepated "tontote."
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