January 1, 2010

sigla

Meaning: acronym

Example: PEMEX es la sigla de Petróleos Mexicanos. (PEMEX is the acronym for Petróleos Mexicanos, Mexico’s national petroleum company.)

January 2, 2010

La esperanza es eterna.

Meaning: Hope springs eternal.

Example: La situación parece desesperada, pero la esperanza es eterna. (The situacion looks bleak, but hope springs eternal.)

January 3, 2010

niño de los azotes

Meaning: whipping boy

Example: ¡Olvídalo! No voy a decirle a mamá que yo lo hice y no tú. No soy tu niño de los azotes. (Forget it! I’m not telling mom that I did it instead of you. I’m not your whipping boy.)

January 4, 2010

mensajear

Meaning: to text

Example: Tengo algo importante que mensajear a mi amiga. (I have something important to text to my friend.)

January 5, 2010

chancla

Literal Meaning: slipper, sandal

Meaning: lesbian

Example: Mi mejor amiga es chancla. (My best friend is a lesbian.)

January 6, 2010

un volado

Meaning: coin toss

Example: Te juego un volado. (I’ll flip you for it.)

January 8, 2010

mariposa

Literal Meaning: butterfly

Meaning: fag, faggot, effeminate

Example: ¿Por qué vas a salir con Joselito? Me dijeron que es mariposa. (Why are you going out with Joselito? I heard he’s a fag.)

January 9, 2010

Para hacer un omelet hay que romper unos huevos.

Literal Meaning: To make an omelet you have to some break eggs.

Meaning: Sometimes in order to create, you have to destroy.

January 10, 2010

dos patas zurdas

Meaning: two left feet

Example: Juanita no sabe bailar bien la salsa. Tiene dos patas zurdas. (Juanita doesn’t dance salsa well. She has two left feet.)

January 11, 2010

Se me fue de la mente.

Meaning: It slipped my mind

Example: Perdóname por no haber ido a la reunion. Se me fue de la mente. (Forgive me for not going to the meeting. It slipped my mind.)

January 13, 2010

dos tres

Meaning: so-so

Example: Pepito: ¿Qué tal el restaurant? (How was the restaurant?) Paquita: Mmmm, dos tres. No me gustó lo que pedí. (Ummm, so-so. I didn’t like what I ordered.)

January 14, 2009

dios mediante

Meaning: God willing

Example: Nos vemos este verano, dios mediante. We’ll see each other this summer, God willing.)

January 15, 2010

patán

Meaning: sexist pig

Example: ¡Qué patán eres! Tratas a tu mujer peor que a un perro. (What a sexist pig you are! You treat your woman worse than a dog.)

January 16, 2010

irse de mojado

Literal Meaning: to go as a wet one (from the term 'wetback' or 'mojado')

Meaning: to emigrate illegally

Example: José se fue de mojado a trabajar de lavaplatos, dejando a su esposa y siete hijos. (José went [illegally] to work as a dishwasher, leaving behind his wife and seven children.)

January 17, 2010

Esto no es correcto.

Meaning: That’s not right.

Example: No voy a aprovechar de la situación. Esto no es correcto. (I’m not going to take advantage of the situation. That’s not right.

January 18, 2010

malinche

Meaning: traitor

Example: El término malinche viene de la esclava, mujer, y traductora de Hernán Cortés, Malinztin, una joven de la region de Tabasco. (The term malinche comes from Hernán Cortés’ slave, mistress, and translator, Malinztin, a young woman from the area around Tabasco.)

January 19, 2010

vato lo lo

Meaning: bro, man, buddy

Example: Oye, carnal, vamos al cine? (Hey, bro, should we go to the movies?) Memo: ¡Buena idea, vato lo lo! (Good idea, man!)

January 20, 2010

tragaluz

Literal Meaning: light swallower

Meaning: skylight

Example: La casa tiene mucha luz, pues tiene tragaluz en cada habitación. (The house has a lot of light, since it has a skylight in each room.)

January 21, 2010

en fin

Meaning: actually, well, so, in fact, in summation

Example: Hice todo lo que pude. En fin, no me quiso escuchar. (I did all I could. But, well, he didn’t want to listen to me.)

January 22, 2010

snack

Pronunciation: eh-SNAK

Meaning: snack

Example: Tengo ganas de comer un snack. Vamos al snack [bar]. (I feel like having a snack. Let’s go to the snack bar.)

January 23, 2010

cadena perpetua

Literal Meaning: endless chain

Meaning: life sentence

Example: A Joselito le condenaron a cadena perpetua. Mató a dos personas. ( Joselito got a life sentence. He killed two people.)

January 24, 2010

llamado/a

Literal Meaning: named

Meaning: so-called

Example: Ciudad Juárez está sufriendo mucho por la llamada guerra contra el traficante. (Ciudad Juárez is suffering mightily from the so-called war against drug trafficking.)

January 25, 2010

echarle a patadas

Meaning: to kick [someone] out

Example: ¡Vamonos de aquí! ¡Acaban de echarle a Esteban a patadas del bar! (Let’s get out of here! They just kicked Esteban out of the bar!)

January 26, 2010

porrista

Meaning: cheerleader

Example: Las porristas más guapas del NFL son las de San Diego. (The cutest cheerleaders of the NFL are from San Diego.)

January 27, 2010

Ni hablar.

Meaning: It goes without saying.

Example: Que el chocolate de Suiza es mejor que él de México … ni habar. (That Switzerland’s chocolate is better than Mexico’s goes without saying.)

January 28, 2010

No me chupo el dedo.

Literal Meaning: I’m not sucking my finger (thumb).

Meaning: I’m not that naïve/dumb.

Example: A poco crees que voy a invertir contigo. No me chupo el dedo. (Surely you don’t think I’m going to invest with you. I’m not that naïve.)

January 29, 2010

pollo

Literal Meaning: chicken

Meaning: illegal alien who pays to be smuggled across the border

Example: Subieron cinco pollos al auto para cruzar la línea. (They put five illegals in the car to cross the border.)

January 30, 2010

pollero

Literal Meaning: chicken farmer

Meaning: illegal alien smuggler

Example: Ayer en San Diego capturaron a dos polleros con su cargo humano. (Yesterday in San Diego they captured two smugglers with their human cargo.)

January 31, 2010

encelarse

Meaning: to get jealous

Example: Si acaricias al cachorrito, el perro viejo se encela. (If you pet the puppy, the old dog gets jealous.)

February 1, 2010

burlarse

Meaning: to make fun of

Example: No es bueno burlarse de la gente. (It’s not nice to make fun of people.)