25 March 2008

Cinco Mangos, Cornudo?!: 10 of Buenos Aires' Best Slang Phrases

Here I am coming up on my three month anniversary with Buenos Aires, and I am just now taking the initiative to introduce my loved ones to my new love.  My plan is that this forum will primary pertain to this, the Paris of South America- but I also hope to show that such comparisons to not do justice to Argentina's diverse capital. Sure it is probably the South American capital with the most European flavor, but I'm convinced that it has a palette all its own. 

Now I confront the common problem for any inaugural blog, so much fodder at my fingertips, and such short 21st century attention spans.  The solution, a concise top-ten list and a stunning visual.

Top-Ten Lunfardo (Slang) Phrases I have learned from Portenos:
(in reverse order and unfortunately with no accents)

10. Dale - do it, leave it, good, go ahead
9. Un beso, ciao ciao! - end your phone conversations with a kiss and some Italian flair.
8. Re - very
7. Barbaro! - Excellent!
6. Mango- peso (like "buck")
5. Chabon- guy
4. Cornudo/a - Someone whose significant other is cheating on them, discretion advised.
3. Che- hey (Guevara's famous nickname; particularly well combined with #1).
2. Pelotudo/a - as I understand it, it is synonymous with it's more famous counterpart, #1.
1. Boludo/a - big balls, amongst friends fun and light-hearted, otherwise exercise extreme caution

If I've got you hooked on lunfardos, check out James Bracken's Che Boludo!: A Gringo's Guide to Understanding the Argentines, perhaps not the most practical of BsAs guidebooks but certainly a hilarious one.

Ah yes, now for that stunning visual: me with my dear friend and flatmate, Leah.

2 comments:

Josh Schans said...

Good to see you "dale" in the world of blogging. All I have to say is that it's about darn time. Of the forms of internet communication that exist today, blogging is by far the best, far exceeding the attributes of facebook.

Anonymous said...

another blog i won't be able to close the computer without checking. josh, i certainly agree, i only wish that you would freaking put your typing fingers where your mouth is and blog more than once a month. internet communication is great because it's affordable (i don't know what the going rate for time is these days but it's worth more than many us dollars), easy super fun, and everyone is doing it. cari, thanks for "dale-ing" your thoughts on the blogspot.