My older sis gave me an absolutely hilarious, and most likely necessary, book this Christmas on the art of Argentine spanish. And I AM OBSESSED. From what I've gathered, Argentines have a language they could call their own once one factors in all the slang.
"Argentines in particular always seem to be just as aware of their shortcomings as they are of other's. This keen sense of discernment is illustrated by the vast quantity of words used to precisely describe an idiot, a braggart, a liar, a scam or the quality of anything from personal character to household appliances."
- James Bracken, author of ¡Che Boludo! A Gringo's Guide to Understanding the Argentines (gasp! that's me!)
Just a few key words and phrases I've been memorizing from this magical book:
apoliyar: [v] to sleep. *from a polilla (moth) sleeping in the cocoon
banana: [f] someone who thinks he/she is really cool but is never taken seriously by others (duly noted in case anyone tries to call me "Ana Banana")
boludo: [m,f] lit. someone with large testicles
1. fool, idiot
2. used as a meaningless interjection or casually between friends, "¡Che Boludo!"
cachengue: [m] a party
"la noche esta en panales": 'the night is in diapers'; the night is young
I wonder if I'll return with a dirtier mouth and a mind deeper in the gutter... who are we kidding? Shit's guaranteed. Oops.
On my way to Barnes and Noble this afternoon :)
ReplyDelete- Maddie