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"Joder" redirects here. For the community in Nebraska, see Joder, Nebraska.
File:Profanecomic.jpg
Spanish comic using the word "maldito" - equivalent to "bloody" or "damn" (lit. "cursed")

This article is a summary of Spanish profanity, referred to in the Spanish language as lenguaje soez (low language), maldiciones (curse words), malas palabras (bad words), insultos (insults), vulgaridades (vulgarities), juramentos (oaths), palabrotas (lit. "big words"), tacos (in Spain), garabatos (gibberish, in Chile), or groserías (impolite words). Spanish profanity varies in Spanish speaking nations, and even in regions of the same nation. Several of these words have linguistic and historical significance.

Verbs denoting the act of sexual congress

Look up chichar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up chingar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up coger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up joder in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up follar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up tirar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The following verbs are equivalent to the verb "to fuck" in English, though not always in all its possible meanings, and mostly limited to specific geographic regions.

  • Chingar is a rude reference to La Malinche, La Chingada, the mistress of Hernan Cortes. Mexicans, or at least the Mestizos among them, sometimes refer to themselves as hijos de la Chingada, her offspring, and in this sense it is not considered a profanity. In Mexico chingar means "to fuck someone" or "to screw something up". Chinga a tu madre ("go fuck your mother") is often considered the strongest Mexican curse, and vete a la chingada roughly translates "go fuck yourself". Other uses are somewhat more tame — a Mexican might say no me chingues, a fairly strong version of "don't annoy me" or "get out of here!", or if a Mexican is beaten in a business deal or in sports, me chingaron ("they screwed me") might be used. Also used is the expession "estás corriendo en la chingada", literally "you are running in that which is fucked". Soy chingón could mean in English "I rule" or "I'm the very best". ¡No chingues! means something like "No way!" (literally more like "don't screw around"), ¡Qué chingón!, could be used to say "Wow, that's cool!" in a more aggressive way. ¡Qué chinga! roughly translates to "What a heavy duty!" ¡A la Chingada! can be a curse at someone or an expression of shock. Machín is another variation on chingar, a contraction of lo más chingón, roughly translated, "the baddest fucker". The word is understood in Spain but not used.
  • Cachar is commonly used in Peru for to have sex, while in Chile it can have this meaning when used as a noun (cacha) it's mainly used for to understand. It comes from the English to catch something or someone.
  • Culear derives from culo, which means "ass" in most Latin American countries. In Spain, where culo means "buttocks", culear means moving one's buttocks, especially now among young people with the reggaetón music lyrics. In Mexico it also means to be afraid, as in "tienes culo" (you're scared).In slang it also means to make life difficult for someone, but it is rarely used in Spain and has little or no sexual reference. In Panama, Nicaragua, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and other Latin American countries, it means to have sex (not necessarily anal intercourse — compare with English slang "getting a piece of ass"). A more polite term for the buttocks is nalga.
  • In Panama, the verb hacer(lo) (lit. to do (it)) also denotes "to have sexual intercourse". When you say "Lo hice con él/ella" (I did it with him/her), you mean "I had intercourse with him/her".
  • Follar another synonym, used particularly in Spain and to a lesser extent in Cuba, but also found elsewhere. In these countries it means to have sex.
  • Joder means "fuck" in terms of intercourse, and also the notions of "fucking with someone" and "screw something up". In Spain, the word is also used as an interjection, as in, ¡Joder! ("Fuck!"). The word joder comes from the Latin futuere (cognate with French foutre, Italian fottere, Catalan fotre and Galician and Portuguese foder). In Southern South America, joder means both "to annoy" (e.g. "no jodas" = "no kidding") or "to have fun" (e.g. "vamos a joder" = "let's have fun") and is deemed mildly vulgar but not obscene. In the Dominican Republic, joder can be used as a vulgar substitute of the verbs to annoy, or to fool/to mock (No jodas conmigo = "Don't fool with me", "Tu me estas jodiendo" = "You've got to be -fucking- kidding me"). The substantive joda is used as "fun" (e.g. "la joda loca" = "great fun, wild party"), and the word jodido as "difficult" (e.g. "examen jodido" = "hard exam"). In Puerto Rico, the word is used in all of its meanings, but the terms of intercourse are the least used.
  • Meter, which can be translated as the inoffensive verb to put in, can sometimes be used in Dominican Republic to imply the insertion of the male penis during sexual intercourse. ("Yo se lo metí a ella" = "I put it inside her").
  • Pisar, which is used in Central America (chiefly El Salvador and Honduras) and to some extent in Chile, translates as to step, which implies "stepping on" or being on top of another person during intercourse, like the rooster does to the hen.
  • Ponchar is another variant of to fuck used in Panama and Mexico, also means to pinch. In other countries, it means "to strike out" (baseball) and is unoffensive.
  • Rapar is a variant dealing with intercourse, used in the Dominican Republic. It is a vulgarized version of the verb raspar (to scratch).

Differences in regional Spanish can sometimes produce awkward situations in a communication between two Spanish speakers of different countries, but such differences are usually known internationally and taken humorously, although some can cause awkward confussions. The word "culantro" refers to an aromatic herb used in cooking, but in Mexico the herb is called "cilantro", while "culantro" is likely to be understood as "butt". Also, the phrase "esa señora tiene muy buena cuchara" translates literally as "that lady has a very good spoon" and means "that lady cooks very well", referring to the use of a cuchara/spoon while cooking. However, in Guatemala, the word cuchara is used as a synonym of "vagina", which can lead to a very unpleasant situation.

Chaquetearse

Look up Chaquetear in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up Puñeta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Chaquetearse is a verb that means to masturbate. It is not used in European Spanish. In Chile, it means "to change one's posture rapidly" (compare to English's flip-flop).

Also very common is the use of puñeta, which derives from puño ("fist"), and means to masturbate, as in "Me hice una puñeta". This sense requires the use of the word "puñeta" in singular; when used in the plural, like in "Vete a hacer puñetas," the meaning is completely different: this could be roughly translated as "Go to hell" and makes reference to the adornments that lawyers and judges wear in the wrist ("puño") of shirts. These adornments are very laborious and require many hours of production, so making such adornments ("hacer puñetas") is supposed to be unpleasant and tedious labor. Other word for male masturbation, used in Costa Rica, is sobo (rub) for the physical description of the hand movements. This does not apply to female masturbation, which in the Dominican Republic is referred to as darse dedo (lit. fingering (-self)).

It may have another additional connotation in Mexican Spanish: it may mean 'to create false hopes' or 'to hallucinate', hacerse una chaqueta mental (literally "To masturbate your brain"); compare to the English expression "mental masturbation" and to the European Spanish "paja mental", which is an almost literal translation of the English phrase.

Mierda

Look up mierda in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Mierda is a term which signifies excrement; the connotations are approximately the same as those of "shit", although slightly less offensive, but more offensive than "crap". Terms such as vete a la mierda, however, means to go to hell. Caca is a less offensive term often used by children, and is loosely comparable to the English poop. (Which is not used as a swear word in all countries.)

It is also used to describe unpleasant or negative things, such as tiempo de mierda ("shitty weather") or auto de mierda ("fucking/bloody car", "lemon"). A less common use is as a translation of the British profanity "bugger". The euphemisms miércoles (Wednesday) and eme (the letter m) are sometimes used in such constructions to avoid using the offensive word (like using "shoot" instead of "shit" in English).

Maricón

Look up maricón in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Maricón and its derivative words marica and marico are words used for referring to someone as a gay man, or for criticizing someone for doing something that, according to stereotypes, only a gay person would do. In Spain and Cuba the word has a stronger meaning with a very negative emphasis; akin to "faggot" or "poof" in the English language. In southern Spain the term maricona refers to a male gay queen; which is often used humorously. However, maricona is exclusively used to refer to a lesbian in Dominican Republic. In Argentina, Chile and Mexico, maricón or marica are especially used to denote a "chicken" (coward), and it is not considered an expletive. Some examples of the uses of this word are:

  • "Eres una marica." ("You are a faggot")
  • "Mano, eres tremendamente maricón." ("Dude, you're really gay!"; note that maricón is actually used as an adjective here)
  • "Yo sí soy maricón, ¿y qué?" ("I am gay, so what?")
  • "No seas maricón" ("Don't chicken out")

Other synonyms are: Julai, Julandrón, Mariquita, Afeminado, Invertido (official noun under Spanish dictatorship), Mariposa, Mariposón, Pulmón, Sarasa, Desviado, Bujarra, Cabro, Hueco, Pato, Trucha, Joto, Puñal, Trolo (Argentina), Pargo, Parcha, Parchita, Homogay, Homo, Loca, Roscón, Puto, Tragasable, Tragaleche, Comilon, Cundango (Dominican Republic), Pájaro (Dominican Republic)

Probably the strongest profanity referring to an homosexual male is puto; it is highly offensive, but is sometimes used by members of the gay community to refer to themselves (to create a comical effect). This corresponds to the use of "bitch" between English-speaking lesbians or gays and in the prison population. Puto can also be used as a masculine equivalent to the term puta, lit. "bitch".

Spanish being a grammatically gendered language, switching the gender of adjectives and/or pronouns when referring to someone of either sex can imply homosexuality, much as in English one might refer to a flamboyantly gay man as her. Some words referring to a male homosexual end in an "a" but have the male article "el", a deliberate violation of Spanish grammar for a paradoxical effect. "Hada" is one of these words.

Paja

Paja directly translates to English as "straw", used in farms for cattle and other animals to lie on. In South America and Panama hacerse la paja (correrse la paja, in Chile and Peru) means to masturbate. In most parts of Central America and the Spanish Caribbean to masturbate is to pajearse. In South America and Spain, and Dominican Republic is more often used as hacerse una paja. Pajero, or Pajillero in Spain, is a masturbator (wanker) and also can imply a weakling or a fool, due to cultural beliefs that masturbation created mental weakness. In certain countries, such as Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, Pajero (fem. Pajera) can also mean lazy person, and in Guatemala it means liar, "Vos sos bien pajero = you're such a liar". In Costa Rica, Venezuela and El Salvador, hablar paja can mean either to talk nonsense "tú solo hablas paja = you're just talking nonsense" or small talk "estuve hablando paja con un amigo = I was talking small talk with a friend". After this, calling a person "pajoso" means he/she either lies a lot or speaks nonsense.

Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors has a sport utility named Mitsubishi Pajero. The original intention was to call the car after a South American wildcat, but the company's failure to check other uses of the word caused many chuckles. In the Americas and in Spain, the vehicle was rebadged as the Montero. (It has since been replaced in North America by the Mitsubishi Endeavor.)

In Peru the word paja can also mean cool: que paja tu carro "you have a cool/nice car".

Pendejo

Look up pendejo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Pendejo is etymologically related to the Latin pectiniculus, meaning pubic hair or anal hair. It may be translated as asshole in many situations, though it carries an extra implication of rank and willful incompetence. The less extreme version, which is used in most Spanish speaking countries is the term 'jackass.' The term however, has very high offensive connotations in Cuba.

In Mexico, Central and Northern South America, pendejo refers to a stupid person, synonymous with idiota, although it is a much stronger word in Mexico and Central America than it is in Panama, where, while still impolite, it is not as offensive, especially among younger people. In Peru it means a person who gains benefits from an advantageous situation in an immoral manner and if it used referring to a female, "ella es pendeja", means she is promiscuous. In South America pendejo is also a vulgar, yet inoffensive word, for children. It also signifies a person with a disorderly or irregular life. In Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, it has different meanings depending on the situation. It can range from "Te cogieron de pendejo!" = "You were fooled!" (e.g. by a conman), to "Qué tipa pendeja!" = "What an asshole!" (e.g. when some unknown woman unexpectedly offends you with no apparent motive, and just leaves turning her back on you). In Mexico and some countries of Central America, especially El Salvador, "una pendejada" is used to describe something incredibly stupid that someone has done. In many countries, "pendejo" also means coward (with a stronger connotation), as in "No huyas, pendejo!" = "Don't run away, chicken-shit!".

In the Coen Brothers' movie The Big Lebowski, John Turturro's character Jesus Quintana - later revealed to be a sex offender - calls Walter (John Goodman) a 'pendejo' following an altercation with a firearm.

In the movie Scarface Hector the Toad (Al Israel) tells Tony Montana (Al Pacino) "Last Chance Pendejo!" in the shower slaughter scene.

In the movie ALIENS, Vasquez calls Hudson a "pendejo jerkoff" after he is bad mouthing Gorman, and later mutters "pendejo" just on its own.

Can also be seen as Güevón (Venezuela).

Puta

Puta literally means whore, and can be extended to any woman who is seen as being sexually loose. The word is used in quite a few common expressions. Hijo de puta (lit. "son of a whore") is roughly comparable to "son of a bitch", "bastard" or "motherfucker" in English.

Puta madre (lit. "whore mother"), on the other hand, while vulgar, can also be a term of praise, comparable to how "motherfucker" can be used positively in English, although more uniformly positive: "Escribe como la puta madre" might be rendered "He writes like a motherfucker"; "es una tía de puta madre" can mean she's an awesome chick.

The male equivalent puto has different meanings in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world: in many places it is a pejorative for a gay man (this usage is present in Don Quijote), in others it is simply a comment on a man being sexually loose (depending on context or tone, it can be extremely offensive or just a joke). Puto could also be translated as fucking, shitty or bloody; "¡deme el puto dinero!" means "give me the bloody money".

Hayao Miyazaki's film 天球の城ラピュタ (Laputa: Castle in the Sky) was marketed outside Japan as merely "Castle in the Sky," as "la puta" means "the whore" in Spanish. The name was a reference to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, in which Laputa is the name of a flying island.

In some Latin American countries, hijo de puta is transformed into hijo de la gran puta (lit. son of the great bitch) or simply hijo de la gran (lit. son of the great). Also is shortened in a single word: hijueputa, hijuelagranputa...

Other terms

Look up cabrón in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up coño in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Almeja (clam) and conejo (rabbit) are also used as synonyms of cunt (in Spain).
  • Ahuevado/huevón/boludo (lit. that has balls/big balls; see "Huevón") is the word for jackass in many Latin American countries. "Awebao" is the popularly Panamanian form and good example of one of the most famous traits of a Panamanian accent, dropping final consonants (and sometimes even vowels). Even though an insult, it's also used, especially in Chile and Panama, the same way as dude in North America (much like güey in Mexico), comparably with Greek malaka. In Mexico, huevón is a pejorative term usually used for a habitually lazy or sedentary male. In Peru and Venezuela, güevón is the preferred form.
  • Avión (lit. Airplane) and Avionazo (lit. big airplane) are Dominican equivalents to the English term slut. Cuero (lit. leather), used for describing hotties in Mexico, is used in Dominican Republic to refer to a whore.
  • Bicho ("bug") is the main vulgar word used to reference to a male penis in Puerto Rico , and also the very less used words pija, pingo or pinga, yet in most other countries it is just a reference to an insect, and not a vulgar word. In Venezuela it can be used as an exclamation. 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, bicho is applied to people (both male and female) to mean a bad person, often used as mal bicho ("bad bug"). However, in other contexts, specially applied to children, it can mean a naughty boy or girl.
  • Cabrón (literally "large goat"), in Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico, implies a prick or a motherfucker. It may also imply that one's significant other is unfaithful and even worse they are aware of the fact and they're either too weak or stupid to do anything about it; a cuckold. 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 "it is tough" (está cabrón). In Panama, it is used as an adjective to mean something/someone very annoying (that pisses you off); it comes from cabrear (to piss someone off). In Peru, cabro means "faggot", hence cabrón is its corresponding superlative (lit. "big faggot"). In Spain and Puerto Rico, it additionally refers to a husband who has a cheating wife and hence has "horns" like a goat. The term cabrón also means a prostitute handler, comparable to pimp in English. The most common way to refer to a pimp is Spanish is by using the termchulo as a noun. When chulo is used as an adjective, it is equivalent to "cool" ("Ese hombre es un chulo" = "That man is a pimp" versus "Ese libro es chulo" = "That book is cool").
  • Diablo or Diablos, literally the devil and the devils, respectively are used as expletive equivalents to "the hell" in English. No sabemos qué diablo/diablos ese cabrón hará means "We don't know what "the hell" that jerk is going to do!". Diablo is often added to comparisons to indicate extremes in the Dominican Republic ("El examen estaba más difícil que el diablo" = "The test was extremely difficult" -literally "The test was tougher than the devil"-). The phrase "Más que el diablo" (which could be translated as "Yeah, right") is also used often in the Dominican Republic right after a statement that is believed to be false is made. (Ese examen estaba facil... más que el diablo. = That exam was easy... yeah right!).
  • ¡Demonios!, "demons", is used as a curse when something malfunctions or a mistake is made.
  • Diantre is used as a minced oath for diablo. Diañe, and Diache are also used as substitute terms in the Dominican Republic.
  • Güevo means cock in Dominican Republic. Highly offensive Dominican insults involving this term are mamagüevo (lit. cock-sucker) and mamagüevaso (lit. big cock-sucker). Ñema is used to refer to the penis' head. (Mamañema also being used as an insult sometimes). Both terms are deformations of the Spanish words for egg (huevo) and yolk (yema).
  • Maldita sea means Damn it. It is commonly used as an interjection and almost universally across Spanish speaking countries. It literally means let it be damned (by God). Despite the literal meaning, it is widely used in Spanish-speaking television, since it is not considered very offensive, it is always much more preferable than a Coño.
  • Carajo is a very common interjection, it can be translated to "damn it", e.g. Nos vamos a morir, ¡carajo! ("We're gonna die, dammit!"). The diminutive, carajito, is used in the Dominican Republic to refer to (usually annoying) children, or to scold a person for acting immaturely, e.g. No actúes como un carajito ("Don't act like a brat!"). Caray is an inoffensive minced oath for this word. Ay caray could be translated "Dang it" or "Darn it!"
  • Cagar means to (take a) shit. It also means to screw (something) up, e.g. ¡Cagaste la radio! ("You screwed up the radio!"). Particularly in Spain, there are a number of commonly-used interjections incorporating this verb, many of which refer to shitting on something sacred, e.g. ¡Me cago en Dios! (Lit. "I shit on God!"), ¡Me cago en diez! (Lit. "I shit on ten!"; a euphemism for ¡Me cago en Dios!, used because of the similarity between the pronunciation of Dios and diez), Me cago en tu madre (Lit. "I shit on your mother"), Cágate en tu madre (Lit. the command "Shit on your mother"), ¡Me cago en la leche! (Lit. "I shit in the milk!"), ¡Me cago en la Virgen! (Lit. "I shit on the Virgin!") and ¡Me cago en la hostia! (Lit. "I shit on the communion wafer!"). Depending on the context, these phrases may be extremely offensive in Catholic or Christian countries. In Spain and Mexico it also means to make a big mistake la cagaste (Lit. "you made it shit"). In Mexico City it may be used to indicate 'good luck': te cagaste (Lit. "You made yourself shit").
  • Concha (Lit. shell) is an offensive word for a woman's vagina (i.e. something akin to English cunt) in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. It is commonly heard in the phrase ¡(La) concha (de) tu madre! (Lit. "Your mother's cunt"), which may be used either as an impersonal interjection expressing anger, surprise or frustration, or as a direct insult. Depending on the context, the phrase may cause massive offense. Chucha/Chuchamadre and Chucha de tu madre (respectively) are the Panamanian equivalents. Although Toto would be the Dominican equivalent, semilla (Lit. seed) is often used in a similar context. In Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, chocha or crica imply the word pussy, although the latter in other countries may have a different (non vulgar) meaning. "¡Crica!" may also be used as an interjection, expressing anger or frustration, like "May I be damned!". In Venezuela, chocha can mean female genitalia, but it can also mean a type of round seed or a particular type of bird.[1] Chocha is also a game bird in Spain. The painter Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes made a painting with that name depicting some of those hunted birds. The term conchetumadre is very common and very offensive in Chile, as well as in Ecuador.
  • Coño is a vulgar word for a woman's vagina. It is frequently translated as "cunt" (and is, indeed, etymologically related) but is in reality significantly less offensive (it is much more common to hear the word coño on Spanish television than the word cunt on British television, for example). The word is frequently used as an interjection, expressing surprise, anger or frustration. If you hit your finger with a hammer, "¡Coño!" would be like "Shit!" or "Goddamn it!".
  • Cuca (sometimes cucaracha) is the equivalent of "cunt" in Venezuela and Colombia. Slightly milder than coño, and is almost inoffensive in Dominican Republic. However, the term has other meanings. While in the Dominican Republic it is a common way to call a parrot, in Chile, cuca means paddy wagon in criminal slang.
  • Culo is the Latin American Spanish term for arse and the Iberian Spanish term for "buttocks". In El Salvador, "Culero" refers to a male homosexual, while in Mexico it refers to a prick/bastard. Terms cola and nalga are inoffensive words "buttocks".
  • Fundillo or Fundío is heard in Mexico and the Southern, Spanish-speaking U.S. as the obscene word specifically for the human anus. It carries about the same weight as the American usages of the words "asshole" or "butt-hole" (but note that fundío is only used to refer to the anus and not as an insult towards a person.) "¡Métetelo en fundío!" (or in Mexican Spanish Métetelo por el fundillo means about the same as the English expression of reproachful refusal, "Shove it up your ass!" The variant fondillo is also found in Puerto Rico. In the Dominican Republic, the milder term fullín and the very offensive cieso may also be used.
  • Huey/Güey is a common term in Mexico, coming from the word "Buey" that literally means ox or steer and is equivalent to "stupid" as an adjective or to a "cheated husband/boyfriend/cuckold" as a noun. Like cabrón, it is not as offensive when used among close friends. Young Mexicans and Chicano men use this word routinely in referring to one another, just as English word dude.
  • Hueco In most Spanish-speaking countries, the word simply means a hole. In Chile and Guatemala however, it is also a derogatory word for a homosexual.
  • Huevón (big balls) is a common word in South America, especially in Peru, Chile, and Venezuela (where it's pronounced more like "güevón" and, often, "ueón"). Its meaning goes from buddy to idiot. In Mexico it means to be a slacker.
  • Huevos (literally "eggs"), pelotas (literally "balls"), and albóndigas (literally meatballs) all mean testicles in a profane manner. They are equivalent to "Cojones" in many situations. In Mexico, in a situation where any ambiguity might arise, it is reasonably common to avoid this word for its literal meaning of "eggs", substituting the inoffensive "blanquillos" (literally "little white ones"). Foreign missionaries in Bolivia are frequently targeted with this as an aggressive suggestion that they are homosexual (since they stay together at all times and are frequently pale, perhaps like the whites of eggs).
  • Joto (literally a "jack" or a "knave", from Western card games) is a word used in Mexico and the Southern, Spanish-speaking U.S.-- usually pejoratively-- for a male homosexual. Arguably more universally offensive than the similar word, maricón, joto carries with it an accusation of utter fecklessness, societal worthlessness, and perhaps the hinted accusation of closeted homosexuality. A Mexican gay man, for example, might refer to himself risibly as a maricón, but probably not as a joto. Recently the use of "Joto", "Jota" or "Jotita" in Mexico have changed, and it is used widely among the gay community, mainly as an adjective: "Es una película muy jota" (It's a very gay movie). Definitely not to be confused with the word jota, which refers to a traditional Spanish, Mexican or Argentine parlor dance.
  • Mariposa (literally "butterfly"), "maricón"/"marica"/"mariquita" or "puto" (literally "male prostitute") all mean "faggot". A common variation, especially in Spain and Mexico, is "Mariposón".
  • A verga is a part of a ship's mast (a yardarm), but its slang meaning is the penis in most Spanish dialects, and as a Latin word, in other romance languages as Italian. In Venezuela and Mexico the word is used quite commonly. In the former country it can be used as a generic stand in for an object that is being referred to, but also as an exclamation. A common expression in Mexico is "¡vete a la verga!", meaning "get out of here!" In Panama it is also known as "verguinton", spoken more frequently in the phrase "A la verguinton!" (equivalent to "A la verga!", meaning a more rude form of "damn!" or "Oh my god!"
  • Monflor and its variant Monflora are used in Mexico and the Southern, Spanish-speaking United States to refer, usually pejoratively, to a female homosexual or Lesbian. Used very much the same way as the English word dyke. And, as with this English word, monflora can be extremely offensive-- or relatively benign, if used between friends, especially within the G/L communities. Oye, güey, no toques a esa chica; todos ya saben que es monflora. ("Hey, dude, don't hit on that girl; everyone knows she's a dyke."). However, the most popular prejorative way to call a lesbian is "Tortillera" (Lit. "Omelet Maker"). Lesbian sex is often referred to as tortillear or hacer tortilla (Lit. omeletting or to make omelets). Lesbians can also be called patas (female ducks), pájaras (female birds), or cundangas in Dominican Republic. It is common to offensively refer to LGBT community people by terms that imply some sort of flying.
  • Cueco, cuecón, and pato (lit. duck) are synonyms for faggot spoken in Panama.
  • Mal nacido or mal parido, sometimes shortened in one word (Malnacido/malparido) (lit. badly born), is used in many Latin American countries as synonyms for motherfucker.
  • Madre, depending on its usage (e.g. madrear - to beat, or hasta la madre - full), can be profane in Mexican Spanish, where is the biggest offence due to the cultural tendency in this country to the mother ruled homes. "Chinga tu madre" could be considered the best way to offend someone. This word is not always offensive, though it could be vulgar, like "¡Que poca madre!" (That's terrible!) and "Esta madre no funciona" (this thing doesn't work).
  • Goma (rubber, condom) can be used as a minced oath. For example, vete a la goma can replace vete a la verga or vete a la mierda. In Chile, goma is also an offensive term for an assistant.
  • Pinche literally means a cook's assistant, and is an expression of mediocrity. It is often aimed at another person, as in pinche guey, or to any particular object, which is usually of poor quality, esta muy pinche (it's very low quality). In Mexico, 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, no ha venido..." ("freakin' Mario hasn't come yet"), or "¿¡Quieres callarte la pinche boca!?" ("Would you like to shut up your fuckin' mouth!?"). Sometimes pinchudo(a) is said instead. In Puerto Rican and Dominican Spanish pinche is a hairpin.
  • In Panama, Peru and Chile, another common profanity exists: chucha. It is the equivalent to pussy/cunt (coño) and/or damn (coño/carajo). The phrase "Chucha de tu madre!"(lit. "your mother's pussy") actually means "You motherfucker!". "Chucha!"(alone) means "Damn!", "Cunt!", "Fuck!"...
  • Commonly in Panama, the word "micha" is used to refer to the female pussy (Micha is also a type of bread). Picha is the equivalent to the male dick/cock.
  • Ojete -- derived from "ojo" or "eye", means "eyelet"-- is the name for the anus in Mexico, but it also is used as an adjective to qualify the morality or behaviour of a person, not unlike the word "asshole": "Se portó muy ojete conmigo" (He was a really bad person with me, or he was an asshole to me) A popular naughty graffiti in Mexico amongst schoolchildren is "OGT". When one pronounces the letters individually, they sound like "ojete".

See also

Notes

  1. ^ María Josefina Tejera et al., Diccionario de Venezolanismos, Tomo I (A-I), Universidad Central de Venezuela / Academia de la Lengua. Caracas. 1983. p.360.
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