Wikipedia:
List of Chicano Caló words and expressions
The following is a list of Chicano slang words and expressions, known as Caló, also spelled "Calo" and "Kalo" by modern Chicano youth. It does not list words and expressions of the language of the Spanish Roma people, which is also called Caló, except where these have been incorporated into Chicano Caló. Nor does it list Mexican slang words and expressions unless they have originated in Pachuco Caló or have been incorporated into it with altered meaning. A few words can be traced to the Nahuatl language of the Mexicas (Aztecs).
These expressions vary by neighborhood. For example, the expression: 'chafa' (low quality) can be heard as 'chafaldrana', 'chafoso', or 'chafarrafa'.
The use of some "classic" pachuco slang words from the 1930s and 40s has survived while others have not.
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A
- a ponemos chancla
- (from chancla, Nahuatl for sandal) "Let's dance". The grammar is deliberately incorrect.
- águila
- (lit. "eagle") "Be alert"
- aliviane
- a form of help "Aliviáname - help me"
- aguas
- "to be alert, be careful". ¡Agua! ("Water!) is the cry of sellers of dodgy items when police are spotted.
- Araisas
- Arizona
- A.T.M.
- a toda madre (great, fantastic, out of sight); expression antedates the abbreviation for "automated teller machine"
B
- borracho
- A drunk or someone on a bender.
- bolillo
- derogatory term for "white boy" or "white guy," similar to "cracker" in American slang. Derived from the white dinner roll of the same name.
- bola
- A dollar. "Prestame un bola." "Lend me a dollar."
- bomba
- (also "bomb") a lowrider car or truck from the 1930s - mid-1950s
- bote
- (literally: "can") jail or prison; also, a lid of marijuana.
- borlo
- dance, party. "Vamos al borlo." "Let's go to the dance/party."
- bronca
- trouble or a problem with someone else
- Burque
- a contraction of the old spelling of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally spelled "Alburquerque"
C
- cabulear
- to "bullshit"; to "chew the fat with"
- Caile
- Come Here,Go To
- Cali
- (also "Kali") California
- Califas
- California. In standard Spanish, it means "caliphs".
- calcos
- shoes
- Calecia
- a fond name referring to the border city Calexico, California in the US, esp. used by current or former residents of the city
- chanclas: shoes
- Caló
- a language used by Chicanos or Mexican-Americans, derived from the name of the Spanish Gypsy (gitano) dialect, Caló
- canicas
- (lit. marbles) love; balls, genitals(male); also "andar a canicas"(walking around naked).
- cantón
- home; house; apartment
- carnal
- brother; close friend; homeboy, from primo carnal, "first-grade cousin".
- careja
- all at once, burdon, blows
- Carucha
- Car,Your Ride
- cagua
- beer
- catos
- fistfight, fisticuffs
- chafa
- low quality
- chavala
- (from Gypsy/Gitano Calo) little girl; also used as an insult for a man that lacks courage.
- chavalo
- (from Gypsy/Gitano Calo) little boy
- chela
- beer
- chorra
- penis
- clecha
- school
- con safos
- (frequently abbreviated as "c/s") "Nobody can mess with this" (possibly from Arabic-derived Spanish zafo = unobstructed, clear, safe, intact)
D
- de aquellas
- (lit. "from those over there") "the best"
- descuéntate
- beat it, get lost
- descuéntatelo
- hit him
- descontar
- to hit, irregular conjugation (descuento, descuentas, descuenta, descuentan, descontamos)
- Dispensa
- excuse me
- drapes
- orig. 1930s Harlem African American for stylish clothing; syn. for "zoot suit" (see below)
E
- East Los
- East Los Angeles, California
- echa la cookie
- fast, as in running fast
- El Pasiente
- El Paso
- El Chuco
- El Paso
- El Footdale
- see machin
- empanzonar
- impregnate
- enjaular
- to lock up. Standard Spanish.
- entacucharse
- to dress up, more specifically, to wear a tuxedo or suit
- escamado
- scared. Standard Spanish.
- escuelín
- school
- esquina
- help, give a hand
- esquinar
- help out.
- ésa
- chola
- ése
- (lit. "that one", "that guy") cholo; dude; guy; man
- esponjes
- lie as in no esponges ese
- esponjes
- angry, as in no te esponges == "don't get angry"
F
- fajates
- blew it
- feria
- (lit. "fair", as in "county fair") but directly references the homonym "fare") money
- filero
- knife. Spanish filo means "edge".
- firme
- cool (as in "hip"); good. In standard Spanish, "firm".
- frajo
- cigarette
- fresa
- prep
- fusca
- gun
G
- gabacho/a
- (also "gavacho") very insulting term for a white person. In Spain, "Frenchman".
- gacho
- mean or in bad taste
- grifa
- marijuana (whence the US slang word "reefer"; derived from "grifo")
- grifo
- (lit. "faucet") marijuana addict; someone who is always "prendido", or "lit"
- güacha
- (also "wacha") "Look"; "Watch"
- güaino
- Wino
- güero
- (also "huero" or "weddo") white person; light skinned, blue eyed/blond person
- güisa
- (also "wisa" and "weesa") woman; girlfriend
H
- homeboy
- (also "homie") 1) a very close associate usually identified as someone from one's own barrio or neighborhood; 2) a person with whom one identifies closely with implying a strong loyalty toward; possibly derivative of Spanish hombre
- homes
- (also "holmes") variation on the word "homeboy", used to identify a friend also "vato"
- hyna
- a girl, or girlfriend
J
- jaina
- (also spelled "hyna", "heina", and "hayna") woman; honey; girlfriend
- jale
- a job
- jefa/jefita
- mother
- jefe/jefito
- (lit. "boss") father
- jura
- police
L
- lacra
- low life individual
- lambache
- suck ass
- lambiscón
- suck ass
- lana
- (lit. "wool") money
- la neta
- "the truth" or an unquestionable axiom (as in "es laneta" means "that's the truth"), also tends to be followed with "que" as its universal conjunction to other words such as "laneta que el otro dia..." meaning "the truth is that the other day…". From la neta verdad, "the pure truth".
- lanzar chingadazos
- throw blows
- laquiar
- to lock
- leño
- marijuana cigarette. In Spanish, "wood block".
- leva
- coward
- llantas
- (lit. "tires") a term for homemade sandals or beat-up shoes, also used to refer to extra fat acquired around the waste (similar to "rolls" or "love handles")
- llevanate
- behave, be cool, chill out
- litro
- cigarette lighter
- lisa
- shirt
- loc
- (pronounced "loke") short for "loco"; a street crazy; hardcore street tough, also maddogs or heavily tinted sunglasses
- locochón
- crazy
- Longos
- Long Beach, CA
- Los
- Los Angeles, CA
M
- machín
- excellent, high-achieving, outstanding
- manflora
- (also manfi) derogatory for lesbian, dyke
- máscara
- face. In Spanish, "mask".
- mayate/mayata
- derogatory for a dark-skinned male/female, usually African American; der. from mayatl (Nahuatl) an irridescent black scarab
- mayatero
- someone who tries to "act black" such as saying the word nigga, or wearing extremely oversized clothes
- melena del padrote
- a pimp's ducktail haircut
- mexa
- from a Mexican origin
- miclo
- light-skinned Mexican
- mojado
- wetback. Any immigrant crossing the Rio Grande river (mostly Mexican). Literally, "wet".
- mono
- movie
- mono
- the devil; demon. Literally "monkey".
- mota
- slang for marijuana
N
- naranjas
- no. Literally "oranges". In Spain "naranjas de la China".
- narices
- no. Literally "noses".
- negro/a
- (lit. "black") a somewhat affectionate term for a darker skinned individual of whatever race, e.g. chicano, African American or others (e.g. "vamos mi negro"), can be softened in the diminutive (negrito/a) as negro can also be derogatory
- nel
- no
- niqle
- Five cents. From the english word nickle.
- no manches
- don't mess around
- no hay pedo
- no problem; no sweat
- norteño
- northerner; street chapter of the Nuestra Familia prison gang, associated with the color red and the number 14.
- no te quetes
- don't get depressed
O
- Órale
- "Right on"; "Alright!"
- Ojete
- asshole [example: ya no seas ojete]
P
- Pachuco
- a native or resident of El Paso, Texas, later extended to mean all Mexicans and Mexican Americans adopting aspects of Pachuco culture such as dressing in zoot suits and speaking Caló.
- paisa (from 'Paisano')
- (also "border brother") a somewhat affectionate term for recent immigrants from Mexico
- panocha
- pussy
- pancho
- (orig. nickname for the first name "Francisco") crying or complaining, used with the verb "hacer" i.e. "tu haces mucho pancho!" meaning "you do a lot of complaining"
- panzón
- fat man. Standard Spanish, compare English paunch.
- panzona
- fat woman; pregnant woman
- pásame las tres
- Literally, "pass me the three". "Let me have a drag" (of a cigarette)
- pedo
- (literally "fart") intoxicated; 'estar pedo'
- pedo
- problem; 'no hay pedo'
- pestaña (pestañear)
- (lit. eyelash) to sleep
- phoeniquera
- slang for Phoenix, Arizona
- picaste
- did you "get" some (from Sp. picar, to poke)
- pinta
- jail; prison (more specifically)
- pintando paredes
- to masturbate
- pisto
- beer; can of beer (more specifically); also general term for alcoholic beverage. In Spanish, "soup"[1]
- placa1
- tattoo
- placa²
- (literally "badge") police
- placa³
- a person's graffiti tag
- ponerse al alba
- "to put oneself to the dawn", to get with it
- ponerse zafado
- to get high on marijuana
- putazo
- a big punch.
- prendido
- "lit on", high on drugs; high on marijuana (most common)
Q
- ¿qué onda?
- "what's up?"
- quemar llanta
- to burn rubber (as in driving)
- Quilmas
- San Quentin prison
- ¿Quiubo? (Quíhubo, Qiobo. quióboles. Q-vo)
- (from "Qué hubo" meaning "What was there?"} "What's going on?"; "What's up?"
R
- ranfla
- car; lowrider car (more specifically)
- rifamos
- "We rule"
- refin
- food
- refinando
- eating
- refinar
- to eat
- rola
- song
- ruca
- (literally: "old woman") girlfriend; woman
- ruco
- Old man
S
- safis
- Oops! Some type of error.
- Salas
- Salinas, CA
- Sancha
- Girlfriend on the side; secret (or not) lover
- Sancho
- Boyfriend on the side; secret (or not) lover
- San Jo
- (pronounced "San Ho") San Jose, California
- San Anto
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Fran
- San Francisco
- San Pipas
- San Pedro
- sentirse aviador
- "to feel as an airman", to feel high or drunk
- Serio/a
- "seriously", for real (also spelled Cerio/a)
- simón
- "Yeah", often combined with ese: simonese
- soda
- slang for cocaine
- soflamera
- whiner
- songas
- songs
- Swata
- Idiot
- Sureño
- southerner, street chapter of La eMe (or Mexican Mafia), associated with the color blue and the number 13.
- Estéicis
- (from shoe manufacturer "Stacey Adams") a brand of dress shoes favored by pachucos and swingers; a generic term for polished dress shoes
T
- ta con madre
- shortened form of "está con madre" (lit. "is with mom") the best, or something really good, outstanding.
- tacuche
- (literally: "suit") zoot suit; fancy clothing
- talonear
- "to heel", to walk, also to con
- tecato
- heroin addict
- tira
- police
- tirar la masa
- (lit. "to throw corn dough") to defecate
- tirarlo a león
- (lit. "to ignore") to blow off, to forget about it
- tirar tripa
- (lit. "to throw guts") to vomit
- TJ
- "jerry-rigged" or of inferior workmanship, (from the initials for Tijuana, a California border town where Americans go for cut-rate dentistry, auto body repair, and upholstry)
- toleco
- Fify-cent piece.
- torcido
- (lit. "twisted") jail time; locked up in prison (most specifically)
- torta
- (lit. "cake") derogatory slang for a fat female
- tortilla
- lesbian
- traer cola
- "to carry a tail", to be on parole
- tragazón
- food, especially in large amounts. From tragar, "to swallow".
- tramos
- pants
- trinquetiar
- to cheat; to mess (someone) up
- trola
- cigarette lighter, match
- trucha
- (lit. "trout") "Watch out"; smart; wise
- tubos
- "tubes". Socks
- turiquear
- to get along; to communicate
U
- un Abril
- (also "un abro") a year's jail sentence
V
- vasquear
- to vomit
- vaisa
- grip (possibly derived from vise grip)
- varrio
- neighborhood or 'hood (misspelling of barrio)
- vato
- dude; guy; man
- verga
- (lit. "mast", "pole"), "dick" "penis" "cock"
- vieja
- (lit. "old lady") girlfriend, wife
- volar
- (lit. "to fly") to hurry
W
- Wilmas
- Wilmington, CA
- wilo, güilo
- skinny
- wilo, güilo
- male prostitute
- wino
- term for someone consuming large amounts of alcohol
Y
- yesca
- (also "yeska") marijuana. In Spanish, "a fungus to light fire".
- yonka
- bike
- ¿Y qué?
- "And what?"; "So (what)?" (used to question, add emphasis, or challenge someone)
Z
- zafado
- goofy
- zafo
- I'm out, I bail out. (used when asking for volunteers); derived from/related to con safos (see above)
- zoot suit
- an outfit of male clothing consisting of large pants which become narrower towards the bottom, a stylish, a nice looking jacket which matches with the pants, and a long chain running from the pocket
References
See also
- For references which mention many of the words listed here, see the article Caló (Chicano).
| Chicano languages | |
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Chicano Spanish · Spanish language · Chicano Caló words and expressions · Chicano English · New Mexican Spanish · Spanish in the United States · Spanish profanity · Spanglish |
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