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This article is a summary of '''[[profanity]] in the [[Spanish language]]'''. Spanish profanity varies significantly among Spanish-speaking nations, and even in regions of the same nation. [[Idiom]]atic expressions, particularly profanity, are not always directly translatable into other languages, so most of the English translations offered in this article are rough and may not reflect the full meaning of the expression under discussion.<ref name="GladsteinChacon39">Gladstein and Chacón (editors) 39.</ref>
This article is a summary of '''[[profanity]] in the [[Spanish language]]'''. Spanish profanity varies significantly among Spanish-speaking nations, and even in regions of the same nation. [[Idiom]]atic expressions, particularly profanity, are not always directly translatable into other languages, so most of the English translations offered in this article are rough and may not reflect the full meaning of the expression under discussion.<ref name="GladsteinChacon39">Gladstein and Chacón (editors) 39.</ref>

==References to sexual acts==
The following words are indicative of a variety of sexual acts, especially [[sexual intercourse]] and [[masturbation]], though mostly limited to specific geographic regions.
* The verb ''chingar'' ({{wiktcompare|chingar|es}}) can mean "to fuck" or "to fuck up". It originates from the [[Basque language|Basque]] verb ''txingartu'', meaning "to burn with coal" or from the [[Caló (Spanish Romani)]] word ''čingarár'', meaning "to fight."<ref>"Chingar," Diccionario de la lengua española, [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=chingar Real Academia Española] {{es icon}}</ref> In the work ''[[La Chingada]]'', it was famously applied to [[La Malinche]], the mistress of [[Hernán Cortés]].
* ''Follar'' ({{wiktcompare|follar|es}}) is used particularly in Spain and to a lesser extent in Cuba, but rarely found elsewhere. ''Follar'' literally means "to blow air with the bellows"<ref http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=follar>DRAE, follar1, Der. del lat. follis, fuelle, Soplar con el fuelle.</ref> and probably refers to panting during sex.
* ''Remojar el cochayuyo'' (lit. "to soak the ''[[cochayuyo]]''") is used in Chile.<ref>[http://www.lacuarta.cl/diario/2006/10/31/4a.FICHA.FICHA.html La Ficha Pop], [[La Cuarta]], 31 October 2006.</ref> 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.

==References to male genitalia==

===''Cojones''===
''Cojón'' (plural ''cojones'') is slang for "testicle" and may be used as a synonym for "guts" or {{nobreak|"[having]}} what it takes,".
It is also frequent to derive other words, such as adjectival form ''cojonudo'' (lit. "ballsy"), indicating admiration. A famous [[Navarran]] brand of [[asparagus]] has this name.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Alvarez Catalunya Alimentos Selectos & Ylos Diseño páginas web Tiendas Virtuales |url=http://www.llantarbien.com/spa/item/I480003.html |title=Esparrago Cojonudo 8-12 frutos—Lata 850 Grs—Tienda Gourmet Delicatessen |publisher=Llantarbien.com |date= |accessdate=2 March 2010}}</ref>

==References to female genitalia==

''Chucha''<ref>[http://etimologias.dechile.net/?chucha Etimologias.dechile.net]</ref>/''¡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").

In Venezuela, ''chocha'' is also a type of round seed or a particular type of bird<ref>María Josefina Tejera ''et al.'', ''Diccionario de venezolanismos'', Tomo I (A-I), Universidad Central de Venezuela / Academia de la Lengua. Caracas. 1983. p.360.</ref>

==References to the buttocks==

===''Orto''===
''Orto'' (a euphemism for "recto", that is rectum, from Latin ''ortus'', as both rectum and orto are Latin words that mean "straight".<ref>http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=orto</ref> Although due to its lower class origin it is also believed (and more likely) to be the [[vesre]] form of ''roto'', which means "broken", for "culo roto".<ref>[[:es:Vesre#Formaci.C3.B3n de las palabras]]</ref>)—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.

==Homosexual slurs==
Many terms offensive to homosexuals imply spreading, e.g.: the use of wings to fly.
* ''Bugarrón''/''bufarrón''/''bujarrón''/''bujarra''—used in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Spain. In Cuba, the expression "bugarrón y bugarra" refers to a "macho" man fucking gays. It is originated from [[French language|French]] ''bougre'' and it is also [[cognate]] to "bugger" in English.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Peter Aggleton|author2=E. Antonio de Moya|author3=Rafael García|title=Men Who Sell Sex: International Perspectives on Male Prostitution and HIV/AIDS|date=1999|publisher=UCL Press Ltd.|location=London, U.K.|isbn=1-85728-862-9|page=128|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6HOOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128&dq=bugger+bugarr%C3%B3n&hl=es&sa=X&ei=jJObU5zWINWxsQSRvICICw&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=bugger%20bugarr%C3%B3n&f=false|accessdate=14 June 2014|chapter=Chapter 7: Three Decades of Male Sex Work in Santo Domingo}}</ref>

==Attacks against one's character==


===''Pendejo''===
===''Pendejo''===
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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'" or "fuckin'", as in ''estos 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. Sometimes ''pinchudo(a)'' is said instead.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} It refers to a mean-spirited person.<ref name="GladsteinChacon39"/>
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'" or "fuckin'", as in ''estos 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. Sometimes ''pinchudo(a)'' is said instead.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} It refers to a mean-spirited person.<ref name="GladsteinChacon39"/>

* ''Panchito'' is used in Spain for native looking Central and South-Americans,<ref>Fitch, Roxana (2006) [''http://www.jergasdehablahispana.org/index.php?pais=Espa%F1a&palabra=panchito&tipobusqueda=1'' panchito]</ref> as well as ''guacamole'', ''machupichu'', ''guachupino''.<ref>Fitch, Roxana (2006) [''=http://www.jergasdehablahispana.org/index.php?pais=Espa%F1a&palabra=guachup%EDn&tipobusqueda'' guachupino]</ref>
* ''Payoponi'' is a [[Caló language|Caló]] word widely used in Spain referred to native looking Central and South-Americans. It is composed by ''payo'' (lit. non Romani person) and ''poni'' (lit. pony, due to their average height).<ref>Fitch, Roxana (2006)[''http://www.jergasdehablahispana.org/index.php?pais=Espa%F1a&palabra=payopony&tipobusqueda'' payoponi]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 21:24, 28 January 2016

This article is a summary of profanity in the Spanish language. Spanish profanity varies significantly among Spanish-speaking nations, and even in regions of the same nation. Idiomatic expressions, particularly profanity, are not always directly translatable into other languages, so most of the English translations offered in this article are rough and may not reflect the full meaning of the expression under discussion.[1]

Pendejo

Pendejo (according to the Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española, lit. "a pubic hair'[2] is, according to the Chicano poet José Antonio Burciaga, "basically describes someone who is stupid or does something stupid."[2] Burciaga said that the word is often used while not in polite conversation.[2] It may be translated as "dumbass" or "asshole" in many situations, though it carries an extra implication of willful incompetence, or innocent gullibility that's ripe for others to exploit. The less extreme meaning, which is used in most Spanish speaking countries, translates more or less as "jackass." In Peru, a pendejo is a smartass. Somebody that is skillful, but in a tricky way. In Argentina, a pendejo is a young person, in contrast to "viejo" (old man).

Burciaga said that pendejo "is probably the least offensive" of the various Spanish profanity words beginning in "p," but that calling someone a pendejo is "stronger" than calling someone estúpido.[2] Burciaga said "Among friends it can be taken lightly, but for others it is better to be angry enough to back it up."[2] In Mexico, "pendejo" most commonly refers to a "fool", "idiot" or "asshole". In Mexico there are many proverbs that refer to pendejos.[2]

Burciaga says that the Yiddish word putz "means the same thing" as pendejo.[2]

Cabrón

"¡Chinga tu madre, cabrón!" in C major. Play.

The modern Mexican Spanish version has different connotations depending the place or the situation, is commonly accepted as Spanish equivalent for the English profanity: motherfucker. As an adjective it is equivalent to "tough" as "It is tough" (Está cabrón). In offensive mode it means "asshole" and other insults in English. The seven-note musical flourish known as a shave and a haircut (two bits), commonly played on car horns, is associated with the seven-syllable phrase ¡Chinga tu madre, cabrón! (Fuck your mother, asshole!). Playing the jingle on a car horn can result in a hefty fine for traffic violation if done in the presence of police, or road rage if aimed at another driver or a pedestrian.[3] In Mexico, "cabrón" refers to a man whose wife cheats on him without protest from him, or even with his encouragement.

Pinche

Pinche has different meanings:

In Spain, the word refers to a kitchen helper.[1] It mainly means a restaurant chef assistant or a kitchen helper who helps cook the food and clean the utensils. Another meaning is used as an insult, as in pinche güey ("loser"), or to describe an object of poor quality, está muy pinche ("It really sucks").[citation needed] Many restaurants in Spain have the name "El Pinche", to the great amusement of Mexican and Chicano tourists.[1]

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'" or "fuckin'", as in estos 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. Sometimes pinchudo(a) is said instead.[citation needed] It refers to a mean-spirited person.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Gladstein and Chacón (editors) 39.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Gladstein and Chacón (editors) 40.
  3. ^ Gerrard, Arthur Bryson, ed. (1980). Cassell's Colloquial Spanish (3rd revised ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. ISBN 978-0-02-079430-1.

References

  • Cabellero, Juan. Dirty Spanish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!", Ulysses Press, ISBN 1-56975-659-7.
  • Gladstein, Mimi R. and Daniel Chacón (editors). The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of José Antonio Burciaga. University of Arizona Press, 1 September 2008. ISBN 0-8165-2662-1, ISBN 978-0-8165-2662-8.
  • Hamer, Eleanor & Diez de Urdanivia, Fernando. The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide: A Dictionary of Over 3,000 Slang Expressions, Proverbs, Idioms, and Other Tricky English and Spanish Words and Phrases Translated and Explained, Skyhorse Publishing, ISBN 978-1-60239-250-2.
  • Wegmann, Brenda & Gill, Mary McVey. Streetwise Spanish: Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-146086-1.

Further reading

  • Munier, Alexis; Martinez, Laura (2008). Talk Dirty Spanish. Adams Media; Newton Abbot. ISBN 978-1-59869-768-1