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- PEOPLE
- No, INSURGENTE doesn't mean "insult people"
-
- GUYS
- HOMBRE is "Man," even as an ejaculation equivalent to "Oh,
- Man!" "Brother" to address a non-relative is not HERMANO but
- 'MANO. CARNAL is like "Bro," but is likewise racially
- restricted except among extremely good friends.
-
- "Pal" would be COMPADRE, more casually, COMPA, or at the
- slangiest, COMPINCHE. (Female equivalent, COMADRE, which has
- almost the sense of blacks using the term "sisters."
-
- MUCHACHO or CHICO for young men. TIPO means "guy." Also very
- common is CHAVO. The guys are BATOS (also spelled VATOS),
- CUATES, AMIGOTES. FULANO is "whoever" or "so and so" and
- FULANO, ZUTANO, Y MENGANO are "Tom, Dick and Harry.
-
- CHICKS
- Properly MUCHACHAS, CHICAS or more formally SEñORITAS. MIJA,
- is used in direct address the same as MIJO with males. 'MANA
- is "sister" and very commonly used form of address. CHULIS
- is like "cutie," "honey," or "dearie"--often used between
- women (or male homosexuals). NENA, appropriate for little
- girls, can also be used affectionately for younger women,
- something like "kiddo," "girly," or "baby."
-
- LOVERS AND OTHER DETAILS
- Lovers (AMANTES) and loved ones (QUERIDOS) are referred to
- as HUESOS on the street, also as VAREDA, PATO, and QUELITE.
- Affectionate and pet terms include MUñECA, literally doll;
- PRECIOSURA, precious; MI TESORO, my treasure; RICURA,
- richness; and CHIQUITíN, teeny tiny. MI AMOR, MI VIDA, and
- such are used towards men and women. VIEJO is "the old man,"
- or husband. PAPACITO or MIJO are endearments towards men.
- Wives and lovers are often referred to as VIEJA ("old
- lady").
-
- Girlfriends (NOVIAS) are referred to as DETALLES (details),
- CUEROS (figures), PESCADOS (fish). Love affairs (AVENTURAS
- AMOROSAS) are VOLADOS, AGUACATES or MOVIDAS.
-
- KIDS
- There are a lot of words to use instead of NIñOS. Most mean
- simply "small," like CHICO, CHIQUITO, or PEQUEñO. There are
- a lot of regional slang terms for kids, like the Mexican
- CHAMACO, the central American GUAGUA, the Argentine PIBE.
-
- PARENTS AND ELDERS
- Parents are PADRES in Spanish; PARIENTES refers to all
- relatives, as does FAMILIARES. Mexicans refer to parents as
- MIS JEFES (my bosses). JEFA is both "mother" and "old lady"
- in the conjugal sense, like VIEJA--you hear people say, JURO
- POR MI JEFECITA (I swear by my old lady). Other slang
- words for MADRE are MANDONA, MARGARITA.