NotTheNews Living Dictionary and Handy Phrasebook

Including Mayan, slang and local words and expressions whose definitions are not ordinarily found anywhere else, in the NotTheNews unique editorial style. Not a definitive Spanish or even Mayan dictionary, but a collection of terms you will hear, explained in their local context. If you are new to Merida and/or visiting our formerly white city, you may find these helpful. last update 09/26/07

For more information on how and why Yucatecans speak they way they do, and if you understand Spanish, stop by the UADY (Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan) gift shop and pick up a copy of the cassettes called El Habla del Yucateco, from a conference given by local YucaWach writer and poet Fernando Espejo. They are excellent and will give you a greater insight into the language spoken in the Yucatan today.

And if you would like to obtain a hard copy of this dictionary to take on your next viaje to the Yucatan or would simply like to express your joy and gratitude for enabling you to blend in more smoothly, please visit lulu.com where you will find the first-ever attempt at publishing this popular dictionary! And thank you!

A

A - (Ah) - First letter of the alphabet, but in Yucatan, if you say it right, it is a Mayan term of affirmation, not only of what someone says to you, but what you are saying yourself. The tone starts in the middle of your vocal range and goes down as you say aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. If someone is talking to you, you can show (or fake) interest by interjecting aaaaahhhh every once in a while. If the person you are talking to is a Yuca, it will be taken that you are hanging onto every word; if not, that person will think you are making fun of them and may become hostile.

If you are the one doing the talking, as is often the case with some of the older people from the pueblos in rural Yucatan, you don't want anyone to get in a word edgewise so you fill in your own blank spaces with your own aaaahhhhs.

Acostumbrar - (Ah-cost-oom-BRAR) - verb - what happens to your muchacha (see muchacha) after she has been in your employ for a while. It literally means 'to get used to' but here it's used to denote a general contentment and reasonable satisfaction with a job.

Agarrar - (Ah-gah-RAR) - To grab a hold of something; as in agárralos, son gratis! (grab'em they're free!!) often heard when someone is hesitant to take something from someone who's offering; the third party usually makes this statement. 

Other examples include:

There are more applications for this handy little verb, but my personal favorite is it's versatility in traffic situations, where it is used instead of the probably more correct tomar (see tomar):

Ahuech - (Ah-WECH) - a strong affirmative exclamation. This is a contraction and polite(r) form of saying 'al huevo' where huevo is understood to refer to testicles, so you see it's not the most graceful thing to say on a first date. This is used when answering a statement that someone has made to you that is definitely true, most certainly. Eg. Vamos a la disco? Are we going to the disco? (these are your friends asking, not your date) Ahuech!, you pronounce firmly, thus demonstrating your knowledge of the local (sub)culture.

Albañil - (Al-bah-NYEEL) - Probably the lowest life form in the Yucatecan career ladder. In effect a brick layer or construction worker, these days anyone with a kindergarten level education can pick up a trowel and throw cement at a pile of concrete blocks. These poor people travel in rag-tag packs and the vehicle of choice (they have none) is the camión de redilas (a pick up with a box on the back driven by the ingeniero de la obra or supervising engineer) where they travel standing room only along Yucatan's highways and byways. Highlights of their trips to and from their constantly-changing places of employment include:

  • the inevitable pulling over of the vehicle by our always vigilant state and federal police, where the ingeniero or whoever is driving, must fork over some cash to be able to continue this illegal, but in most cases only, available form of public transportation;
  • seeing a person of the female sex walking along the side of the road, whereupon the entire standing population of the back of the truck will twist and turn their heads to get a glimpse of said female, whistle and point, as if they had never seen a woman before or perhaps to make eye contact and thereby initiate a charming love story.

Alisar - (ah-lee-SAHR) - to smooth over or out. In homes where the iron was reserved for more proper clothing, tshirts and the like were simply washed, dried and smoothed out to remove the most blatant and outstanding wrinkles. Of course, the term persists and many rural ladies working for the ladies that can't or don't want to even think about their housework, refer to the ironing of the clothes as alisar, not planchar. (see also Saga)

Americano - (you know how to pronounce this one...) - 1.) person or thing from the U.S.;  2.) person or thing from North Central or South America - The actual definition of this word is tricky. If you use it in a conversation or someone refers to you as one and you're from the U.S., and nobody gets upset, then you're alright. But if you run into one of those left wing communist idealists or PRD people and you call yourself an Americano, look out 'cuz you'll get an earful on ugly Yankee imperialism and how everyone from both North and South America is an American, not just those usurpers from the U.S. of A.

Amigo - (ah-MEE-goh) - friendly noun - That infuriatingly common salutation reserved for us foreigners when approached by someone selling something. A local will be called caballero, or even señor, but upon seeing a paleface, the salesperson immediately goes into his or her "Mexico, the amigo country" mode, and offers us the pitch. Upon hearing hola amigo immediately know that you are going to get a sales pitch. For example:

  • Amigo! Hamacas! - Do they really think that every damn gringo look-a-like wants a hammock?
  • Ya tiene Esky, amigo? (see esky) - No I don't want ESS-sky
  • Hola amigo - Anyone that calls me friend from the initial contact is definitely not my friend

Animal - (ah-nih-MAHL) - noun - if you are behaving abominably or in such a way as to cause others to seriously doubt your intellectual capacity, you are un animal. Driving in Merida, you will encounter many specimens that fit into the animal category.

Anolar - (ah-noh-LAR) - verb - The first time I heard this word I was dumbstruck. I had heard that anolar roughly translates as to suck on as in a hard candy, but it is an old spanish word and I had never actually heard it in real life. A lady took a candy from a jar and asked me "Se anolam?" I don't know if she thought I would say no, you chew them; in any case it was the first time I heard it - it is very possible that you will never come across it in conversations with anyone under the age of 30 these days. Now one of my faithful readers, writing from Scotland of all places(!), told me to check on the Mayan origins of this word since she had lived in Merida and was pretty sure that was where it came from - sure enough, consulting my Cordemex Mayan dictionary, the word comes from the Mayan 'nol' which means to roll around in the mouth, as in a small seeded fruit like the guaya for example. So it's a españolizacion of the original Mayan 'nol'. Exciting stuff, this language business...

Apoltronado - (ah-pohl-troh-NAH-doe) - state of lethargic inactivity - when you see someone sitting in a chair, slouching even, their rolls of midsection hanging over their belt, their expression lifeless in a state of semi-consciousness (perhaps they have just had a big meal and are in the digestion process) they can be said to be 'apoltronado'.

Apesgar - (ah-pez-GAHR) - verb - meaning to press, as in a button or something like that. Another old spanish word, still in use today in the Yucatan. One of my favorite memories involving this word was while trying to get a Mayan muchacha to turn off the computer via telephone during a thunderstorm. During the conversation, I asked her to find the escape key on the keyboard and when she did she asked me "lo apesgo?" which took me completely by surprise since I hadn't heard the word before.

Armado - (Ahr-MAH-doe) - adverb - armed; this would mean, in a literal sense, to be armed, as in a knife or pistol. But in the social circles of Yucatan society, this verb is applied when you are ascertaining whether or not the fellow next to you has a drink. The scenario is as follows: you get up to fix yourself a drink at the table where the host has set up bottles of vodka, rum, whisky, Coke and Diet Coke and under which an ice chest filled with bags of ice is located from which you scoop up ice with your hands; as you pour Coke over your rum you turn to your buddy (in this case your 'compadre' and ask 'tas armado compadre?' to which he may or may not nod in affirmation, holding his drink up for you to see that he is, indeed, 'armado'.

Aquello - (Ah-KAY-yoh) - noun - Although in its regular form the word means 'that', in certain social circles 'that' refers to... sexual intercourse. I have heard of women, who can be totally frank and open about such things, discuss their sex lives in a roundabout way with friends: 

  • En medio del huracan, el me pidió aquello - in the middle of the hurricane, he asked for 'that'

A Westinghouse - (Ah-Westinghouse) - this is another slang-y, street version of the expression 'a wech' or 'a huech' above.

Avenida - (Ah-veh-KNEE-duh) - noun - Literally translated as avenue. Avenida can be any main street. In the exciting and glamorous world of Yucatecan real estate, having a house en la avenida is desirable. Having a house en esquina - with street frontage on 2 sides, is highly desirable, although for the life of me I can't understand why.

B

B - (BEH) - The second letter of the alphabet - Nothing special about it, except that in Mexico and other parts of Latin America it is often confused with the 'V' making it a very versatile letter indeed. Bery bersatile. This makes correct spelling and (pronunciation) a real challenge for many locals. When spelling, people may ask you b alta o baja? (upper or lower b) so they know if they should put a 'b' or a 'v'. One Yucatecan boss I had once told me "Bamos al Var". Luis Miguel, on one of his Romance CD's, where he mutilates traditional romantic Mexican music, sings Vesame quite clearly and irritatingly. Even more hair-raising is that NSync wannabe group from Venezuela Uff, and their stomach-turning hit Vy Vy, Arrividerci mi Amor. And during the George W. Bush tirade against Iraq, a local radio announcer called the capital city of that oil-rich nation VagDad. Some other examples you may encounter:

  • Bienbenidos = Welcome
  • Belador = Caretaker
  • Bamos = Let's go

Bah! (BAH) - expression - whenever someone tells you something that surprises you, you can exclaim bah! to indicate you are listening and you are surprised.

Barbaridad - (BAR-bari-dahd) - noun - a barbarity. Something barbaric. Used if something that has happened or been done is beyond belief; incredible. For example:

  • Es una barbaridad que haya tantos extranjeros en Merida - It's incredible that there are so many foreigners in Merida

Barrida - (bah-REE-duh) - noun - literally, a sweep; what insecure teenage girls do to each other in the mall. The barrida is a quick sweep or scan of a possible competitor's hair, makeup and outfit and goes from hair color to shoes in a moment to determine social status and acceptability of the subject in an instant. Very important at the class and self-conscious pre and early teen age level. Thanks to my daughter for this bit of enlightenment.

Basura - (bah-SUE-rah) - noun - usually referring to garbage, waste etc., this word has a special meaning in Yucatan in that it includes leaves from trees. A great part of the resistance many Yucatecans have to maintaining trees on their properties comes from the fact that, as they will invariably argue when you confront them on the casualness with which they will cut down a perfectly healthy and beautiful tree, it produces too much 'garbage'.  

Bicho - (BEE-cho) - noun - 1) Any kind of insect or bug. Mira el tamaño de ese bicho - Look at the size of that bug; 2.) A common nickname for anyone called Victor. Yucatecans are famous for inventing nicknames that last a lifetime, and this is not an unusual specimen. Eg. El Bicho Milke - (Victor Milke); 3.) A strange person. Ese Manolo es un bicho raro - meaning that Manolo is kind of wierd; the way he dresses, acts or looks falls outside the standards of 'normality' for most Yucatecans. Rarely used for women.

Blanquillo - (blahn-KEY-oh) - noun - from the word blanco, or white. People from the pueblos and rural areas use this term a lot, substituting it for the correct huevos, which again has sexual connotations (see ahuech, hueva)and it perhaps didn't sound nice in the prudish days of long skirts and haciendas; the term remains in use to this day. Tiene blanquillos? is easier to answer with a straight face than Tiene huevos?

Bostoms - (BOSS-tohms) - name - this is how Yucatecans call a popular Canadian pizza franchise, recently opened in Merida. Even more recently, someone said: "Vamos a comer a Jiustom", getting their Boston and Houston just a little mixed up.

Bota - (BOH-tah) - verb - If you throw something away, lo botas. Usually this refers to garbage. Noun - a boot. President Vicente Fox has made them famous again. In Merida, bota can also mean 'vote' as in 'Bota por el Pam' (see pam), since the letter 'b' and 'v' are completely interchangeable in Merida and other parts of Mexico as well, probably, thanks to a quality Spanish curriculum that also mixes up soft 'c's, 'z's, and 's's.

Brackets - (you know how to pronounce this one) - noun - the local term for braces (think teeth).

  • A Seidy le pusieron brackets - Seidy's got braces

Buenas - (BWAY-nuss) - The accepted greeting upon entering a crowded room or doctors waiting area; a shortened version of buenas tardes or buenos dias. If the house you are visiting belongs to someone you don't know, you will stand at the metal gate and shout BUENAS! with the second syllable accented and about a fifth of an octave higher than the first syllable (bway NUSS) until someone gets tired of your melodious voice and comes to the door to see what you want. Especially useful when selling door to door.

Bueno - (BWAY-no) - (1) adjective - Most visitors from the U.S., Canada and places further away already know this one; it means good. But here in the land of the deer and the pheasant, bueno has another, more significant meaning to all those Yucatecans in love with their wallets and bank accounts. Let me explain. 
One day you might be asked, while on the subject of favourite restaurants or good place to eat 'typical' food: 'Ya probaste el queso relleno en Chapur? Esta re-bueno!' (Have you tried the stuffed cheese in Chapur? It's really good!) This does not necessarily mean that the food is that great; rather it means that it's really cheap! Many Yucatecans are very conscious of the money that they spend and do not want to let anyone take advantage of them. So if they feel that they are getting a good deal, this is much more important than the actual quality of what it is that they're purchasing. Among many locals, there is a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that you paid the lowest possible price for something; rather than getting screwed by the merchant, I managed to screw him, ha ha. 
So if someone tells you that such and such is really bueno, take this definition into consideration, since your idea of what is good may not precisely coincide!

Bueno (2) also can be used as a sexual reference; el marido de Fulana esta rebueno (the 're' prefix is emphatic) - Fulanas' husband is really hot. This iss also available for use in the female context, as in Esa Niurka esta buenísima (that Niurka is so hot). In Yucatecan circles Niurka would be Niurka Marcos, former sexy Cuban dancer turned television star thanks to some creative marriage tactics, (see Cuba) who got her start on TV on the star studded local stations...

Bueno (3) - greeting and farewell - Bueno is also what you say when picking up a ringing telephone; the first syllable BWAY is a higher note than the second one NO, especially if you want to sound like you studied at the Colegio Merida. As a farewell, both on the phone and in person when leaving a party or ending a casual encounter at the tortilleria in the mercado. Yucatecans are famous for their repeated buenos to each other when saying good night. 

Bueno Pués (BWAY-no-PWESS) - This is a very necessary phrase to be used by anyone aspiring to be a DJ on Yucatecan radio. It must be uttered every 4 or 5 words, approximately between all songs and all commercials and in all lame interviews with local pseudo-celebrities. This phrase will make you want to rip out your radio and throw it through the windows of Grupo SIPSE, one of Meridas' larger radio and TV conglomerates, and the owners of the pena-ajena invoking, absolutely horrendous 97.7 FM radio station.

Bulto - (BOOL-toh) - noun - A large package, wrapped in twine ready to be shipped somewhere, as in henequen, or plastic bags. In modern day Merida, bulto is also used to describe anything that you carry that has your stuff or chucherias (see chucherias) in it. Thus, the elegant Gucci handbag you are carrying is referred to by your muchacha or even someone of higher education but untravelled, unglamorously as your bulto.

Buscar (boo-SCAR) - This great verb, meaning 'to look for' (in Castilian spanish) and also 'to find' (in the Yucatan) has been an endless source of amusement for those that arrive in Merida from other parts of the country who have not been blessed with a Mayan cultural legacy. According to linguists and experts on the subject, the Mayas used one verb for 'to look for' and that was it. If they found it; well, they had finished looking for it.  The usual conversation goes like this:

  • Ya buscastes el martillo? - Have you found the hammer?
  • No, todavia no lo busco - No I still haven't  found it
  • Si, ya lo busqué - Yeah, I've found it

the joke that all the outsiders like to laugh at is:

  • Busco, busco y no lo busco - I look, I look and I can't find it

Another use of the word: if you are looking for someone like a new employee or something like your lost dog, you might start a poster with the words SE BUSCA which is roughly the same idea as 'lost' (in the case of the dog) or 'wanted' (in the case of the employee or a criminal).

C

C - (seh) - Third letter of the alphabet. Like the letters B and V, this letter sounds like the S and the Z, leading to more confusion when it comes to spelling. The funniest example of such a confusion was painted on a wall in giant letters in a little pueblito during Patricio Patron's campaign for a seat in the Yucatecan senate. Instead of Patricio - Senador, they had painted Patricio - Cenador, as in the guy everyone wants to have over for la cena (dinner).

Cachucha - (kah-CHOO-chah) - noun - this little gem is a hat. As in a baseball cap. While in other parts of the country it known as a gorra, in Yucatan it always a cachucha. There is even a local business that devotes itself entirely to the sale of caps and is known, duh, as Mr. Cachuchas. The sound of this word is much more fun to pronounce than the more difficult (double r) gorra.

Café - (cah-FEH) - noun - Merida is finally coming around to drinking real coffee. In the old days, ordering a coffee meant that a cup with hot water was set before you, along with a container of Nescafé and a spoon. Ordering café con leche produced the same results, with hot milk (powdered Nido) replacing the hot water. In many parts of the Yucatan peninsula, where the very idea of a double decaf espresso or a frappuccino is the gastronomic equivalent of seeing a flying saucer land on the local henequen plantation, this abominable practice continues.

Cagar - (Ka-GAR) - verb - A truly versatile word! 1) Literally, and vulgarly speaking, to shit, defecate etc. Don't use this at the Club Campestre if you're invited and trying to make a good impression when visiting the men's (or ladies) room. 2) To screw up in a major way. 
Why is it versatile you ask? Let me present you with some examples:

  • Me estoy cagando - Very vulgar way to express your imminent urge to celebrate a bowel movement.
  • La esta cagando - This doesn't mean the same as the first in the third person; rather, it means 'he's screwing up'.
  • Esta igualito - parece que lo cagó su papa - This expression is used when an offspring resembles almost exactly his or her father, not only in physical appearance, but in most other ways as well.
  • Me caga que me haga eso - I just hate it so much when she does that (thanks to my daughter for this one)

Cajera - (cah-HAIR-ah) - noun - cashier, female. Also a type of wrinkly orange with a bittery flavor, not commonly found in the produce section of Publix or Safeway.

Cajero - (cah-HAIR-oh) - noun - cashier, and also the machine the folks in the U.S. call the A.T.M. that spits out cash. 

Caliente - (cali-YEN-teh) - adjective - hot. Someone ordering a soup might complain to the waiter that it is caliente. Duh. But in Merida things are never that hot; coffee, soups and so on are served almost hot, or very warm. Please do not make the classic newcomer to the Spanish language mistake of proclaiming yourself as caliente when you are feeling the tropical heat! This means that you are hot, as in horny, and some people might see that as an invitation or at the very least an excess of familiarity (too much information, stop!).

Centro - (SEN-troh) - noun - the middle of something. In Merida, it invariably means downtown; people from the upscale northern part of the city lament that to buy their pampered children's school festival costumes or accessories, they must drive 'hasta el centro', usually accompanied by a rolling of the eyes and a voice filled with weariness and resignation, answered with a sympathetic shaking of the head by the listener who understands what that implies. If you are taking a bus anywhere in this formerly white city, the routes are designed in such a way that you must always go to 'el centro' where you will find your connecting bus. El centro is synonymous with noise, traffic, heat, smog and great masses of the other half of Merida's population, who shop and work there. Prices are always cheaper downtown, which explains why Merida's clase acomodada, always on the lookout for the cheapest possible bargain, must make the sacrificial journey and thereby be subjected to the unpleasant reality of the 'other Merida'.

CFE - these are the initials for the national power company monopoly. A bunch of inept, inefficient burocrats strangulating and castrating business and homeowners throughout the country. They are against privatization; the company should be sold - and soon - to anyone, it can only get better. I suggest they sell to the Walmart chain and maybe then they can become efficient. See Comision

Chalan - (Chuh-LAHN) - noun - This is the guy that every ingenierio or other professional male has accompanying him in his daily work. If you need to measure something, you pass the measuring tape to the chalan who will do the necessary bending and stretching to get those measurements to you. You are moving something from point A to B? You have the chalan load up the pickup and then drive him (preferably he is in the back trying to keep his balance and hold something down at the same time) to the destination, park, light a cigarrette and wait for the chalan to unload everything. The chalan is the workplace equivalent of the domestic and housebound mozo (see mozo).

Chaperon - (chah-per-ROHN) - noun - a rapidly disappearing tradition in Yucatecan dating life, this is the term applied to the little brother or sister who must accompany a young girl and her date to watch the couple and report back to the parents (of the girl, mostly) of any transgressions on the part of their possibly overactive hormones that might result in shame and humiliation for the family. The chaperone can be bought off, however, by sending him or her with some pesos to get him or herself an ice cream, candy or whatever, thereby providing an opening for an intimate, albeit all-too-short, exchange of affections between the couple.

Chaya - (CHYE-yah) - noun/adjective - a spinach like vegetable, supposedly full of nutritive qualities and traditionally used by the Mayans for food and medicinal purposes. Thanks to our intrepid reader based in Scotland at the moment, who reminds me that the word chaya also means something that is cheesy and corny. If you found something to be definitely below par, you would say:

  • Que chaya! - How corny!
  • Está chayisimo - It's really corny

Cheva - (CHE-vah) - noun - The popular term for beer. Singular cheva, plural chevas. Uses include:

  • Vamos por las chevas = Let's go get some beers
  • Nos tomamos unas chevas? = Wanna go drink some beers?
  • Y las chevas? = And the beer? (as in where is it?)
  • Te invito (a) una cheva = I'll buy you a beer

Chile - (CHEE-leh) - noun - Everyone knows what a chile is! Hot little peppers; in Yucatan there is really only one that captures the imagination, the ultra-hot habanero. If you are a true Yucatecan, you will always accompany your meals with chile. Chile means habanero, cut up and served on a little plate, often with lime juice and salt. If the Yucatecan is traveling anywhere where there is going to be chile shortage and/or the dumb brutes don't understand when he tells them "Chile!!!", he or she will always be prepared with a personal supply brought along for the occasion. Really. 

Here's a little conversational clue: chile is also a synonym for the male sexual organ, so when you hear a story or one liner (in Spanish) featuring the word chile prominently and everyone laughs, even if you didn't understand the whole thing, you know the gist of it. For example, when amongst unknown company that might misinterpret (or laugh at) you, never say:

  • pasame el chile = pass me the chile; or even worse:
  • te molesto con el chile = can I bother you with the chile

China - (CHEE-na) - noun - 1) This word is a true local specialty, and can mean a couple of things. If you are driving and see a sign that says "100 chinas - 17 pesos" don't go looking for the Chinese girls - chinas in this case are oranges, perfect for peeling to the pith, then cutting in half and sucking the juice out of them. Hence the term "chupar chinas" (to suck oranges). A perfect highway pick-me-up; providing liquid, vitamins, natural sugar, and as an added bonus you can toss the now-dry half china into the jungle at roadside, since it is completely biodegradable. 2) Popular local culture indicates that 'China' also refers to the place of origin of anyone who looks Asian. Thus, the tourist from Kyoto, the Hong-Kong born wife of the multi-millionaire maquiladora owner, and the Korean travel agent will all be referred to fondly and generically as 'la chinita

Chino - (CHEE-no) - noun, adjective- 1) The word chino does not describe male oranges. Rather, in it's noun form it is used to refer to anyone of even remotely oriental descent, or that Mexican who has a facial feature generally associated with persons of oriental ancestry, such as the eyes for example.  President Fujimori of Peru, if he were to visit Merida would be called "El Chino". I have a brother in law who was called (and sometimes still is) Chino, and he calls his son Chino, although neither of them are even remotely oriental. Something about the eyes, I guess.

Chiva - (CHEE-vah) - adjective -  used when you want soomeone to do something and you have the distinct impression that they really don't want to. In a bank lineup:

  • Ay no seas chiva, pagame esto - Aw, c'mon please, pay this for me

Chivas - (CHEE-vahs) - noun - Goats; the Guadalajara soccer teeam; but for the purposes of this dictionary, it means a bunch of stuff - see chucherias

Ch'op - (CHOHP) - adj. - A Mayan term for the person who has only one working eye. Trust me, you won't hear this term anywhere else.

  • Está ch'op - he's only got one eye
  • Uay! Me hicistes ch'op - Hey! You poked me in the eye!

Chopim - (CHOH-pim) - verb - What Yucatecans do when they go to buy clothes and electronics in Houston (see Jiustom ) or Miami to bring back to Merida in fancy suitcases if you're rich and cardboard boxes wrapped in rope if you're not. A good example of the increasing incorporation of English into everyday Spanish.

Chucherias - (Choo-chehr-REE-yahs) - noun - anything, really. A bunch of things piled up in a corner could be a monton de chucherias. Or the wife might say to the philandering husband:

  • agarra tus chucherias y lárgate - grab your stuff and get the hell out

Chuchú - (Choo-CHOO) - noun - a female breast, kind of like the english boobs or boobies; a term used by women. Also used when breastfeeding, as in 'vamos a darte chuchú' (let's feed you). Mis chuchús means my breasts as in:

  • Me aplastastes mis chuchús! - You squished my boobs!

Chulisimo - (Choo-LEE-see-mo) - adjective - Modification of chulo, literally cute. If you are female, you'll want to incorporate this term, which means 'fabulous', into your vocabulary when conversing with others, especially those of the clase acomodada, who use the word a lot to describe their (and their offsprings) adventures. You have to say it like it meant you had the most fabulous time (even if you are exaggerating a little). Try to avoid using this word if you are male, you may be suspected of those nasty costumbres raras (see costumbres).

  • Como estuvieron tus vacaciones? - How were your vacations?
  • Ay, amiga, la pasamos chuliiiisimo! - Oh they were just faaabulous!

Clapsurado - (klup-soor-AH-doh) - adjective describing something that is closed, as in a pipe or some other form of tuberia. A conversation with the tecnico could go like this:

  • Oiga Don Miguel, no puede meter el cable por ahi? - Hey Miguel, can't you feed the cable through there?
  • No, Seño, por alla esta clapsurada - No Ma'am, that way is closed off

Clase acomodada - (CLASS-eh ah-co-mo-DA-da) - The well off, moneyed folks in Merida. Either through marriage or via a family  inheritance, these are the folks who are the subject of most of the ridicule by this neurotic foreigner. Their supposed social status, their ignorance and their incredible belief in their own infallibility and superiority make them the perfect target. 

Clinica - (CLEANY-cuh) - noun - any hospital. No one will say they went to el hospital, they went to la clinica. The Clinica Mérida is the city's finest hospital; it is the hospital of choice for the elite and the wannabes. If you go there you will wonder why since it is a complete and utter mess. You will try but be unable to imagine what goes on at the so-called popular hospitals.

Coca - (COH-cah) - noun - shortened version of Coca Cola, like Coke in English speaking countries. Coca LIE is the accepted term for a Coca Cola Light, or a Diet Coke. In the case of the latter, you could simply ask for a Diet. For many thousands of Yucatecan babies, Coca is the first thing they'll drink after leaving Mom's breast. It is not unusual to see babies sucking on Coca Cola from their baby bottles. They're hooked from that moment onwards and no amount of persuasion by anyone can convince them to drink something else with their meals.

Comida - (coh-MEE-dah) - noun - Not just a generic term for food, it is also used to describe the main meal of the day, served between 1 and 3 p.m. While in Chiapas, a Mayan boy acting as a guide referred to food as 'el comidas' charmingly mixing up both the gender and singular/plural of the word.

Comisión, La - (coh-mih-SEEOHN) - noun - term of endearment for the Comision Federal de Electricidad, the federal electricity monopoly that takes care of your electrical power needs in exchange for your first born children. They also keep all those electronic device repair shops in business thanks to their frequent and always inconvenient black outs, brownouts and power surges. Their slogan is 'por el progreso de Mexico' which roughly translates 'dedicated to Mexico's progress' which is an outright lie, since the company is really only out to make huge profits for its leaders and provide free electricity for life for it's unionized employees. That's right, if you work for the CFE, this unique union perk means you can (and they all do) have your AC blasting cold air in your house 24/7 and it won't cost you a thing. At the same time, their public relations machine churns out pamphlets on how to keep your costs down (buy only food that doesn't require refrigeration, use lights only as a last resort, never blow dry your hair, eat your bread untoasted - that kind of thing).

Cómo - (COH-moh) - interrogative - the actual word means how, as in:

  • como estas? - how are you

but the real purpose of the word's inclusion in this dictionary is the conjugation of 'como' with the word 'a'. As in 'a como'. As a new Spanish speaker, or visitor to this fair country or city, you will find things you want to buy and will logically ask how much they cost in the way you would back home 'cuanto cuesta'. Here, however, you show your knowledge of local culture and integration by saying 'a como'. Some examples:

  • A cómo la papaya? - how much for the papaya?
  • Cómo salen las papayas? - how much for the papayas?

and even more permutations:

  • Qué salen las papayas? - how much for the papayas?

Compac - (COM-puck) - noun - This is, you guessed it, a compact disc. While many Mexicans criticize Anglos for being linguistically lazy, there seems to be some evidence that the phenomenon is also present in the formerly white city. Most two word names will quickly become 50% shorter. 

  • "Ya tienes el nuevo compac de Vritney?" - Have you got Britney's new CD?

Confianza - (con-fee-AHN-sah) - noun - trust, confidence. If you have confianza with someone, you can divulge more personal information than what you would with a recent acquaintance. Uses include:

  • Le tengo mucha confianza - I trust him a lot 
  • Es de confianza - he/she is trustworthy. Go ahead and tell me what you were going to say.
  • Personal de confianza - staff in a position to receive confidential information within a business environment. Federal labor laws have special clauses for people in these positions.
  • Que falta de confianza - what a lack of trust (if someone doesn't want to share the latest gossip)
  • Abuso de confianza - abuse of trust, as in the person who goes a little too far with confidential information or steals something (money, information etc.)
  • Confianzudo - a person who believes that you are his or her confidant and tells you things you don't really want to know about him or herself or others
  • Se confia demasiado - he trusts a lot, negative connotation here, he/she is going to get screwed

Conocedor - (coh-noh-seh-DOOR) - classifying noun - a person who knows. This term is usually found in ads when selling a rare automobile or something of value (watches, jewelry, antiques, books, stereo equipment). The ad commonly contains the phrase 'solo conocedores' which means that only those that appreciate the value of this wierd thing I'm selling should call, others with less taste need not bother. If you were selling your Advent amplifier and Denon CD player, you would insert this phrase, followed by the ridiculously high price that no one from the regular Samsung, Philco, Nagazaki brand market segment would even dream of paying. There is a snobbish implication.

Control - (con-TROLL) - noun - this is what in Canada and the U.S. is known as the remote, as in remote control:

  • Donde esta el control? - where's the remote? 

Costumbres - (coss-TOOM-brehs) - noun - Customs, traditions, etc. Much has been made lately, during the xenophobic days of former governor Victor Cervera's demise on the political landscape, of the costumbres of the Yucatecans and how buenas they are, as opposed to all that immorality and filth coming from places less virtuous than the land of the pheasant and the deer (all extinct, by the way). I won't get into all the Yucatecan costumbres, but you can read about a lot of them in NotTheNews; it was those costumbres got the web page started! I just mention the word 'cuz you'll hear it in conversations and in the press as in:

  • Esa pelicula atenta contra nuestras buenas costumbres = that movie is an affront to our good and noble way of thinking. They said this about Harry Potter for crying out loud! And heavens forbid that a naked breast should find it's way onto your movie screen! (But not any movie starring Stallone, Van Damme or Schwarzenegger - you figure these people out)
  • La policia detuvo a una persona de costumbres raras = the police apprehended someone strange ie: they displayed homosexual tendencies (this is a common one; society in denial !! - as if homosexuality was really that strange in this town)

Creer - (creh-AIR) - verb - to believe. As in:

  • Yo creo en dios - I believe in god

But an interesting form of the verb is when it is used by Yucatecans to belittle the achievements of other Yucatecans. There is nothing more envy producing and upsetting to a local than another local that has had some success at something, whether it is a bakery, a restaurant or a hardware shop. The whispering and murmuring will begin, as will the attempts at copying the successful individual. The fact that the person now has a better car, a better house, or simply doesn't bitch and moan with the rest of them, results in comments like this one, using the verb creer:

  • Ay si, se cree - Sure, now he thinks he is really something.

Cuba - (COO-bah) - that tropical communist rock in the Carribbean - That little island, the festering sore in the track record of the oh-so-successful (!) United States foreign policy, with it's senile bearded dictator, is more than all that to the Yucatecans. Mention Cuba at a party and inevitably the subject of those loose Cuban women (and men) comes up and with the lamenting of the local men that their wives won't let them go to Cuba for reasons having to do with marital bliss. There is always someone that someone has heard of or knows that has fallen for one of these extremely attractive women, leaving his wife to bring his new 'love' to Merida, only to find that after a few months and having secured her Mexican documents, she has skipped off to Miami to join her relatives already there. Other uses and variations include:

  • Hay un show cubano nuevo - there's a new cuban show (ie: let's check out the babes)
  • Conoció a una cubana - he met a Cuban girl (he ran away with a slut)
  • Estoy tomando clases de salsa con el maestro cubano ese - I'm taking salsa lessons with that hot Cuban dance instructor

Cuja - (COO-hah) - noun - What the locals call the plastic case your CD is in. According to the Spanish dictionary Kapelusz, cuja is that little leather pouch on the saddle the flagpole goes into when being carried on horseback, or the one attached to a military uniform in the case of a military honor guard flag bearer. Now, and here in Merida,  it holds your Bon Jovi CD. Thanks to my avid reader Mr. Berny for this one.

Curioso/a - (koor-ee-OH-so) - adjective - Literally meaning curious or funny as iin kind of strange in a cute way, this adjective can be heard often at hospital maternity wards when the newborn is proudly shown off to relatives and other bystanders. 'Ta curioso! someone will inevitably exclaim, meaning that they find the baby somewhat aesthetically challenged and while not wanting to hurt the parents' sentiments, feel that unique Yucatecan urge to be honest and not lie about the poor kids' looks.

Curiosear - (koor-ee-oh-seh-AR) - verb - stems from the previous word, curioso. This verb is applied to those people who go somewhere and walk around, looking curiously at things. For example, in March of 2003, there was a shooting in the Gran Plaza mall, and so the next day many people came to curiosear; see what happened. In fact, that's the very term used by the local paper when they reported the incident the following day. 

  • Donde fuistes? - Where did you go?
  • Fuimos a la Gran Plaza a curiosear - We went to the Gran Plaza to have a look around

D

D - (deh, also pronounced theh) - Fourth letter of the alphabet and also a top-runner in the grammatical confusion contest. In an effort to show how cosmopolitan they are, many store owners come up with names that in their opinions, are so French and worldly sounding. In French, the D' (letter D followed by an apostrophe) is used when the next word or name begins with a vowel as in D'Angelo, or D'Ivers. In the land of the pyramid and the tunkul, this practice has been generalized and it is now possible to find such gems as: 

  • D'Williams, D'Marisol, D'Rocio, etc. etc.

Dale - (DAH-leh) - Commonly used to denote encouragement; promote velocity; hurry things along. If you are watching a basketball game, you might shout DALE! to your favourite player who is chasing the ball. If you are motivating the albañiles working for you, you might shout DALE HIJA! to them as they move slowly through their workday. Also, you might mutter DALE JUEPUTA under your breath if they are being particularly obtuse and not moving very quickly. As another example of the usage of this expression, there is the popular children's song to encourage their party guests to break that piñata:

  • Dale dale dale, no pierdes el tino, porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino - Basically it means don't aim wrong 'cuz if you do, you'll lose your way

Diario - (dee-AR-ee-yoh) - noun - newspaper. For the great majority of Yucatecans, in spite of having several local diario options such as Por Esto, El Financiero, Diario del Sureste and Mundo, the term is used almost exclusively for the Diario de Yucatan, Merida's oldest newspaper and the bible for many. To prove a point, a local might say 'salió en el Diario', indicating that there is no doubt as to the veracity of the affirmation made.

Disney - (DEESS-nay) - name - the park where the mouse lives, visita obligada for all well-off Yucatecans who can't stretch their imaginations any further and visit the park over and over ad nauseum. 

Don - (don) - noun - salutation. Used kind of like Mister in english, along with señor. While señor is used with the last name as in Señor Lawson, don is used with the first name: Don William. Among the folks from the outlying areas with limited education, there is some confusion and you will hear Don Lawson. In a service situation, the person behind the counter may ask 

  • Que le damos Don? - What can I get you, sir?

Doña - (DON-yah) - the female version of don

E

E - (eh) - Fifth letter of the alphabet and an expression of incredulity, if such a word exists. Person A is telling person B else that a third person has just won the lottery, sold their house or car at an extremely good price. Upon hearing this, person B exclaims "EH!" However, if the information is unbelievable and the listener feels some doubt as to the veracity of it, the 'eh' will be followed by a laconic 'ta bueno', for example:

  • Mi hermano fue el presidente de España - my brother was the president of Spain
  • Eh, ta bueno - sure

Edificio - (eh-dee-FEES-eeyoh) - noun - if you have ever chatted with the traffic cop on the corner about something other than getting out of a traffic violation, he will perhaps mention the edificio. This is the term used for their headquarters - the equivalent of 'downtown' to an urban cop in the U.S. If he commits some kind of impropriety, he is taken to the edificio. (See also elemento)

Elemento - (eh-leh-MEN-toh) - noun - in the officious government language used by the police, this is what they call themselves.

  • Yo y otro elemento fuimos al lugar de los hechos - Myself and another cop went to the scene of the crime.

Empacar - (em-pah-CAHR) - verb - to pack. As in suitcases and boxes tied with string for international travellers. Also used to describe the act of voluminous eating; if you see someone getting up from a table and holding his stomach and looking pained, you might comment:

  • Te empacaste unas cuantas tortas verdad? - You wolfed down a couple of tortas didn't you?

Emposmado - (em-pohs-MAH-doh) - the inflated state of your stomach - Imagine having eaten several helpings of frijol con puerco, accompanied by a beer or three and then having a coke for dessert. How would your stomach look? Pretty distended right? Lots of gas, right? Well this is what being emposmado is all about. And those folks who have a permanent bulge around their middle, insist that they are not fat, they are simply emposmado.

Enchilar - (enn-chih-LAR) - verb - this is what happens when you overdo it with the chile. Your mouth is on fire, your eyes are watering, your nose is dripping and beads of sweat are forming on your forehead. At this point you would exclaim:

  • UAY! Me enchilé! - Holy shit! I'm dying here! 

Enfermar - (enn-fehr-MAR) - verb - to get sick. Nevertheless, in the pueblos of Yucatan, you will hear pregnant women refer to their upcoming delivery as the day they are going to enfermar or get sick. The most interesting use of the verb I have so far heard was in a conversation I had with a fellow cleaning my office, who remarked that his son had made pregnant his girlfriend. What he said was:

  • Mi hijo enfermó a su novia - My son got his girlfriend pregnant

The other use is:

  • Voy a enfermar - I'm pregnant and/or I will be delivering a baby soon 

Eskai - (ess-KYE) - noun - commercial name of DirecTV's competition for your satellite television peso. Eskai features the programming of Televisa, the culturally demented mega-consortium broadcasting wach (see wach) culture to all of Mexico, parts of the U.S. and Latin America. It's quality is only one rung above the Venezuelan programming, which has to be the worst in the world. 

Etiqueta - (eh-tee-KEH-tah) - adjective - the word means label or sticker, but it is used when penning invitations and the maximum formality is desired ie. tuxedo (see also smoking) for the men and evening gown for the ladies. Usually accompanied by the term rigurosa which means rigourous, or, in other words, don't dare to show up in just a suit and tie or worse, a blazer and no tie. Although invitations occasionally indicate rigurosa etiqueta, you may be surprised at the amount of people who disregard such indications and show up in a suit and tie. This is Merida after all, where no one really minds and besides, the climate is not entirely compatible with the formal attire so common elsewhere. 

F

Fomentar - (foh-men-TAR) - verb - Among the people who live in the rural areas of Yucatan, when you are cleaning a piece of land, perhaps preparing it for the planting of corn or other crops, you are fomentando it. When driving by a lot recently, where a backhoe was clearing away those nasty garbage producing trees and other nuisances, the campesino woman accompanying us commented:

  • Este terreno lo estan fomentando, verdad? - They are clearing/cleaning/preparing this piece of land, right?

Foreigner - (fohr-REYG-nehr-) - this is how the name of a popular 80's band is pronounced. 

Francés - (frun-CESS) - noun - The classic Yucatecan bakery staple, resembling (surprise) a french loaf of bread. In many a pueblo and among Meridas' so-called 'popular' social classes, you will hear the phrase 'Ve a comprar frances', which does not mean that a Frenchman is in town and is up for sale. It simply means, run along to the bakery and pick up some bread.

Fregado - (freh-GAH-doe) - adjective -  see fregar. Fregado is someone or something that has been beat up (by life, overuse, the normal course of time, excessive interest on that bank loan, etc.) Fregado can be subsituted with jodido, which is a little stronger and certinaly not for use in mixed company or introductory conversations.

  • Viste a Juan? - Did you see Juan?
  • Si hombre; esta bién fregado - Sure did; man, does he ever look like shit

Fregar - (freh-GAHR) - verb (see below for the original meaning) - To screw someone. Not in the sexual sense, but in the sense of obtaining advantage over an imagined (or real) adversary. Driving into Merida from Progreso, you can (as a friend often does) bypass the speed bumps in Cordemex by cutting through the Liverpool parking lot, thereby 'fregando' the guy who was in front, beside or behind you on the highway up to that point. Since you miss those topes, you end up ahead of him, so you've scored some points in your twisted little mind. Other examples of usage include:

  • Me lo fregué - I sure got him
  • Me está fregando - He's bugging me
  • Es un fregón - He's a pest
  • Me dió un fregadazo - He belted me (either physically or by taking advantage of me in a major way)

Fregastes, Te - (freh-GAHS-tess) - verb - You're screwed! From the spanish fregar, which actually means to clean up (in Spain they still use it as such) proof of which is the fregadero or sink. If you are a student and you didn't hand in your assignment on time, although you beg and plead, the teacher won't accept it and tells you Pues te fregastes! meaning you're outta luck. The 's' on the end is a Yucatecan or perhaps Mexican invention among the linguistically challenged; the correct term would be fregaste.

Fresco - (FRESS-coe) - noun - El fresco is what you 'take' when you drag your wooden or plastic white chairs onto the sidewalk in front of your downtown home, say in the Santiago area, and sit there, chatting with family and friends or neighbors, watching the cars and pedestrians go by. The downtown cement still hot from the day's unforgiving sun, this popular quaint activity can still be observed in some parts of downtown and the south of Merida. In the north, the advent of air conditioning has made the practice all but obsolete. Fresco is also when the temperature has dropped to the point where the heat is no longer crushing you, and you step outside after a late night party for example and exclaim 'maare, hay fresco' indicating that you feel a slight chill.

Fresco - (FRESS-coe) - adjective - the term is used to describe that person that takes advantage of you or someone else. As in:

  • dejó su auto a propósito para que yo la lleve - she left her car on purpose so that she could hitch a ride with me
  • ay que fresco! - translation unknown!

A variation of the word is frescura, which literally means freshness, but in this context denotes the act of being fresco.

Fresco can also be used to describe something that is cool to the touch, like a can of soda pop or beer.

  • Esta helada? - Is it ice cold?
  • No, pero esta fresca - no but it's cool

G

Gabacho - (gah-BAH-cho) - noun - see gringo; same thing. Almost never heard in Merida, you will hear it all the time in nearby Cancun. The female version is gabacha.

Gastar - (guss-TAR) - verb - 1) to finish something. In Merida, when you finish a beer, you say:

  • se me gastó la cerveza

And when you have polished off all the Coronas in the box, you can say:

  • se gastó la cerveza

If you find that you have no more pesos for beer and want someone to buy you another, you can say:

  • se me gastó el dinero

When you're out of time and you know your wife will be waiting with your suitcases packed to kick you out of the house for being away drinking so long, you can say:

  • se me gastó el tiempo

If your friends wonder why you're leaving without finishing your beer, they might ask:

  • no te la vas a gastar?

This is as opposed to se acabó la cerveza/el dinero/el tiempo, which is probably the more correct term. Other uses include, but are not limited to:

  • Es que la pieza estaba muy gastada - the part (think auto mechanics) was worn out
  • Se te va a gastar! - It's going to run out! (a kid drinking his soda pop too quickly)
  • Gástalo! - Finish it! (you are leaving the restaurant and someone hasn't finished their meal or drink and you already paid for it!)

Also  2) to spend money. If you are shopping, you are gastando dinero. The meager household allowance given to the wife by the husband who has spent most of his paycheck in the cantina, is called el gasto. This is probably not so much a Yucatecan thing, but you will hear it. 

Finally 3) Expense. Your satellite TV subscription is a gasto, as is your monthly telephone bill and the bi-monthly CFE assault on your pocketbook.

Gorda - (GOHR-duh) - adj. - A term of endearment among Mexican men. To call your wife 'fatty' can be dangerous in some marital situations, but in many Mexican relationships it is perfectly acceptable. Gordo, the male version of the same thing, is more common and seems to me anyway, a little less offensive. Some women will even call other women's men gordo, once a bit of confianza has been established. Don't use it when starting out in society.

Gratis - (GRAH-teess) - adj. - One of the favorite words of many Yucatecans who love to find a bargain (to the point of sacrificing everything else) and for those who are notoriously cheap. If something is announced as 'gratis' then there will be a rush to get it, whatever it may be and regardless of whether or not it is actually needed. Usually used in an incredulous tone of voice as in:

  • ¡son gratis, amiga! - they're free!

Gringo - (GREEN-go) - noun - Anyone obviously non-Mexican gets thrown into this category, although some neurotic Canadians try to make the distinction that they are not gringos, that the term applies only to those from the United States of America. There is a negative implication to being a gringo in many cases, although it can be used as a term of relative endearment. La gringuita is that American woman who bought the hacienda and is generally nice to everyone, although we know she's kind of naive and crazy. We like her and everything and every year she buys Christmas presents for the local village children, but we still 'borrow' stuff from the hacienda when she is not there and then forget to return it. But she is nice.

Güacala - (WAH-cah-lah) - expression - If something is gross, vomit inducing and totally gnarly, like going to visit some long lost relative in some exciting locale like Campeche, your local teenager might blurt out güacala!, indicating his or her displeasure with the mere notion of being included in such a mundane family activity.

Güey - (WAY) - noun - More and more these days, the customs of the Yucatecans are being overrun by those nasty waches and this expression comes straight from the land of the hated D.F. itself. A term for 'bro' or 'man', it is simply added to the end of any salutation or affirmation indiscriminately. Not a term to be used when trying to endear oneself to a die-hard Yuca. Avoid this one. 

Guindar - (GUINN-dahr) - verb - literally to hang. You are infinitely more likely to learn the verb colgar in your spanish class, but in the Yucatan you can and will hear the word guindar used. One use was in reference to the business practice of spending all your income without thinking about covering your costs and resupplying:

  • Se esta guindando de su negocio - he is sucking the cash flow out of his business

And also this question, which I recently heard when asked if some shirts had been hung up correctly:

  • Estan bien guindadas? - Are they hung up right?

Gustar - (goos-TAR) - verb - I have personally witnessed innumerable occasions where Merida's well off, also know as the clase acomodada, and waches (see waches) now residing in Merida, have made fun of this verb, used almost exclusively by their muchachas and mozos and other members of their indispensable servicio staff. You see, the people from the pueblos don't watch or look at (mirar) or even see (ver) the TV, they gustar it; as in:

  • Juanito que estabas haciendo? = What were you doing, Juanito?
  • Nada, estaba gustando la novela = Nothing, I was watching the soap opera


H

Heladés - (hell-ah-DESS) - noun - When the months of October through February come around, the weather, besides being wet and subject to the occasional hurricane, gets a little chilly for the locals. While the Canadian tourists from Toronto and other frigid places in the Great White North frolic in the waves in Progreso, the locals are wrapped in moldy sweaters with their arms folded protectively in front of them. 'Hay heladés' is a comment heard often during these months, especially in the mornings. Air conditioning is also a cause of heladés; some particularly thin-blooded locals go so far as to wear a sweater when shopping at Sam's Club, or when going to the movies.

Hermoso/a - (hair-MOH-so/sah) - adjective - someone who is fat is hermoso! So the literal meaning, beautiful, is not exactly what the person paying the 'compliment' has in mind. Babies are hermosos and considered healthy when fed corn syrup to fatten them up. This interpretation of the word, popular in the pueblos, probably comes from years of poverty when babies were scrawny little bony things and the image of the fat babies of the rich were considered the ideal, both aesthetically and for health reasons. Una muchacha hermosa means a chubby, rosy cheeked young girl.

Huach - see Wach 

Hueva - (WEH-bah) - noun - 1) fish roe. Usually served in seafood buffets or at beachside palapa restaurants in Progreso. La Pigua, that bastion of seafood culinary excess, makes a delicious salsa de hueva that they use on shrimp and fish fillets. 2) the feeling you get after a superb meal in which you've stretched your stomach way beyond it's normal capacity, and are in dire need of repose. Usually la hueva hits you in the afternoon after the mid-day meal. It is increasingly used as an excuse during any time of the day however, to get out of doing something. Keep in mind that the term is not entirely socially acceptable and should not be used on a first date, or when substitute teaching at Harmon Hall English school. Some possible uses of the word are:

  • Me da hueva = I'm too lazy
  • Me esta dando una hueva = I feel a nap coming on
Variations of the term exist, and should be recognized as stemming from the original. These include, but are not limited to:
  • La hora de la Uva - A politer way of saying that it's naptime, note the insertion of the uva instead of hueva
  • Huevón - this is the guy that is permanently napping and lazy as hell
  • Ueyvis - (pron. WAVE-ees) - another derivation of hueva

Huevo - (WEH-voe) - noun - this is of course, the egg. In modern and not very polite Spanish, eggs are also testicles, resulting in all kinds of permutations, most of which you can imagine for yourself. Here are, however, some examples:

  • Que haces? - What are you doing?
  • Rascando los huevos - scratching my balls (nothing)
  • Le faltaron huevos para decir lo que tenia que decir - he didn't have the balls to say what he should have said

You might also have a look at the expression a huech, which is the slang term for al huevo, for more clarification.

I

Impermeable - (im-pehr-meh-AH-bleh) - noun - this means what it means in english also; in Merida, however, it refers to the thing you wear if there is the threat of rain on the horizon, or it already wet outside, and you don't want to get soaked. If it is raining and you are wet, someone will invariably ask you:

  • Uay! No trajistes tu impermeable? - Holy cow! You didn't bring a raincoat?

India - (IN-deeya) - noun, adjective - In the class conscious, limited world view of many Yucatecans, anyone with a Mayan surname and or excessively brown complexion is called un indio or una india (see also naca, naco). Also, if someone does something that is so lacking in perceived class or 'good' taste, they are accused of being an indio. For example:

  • Como pudiste hacer eso?! Eres una india - How could you do that?! You are such a loser.

Inge - (IN-heh) - noun - In Mexico everyone has a title. No one is simply Señor Perez. He is the C.P. (contador publico or public accountant, doctor or whatever). Inge is a short term of endearment for the ever-popular ingeniero, or engineer (which can be applied to other professions as well such as Lic (LICK) for Licenciado, Arqui (AR-kee) for architect, etc.) . In Mexico ingeniero is an extremely popular career choice for many males, and when you have a cordial relationship with one, you can greet him as follows:

  • Que pasó Inge? - What's up, engineer?

J

J - (HOE-tah) The letter that is pronounced like a Y in Merida. Thereby, Jessica becomes Yessica, Janet (or Janeth) becomes Yanet, etc.

Jala - (HAH-lah) - verb - this verb, when used in it's imperative form, is used to aggressively encourage people to move along. If you are trying to get some folks out of your living room where they have staged a protest, or some stray dogs from your porch, or the neighbors' kids out of your mango tree, you yell at them Jala Jala, while moving both arms in violent swinging motions indicating the general direction in which they are to move. If you watch subtitled television, jala appears as hala. Why this is I do not know. It looks wierd though.
Since Jala is the first pair of syllables in the name of a Yucatecan town called Halacho, this is used by some in the same context:

  • Empacamos y Halacho! - Pack it up and move out!

Jiustom - (HEW-stom) - noun - A very important city in the state of Texas, where many Yucatecans live, and many more travel to do some chopim (See chopim)

Joder - (hoe-DEHR) - filthy cuss verb - The English equivalent would be fuck, with all the versatility of that word and then some. It's original meaning is usually defined as to copulate, but there are so many more wonderful ways to use the word. Some examples include:

  • Me lo jodí - I sure got him
  • Es un jodón - He's a pest
  • No (me) jodes! - Don't fuck (me) around
  • Estoy jodido - I'm screwed

and so many more...!

Jueputa - See Ueputa

L

Lana - (LAH-nah) - noun - literally, wool. The slang term, orginating probably in the central region of Mexico, for money. Used by urban Yucas and those in contact with people from other parts of the country; not heard so often in villages where the Mayan language predominates and where outside influence is minimal.

  • No traigo lana - I have no cash

Lastimada - (lahs-tee-MAH-dah) - noun - from the verb lastimar, to hurt or cause pain. The correct spanish term would be herida (wound) but if you have a scratch on your forehead you have a lastimada (a hurt). Used mostly by mothers when speaking to their offspring. Also known as yaya. Adults don't have lastimadas, especially adult males. They have putazos, chingadazos, madrazos, etc.

Las Begonias - (Lahs-Beh-GONE-yahs) - place name - This is what locals colloquially call that desert city filled with gambling and vice in Nevada. Many rich Mexican politicians visit Las Begonias in September and at other times of the year, travelling on taxpayer-funded expense accounts and gambling away exceedingly large amounts of taxpayers money that should have gone to roads, hospitals, schools; that sort of thing.

Levantar - (Leh-vun-TAR) - verb - To raise, lift up, etc. In Yucatan, this verb also means to put something away for safekeeping; money, valuables, an important list. Probably comes from the Mayan village culture, where the floor is dirt and furniture is rare. Usually there might be a little shelf or simply a place to hang something from a branch that forms part of the palapa roof. Example:

  • Ya metistes tu dinero al banco? = Did you put your money in the bank?
  • No, lo tengo levantado. = No, I have put it away 

Libre - (LEE-breh) - adjective - Literally, free. As in a seat on the bus, admission to a cultural event sponsored by the government, etc. etc. In Yucatan, it is also used by the Mene Mene men (see Mene Mene) to indicate to you, along with vigorous red rag swinging, that the coast is clear.

Loch - (LOCH) - noun/verb - pronounced hard and fast, it is in fact a Mayan word for something soft and slow - a tender hug. Hacer loch is to be in the state of hugging someone. It is a word that has become fully integrated in the Yucatecan spoken spanish, although some misguided folks think that loch is a little more daring and sexually oriented.

  • Me haces loch? - Can you give me a hug?

Lograda - (loh-GRAH-dah) - adjective - achieved; a unique use for this word came up when a lady in a pueblo was asking about my daughters and how old they were. When I answered that they were in their early teens, the woman exclaimed with a dismissive wave and triumphant tone of voice 'ah, ya estan logradas' probably meaning that the fun associated with ear infections and diapers was over and done with.

Los Miamis - (lohs-my-A-mees) - place name - another city, this one in Florida, where locals love to shop and stay at hotels like the dark and spooky Everglades and the cockroach-infested DeLido because they're cheap. This term is used mostly by those locals that travel there; the so-called clase acomodada or their wannabe hangers-on.


M

Ma - (mah) - No, in Mayan. The popular phrase that defines the stubbornness of the Yucatecans is 

  • Cuando digo ma es ma! - When I say no it's no!

Majar - (mah-HAR) - verb - to get hit by something or have one of your extremities flattened. You can hear it used when you are downtown or perhaps at the local clinic.

  • Cuidado ninio! Te va a majar el camion! -  Careful kid (as in son or daughter who has ventured out onto the street), you're gonna get hit by a bus!
  • Que te pasó? - What happened to you?
  • Me majé el dedo con la puerta - I caught my finger in the door

Malboro - (mahl-BORE-roh) - smoky noun - this is the way you say Marlboro, as in the cigarrette. Don't even attempt, like I stupidly did for the longest time, to pronounce that first 'r'; here in Mexico it's called MAL (as in bad for you) boro. Much easier, don't you think?

Mare - (MAAAH-reh) - classic Yuca expression indicating appreciation, wonderment and generally being impressed. Someone showing off their shiny new car (complete with the plastic seat covers still in place to protect the cloth) ? Maaare. New and very attractive girlfriend? Maaare. Trip to the extranjero and you know you can't afford to go? Maaare. Usually said while jutting out the lower lip and nodding one's head slowly. Also used as a term of affirmation in a resigned sort of way as in

  • Te pegó duro lo del banco verdad? - That bank thing really hit you hard, huh?
  • Maaare, si - damn straight

Maricón - (mah-ree-CON) - noun - A homosexual male. You've probably learned this one from movies featuring latinos, where it has almost become part of the linguistic landscape of the U.S.A. A maricón is a fairy, and can also be used to belittle any boy who should dare to shed a tear. No seas maricón!, will be the stern reprimand from the father (and even sometime the mother) figure who only wants what's best for the boy. No seas maricón! will also be used if someone is chickening out of something really macho, like not accompanying the boys to Heladios for beers at noon, when he knows that wife/girlfriend will get upset. Variations include:

  • Mariconada - a chickenshit thing
  • Marica - means the same thing; pronounced ma-REE-cuh
  • Marimacha - another derogative term, this one for the female homosexual, the lesbiana

Maquiladora - (mah-kee-la-DOH-rah) - noun - Maquiladoras are large factory type enterprises where raw materials (imported from abroad) are turned into something useful by Yucatecan labor and then exported back out of the country. Maquiladoras are found throughout Mexico but Yucatan has quite a few so the term may pop up now and again. It's a form of prostitution but for labor, rather than sex.
Some doubt exists to the actual benefits of maquiladoras to the local economy, since many concessions are made to bring them in in the first place, none of the products reach the local markets, and the employees are nothing more than a pair of hands with not much in the way of career development in the offing. Maquiladoras are hated by many locals (especially among the well-off female population) since these new options for employment are located close to villages and towns that have traditionally supplied Merida with a generous stock of maids, gardeners, chauffeurs, thereby resulting in a drastic shortage of same.

Mene Mene - (MEH-neh MEH-neh) - expression - This comes from 'viene viene' and is used by those helpful little old men swinging red rags that can be found at every parking area, whether it's a supermarket parking lot or a busy section of the street in front of the taqueria of the moment. You are looking in your mirror to see if there is traffic; there is none, just the old guy swinging the rag, yelling 'mene mene' indicating to you that the coast is clear. Please be aware however that not only are these a prime example of Mexico's pitiful old-age retirement options, but they are also not insured and report to no-one, should you suffer an accident as a result of an incorrect traffic 'mene mene' diagnosis (i.e. oops, there was a car coming after all).

Miami - see Los Miamis

Mica - (MEE-cah) - noun - a little plastic card or stamp that appears in or is attached to your Mexican passport. It's a highly desirable accoutrement to your travel arsenal, since it is practically a free pass to enter the Hallowed Land of the Gringo, where many locals like to shop in Jiustom (see jiustom) and visit the Rat in Orlando etc. etc. The mica is obtainable from the gestapo I mean U.S. Consulate here in sunny Merida, and you can read all about getting visas and so forth here .

Mickey - (MEE-kay) - name - what the locals call the mouse in Orlando.

Miel - (MEEYELL) - noun - what you pour on your hotcakes in the morning. Miel is actually honey, and the correct term for the sickly sweet artificially flavored crap would be jarabe or syrup, but here it's just miel. If you want honey, ask for miel de abeja. Bee syrup, if you will.

Modelo - (moh-DELL-oh) - noun - besides being the name of one of Merida's oldest schools, the term modelo has an interesting meaning when it comes to the sale of your vehicle. It refers to the year of your car, as in: se vende Ford modelo 1991. If someone asks 'Qué modelo es tu auto?', you don't say 'Es un Falcon', you say 'Es del '87'

Modular - (moh-doo-LAHR) - noun - this is what the locals call those small stereos where there is one big box that contains the CD player, tape deck and radio, usually with detachable speakers. Everybody has got a modular and a video.

Montón - (mohn-TOHN) - noun - a pile. Monton is used when something is expensive or when there is a lot of something, as these examples will illustrate:

  • Hay un monton de waches en Merida - there are a lot of people from Mexico City in Merida 
  • Verdad que hay calor? - Hot, isn't it?
  • Maaare si, un monton - Sure is. Real hot.
  • Crees que vale 1000 pesos? - Do you think it's worth 1000 pesos?
  • No hombre, es un monton de dinero - No way, that's too much
  • Has ido a Miami? - Have you been to Miami?
  • Si. Un monton de veces - Yup, lots of times.
  • Un monton de gente - lots of people

The most humorous use of the word 'monton' was in a conversation the other day with a gardener who was describing the police patrols along the highway to his pueblo. He said there were patrullas and anti-montones. This is a decomposition of the term anti-motines, which could be literally translated as a riot control unit.

Mordida - (more-DEE-dah) - noun - literally: the bite. A term universal in all of Mexico, this refers to what happens when the policeman pulls you over for some invented or actual infraction and you suggestively ask if there is a way to pay the fine now, as opposed to having your car impounded and getting a ticket. Policemen do not like to write tickets and will play along eagerly in most cases; sometimes they will offer to take that fine for you as a convenience to you, the time-strapped citizen. Initially they may feign indignation at being asked about paying a fine; this is only temporary and part of the theatrics. 
Caveat Emptor: in the case of Federal Highway Police (those snappy black cars and the policemen straight out of a Mexican 70's cops and robbers movie that patrol federal highways) be very careful with your wording and don't offer if you don't have a substantial sum of cash. 
The process of bribing authorities to move things along is known as giving them a mordida.

Mozo - (MO-so) - noun - the word doesn't rhyme with Bozo as in the clown, so say it right. In a proper and traditional yucatecan household, there will be several types of service personnel, such as the cook, the laundry person, the nanny, the housekeeper and a couple of mozos. Nowadays, most people have only a mozo or a muchacha or maybe both. The mozo is the young man of Mayan descent with absolutely no self esteem whatsoever who lives in the house, does the dishes, sweeps and mops, keeps the cars clean, tends to any and all pets and the garden, and sometimes, if you are really lucky, cooks your meals. He is the male version of the muchacha (see below) or acts as a complement to that very important figure in the yucatecan household.

Muchacha - (mu-CHA-cha) - noun - a young (very young and getting younger these days) female of Mayan heritage who works in your home, washing, cleaning, doing dishes, cooking, caring for the baby; basically all those things you can't do what with all those coffee breakfast gossip sessions going on. This is what makes living in Merida and in Mexico in general 'so great'. 
For the social-conscious, hearing a child say mi muchacha like they were referring to the family pet, is tough to swallow.

N

Naca - (NAH-kah) - noun - A naca, (masculine naco), is a person of the female sex from the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, commonly defined as having no taste and usually brown in color, with a minimum of discretionary income, or, if an income is available, unable to 'correctly' spend his or her money resulting in the purchase of garish furniture/clothing or what-have-you. Despised by all social classes (the upper classes want nothing to do with the nacos, and use this term to distance themselves from their countrymen/women while the lower classes aspire not be classified as such.

For many, a person obviously of indigenous background, regardless of education, employment, geographics; is a naco, simply because of his indian heritage. 

Sample usage: "Nos estaba atendiendo una naca, pero UNA NACA" Note the emphasis in the repetition of the UNA NACA, which means that the person telling the story was being looked after by a really indigenous looking person, probably with a gold tooth and really brown skin.

Derivations you will hear of this usually derogatory term include: 

  • Naquito/a: More derogative than the original, usually spoken accompanied by a dismissive headshaking
  • Naquiza: A reference to the whole mass of brown people out there as in "this TV program really appeals to the naquiza"

Nightclub - (easy pronunciation, huh?) - noun - also spelled NIGTHCLUB, this is the accepted term for strip bars. No jazz or live rock and roll in these places, just strippers, watered-down alcohol, and dubious activity in the back.

Novela - (no-VEH-la) - noun - the nightly soap opera. The two national television networks - TV Azteca and Televisa) pump out a series of idiotic soap operas that reflect wach culture in its most asinine form. These programs, along with the rest of the mind-numbing programming coming from the nations' capital, are contributing to the homogenization of Mexican culture (everyone becomes a wach) and the decline of any real culture in the country. In any case, it's an important form of entertainment for anyone cerebrally challenged (and there are a lot of them out there) either because of limited education opportunities (those folks in the pueblos who just love to gustar - see gustar) or just plain stupidity (all those people who have had education and should know better, but remain haplessly brainless). It's not unusual to see kids (especially girls) from age 11 and up, addicted to watching episodes featuring such original material as marital deceit and violence, rape, unwanted pregnancies, inter-social class romance and it's ramifications etc. etc.. Pablum for the masses.

Nueba Yor - (nweh-bah-YOR) - city name - the city where Giuliani oncce ruled, know in the tongue of Shakespeare as New York. 

Nylom - (NIE-lom) - noun - This is of course, the plastic material known as nylon, as in nylon rope. If you're planning on doing some shopping, especially in the mercado, you may want to take along a bolsa de nylom (a plastic bag). If Publix or Safeway ever come to town, the cashier will have to ask "papel o nylom?"

P

Pam - (PUM) - noun - 1.) No, it's not a non-stick cooking spray. This is what you buy at the bakery. While most Yucatecans will say paNaderia and paNificadora (note the 'n', a real Yuca will always say pam when referring to anything to do with bread. 2.) The National Action Party, Partido de Accion Nacional - PAN - political party that overturned the PRI after 70 years of monopolist rule in Mexico at the federal and more recently, state of Yucatan level. Eg. Vota por el PAM - Vote for the PAN.

Panqué - (pun-KEH) - noun. Pancakes are called hotcakes and panqué is actually a pan cake ie. the kind that comes in a loaf pan and is usually pretty plain. Sometimes pecans are added and it is called panqué de nuez.

Papaya - (pah-PIE-yah) - fruity noun - You know this is a fruit; there are the big stinky ones and the little 'Hawaiian' or Maradol ones. Sin embargo, there is another use for the word. See Queso in this dictionary for more insight.

Pasto - (PASS-toh) - noun - in Merida, your lawn is called el pasto. Other parts of the spanish speaking world call it a cesped, but pasto sounds better in the context of the Mayan heritage. It just rolls off the tongue better.

Patio - (same as english) - noun - While in english this word evokes romantic images of an orderly little area somewhere in the garden, here it is a place where one goes to throw the garbage or perhaps, as is the case in rural areas of Yucatan, where you go to relieve yourself with some ripped up newspaper and a small amount of lime. Pigs and chickens often live in the patios too. There's a whole world back there; all kinds of things happening.

Pareja - (pa-REH-ha) - noun - Literally: a pair. Una pareja de idiotas is a pair of idiots. Used to describe romantic interests as in

  • Fulana todavia no tiene pareja? = Fulana doesn't have a boyfriend yet? 

Also used in the world of parenting. If you have a daughter; especially if you 'only' have a daughter, members of the machista society will disapprove and ask you over and over if you are not going to buscar la parejita or go for the pair... 

In the world of household help (see servicio) the ideal situation would be a couple working for you as in:

  • Ya tienes muchacha? = Do you have a maid?
  • No, fijate que tengo una pareja = No, I have hired a couple (as in mozo and muchacha tag team)

Patrón - (pah-TRONE) - noun - This, besides being the name of Yucatan's first opposition governor (PAN), is the boss of any household. The female version is the patrona . This is a remnant of the 'good old' hacienda days when the 'indians' knew their place and before the advent of maquiladoras. Nowadays, the muchachas and the mozos and the jardineros and the planchadoras (see Servicio) work for and preferably respect their patrón, who pays them. 
It is common in the markets and on the street to have fruit sellers, tortilla ladies and parking helpers (the guys swinging the red cloth around that help you in and out of a parking space in exchange for some coinage - see Mene Mene) addresss one as 'patron' or 'patrona ' or even 'patroncito', 'cito' being the diminutive form of anything.

Pedo - (PEH-doe) - noun - a fart. The pedo is traditionally a fart, but modern slang has enhanced and diversified it's meaning. Not all applications are Yucatecan by any means, but are extremely frequently heard. Note the following applications to get an idea of the versatility of the fart word:

  • Me eché un pedo - I farted (traditional meaning)
  • Que pedo? - What's up? (as a greeting)
  • Es un pedo - It's a hassle (as a description of a problem)
  • Traigo un pedo - I have a problem (idem)
  • Estoy pedo - I am drunk
  •  

Pegar - (peh-GAR) - verb - to hit; to stick together. Pegamento is glue, hence the sticky definition. Check out these examples:

  • Nos pegó duro el huracam - The hurricane hit us hard
  • Pégalo! - Hit him!
  • Pégate a ella - Go and stand next to her
  • Y no te desprendes de ella - and don't leave her side
  • Tiene su pegue - he is popular, girls like to be around him
  • Estabamos pegaditos a la pared - we were right up next to the wall

Pelaná - (pell-ah-NAH) - vulgarity - the Mayan term pel'ana,  heard among those of obvious Mayan ancestry, literally means 'your mothers' privates' and is not at all socially acceptable. In a heated cantina argument, if you wanted to bring the tone up a notch, you might shout at your adversary pel'ana! and that will heat things up nicely. Don't believe your new-found friends at the cantina when they insist that this means something nice and you should say it to the big ugly fellow at the bar.

Pendejo - (pen-DEH-ho) - an extremely popular vulgarity, increasingly used in everyday conversation. A pendejo is someone stupid, someone who is constantly screwing up due to their own incompetence, someone who doesn't see what is really happening around them. The female version is equally popular, used among women to describe the less intelligent members of their sex. While pendejo and pendeja are used by women in their descriptions of men and women, it is rare to hear a man say that a certain woman is a pendeja. They are still ladies, after all. 
Many variations of the term exist:

  • Pendejez - stupidity
  • Cuando se le quite la pendejez... - when the stupidity wears off...
  • Pendejear - to go around being a pendejo, walking around in a trance
  • Pendejadas - stupid things or statements
  • No digas pendejadas - Don't say such idiotic things

Perech - (peh-RECH) - Mayan adjective - A couple of examples will illustrate the meaning of this extremely common word; no one uses the Spanish equivalents, except those waches, who after a short while quickly adopt the Mayan term.  

  • Llegamos perech = we made it just in time
  • Estuvo perech la comida = we almost ran out of food
  • Estamos pereches de gasolina = our gas is getting a little low

Periferico - (peh-ree-FEHR-ee-coh) - noun - the beltway. A very narrow (money was saved - by whom we can only suspect - by not paving the entire and normal width of this roadway) 4-lane highway, two lanes in either direction separated by a green belt, that completely circles the city of Merida, or what was once the city of Merida, since it is now growing beyond this limit and the beltway will soon become part of the city itself. Many hotels of ill-repute and 'nightclubs' are located along the periferico and nighttime driving is dangerous at times, what with drunken drivers, stalled unlit trucks, bicycles appearing out of no-where, policias looking to fatten the kitty with a mordida, etc. UPDATE 2007: This stretch of road that encircles the formerly white city has now grown to become a real asphalt-covered roadway, with three or more full-size lanes in either direction and many overpasses from which you can observe the rampant destruction of Yucatan's vegetation. The paint used to indicate lanes is still the cheapest possible, non-reflective, water-soluble, fade in the sun acrylic off-white and so driving at night is highly discouraged for those visiting and unfamiliar with the flow of traffic which can reach speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour even in those zones marked as 40 Kms/H. Beware of radar, now used to catch speeders.

Pikza - (PEEK-sah) - noun - this is what some people call that enormously popular Italian food item commercialized so successfully by Dominos' and Pizza Hut.

Price - (PRICE) - name - the locals call Costco this, since when they opened they were called Price Club. The merger with Costco to become Price Club-Costco and then simply Costco, went unnoticed by Yucatecans who still call the store Price. It's pronounced priiiiice, by the way.

  • Vamos a prayyys - let's go to Costco

Pueblo - (PWEH-blow) - noun - small town or village, source of domestic help for Merida's overworked housewives. Mentalidad de pueblo means small-town mentality.

Puta - (POOH-tah) - noun - 1) derogative term for a 'loose' woman. In the Merida of Fernando Espejo's memory, a loose woman would be one who dared to leave home before getting married or who went on a date with out a chaperone (see chaperon). Thankfully some of these backward traditions have disappeared, a development lamented by Merida's elderly citizens and probably celebrated by the girls of today. 2) A violent expression of disappointment or anger. Your bank calls to tell you that your account is overdrawn; you hang up and shake your head and say "puta!" Not socially acceptable unless you are with a group of same-sex acquaintances and there is a certain degree of 'confianza'.

Puta Madre - (POOH-tah MAH-dreh) - expression of anger and often disbelief, the intensity of which is established by the tone and volume used when uttering this expression. Puta = whore, Madre = mother. Not nice and not at all socially accepted; I wouldn't recommend trying it out on anyone during your first visit to Merida. In a polite society, however, there are always other ways to say the same thing without actually saying it. The popular Yucatecan expression 'ta mare'  is based on the vulgar original, as is 'pa su mecha' (perhaps not Yucatecan), 'puchi vida' or simply 'puchi' (pronounced poochy), and a host of others. The original version can be used, once you have the pronunciation down and feel comfortable descending to this level, among groups of men who know each other and the ice has been broken, so to speak. Never use in the presence of a female, no matter how liberated she claims to be or how filthy her vocabulary. She still considers herself a lady, even if you no longer share that appreciation.

Puto - (POOH-toh) - noun - another derogative term, this time applied to any male who displays feminine qualities, ie. is gay. Also applied to male prostitutes. If you use this as an expression of anger as in puta, you are definitely giving yourself away as a gringo.

Q

Queso - (KEH-soh) - noun - cheese. Please be aware that in the way that chile has a double meaning in that it also means the male sex organ, queso refers to the female sex organ. It's usage in this way is almost exclusively the domain of the men, although there are women who enjoy the occasional joke with the hidden or implied connotations, although never in mixed company unless there is a high degree of confianza. You would have to be very careful who you are speaking with if you open your refrigerator and innocently announce to the bystanders that your cheese smells funny... (see also Papaya in this dictionary)

Quitar - (kih-TAR) - verb - 'take away' is the generally accepted spanish meaning of this word. In Merida, again, in addition to the norm, a different usage is common. It becomes to leave. The verb becomes reflexive and acquires new applications that are inherently Yucatecan - classics if you will. If you are leaving a party you might say:

  • 'Ta bueno, me voy - Well, I'm leaving

To which your host or other party guests may reply:

  • Porque te quitas tan temprano? - Why are you leaving so soon?
  • Es que se gastaron las chevas; y tengo que chambear mañana - Well, there's no more beer, and I have to work tomorrow.

If you weren't able to attend, you might run into someone from the revelry the night before and ask them: 

  • Como se puso la fiesta? - How (did the party put itself) was the party?

and get this reply:

  • No se. Me quité temprano - I don't know, I left early

Other uses could be:

  • Quitate! - Get out of the way!
  • A que hora te vas a quitar? - What time are you leaving?

Quitar is something you will hear a lot in Yucatan.

Quiúbole - (Key-OO-boh-leh) - wach expression - This is not Yucatecan; rather it is slang from Mexico City, land of the waches who, along with their television and their tacos, are inserting themselves pervasively into every culture they can get their tentacles into. But you will hear it now in the formerly white city.

R

Rackets - (RA-kets) - noun - this is an abomination of the English word racks, as in shelving. There is a local company that advertises it's services as Closets y Rackets. Kind of funny, if you ask me; what do they do - come to your house and install a closet and make a lot of noise? Maybe just plain old 'racks' was too difficult to pronounce.

Redrogear - (reh-droh-heh-AR) - an old spanish word, long since abandoned in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world,  that is used by older people to denote careful perusal, usually of a place. If you are in a junk or second hand shop, looking around, or in a supermarket, taking your time to check out every new and imported food item that has reached the shelves, you are redrogeando. 

Relaciones - (reh-lah-SEEOH-nehs) - noun - relations, commonly used to primly and prudishly describe a sexual relationship, without mentioning that taboo word, sex.

  • Ya tuvistes relaciones? - Did you have sex?

S

Sabor - (suh-BORE) - noun - the usual meaning is taste or flavour; as in:

  • tiene buen sabor = has a good taste / is tasty

Although more common several years ago, one can still hear the question "Coca o sabor?" when you ask for a refresco (soda pop) at a restaurant or a party. Amazingly, if you reply 'sabor' the waiter doesn't pursue the matter any further and brings whatever flavour he comes across; nor do the people around you ask for any specific flavour; they simply ask for 'sabor'. 

Sacudir - (sah-koo-DEER) - verb - to shake. While shaking your sofa or your table may seem difficult if not downright impossible, it would appear that this is what Yucatecans are doing (or at least their muchachas are anyway) with their furniture. Actually, here it means to dust off or clean. So if someone tells you sacude la mesa, don't start lifting and shaking, simply grab a cloth and remove the crumbs from breakfast.

Saga - (SAH-gah) - Apparently, far from being a long incredibly rich tale filled with outrageous characters performing heroic feats in exotic locales, this was also the name of a brand of tshirts that was popular in the Yucatan for a time.

Tshirts, like undershirts, were (and are still in many cases) worn under the dress shirt; usually a guayabera, in order to protect it from the inevitable sweating that occurs during the course of the day. Like Kleenex did for paper tissue, Saga became the generic name for the tshirt in many yucatecan households:

  • Te pusistes tu Saga? - did you put on your tshirt/undershirt?

or this classic uttered by some household help;

  • Aliso la Saga? - Do I smooth the shirts? (see alisar)

I only mention all of this because it is still possible today in the Yucatan, to hear someone say Saga for a Tshirt. Since the author of this dictionary sells tshirts on the side, a young man (late teens) recently asked at a fair where the shirts were on sale:

  • A como la Saga? - How much for the shirts?

Sarandear - (sah-ran-deh-AR) - verb - yet another antique Castillian term you won't learn in Spanish classes these days. The way I understand it, the word means to shake. As in:

  • Tuve que sarandear esos niños para que reaccionem - I had to give those kids a shake to get their attention
  • Nos dimos una sarandeada en esa carretera - that (bumpy) highway really shook us up

Secre - (SEH-creh) - noun/profession - this is exactly the same idea as the chalan. Same usage, same functions and responsabilities.  

Separar - (seh-par-RAR) - verb - to separate; as in  <

  • separa esos que siempre se andan peleando = split those ones up; they're always fighting

In Merida, separar has another, more local meaning and usage: Set aside. If you go by a toy store at Christmas time, you will see signs telling you separa sus juguetes which does not mean that your toys are combined and this is a bad thing; it means that you can set aside the toys you want to buy for Christmas and pay them little by little.

Servicio - (sir-VISS-ee-oh) - noun - a generic term for all householdd help, including the mozo , the muchacha, la nana, la cocinera, la lavandera, la planchadora, el jardinero, el chofer, el ... do I have to go on? It's so amusing how many Yucatecans like to believe that they somehow belong to a superior socio-economic class simply because they have a muchacha tagging along at the mall, looking after the kids; especially when you consider that often you can't tell who is the real muchacha, the muchacha or the patrona ! 
Want to bug someone? Compliment the tiny Mayan looking girl holding the little blond kid on how cute her son is... just be sure to ask the question when the real mother, who is much too elegant to be carrying kids, is present.

Serviente/a - (sir-vee-EN-teh/tah) - noun - Merida must be one of the few prrivileged places in the world where, in the year of our lord 2003, you can still open up the classifieds section of the local paper and find an ad for servants.

Shores - (SHOH-rez) - noun - this is painted on the wall of aa clothing store downtown and although by itself you could never figure it out, when read in the context of the rest of the junk painted haphazardly on the wall (tshirts, vestidos, blusas) you realize that this it the word for pantalones cortos or short pants: shorts.

Si - (SEE) - affirmative - everyone knows this word!! But in Merida, when you invite someone to your home for a dinner or party or a meeting, it can also mean no. Si means 'I heard you and I may even show up at your house but then again I have to keep my options open and can't commit to anything so maybe I won't be there after all and I certainly don't want to hurt your feelings or look bad in your eyes thanks for asking me but I just don't know.' Just saying yes is a simple way to avoid explanations regarding whether or not you are going to accept, although admittedly it does infuriate your new-to-Merida host when he or she realizes that he has cooked for 18 and only 7 show up.

Siecierto - (see-ehss-SYAYR-toh) - another form of affirmation; used when you tell someone something that he or she had not realized or thought about before and, realizing that it is true what you have said, will utter with a slow nodding of their head "Siecierto!" It is the contracted version of Si Es Cierto.

Siempre - (see-EM-preh) - usually means always. But locally, it is used as a kind of 'still' or 'after all'. See the following examples to better understand the quirky usage of the word

  • Siempre vienen - They are always coming OR They are coming after all (as in a band or circus that had originally announced their decision not to come
  • Siempre si voy a ir - I am going after all
  • Siempre no fueron? - They (or you) didn't go?

Smoking - (duh) - noun - the term used for a tuxedo. Probably comes from that Bond era term, smoking jacket, when men were men and wore these penguin suits while enjoying a cigar in the so-called drawing room. Since there seems to be some sort of speech impediment that prevents a great majority of the mexican population from pronouncing the letter 's' at the beginning of a word, they insert an 'e' to make it easier, thus smoking becomes esmokin or, better yet, esmokim. (see also eskai for another example of this, and etiqueta for more on dressing up)
 

T

'Ta Bueno - (Tuh-BWAY-no) - expression of affirmation, a shortened form of esta bueno used instead of the probably more correct está bien or 'ta bien. When someone tells you something and you understand, you reply this. If used as a question; say, in the restaurant buffet line when you ask the chef or cook 'ta bueno? it obviously means 'is that good?' You will also hear this used as an expression of incredulous disbelief; someone is telling someone else about how he or she did this or that and the person hearing the story can't believe it, the person will say to the one telling the tale 'aha... 'ta bueno' or 'eeeeeeehhhhh 'ta bueno'. Often shortened to simply 'eeeeehhhh'. A reader has pointed out that the 'ta bueno, in the case of expressing incredulity, is sometimes followed by tu, becoming, 'ta bueno, tu', which gives the statement a little more punch.

Técnico - (TECK-nih-coh) - noun - professional kind of person, almost exclusively male, whom you call when there is a problem with your computer. 

  • No funciona Windows, jefe - Windows is on the fritz, boss
  • Llama al técnico - call the tech guy

Telefono - (teh-LEH-foh-no) - noun - a phone. Also used as the abbreviated term for telephone number. No one says número de teléfono, it's far too long; so save yourself the trouble and don't even try it. People will ask you for your teléfono, in which case you are expected to give them your phone number, don't hand over the actual device.

Temporada - (tem-por-RA-da) - noun - The usual spanish meaning for thhis word is season and it is used that way in Merida as well as in:

  • Es temporada de canicas/mangos/beisbol - It's marble/mango/baseball season.

But the most usual meaning of the word, when someone says La Temporada, he or she refers to the two month summer vacations when everyone and their offspring and those horrible relatives from Campeche (ni modo que les digamos que no vengam) go to the beach on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Típico - (TIH-pih-coe) - adjective - this is a sign to stay away from. It's designed to attract you, the ethnocentric visitor, to spend your hard currency on things that you believe are the real deal. Pay no heed.

If you see it on a clothing store as in ropa tipica or trajes tipicos, it means that they sell clothing that the locals only wear when obligated to do so for official government functions or school plays. If you buy and dare to wear this stuff you will look ridiculous, no matter how hard you feel you are 'blending in'. 

If you see this sign on a restaurant ie. comida tipica it means that it is a place where no local would ever go to take his meals. It also means that while the names of the platillos sound true, the only thing the restaurant really offers is a convenient location to a bus stop or a main square; the food will generally be bad to horrible. Stay away. 

Tirix Ta' - (tee-reesh-TAH) - noun - Mayan for diarreah. In any proper Yucatecan household, no matter what socioeconomic group, this is the accepted and used term for what in English are called the runs. Note that I said household, so don't be pestering new acquaintances with your bathroom horror stories - some level of confianza must exist first.

Tomar - (toh-MAHR) - verb - although literally it means to take, this meaning is usurped by the more popular agarrar (see agarrar). Tomar in Yucatan means to drink; in most cases anything such as coffee (vamos tomar un cafecito), soda, water; but more often than not, tomar is related to alcoholic beverages. When you are drinking in the local cantina, you are tomando los tragos. If you get home drunk, your partner/wife/girlfriend might ask you accusingly:

  • Estuvistes tomando con tus amigos? - were you drinking with your buddies?

And continue this line of interrogation with:

  • Es que cada vez que sales con ese Juan, vienes a la casa tomado - every time you go out with that Johnnie, you come home drunk

Tope - (TOH-pay) - noun - The average driver in Mexico will not read traffic signs, could care less about pedestrians and is always in more of a hurry than the people driving around him or her (his or her time is more important than that of the rest of the world). The police, in charge of driving in Yucatan as well whatever else that they do, practically give drivers licenses away and inspire no respect whatsoever from local drivers when directing them. The solution then, in the Culture Capital of the Americas, is to lay down strips of raised concrete to force drivers to slow down. These raised concrete automotive destructor units, are called topes, probably from the verb topar (con) or bump (into).

Trago - (TRAH-go) - noun - an alcoholic drink. 

  • Quieres un trago? - Do you want a drink?
  • Vamos a tomar los tragos - Let's go drinking
  • Se fue de tragos - He went on a binge

Tuch - (TOOCH) - Mayan noun - You will hear this a lot in the Yucatan; where no one in their right mind would call their bellybutton by it's Castilian term, ombligo. Expressions using this word are many, including:

  • Rascarse el tuch = Scratching one's bellybutton = not do anything
  • El tuch del mundo = Bellybutton of the world = center of the universe (romantic Yucatecans' (eg. Fernando Espejo) idealized vision of Merida)

U

Uay! - (WHY, pronounced short and fast) - expression of surprise, fear - If you want to determine whether or not a person is a real Yucatecan, sneak up behind him and scare him - if he jumps and exclaims UY! (pron. OOEEE!) then he is not from the peninsula. Probably a wach (see wach). But if he shouts UAY! then you've got a real Yucatecan!
Also used when hearing a story about something amazing; for example, upon learning that Don Fulano was suddenly taken to the hospital and that it looks serious, a Yucatecan might remark

  •  "Uay, pues que tiene el pobre?" (Uay, what does the poor devil have?) 

Ueputa - also Jueputa (we-POO-tuh) - noun - Common on the street, the constrruction site and other places not really elegant, this is an abbreviated and less explicit form of saying hijo de puta which literally means 'son of a whore'. The English equivalent would be 'son of a bitch' and it's contraction 'suhuvabitch'. If you were to do the scaring experiment mentioned in Uay, a more down to earth person might exclaim 'Ueputa!' My favorite anecdote involving this expression is the following:

Working in a restaurant in Cancun one late afternoon, a hurricane just having passed, we were replacing the tables and chairs that had been stored for the duration of the storm, outside on the terrace. A lone elderly woman sat down to order her dinner. She was dressed conservatively and looked mild mannered enough. Suddenly, a strong gust of chilly wind ripped across the terrace and the lady jumped up and exclaimed in a loud voice Jueputa! and quickly went for cover. So much for appearances!
Ueputa also refers to someone you don't care much for, a real jerk, someone who you can't stand. Ese jueputa de Juan. On construction sites and other workplaces, it's not uncommon to hear the supervisor yelling at some subordinate Dale ueputa! which indicates that he wants the worker in question to pick up the pace a little.

Universidad - (oo-nee-vehr-see-DAHD) - a place of higher learning; Merida has 4 main universities: the Autonoma de Yucatan, the states oldest and most respected post high school learning center; the Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, which, coming from the center of the country has the most appropriate initials: UACH; the Marista, featuring religion as a main course; and the preppy UniMayab or Universidad del Mayab. 
This last one is the education center of choice for all those rich kids from Merida whose Daddies wanted their kid to get a degree but knew his offspring would never survive in the real world and why send them abroad anyway it would only bring calamity upon their fragile minds... so a bunch of rich folks got together and formed their own university with the catholic religion as strong moral foundation for their own lack of same and voila... all the beautiful (and useless) folks go there to get their MMC (mientras me caso) degrees in the case of the females and any kind of degree for the males since they are just waiting for Daddy to leave his business for them to continue and/or run into the ground.

V

V - (veh, also beh) - 22nd letter of the English alphabet, it's ambivalent pronunciation (see B), makes it a useful letter for confusing and amusing results in spelling throughout the country. Valet becomes balet; viaje, biaje; vamos, bamos etc. etc.

V - (veh) - There is an interesting, and very Yucatecan use for the letter 'V'. It is not a conscious use of the 'v'; but rather, a pronunciation thing. It goes something like this. There is a category of Yucatecans, who, through assimilation, vocal laziness or, as some say, pretentiousness, can not pronounce the double 'r' so necessary in Spanish pronunciation. The double 'r' as you know appears in many words like garrapata, agarrar and others, and is also used when a word begins with 'r' such as Rafael, razonable and rápido. The pronunciation is a very soft 'v', almost French in it's sound (hence the accusations of pretentiousness). See what happens to the word when it is pronounced by one of these linguistically challenged persons:

  • Garrapata - Gavapata
  • Agarrar - Agavar
  • Rafael - Vafael
  • Razonable - Vazonable
  • Rapido - Vapido

Valet Parking - (hey, this one's easy) - This term lifted from the English has survived the non-existent translation almost unscathed. I say almost, because from time to time it will be Balet which sounds pretty artsy fartsy to me, and occasionally you will see that Valet Parking is not only an activity where a person parks someone else's vehicle, but also a job description. As in:

  • Se solicita un Valet Parking = Valet Parking Wanted (the business places the ad, not the consumer)
  • Soy el valet parking = I am the valet parking

Viaje - (vee-YA-hey) - traveling noun - the term used to describe any trip to another place; eg: viaje de compras a Houston and viaje de placer o de negocios a Miami . Also used in a very Yucatecan way by the service personnel i.e. maids, gardeners etc. when they go home for the weekend as in "Voy a viajar " when they return to their pueblos outside Merida. Used by many Yucatecans to describe their pilgrimage to such exotic destinations as Ticul or Progreso, which are considered far enough away to be called viajes. Often used in this context in conjunction with "voy a agarrar carretera". Literally: I'm going to take the highway.

Video - (vih-DAY-oh) - noun - In Yucatan, you are nobody if you don't have one of these, and it's not a home movie of your kids visiting the Centenario we're talking about. It's the VCR, or video cassette recorder, and every self-respecting household has one. Calling it a VCR is too complicated, and videocasetera too long, so it's just called el video. This is also the name given to a store specializing in the rental and sale of video cassettes, or DVD's.

W

Wach - (watch) - heavy noun - A person from the nations' capital, thaat being Mexico City. Also know in other parts of la republica as chilangos, a wach can be identified by his accent, his dress and never-ending struggle to climb that elusive social ladder.  A derogative term, used in whispers at Yucatecan ladies coffee sessions, wach comes from the Mayan language. For more enlightenment on waches , check this link

Wachada (watch-ADA) - noun - Any silly, corny or ridiculous thing thhat only a wach would do. Here again you can appreciate the ingenious merging of the Spanish suffix and Mayan root word.

Way - see Uay

Wixar (wi-SHAR) - verb - In Mayan/Spanish, to urinate. Uix is the Mayan part, the 'ar' suffix is from the spanish. The W is added in place of the U to ensure correct pronunciation and make it look more 'normal'. If you really have to go pee and are among close friends who won't be offended if you reveal your most basic physiological necessities, you might tell them 'me estoy wixando' which literally means, I'm peeing my pants. Wixar is like a regular 'ar' verb, and be conjugated normally. For example:

  • Yo wixo
  • Tu wixas
  • El/Ella wixa
  • Nosotros wixamos
  • Ustedes wixan
  • Ellos/ellas wixan

Wixón (wi-SHON) - noun - A crossbred Mayan/Spanish expression thhat refers to teenagers or young adults in a derogatory or belittling sort of way; eg: "esos wixones 'tan haciendo MUCHO escandalo" (those young kids are really raising a ruckus). From the Mayan Uix (pee, as in urinate - see above) and modified by the Spanish ' on' suffix.

X

X (1)- (EH-keess) - In Merida and all of the Yucatan, the X is pronounced SH; this is a Mayan thing. You can always tell when someone is a nasty wach when they say they took their relatives to the ruins of Ooksmal, when they really should be saying Ooshmal. Avoid this common faux pas and you won't be mistaken for a wach or ignorant foreigner.

X (2)- (EH-keess) - At the time of this writing (2005-2006 in the year of our Lord) Mexican youth use this letter as an expression of indifference. If they find something uninteresting (during those difficult teen years everything is boring) or are too lazy to communicate verbally, they will answer 'X' to any number of queries, ranging from 'How was the movie/party/class?' to 'Are you sure you want to wear that?' to which the appropriate answer is "ay 'X' mamá".

Xcan - (SHCAHM) - noun - the name of a town in Yucatan, and yet another popular term for a male homosexual. In a sexually repressed society like Mérida's, there are so many words for these apparently deviant sexual orientations! The term apparently comes from the fact that the town of Xcan, located on the border between the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, has never defined it's geographic situation politically speaking. This lack of definition is therefore applied to anyone displaying homosexual tendencies. 

  • Conoces a Pedro? - Do you know Pedro?
  • Si hombre! Treeeeeeeemendo x'can! - Sure do! What a faaag!

Xic - (SHEEK) - noun - Part of the human anatomy, namely the armpit. No one in their right Yucatecan mind would ever call their armpit an axila, which is the spanish term for it; everyone, this foreigner included, uses the Mayan term xic. It's so much more poetic, easier on the tongue and versatile. For example:

If someone walks by and you can smell his or her body odor, you might be inspired to exclaim to the person next to you, providing you know him or her and have their confianza, "Uay! Me dió un xicazo" which means literally that you got a whiff of xic blown your way from the offending person. By the way, if you smell something strongly reminiscent (no pun intended) of xic and you see no-one is around, there are two options: a) you need a shower, or b) there is a hot dog cart on the corner (it's the onions).

Xix - (SHEESH) - noun - another incorporation of precise, one syllable Mayan words into everyday Yucatecan spanish. The xix is what is left at the bottom of the bottle of Coke when you have practically finished it. The xix is what's in your gas tank when you barely make to the gas station before having the car stall. El Xix is what's left when everyone has had their fill of the frijol con puerco and there's just a little bit of broth in the pot.

  • Quieres un poco? Nada mas queda un xix - Want some? There's only a little bit left (don't get your hopes up)

El xix also defines the last moments of the party when practically everyone has gone home and you are with one or two people, criticizing happily all those who have left before and the stupid things they said and did. This word is extremely popular - use it and be loved by the Yucatecans as one of their own.

Y

Y - almost the last letter of the alphabet. Like the letter 'J', always mispronounced. While the J becomes a Y (Yanet, Yon Secada, etc.), the letter Y becomes a J. The other day I was listening to a sports correspondent on the radio mention the New Jork Jankees. It's not like they can't say the letter Y, they do it whenever there is a J for crying out loud. So what is it?

Yach - (YUCH) - Mayan verb - meaning to squish or press, most commonly with the fingers, some kind of soft pulpy mass. It is used combined with Spanish as in 'hacerle yach' to whatever it is you are squishing.

Yaya - (YAH-yah) - noun - an 'ouch'. See Lastimada.

Yuca - (YOO-kah) - noun - 1. A Yucatecan. Male or female, this is what Yucatecans sometimes call themselves. 'Somos Yucas', they'll say with pride if they're asked in a restaurant in Campeche where they're from (if there was at all any doubt).

YucaWach - (YOO-kah-watch or yoo-ka-WATCH) - noun - 1. A person born in the nations' capital, that moved to and lives in Merida since a very early age. 2. A Yucatecan, born in Merida that moved to Mexico City and grew up there, only to find the gravitational pull of his 'tierra' so irresistible that he has returned to find himself in the unenviable position of not quite fitting in anymore. 3. A Yucatecan, obviously so by his appearance, acting loud and obnoxious, like a wach, hence the term.

Z

Zacate - (sah-CAH-teh - rhymes with Tecate, the beer) - noun - Ok, this was a stretch but something had to be included for the letter Z, so often confused with the S and the C. Zacate is the term used locally for grass or lawn, as opposed to cesped, heard in other parts of the country. See also pasto.

Zaguan - (sah-GWUM) - noun - the foyer or entranceway to your home, usually occupied by a couple of potted plants and maybe a cross. These are found only in larger homes, as the popular classes haven't got the space in their homes for one of these.

Zampar - (sahm-PAR) - verb - to fill oneself up (with food); to eat. It's usage is common but it is still an unusual word in that you won't learn it in your Spanish class. Its' meaning in the local context is exactly as defined by the very official Kapelusz Spanish dictionary. You can use it like this:

  • Me zampé unos tacos - I wolfed down some tacos
  • Te zampaste todo el pastel? - did you eat all that cake?

SOME POPULAR
PHRASES

There are some popular phrases that you will hear or read while in Merida, that you may not understand at first, or that have a meaning unique to the city, area or even country. A lot of them are so cliché, that they are laughable and meaningless... to me anyway. As they say in Starbucks, when they hand you that double non fat soy latté... ENJOY!