No tiene madre

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Chirimoya

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"No tiene madre" is slang either for very good or very bad, depending on the context. Why?

Also - is it a Dominicanism? I haven't heard it anywhere else, although it reminds me of the Spanish "de puta madre" which means extremely good, but you have to change the words slightly for it to take on a negative meaning.
 

Mirador

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"No tiene madre" is slang either for very good or very bad, depending on the context. Why?

Also - is it a Dominicanism? I haven't heard it anywhere else, although it reminds me of the Spanish "de puta madre" which means extremely good, but you have to change the words slightly for it to take on a negative meaning.


Reminds me yesterday, when my daughter Angela interrupted me as told me someone was repeatedly calling our home phone and not answering. So I asked her to call me next time it happened. So when I answered and did not get a response, I yelled at the top of my voice, "tu maldita madre!". ?ngela doubled up laughing...

Now that you mention "de puta madre". I've heard kids getting dangerously close to the rocky coast in front of the malec?n, and coaxing the waves by yelling, "Mar?a La O, Mar?a la O, tu madre es puta, y la m?a n?"
 

something_of_the_night

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Madre may not necessarily mean mother each and every time it is used.

A few years ago in Higuey, The Kid approached a man who was getting out of his truck.

The Kid: "Feliz Navidad, mi'jo."

Startled, the man turned around and pointed a .45 caliber pistol to The Kid's head and proclaimed, "Usted no tiene que saludarme. Yo le chingo la madre a cualquiera."

It was obvious he meant he could blow my head off, and not necessarily my mother's head.
 

Mirador

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tu chingada madre!

Madre may not necessarily mean mother each and every time it is used.

A few years ago in Higuey, The Kid approached a man who was getting out of his truck.

The Kid: "Feliz Navidad, mi'jo."

Startled, the man turned around and pointed a .45 caliber pistol to The Kid's head and proclaimed, "Usted no tiene que saludarme. Yo le chingo la madre a cualquiera."

It was obvious he meant he could blow my head off, and not necessarily my mother's head.

Sorry, but I doubt you heard that in Higuey, probably heard it in Tamaulipas, Hermosillo, Monterey, or even Guadalajara. The term "chingar" is not used in the DR, it's Mexican, and it's very offensive...
 

Chirimoya

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He could've been a Mexican tourist, or a Higueyano who'd spent some time in a part of the US where there are lots of Mexicans, like SOTN in fact. ;)

Anyone going to have a bash at answering?
 

Motorcycler

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In Puerto Rico it is used quite frequently (no tiene madre). As a matter of fact most people to protect their mothers say that they were born from a banana tree whenever this phrase comes up. "Mi madre es una mata de platano".
 

LatinoRican

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"T? no tienes madre" can be said to someone who has just made a very funny joke or a very witty comment. Something like, "You're too much!" in English.
 

something_of_the_night

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He could've been a Mexican tourist, or a Higueyano who'd spent some time in a part of the US where there are lots of Mexicans, like SOTN in fact. ;)

Anyone going to have a bash at answering?

You are correct, Chiri: the gentleman had lived in Texas for a long time, and even married a Mexicana.
 

Mirador

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... "Mi madre es una mata de platano".

Reminds me when my son Aroa, not yet four-years old, upon his turn to speak on our regular family after dinner conversation, said, deadpan, and matter-of-factly, that he was born on an avocado tree. He refused to elaborate. Hiis mother insists he takes after me. Maybe I was also born on an avocado tree... ;-)
 

amy2761

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"No tiene madre" is slang either for very good or very bad, depending on the context. Why?

Also - is it a Dominicanism? I haven't heard it anywhere else, although it reminds me of the Spanish "de puta madre" which means extremely good, but you have to change the words slightly for it to take on a negative meaning.


Funny similarity here - in South Africa we use "motherless" in very much the same way but only in the negative connotation. For example ... if someone got completely trashed one night, they would have been "motherless".

Stay well,
Amy
 

Norma Rosa

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Feb 20, 2007
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Madre may not necessarily mean mother each and every time it is used.

A few years ago in Higuey, The Kid approached a man who was getting out of his truck.

The Kid: "Feliz Navidad, mi'jo."

Startled, the man turned around and pointed a .45 caliber pistol to The Kid's head and proclaimed, "Usted no tiene que saludarme. Yo le chingo la madre a cualquiera."

It was obvious he meant he could blow my head off, and not necessarily my mother's head.

I have the feeling you invented the story.
#1 As someone already stated, "chingar" is a Mexican term.
#2 If the guy was Mexican, or used to Mexican terminology for whatever the reason, to pull out a pistol in that situation seems like something from a comedy act. (Or he was nuts.)
#3 The kid was the one to say "?mi hijo?" (mi son) to someone older? Think about it.


But, maybe it was a "thing of the night" and you couldn't see very clear.
 
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M.A.R.

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Feb 18, 2006
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"No tienes Madre" or "le dieron en la madre" or "te voy a romper la madre" are very, very, bad terms for Mexicans and probably central americans.

I have never used it in the Mexican way or the way Dominicans use it, but even the way Dominicans use it, I think its a pretty strong term.

Norma it could be a true story but it didn't happen in Higuey but in TEXAS.
 

something_of_the_night

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I have the feeling you invented the story.
.

Well, I wish I had invented the story, for I froze when I saw that pistol inches from my flat nose.

And although we are about the same age, I still said "mi'jo" to him. I do that a lot; it's a term of endearment.

I also said he was startled. But to make a long story short: he's back in the US doing 25 in the big house of pain.

Also, Norma Rosa, I think you missed the part where I said he had lived in Texas and married a Mexicana.

If I wanted to invent a story, I think I could do better than that.
(Have I told you the time a plain-clothed policeman in Higuey demanded that I get on his motorcycle so he could take me to a sugarcane field and shoot me? Well, I did get on and said, "Okay, let's get it over with.") TRUE STORY.

-The Kid
 
May 31, 2005
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Sometimes I say no tiene madre in these type of situations:

When I heard about the school massacre at Virginia Tech I said no tiene madre.

When I saw this kid in a motorcycle cutting everyone in the highway going 100 mph I said no tiene madre.

When I went shopping for some jeans and the ones that I liked were around $150 I said no tiene madre.

I use it for many other things. I have only given some examples here.
 
May 31, 2005
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I heard my brother use it in a good way a few days ago. One of our cousins just graduated from medical school at a really young age and he said no tiene madre because he was impressed with what she has accomplished so young in life.
 
May 31, 2005
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By the way,

how come this always shows up at the end of my posts?

P.S Has got acquainted with the girl, Hello! My name is Kate. This is my page!, how it to you? Only it is fair!

I have to edit and delete it.
P.S Has got acquainted with the girl, Hello! My name is Kate. This is my page!, how it to you? Only it is fair!
 
May 31, 2005
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I am sorry jrzyguy but it is not my page and I did not put that in there to get people's computers infected. I just wanted to know if someone else came across this same problem. It only shows up when I post on dr1.
 
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