"Bad" Words?

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OttawaTom

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Hi all.

How about letting us in on some of the not so nice expressions, so we'll know what people are calling us?

For example, I've seen the term "ladrone" used at times on the forums. What does that mean?

What is a "tigre"?

Tom
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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This was always my English learners favourite class, and once the giggles were over it was recognised as a useful one.

Different words have different degrees of taboo, and these are worth knowing. You might take offence at a mild word, or use a shocking one in the wrong company.

My advice to anyone who isn't fluent is not to venture into this territory. There are so many subtleties that most get it wrong. I used to cringe when I heard my students f-ing and blinding in English - it sounded so fake and contrived.

The reason it's useful to learn is because it helps to know what exactly people are saying.

Words that are very strong in some Spanish speaking countries have no effect in others, or mean something benign.

Some examples:
'Bicho' (literally insect) means child in El Salvador, a mischievous child in Spain, and penis in Cuba, I am told. Here in DR 'pajaro' (bird) is used for insect (bug) and - pejoratively - for gay men.

'Concha' in the DR and most other places means sea-shell and the diminutive form of the girls' name Concepcion. In Argentina it is the 'c' word.

'Cabron' (cuckold) is pretty offensive in Spain, but virtually meaningless in the DR.

'Puta' (prostitute, slut), or 'hijo de puta' and other variations are not usually used as expletives in the DR, although the word 'puta' is used in its literal, pejorative sense. 'Puta' is to Central America what 'co?o' is to the DR!

In the DR, 'co?o' has lost its literal meaning as the 'c' word, which it retains in Spain. Here it's not that much stronger than the English 'sh!t'. Milder version is 'concho' or 'conchole'.

Same goes for 'carajo'. Not nice at all in Spain. In the DR, while you might refrain from using it with your maiden aunts, it is second only to 'co?o' in popularity.

'Diablo' is considered very offensive (blasphemous) and many people modify it to 'diantre' or 'diache'. Again, this word would not cause a ripple in some other countries.

Milder insults

pendejo - sucker
pariguayo - jerk
baboso (literally drooler) - someone who speaks nonsense

To the OP:

Tigre is tiger. Tiguere is Dominican slang for man, specifically of the shady, streetwise variety.

Ladron (plural - ladrones) means thief.

There are more...
 

mofi

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Feb 9, 2005
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Chirimoya said:
This was always my English learners favourite class, and once the giggles were over it was recognised as a useful one.

Different words have different degrees of taboo, and these are worth knowing. You might take offence at a mild word, or use a shocking one in the wrong company.

My advice to anyone who isn't fluent is not to venture into this territory. There are so many subtleties that most get it wrong. I used to cringe when I heard my students f-ing and blinding in English - it sounded so fake and contrived.

The reason it's useful to learn is because it helps to know what exactly people are saying.

Words that are very strong in some Spanish speaking countries have no effect in others, or mean something benign.

Some examples:
'Bicho' (literally insect) means child in El Salvador, a mischievous child in Spain, and penis in Cuba, I am told. Here in DR 'pajaro' (bird) is used for insect (bug) and - pejoratively - for gay men.

'Concha' in the DR and most other places means sea-shell and the diminutive form of the girls' name Concepcion. In Argentina it is the 'c' word.

'Cabron' (cuckold) is pretty offensive in Spain, but virtually meaningless in the DR.

'Puta' (prostitute, slut), or 'hijo de puta' and other variations are not usually used as expletives in the DR, although the word 'puta' is used in its literal, pejorative sense. 'Puta' is to Central America what 'co?o' is to the DR!

In the DR, 'co?o' has lost its literal meaning as the 'c' word, which it retains in Spain. Here it's not that much stronger than the English 'sh!t'. Milder version is 'concho' or 'conchole'.

Same goes for 'carajo'. Not nice at all in Spain. In the DR, while you might refrain from using it with your maiden aunts, it is second only to 'co?o' in popularity.

'Diablo' is considered very offensive (blasphemous) and many people modify it to 'diantre' or 'diache'. Again, this word would not cause a ripple in some other countries.

Milder insults

pendejo - sucker
pariguayo - jerk
baboso (literally drooler) - someone who speaks nonsense

To the OP:

Tigre is tiger. Tiguere is Dominican slang for man, specifically of the shady, streetwise variety.

Ladron (plural - ladrones) means thief.

There are more...
Just had to add to your post.
Cabron- Although kind of like A$$hole is used when refering to friends in mexico- not taken as hard as in spain.
Pendejo- Meaning the same thing is what we use when you are really mad, and you really mean it.
Puta-Bit*h/Slut -Other possible words- Zorra/Perra
Theres way more I was teaching my manager at work the other day, but alot of them don't have direct translations.
 

paddy

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pato means duck in spanish..faggot
maricon means mother......
cho cha means vag...
webo means co.k
i may be off on some of the spelling
 

hollywood north

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Dec 11, 2002
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www.cybersecretary.ca
concha = pu$$y
guebo = c*ck hence "es un mamaguebo" or maricon
mama toto (toto=concha)
I remember the Body Shop had a product line for Mothers and Babies called....Mama Toto because in Swahilli it means Mother/Baby....more marketing research required there LOL!!!

oh yeah....semilla (seed) or cashew or clitoris ......ask the guys that sell the bags of cashews
Man I know some the nasty stuff.
 
Nov 5, 2004
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paddy said:
pato means duck in spanish..faggot
maricon means mother......
cho cha means vag...
webo means co.k
i may be off on some of the spelling

marico means gay...mariconaso if they are REALLY gay

mama?ema...mamaguevo...(not sure on the spelling)..mamatoto...are all bad things to say also

oops i posted almost the same thing as hollywood north at the same time..but i was writting slow cuz I was on MSN at the same time..oh well
 

mofi

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Another one I've heard is Mamona??? i don't know if thats how you spell it but thats how it sounds.
 

Morena76

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Comment and question

I found out that culo meant @$$ after I was happily singing along to a song. When I was in Puerto Rico, I used the word cajones and my PR friend was shocked and told me that was very offensive. Is that true in DR also?
 

gatoazul

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About guebo sound

I have to admit I feel a little strange writing all these words.

I have to tell something about the word g?ebo: you have to pronounce the u. In correct writing the word should have a "dieresis" over the u to indicate that the u sound is pronounced. As g?ebo is not formally used, people doesn't care about its correct spelling. The same rule applies for the word cigue?a (stork). Cigue?a should be written with a dieresis.

These two words should then be written as follows:

G?ebo
Cig?e?a

Even so, I've seen nobody writing g?ebo with a dieresis.

This is an important note for the ones that haven't heard the word yet and could think that the gue sound on this word is pronounced as in the words guerra and Miguel.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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hollywood north said:
concha = pu$$y
guebo = c*ck hence "es un mamaguebo" or maricon
mama toto (toto=concha)
I remember the Body Shop had a product line for Mothers and Babies called....Mama Toto because in Swahilli it means Mother/Baby....more marketing research required there LOL!!!

oh yeah....semilla (seed) or cashew or clitoris ......ask the guys that sell the bags of cashews
Man I know some the nasty stuff.

Holly: Concha does not mean anything in The DR other than conch/shell. Aside that...Muchacha tu si eres malcriada...Que boca...LOL

Gato: Good point.

Morena: Culo does mean a$$, Cajones means big boxes...I think you meant cojones which I guess means something bad in other latin countries, but in The DR all it means is brave or to be gutsy (i.e. Ese hombre si tiene cojones - That guys is afraid of nothing). I think you were trying to say balls which is granos or bolsa = ball sack.
 
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Chirimoya

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'Culo' is a good example. Innocuous in Spain, where you see adverts for baby wipes that say 'para los culitos limpios' - much as you'd say 'soft as a baby's bottom' in English.

In the DR it refers not to the whole rear end, just the orifice, and is considered very crude indeed. Rear end is 'nalga(s)'.

Meanwhile, we listen to Kiko Veneno (Spanish singer) and sing along:

'...Juana... con ese culito tan redondito... como una manzana'

- takes on a whole different meaning in the DR! :eek:
 

trina

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Jan 3, 2002
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More examples

"Vaina" is another example of the vocabulary Chiri has mentioned. When Angel's son, Angelo, moved here, we were getting phone calls on a bi-weekly basis from the bi-lingual English/Spanish Catholic school he is attending. The first call was, "Can you please talk to Angelo about not using the word 'vaina' in school?" Being that my only exposure to the Spanish language is through conversing with Dominicans, I didn't see the problem. 'Vaina' in the DR is mainly used out of laziness, much the same as we use 'thing'. 'Vaina', to many other Spanish-speaking countries, is like saying 'crap'.

Shortly thereafter, another call from Angelo's Grade One teacher. "Can you talk to Angelo about not using the word 'co?o' at school?" He uses it all the time, and it's really quite offensive.

And then there was the "no me jodes" call...
 

Chirimoya

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I never realised 'vaina' was anything but innocent until I had an argument with a drama queen at work. He took great offence about me using what he called a 'mala palabra'. I guessed it had to be 'vaina', because nothing else I said qualified.

At least I hope it was, or one day I'll finally discover that some other word I've been using all over the place was a bad one all along.
 

juancarlos

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Sep 28, 2003
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'Bicho' (literally insect) means child in El Salvador, a mischievous child in Spain, and penis in Cuba, I am told. Here in DR 'pajaro' (bird) is used for insect (bug) and - pejoratively - for gay men."

Chiri, it is in Puerto Rico where bicho is THE slang word for penis. In Cuba you can say bicho all you want and nobody will pay attention to it. It simply means bug, insect. However, it is also used euphemistically to mean penis when you don't want to use the real bad Cuban word for it: P..ga. Only then does bicho mean penis. Pajaro is also used for gay men in Cuba in a pejorative way, but it is not as strong as maricon, the real bad word; pato is also used. For lesbians it is tortillera, same as in Spain. Of course, in Cuba you also hear people saying: fulano es un bicho. meaning a very street wise person, someone who is very tricky etc.

There are four slang words for vulva in Cuba and I won't mention them here.
 
Nov 5, 2004
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Chirimoya said:
I never realised 'vaina' was anything but innocent until I had an argument with a drama queen at work. He took great offence about me using what he called a 'mala palabra'. I guessed it had to be 'vaina', because nothing else I said qualified.

At least I hope it was, or one day I'll finally discover that some other word I've been using all over the place was a bad one all along.

I always find it intresting the way the same words in spanish can have SUCH a different meaning in other spanish speaking countries. Sure in English we have different accents,and expressions, but I can't really think of words that mean such totally differnt things in differnt countries.

Esavainia was one of the first words I asked what it meant, just because I heard it used so much, I had to ask what it was. :)

gatoazul- when I spell things in spanish on here, I usually spell them as they sound because I know how to pronounce them but not write them. (I tought myself how to write spanish, so it's not anywhere close to being perfect)And I don't often write with the proper accents...even if I know them I am a bit lazy with that. ;) But thank you for the correction...now i know how to spell that properly online when I speak with my Dominican friends! lol :D

Juan Carlos - sorry not sure if I am just unclear on your post...but are you saying pajaro is only used in CubaCuz I have heard it used in the DR a few times too.
But you are saying that maricon is a "stronger" word to use then pajaro? Like pajaro is more "politicaly correct"? (I am not questioning what you are saying at all, just asking to clarify for myself:) )
 

suarezn

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Peaches: Maricon IS the real word for homosexual in The DR. Pajaro is just a slang that means the same thing. Neither one is any better than the other IMO. Pajaro is definitely not politically correct...
 
Nov 5, 2004
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suarezn said:
Peaches: Maricon IS the real word for homosexual in The DR. Pajaro is just a slang that means the same thing. Neither one is any better than the other IMO. Pajaro is definitely not politically correct...

Is there a word for "gay" that you can use in the DR and it not be offensive?
Because from the way I have heard ppl say it...Maricon would be considered offensive if you use it to refer to a gay person to their face...
 

Chirimoya

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PeachezNcream84 said:
Is there a word for "gay" that you can use in the DR and it not be offensive?
Because from the way I have heard ppl say it...Maricon would be considered offensive if you use it to refer to a gay person to their face...

Well, you can say 'gay' - it has been adopted into the vocabulary. Otherwise 'homosexual'.
 
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