mexi-vocabulario – Fueled by chile, frijoles & tortillas.

This one’s dedicated to a very special friend. Ya sabes who you are! ¡Tarado! How many times have you not wished you would have remembered this very especial Mexi-Vocabulario term in the heat of an argument. If you’re like me, anytime you’re de pelionero you just can’t think of the right zingers to spit out. You know what you want to say in your mind, but the words just won’t come out… at least not at the precise moment when you need them. So for you friends, please commit this palabra to your memorias right now!

tarado definition mexi vocabulario juanofwords

¡No seas tarado!

Our friends over at the Urban Dictionary offer two definitions for tarado: First, in Argentinian Spanish they say it’s the equivalent of “moron.” I’d say that’s pretty accurate. The other definition states Spanish word for dumb-ass or idiot, brainless person. It is not really offensive. This one is pretty accurate as well, because as we all know language – especially Spanish – is all about context. How you use any particular word makes all the difference in the world. Here are the non offensive uses of the word according to the online dictionary website:

¡Eres un tarado! = You are a dumb-ass!

¡Qué tarado! = What a dumb-ass!

Now keep in mind, the attitude of the person you are referring to with these “non offensive” usages will probably have a lot to do with whether you get slapped, or worse, after uttering them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said something like this with “non offensive” intentions and had my head bitten off… and vice versa for that matter. I’m just as bad as anyone else when it comes to just not being in the mood sometimes. Other English words offered as synonymous to ¡tarado! include defective, imperfect, stupid, crazy and nuts.

I’ll let you be the judge of how, when and if you use this word.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

Writer’s Disclaimer: When I say mexi-vocabulario I don’t necessarily mean these words are exclusively Mexican, or only used by Mexicans. This is simply an expression of how they were introduced to me in our Mexican Spanish.

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So this week’s Mexi-Vocabulario is completely the creative work of one of my readers. This individual asked to be identified only as JTO, and a couple of weeks ago had sent me this very comprehensive list of all the things the the word Madre means to us Mexicans. Sure, the immediate translation is mother… but there is so much more to this palabra! I had not posted the list until now because I was awaiting my reader’s approval to do so. I have only altered the list by simplifying the formatting and adding the English references on the left. If you have any more usages for the word ¡Madre! please leave them in the comments below, or send me your word of choice. I’d love to share it in a future post! And JTO, thank you once again!

The many meanings of the word "madre" in Spanish. Some good. Some bad.

TODO LO QUE SIGNIFICA LA MADRE PARA LOS MEXICANOS…

Happiness: ¡Qué a toda Madre!

Geographic location: ¿Dónde queda esa Madre?

Physical location: ¿Dónde está esa Madre?

Dietary reference: ¡¡Trágate esa Madre ya!!

Criticism: ¡Qué poca Madre tienes…!

Skepticism: No te creo ni Madres.

Vengeance: ¡Vámos a darle en la Madre!

Accident: Se dío en la Madre.

Visual reference: ¡No se ve ni madres!

Sense of Smell: ¡Huele a Madres!

Speculation: ¿Qué madres es eso?

Superlative: ¡A todísima Madre!

Expression of joy: ¡¡¡Está Poca Madre!!!

Surprise: ¡¡¡Madresss!!!

Speeding reference: ¡Va hecho Madres!

Ego reference: No me dío ni Madres…

Sense of Taste: ¡Eso sabe a Madres! (not good)

Past reference: No tuviste Madre (could be “you had no shame”)

Action: ¡Vámos hacer esa Madre!

Violent action: ¡¡Le rompiste toditita su Madre!!!

Motivating/Rushing: ¡¡Andale con esa Madre!!

Disorder reference: ¿¡Qué desmadre te traes!?

Insult: ¡Vales para pura Madre!

When swearing: Por mi Madre.

Operational reference: ¿Y esta Madre cómo funciona??

Failure: ¡¡Ya valió Madres…!!

Confrontational: ¡Qué poca Madre tienes!

Negative, as in NO: ¡¡¡Ni Madres!!!

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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Chuntaro is one of those words that’s not very easily defined. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried before, but just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it seems what is or isn’t chuntaro depends very much on who is employing this adjective of the Mexican vocabulario and why.

Okay… so we can probably all agree this is ¡bien chuntis! LOL!

Say for example, you’re at a quinceañera and you’re having a great time. Yeah, they’re blasting conjunto music, your aunts and cousins are working the buffet line of food which they prepared, kids are running around like crazy, zig-zagging through the dance floor, and of course, there’s probably more beer than anything else, but you’re pretty stoked about how nice everything looks. All of a sudden you overhear someone saying “Ay qué bola de chuntaros… that’s why I didn’t want to come!”

Inevitably your going to start looking more closely at your surroundings, wondering what exactly makes this pachanga so chuntara, and more importantly… if you yourself could be considered chuntaro as well! Again, now whether you think this is an insult or a compliment – to be described by such an adjective – depends on how you feel about the word chuntaro. Personally, I’ve embraced the chuntaro in me! It’s a part of who I am… of who I’ve always been, and you know what, I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with being chuntaro.

Of course, I won’t tell you that I’m fully committed to the chuntaro lifestyle tampoco. I know how to conceal it when I need to, LOL!

If you want a more formal definition, here’s what the Urban Dictionary offers:

Chuntaro: Mexican slang word, synonym for “naco” (1) an Indian or Indian-looking Mestizo (2) an uncultured or lower class person. Pronounced: CHOON-tah-roh i.e. That barrio is full of nacos.

As usual, me and the Urban Dictionary don’t necessarily see eye to eye. I don’t like their definition of the word chuntaro here.

For a more visual take on the word ¡Chuntaro! and it’s meaning visit Chuntaritos.com.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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This week’s Mexi-Vocabulario is a doozy of a tongue twister. I have to thank the reader who originally shared this word with me a couple of months ago when I first kicked off the Mexi-Vocabulario series. The word itself is the name of a small village in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, and quite frankly, it’s one of the hardest words ever featured here. Parangaricutirimicuaro as in Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutirimicuaro is located near the Paricutín volcano in the city of Nuevo Parangaricutiro. If you’re head’s already spinning from all of the parangaricutireo in this post, hold on… it gets better!

San Juan de Parangaricutirimicuaro

Here are a couple of popular tongue twisters employing the word:

El pueblo de Parangaricutirimícuaro se va a desparangaricutirimicuarizar. Quien logre desparangaricutirimicuarizarlo gran desparangaricutirimicuarizador será.

El Otorrinolaringólogo de Parangaricutirimícuaro, quiere desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarillarse, el que lo desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarillare, un buen desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarillador será.

Los parangaricutirimícuaros se quieren desparangaricutirimicuarizar porque un parangaricutirimícuaro se quiere casar con una parangaricutirimícuara y dicen que van a parangaricutirimicuarizar a muchos parangaricutirimicuaritos y parangaricutirimicuaritas, si a los parangaricutirimícuaros logran desparangaricutirimicuarizarlos el que logre desparangaricutirimicuarizarlos gran desparangaricutirimicuador será.

Now a confession. I don’t think I can pronounce the word correctly myself either. It’s so hard, LOL! Mejor, let’s watch these folks I found on YouTube giving it a jab:

Now if you’re brave enough of to make a video of yourself attempting this word I would love to see it and feature it here también. Me lo mandan please.

For more about parangaricutirimicuaro Click Here.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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There was another word that starts with the letter “R” that caught my attention this week, but of course, when I went to jot it down on the Memo app on my phone, the muy descarado turned itself off! Ahh!! I have been racking my brains out trying to remember what that word was. Sadly… it hasn’t come back to me yet! On the bright side, though, a dear friend reminded me of another word that also starts with the little “R” – it will have to do for now: ¡Ruca!

Un "ruca" muy bella.

As in esa es mi ruca (that’s my girl, my girlfriend, my chick, etc.). As you can imagine, just like with it’s synonym, mi vieja, you’ll want to wachale when you’re using either one of these words around your significant other. Anjelica hates it when I call her either word. So much so that I only employ them when I’m with the guys. Ahí nadie me dice nada. It’s like an accepted form of desahogo or something, LOL!

Pero anyway… before I keep digging a deeper hole for myself, mejor let’s look at some more formal definitions of the word ruca. These are a few of the more interesting ones from the Urban Dictionary (they really do have quite the variety of definitions for this one):

Girlfriend.
The one girl, that you would choose over every other.
A True love. Was first said by sublime in (waiting for my ruca) Which stated it meant girlfriend or True lover. Its meaning is different for each speaker.
‘Rü-kah; (noun) Etymology: Chicano Slang 1: a frequent or regular female companion in a romantic or sexual relationship.
In Spanish means old maid or older single woman.
In Chicano Slang it is mostly a derogatory term meaning older woman. Also means a tried woman, as in having been through the trials of life and living.
Can also mean an older woman of the barrio or older chola.
Meant to describe a girlfriend that has stayed by her boyfriend’s side through difficult times, with an affectionate undertone. Also, to describe in light, derogatory (sometimes affectionate) terms a tried or worn woman no matter the age, identifying her presumed life experience…
The person you curl up with

I definitely recommend you check out the other definitions for ruca on the Urban Dictionary. Some of them are pretty hilarious. In the meantime, if you have any other recommendations for words that start with the letter “R” leave them here for me.

Gracias!!

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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I use this one a lot. In my writing at least. In real person, or en vivo y a todo color, not so much. In everyday conversations… cómo que no me sale. It’s one of those words that even if you don’t know what it means you can pretty much make the conclusion that it is not a very flattering one once you hear someone using it. Still, it kind of slips off the tongue, doesn’t it? ¡Chafa!

These could definitely be considered "Chafa".

A confession now. I’ll admit, after reading the detalles of the president’s recent deferred adjudication announcement I just couldn’t help thinking “¡Qué chafa! What a rip off!” Not that my intention is to be political – it’s not! I just had to get that off my chest. Why? Because! What about all of the other 10 million immigrants that don’t qualify for the deferred adjudication. Isn’t this the ultimate rip off for them?! Oh, I’m sorry you’re not young enough to qualify. Oops, it doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, this doesn’t apply to you either. So sorry.

Agh, it’s just what the Urban Dictionary says about something that can be described with such a word: Something of a very low quality, often made to appear like the real thing. Word very widely used in Mexico. Also: fake or crude forgery.

Hopefully it’s just me being a pessimist. I am quite good at that you know. Whatever the case, and back to the all important Mexi-Vocabulario word of the day, of course, chafa can be used to describe a person, place or a thing. It really is quite the versatile palabra. Think of it as similar to the word ghetto in a way. People often like to describe things that are synonymous to chafa with that word in the English language. And for extra credit, find something you’d describe as ¡bien chafa! and tell someone about it. You’re welcome to leave your sentences here too.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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Porque aunque nos toque trabajar mañana, hoy nos la pasarémos en el despapaye. Okay, I’ll translate. Because even though we have to work tomorrow, today, we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow anyway, jajaja!

En el despapaye y’all!

Tell me I’m wrong? Yeah… I thought so! Pero any-guey, despapaye is also one of those words in our Spanish language that is easily interpretable, almost exclusively by it’s simple intonation alone. By definition, it is not so easily found. The Real Academia Española, in fact, only references another Spanish word which it considers similar in definition – desorden. So now we’re at a twofer. What does desorden mean you might be asking. Let’s matar dos pajaros de un solo tiro – I’m not translating that one.

According to a query on WordReference, despapaye can best be defined as desorden, alboroto, fiesta, relajo, or desmadre. In English, disorder, riot, party, relaxation or dread (quite the literal translation on that last one, if you all don’t mind).

You get the picture right?

Basically, having a good old time, with very little care in the world. Just don’t overdo it. As they do say – tomorrow, after all, it is back to reality!

Again, Felices Fiestas Y’all!

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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mexi vocabulario juanofwords adio definition

Good for the chisme.

¿Adió, a poco nada más te hizo mala cara?

¿Adió, y esta qué se cree?

¡Adío! ¿Y a mi qué?

Fíjate que fulanita se peleó con el marido ayer.

¿Adió?

If you haven’t guessed by now, today’s Mexi-Vocabulario is all about that very short and simple word we Mexicans love to use to spice up our conversations. Especialmente when we are in el chisme. It means something similar to “really,” as in: 1) that you honestly don’t believe what your comadre or compadre is telling you, or 2) that you do believe them, but that you just want to be extra dramatic and that you want them to repeat whatever it was they just said. If you’re thinking “oh no, that’s really not me,” you should know equally metiche vocabulary also includes phrases in español like: ¿a poco? ¿de verdad? ¿no me digas?

Admit it. You know it feels good to use them!

Now if you’re thinking, or saying, “¡ay no mames guey! That’s not what that word means!” …pues, you’re just going to have to take my word for it! There aren’t any formal definitions of adío in the Real Academia Española, or even the Urban Dictionary for that matter. Well, there are a couple for “adio” without the accent, but they are talking about something completely different. Some of them are pretty hilarious if you get a chance to read them.

Pero bueno, keep the Mexi-Vocabulario words coming! I want to thank my compatriota Paty M. who sent me this palabra and was gracious enough to let me share it with all of you! Not only are we paisanos, we’re also from the same part of Mexico también!

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
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¡No seas embustero! Don’t be a liar! We could probably leave it at that and you all would understand what this word means. Pero, well what’s the fun in that?

Embustero.

Mejor, let’s let two of the world’s biggest divas sing to us about the word embustero. “Aww man, is this turning into Plaza Sesamo or what?” No, it’s not! But how many times can we share a song by Beyonce and Shakira about one of our words?

Ustedes just play along for a minute… or three minutes and 26 seconds.

If you’re still wondering what an embustero is – not that Beyonce’s Spanish is hilariously hard to understand or anything, jaja – it basically means a liar. An embustero is a liar. Someone who consistently lies about everything and anything just for the sake of it, for no other particular good reason than they just enjoy it.

A ver, a few words of wisdom here. My mother has always said el que nada debe, nada teme. Loosely translated, he who owes nothing, fears nothing. In other words, en este caso, if you’re honest with yourself and with others you don’t have to worry about keeping up with your lies. In can be exhausting after a while. Aunque también es cierto, ¿quién no tiene sus secretos?

Anywho, the pronunciation is M-boo-stair-oh.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
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mexi vocabulario chiflado definition juanofwords

Have you been called a Chiflado(a) before?

Uuy… I’ve been called that one more than once. As a matter of fact, there’s a rather funny story about how big of a Chiflado I was as a kid. It involves my two eldest sisters, my cuñado, and a banana… that somehow ended up splattered all across my hair by the end of the night. It’s a long story, LOL! Mejor, read the linked post.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about that pesky little label that so many of us got growing up – ¡Chiflado! Subsequently, I think us guys sort of get the short end of the stick when it comes to being called Chiflados as adults too. It’s like anything we ask for that requires even the teeny tiniest of extra efforts automatically results in us being called big old Chiflados. Pero, I guess that’s a tale for another time. My problem with the word Chiflado is not necessarily being called it. Instead, being called a “spoiled brat” – yes, that’s the translation in English – for no good reason.

Say for example, a man says echame un lonche mañana, please. You guessed it! Yes, he’s a Chiflado. If he doesn’t like certain things like body wash, only jabón by the bar… yup, Chiflado. He won’t cook if there’s nothing to eat. He claims to not know how to iron. He’ll only eat certain foods, and sometimes only from one or two particular brands. He can’t get his hair cut from any other place that’s not the one he likes. Oh yeah, all grounds for being Chiflado. Now I won’t say any of these don’t merit the label, but you know, it’s only human nature to want to be chiflado (pampered in this instance) every once in a while.

Remember when you were a kid? If you didn’t want to get out of bed until your mother came to caress your hair, if you got all excited when mamá would make your favorite dish, if you didn’t want to share your brand new toys, if you grasped too many candies in one handful, if you cried because they made you share, if you talked back or stuck your tongue out… you were always a Chiflado! Right, you didn’t like it verdad?

Nobody does!

So the next time you get the urge to call someone a Chiflado, make sure they actually deserve the label. Especially if it’s the man in your life, jaja! Consider this a public service announcement

But back to the point of this post. What does Chiflado actually mean?

The Urban Dictionary says: 1. Conceited 2. thinks he/she is too fly 3. Vain 4. A know- it- all 5. Cocky 6. To act with attitude

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says: 1) the adjective means nuts, crazy 2) the noun means crazy person, lunatic

They’re both kind of right, but not really. To me chiflado as a noun or an adjective means spoiled. Either being spoiled or wanting to be spoiled. Pero, hey that’s just this Chiflado’s opinion.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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The scorching heat of a pepper seed can definitely burn.

Kind of ridiculous, that as much as I love hot sauce and really anything spicy, I’m just now getting around to writing about this Mexi-Vocabulario word: ¡Enchilar! As in me enchile, te enchilaste, nos enchilamos. Basically, that the spice in something was so hot it burned. Though you can also use the word to mean you’re getting angry, you are angry, or you were angry.

Here are some examples:

¡Me enchile bien feo!

Mejor ya bajale… me voy a enchilar.

Ayer, me enchilaste con ese comentario.

Not that I’ve had any of these uttered to me or anything, jajaja. At least not lately. What really got me thinking about enchilar as Mexi-Vocabulario were a couple of comadres the other day. Well, that and my metiche eavesdropping on their conversation. One of them was going on and on about some tamales another one of her comadres had made. Apparently they were pretty spicy. I know so because she kept saying it over and over again… to the point that at one point during their conversation I caught myself rolling my eyes. I know. ¿Quién me manda andar de metiche? So I just shut up and kept listening.

Nombre comadre estaba bien picoso. ¡Me enchile bien feo! Bien picoso estaba… no me enchile con una mordidita comadre. Una mordidita bien chuiquita. Me enchile bien feo. Fijese, estaba bien picoso. Aeeyyy, no le digo… She went on like this for another 10 minutes before they changed the conversation to something less interesting. I stopped listening after that.

Still, afterwards I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Por algo siempre digo that the best inspiration in life always comes from life itself!

Now it’s your turn. Go eavesdrop on a complete stranger’s conversation yourself.

Add some spice to your life!

Just don’t hold me accountable if you get slapped.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
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By definition, they would be better classified under the category of anglicisms. Anglicismos. In the world of Spanish journalism, probably the worst mistake any young pocho reporter could make. I should know. It was me who was constantly getting corrected for using anglicismos when I was writing in Spanish… all those years ago now. Yet, I had all but pretty much forgotten about all of those horribly bad memories – kidding – until one of my old friends, coincidentally one of my journalist buddies from those days, made the suggestion that I write about anglicisms too.

I’m not sure how often I’ll write about anglicismos. I guess that ultimately depends on how much you all might like the idea, or not. If you do, and you have words of your own that you’d like to add to this list, or see in another post, let me know, and we might play this game again. It could be a good compliment to our regular Mexi-Vocabulario?

These are the Top 10 Anglicisms that I use:

10. Troca – Truck. In reality one should say camioneta, but I grew up in Texas and a lot of people here, well, we just say troca.

9. Yarda – Yard. As in your lawn. The correct word in Spanish is patio. Although I’ve never been comfortable with saying voy a cortar el patio. It just sounds funny to me.

8. Parqueadero – Parking lot. At one point, I had actually made the transition from parqueadero to estacionamiento, but then I thought, why am I correcting my parents’ on their Spanish… and I stopped.

7. Estop sign – Stop sign. I don’t really use it all that often. Only when giving directions in Spanish. Though the correct word in Spanish is alto.

6. La movie – Movie. It should be pelicula or even cinta, but movie is just as acceptable these days también.

5. Mapear – To mop. This is another one of those words that we just grew up with. Even though I know it might be better to say limpiar I can’t really avoid saying mapear.

4. Textear – To text. How else would you say that? Seriously, I’m kind of stumped on this one. Other than to say te mando un texto.

3. Chance – Not as it is pronounced in English, although it means the same exact thing. This word I pronounce more like cha-n-se. I guess the right word instead would be oportunidad.

2. Sorri – An apology. I’m sorry. To apologize. This one I just like because Niurka made it popular with her I’m sorri for you. Instead, use disculpa.

1. Chequear – To check. I’m always telling someone to checar, chequealo, chequear something. Guilty as charged! The correct terminology might include verificalo or compruebalo instead.

The art of being chuleado.

To chulear. To andar chuleando. To make someone feel chuleado. In truth, you could even chulear an inanimate object, or place, basically by making said person, place or thing feel extra especial. See below examples:

Hay que linda esta la niña.

Hola mi gordita preciosa.

Aeeyy… estos tacos están de lo más sabrosos.

Este estado tan grande… who knew Texas had so much to see?

The latter is what we’re hoping we’ll be able to say next week when we’re done with our Texas Road Trip… although in a way we already know it’s true. Pero bueno that’s besides the point. Chulear is one of those words that was taken, over time, from an adjective to a action verb en español… not exactly sure why, but it was. You might also recognize it from its root word of chulo, which basically means handsome in Spanish. At it’s most basic, chulear means to pay someone a flattering compliment.

So ¡orale! a chulear a sus parejas.

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario? If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

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tragon definition mexi vocabulario juanofwords

Coincidentally, I just watched this movie – ‘Lbs’ – this week. It was all about being a tragón!

¡Tragón! ¡Comelón! ¡Ya deja de estar comiendo! For some reason those words don’t seem all that unfamiliar to me. Aunque por lo menos, someone should have told me that later on in my life it would be perfectly okay to be considered the family “garbage disposal.” Maybe then I wouldn’t have greedily scarfed down that large pizza and two liter coke in the darkness of my own bedroom so that nobody would ask me for any of my food, back when I was in high school. Sometimes I still wonder what that delivery driver must have been thinking when I crept out of my bedroom window to pay him before he got to the door. I weighed about 250 pounds back then, was full of pimples, and had red highlights in my hair, so you can just imagine!

¡Pobrecito! Now that I think about it como que I remember him jumping back a little bit at first, jajaja! I paid him – even gave him a tip – and climbed back in my window.

Afterwards, when all the pizza and coke were gone, I remember laying on my twin sized bed, with the red-tiger-San-Marcos on it, and just thinking to myself ¡Ay, que tragón eres cabrón! Why did you just do that? There were many more episodes like this one in my life as the years progressed, though I never really understood why I have always been such a tragón. Even now, even though I do now know the difference between healthy and unhealthy eating, I often can’t help myself from rushing through a meal just to be done with it. Once I’m done, I start picking on Edgar and Anjelica’s plates. Once their full or they don’t want anymore, all they have to do is push their dish in my direction. My parents did always say ¡la comida no se desperdicia!

Don’t worry mis jefitos. I’ve been on it for the past 33 years!

That is, after all, the very definition of the word tragón. As defined by the website Mexico Guru, tragón means: pig, glutton; greedy. Personally, I’d say that’s a bit harsh… pero bueno, if the shoe doesn’t fit all it means is that I don’t have to wear it!

It’s more comfortable that way anyway!

¡Un saludote a todos mis tragones out there!

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Chambeadora, La Raza!

A chambear… ¿pues qué más nos queda? No hay de otra. Because 1) yesterday was Labor Day, a time to honor all of the gente bien chambeadora that have made things like holidays, overtime pay and weekends possible for all of us, and 2) because how many of us did not hear or speak these same words yesterday when we were talking about going back to work today… the day after our holiday. The truth. Who really wants to go work anyway? The day after a holiday, mucho menos!

Pero bueno, ¿qué le vamos hacer?

That’s the thing about us Latinos that makes us bien chambeadores. We’re used to things not going our way; we know when you least expect it is when you get the wind knocked out of you; we’re not afraid to get back up, and get back up, again, and again, as many times as we have to; we’re used to getting the short end of the stick and making it work for us anyway; we don’t assume things will just be handed down to us in any way; y desde luego, when life gives us lemons we know how to make darn good limonada! jajaja… Okay, so I had just been waiting to use that last phrase.

¿Qué le vamos hacer?

But it is true! We are bien chambeadores.

If you’re still not sure about what chambeador or chambear mean, it really is pretty simple. Chambeador means hardworking. Chambear means to work hard. That’s it.

¡Ahora sí, ponganse a chambear todos! No me vayan hacer quedar mal.

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¡Te la bañáste compadre, jajaja!

¡Te la bañáste!

¡Nombre, ya ni la amuelas!

¡No te la acabas!

All variations of the single act of bañársela, or perhaps more comprehensible, as the act of overstepping one’s boundaries, be they self-imposed or otherwise. In non-mexicano or straight up Spanish, you might assume this Mexi-Vocabulario term might have something to do with taking a shower… or a bath. You’d be wrong! Instead, to bañársela has everything to do with being inappropriate and/or even to some degree, kind of immoral. Por lo menos, according to the definition in Spanish: exceder los límites de la moral y de las buenas costumbres preestablecidos.

In English, to exceed moral limits and pre-established norms of good manners.

Uyy, kind of heavy verdad?

The most immediate example that comes to mind – and don’t judge me folks – is Teresa from The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I have been faithfully watching every single episode of these shows on YouTube, LOL! We don’t have cable at home remember. Pero, pues… in my book she’s the epitome of inappropriate.

I can almost hear Doña Lucha yelling at the television: ¡Nombre, mijita te la bañáste!

What’s your interpretation of this palabra?

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Y a Lo Que Te Truje Chencha Pareja viejos peleando juanofwords

¡Los viejos peleando!

So this is less of a Mexi-Vocabulario, and more of a Mexi-Frase! But how many more of these Mexi labels are you all going to let me get away with? No sé. Mejor, I’ll play it safe and file this under Mexi-Vocabulario. So… how many of us have not already used this rather popular Mexican phrase?

It quite literally can be used in any which way we choose, depending on our intonation and the situation of course. Pero say someone says to you ¡A lo que te tuje Chencha! while you’re getting ready to sweep or mop the floor, if they do it in an an angry tone you might get insulted and/or angry. If they say it with a smile on their face or then laugh afterwards, on the other hand, chances are you won’t be as angry and you’ll probably just take it as a harmless joke. Finally, if it makes you feel uncomfortable or dirty, you might be in a more inappropriate situation.

Why would you be in an appropriate situation while you are sweeping or mopping? I don’t know? That’s just my crazy brain coming up with crazy scenarios in my head!

Mejor… if we take the word at it’s face value and try to translate it literally to English, this is what it might mean: And what I brought you for Chencha! Who is Chencha? I have a Tía Chencha, but no, we’re not talking about her here. – Don’t even get the rumors started! Instead, Chencha can be interpreted to mean anybody… kind of like saying “hey you!” – or even John or Jane Doe. So more appropriately translated it would be something more like this: you know what you’re here for; you know what you need to do; or even you know what I want.

Come to think of it, these all sound kind of bad too.

It’s not only a bad word I promise!

How do you most often mean this phrase when you use it?

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mexi vocabulario ocicon definition juanofwords celie color purple

Miss Celie from ‘The Color Purple’

Because if ever there was a time to be ocicón… or ocicóna, it is today.

Although probably not entirely in the way you might be thinking.

No, not to yell at the top of our lungs for no good reason. Though if you were anything like me as a kid that was a regular occurrence throughout your childhood for which you were likely quieted down more often than you’d like to recall with a stern and swift ¡callate! Today, however, there will be no ¡callátes!

There shouldn’t be, I mean.

Today you should sentirte con todala confianza to raise your voice and say “I will be listened to!” in true ocicón fashion. But what does it mean to be ocicón?

If you can believe it, the Urban Dictionary doesn’t even offer a definition for this Mexi-Vocabulario word yet. That’s a first, I know! Well not really… but still. Instead, you’ll have to trust my definition of this word. All 100 percent of my mexicoamericano understanding of the palabra.

Well then, ocicón to me is the act of of NOT shutting your mouth, of saying what’s on your mind, of not backing down when someone challenges what you are saying, and yes, even of sometimes sticking your foot in your mouth precisely because you can’t shut your mouth. I’m not saying it’s always a good thing, but sometimes – like today – you just need to be a little ocicón to let people know you are here.

Or said in another way, in the words of one of my all time favorite movie characters, Whoopi Goldberg as “Celie” in the The Color Purple: I’se poor, black, I may even be ugly; but dear God, I’se Here! I’se Here!

Go and be ocicones!

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chongo chonguda chongalicious salma hayek savages mexi vocabulario juanofwords

Salma and her scene-stealing wig!

This post is dedicated to the one and only Salmita Hayek. No, not because I am a huge fan. Yes, she is definitely hot, and yes, it’s probably weird that me, as a man, find her incredibly annoying and not very talented at all. Considering the fact too that I worship the floor JLO walks on, talks on, dances on, shakes her bon-bon on – I could go on, but I won’t – it probably stands to reason that some of you (probably many of you) will disagree with me entirely.

There, you can even have your pause right now to insert your sarcastic remark or comparison of my preference for JLO over Salma. Go ahead. I’m used to it by now.

You see what really got me thinking about Salma Hayek as Chonguda or Chongalicious – which by the way just means someone who always styles their hair in ponytails (chongo in singular) all of the time – was her role in the movie Savages. I won’t even go into how awful that film actually was. Suffice it to say the source of my entertainment during those roughly two hours of my life was one and one only. Salma’s pitch black wig! It was so big and ugly. Not to mention it didn’t really compliment the mexicana’s usual vivaciousness. It actually overshadowed her and her performance. Not to mention everyone else’s.

I still can’t believe all those A-listers were so awful in this movie?! And the thing is I can’t even put my finger on it as to why – besides the bad writing, poor character development and shoddy acting chops brought to the table by all of the actors (okay, maybe I can). It was just so bad.

Salma Hayek’s wig though, had a life of it’s own. It literally shined on screen, it captured every scene, and even when it was dramatically ripped off of Salma’s hair and slammed on the floor, it was riveting, and the center of attention in every single frame of that scene. I would give the damn thing and Oscar if I could, jaja!

Pero en serio, I guess that’s what chongos, chongudas and chongalicious mean to me. I can’t take my eyes off of them either. There’s something beautiful about them, despite how disturbingly wrong they might look on some people in some cases.

Thank you Salmita for letting your wig do all of the acting this time!

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Mudo. For the past couple of days I’ve been just that. Silent. Unable. Unwilling perhaps. To say much of anything at all. Every time I’ve tried to sit down and think about writing something cohesive, or at the very least putting a few words together that made any kind of sense at all -“good enough” to share with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, this website, and by extension with you – I’ve just come up with …nothing.

Not a damn thing at all.

Why? I haven’t the slightest clue. But that’s just where I’m at right now.

I guess you could say I’m shooting blanks. I’m 33 years old, going on 34, and I’m shooting blanks!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Tarado!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Madre!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chuntaro!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Parangaricutirimicuaro!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Ruca!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chafa!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Despapaye!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Adío!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Embustero!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chiflado!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Enchilar!

10 Words We Say In Spanish That Aren’t Really Spanish

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chuleando!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Tragón!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chambear!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Bañársela!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Y a Lo Que Te Truje Chencha!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Ocicón!

Mexi-Vocabulario: ¡Chongo! ¡Chonguda! ¡Chongalicious!

Shooting Blanks.