Monday, December 24, 2012

Episode 16: Slang

Here in Argentina, or more specifically in Buenos Aires, they have a form of slang known as the Lunfardo. Having been here for a while, I'm starting to get to grips with some of the rubbish they all come up with - and here are my top 5 phrases:

1) Boludo (or Pelotudo). There is no direct translation for a boludo - it totally depends on the situation. It can mean anything from 'mate' to 'you ****' if said to a stranger. Mainly though, its said between friends as sort of an 'idiot' - and thus is my favorite word.

2)Mandar Fruta / chumayar; To b/s. Chamuyar can also mean to flirt. Technically mandar fruta means to send fruit - not quite sure what thats about, but when you think about the word in english nothing really makes sense anyway!

3) Calienta la pava pero no ceba los mates (or in short, una calienta pava); she heats the kettle but doesnt serve the mate's. Ill let you come to your own conclusion about what this could mean...

4) Le faltan algunos jugadores; he's missing a few players. I.e. he's an absolute idiot.

5) Quilombo (e.g. que quilombo!) - what a g-d awful mess...

What also impresses me is the sheer amount of words for guy/person: chabón, chamago, chango, pibe, boludo, maestro, negro, flaco, jefe, loco, amigo, muchacho, hombre and I could go on for a while...

Also, believe it or not, these are the clean ones...Happy Holidays!

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