!Ask a Mexican! Glossary

The Mexican explains it all

Dear Gabachos,

Bienvenidos to ¡Ask a Mexican!, the world's foremost authority on America's favorite beaners! The Mexican can answer any and every question on his race, from why Mexicans stick the Virgin of Guadalupe everywhere to our obsession with dwarves and transvestites. In the course of his answers, The Mexican will use certain terms and phrases for better-rounded answers. Here are the most-used:



˜: A tilde. Put over the letter n from time to time to produce a sound that sounds like "nyuck." The only such occurrence of such a sound in the world.


Baboso: A slug. Can also mean "asshole."

Burrito: A flour tortilla wrapped around various goodies. Also a slur used against Mexicans. Contrary to popular belief, not a Mexican dish—burritos originated in the United States. So when you call a Mexican a burrito, you're actually calling them an American.




Chingar: To fuck. Its various tenses are used for a delightful array of insults like chingadera ("fucked-up situation"), chingazos ("punches thrown") and chinga tu madre, cabrón ("Go fuck your mother, asshole")

Chino: Literally "Chinese," but the catch-all phrase Mexicans use for Asians regardless of nationality.








Güey: Derived from "buey"—an ox, but means "ass," as in a hoofed ass, not an ass ass.

Joto: Faggot. A preferred male slur.

La Raza Cósmica: "The Cosmic Race." Refers to a movement by Mexican intellectuals during the 1920s arguing Mexicans have the blood of all the world's races—white, black, Indian and Asian—and therefore transcend the world.

Madre: Means "mother," but is also one of the most vulgar words in Mexican Spanish. In its various forms, can mean anything to "kick your ass" to "suck my dick."

Malinche: The name of the Indian woman who served as a translator for the Spaniards as they slaughtered their way to the Aztecs during the Conquest. Mexicans turn her name into a noun—malinchista—that's a synonym for "traitor." Typical Mexico—blames everything on women.



Naco: Mexico City slang for a chúntaro.

Norte, El: The North. The United States.

Otro Lado, El: The other side. Otherwise known as the United States.


Piñata: A toy that Mexicans beat to spill forth goodies stuffed inside. Otherwise known as the United States.

Pinche: Adjective meaning "fucking."


Pocho: An Americanized Mexican.

Por Favor: "Please" in Spanish.




Reconquista: Theory espoused by Chicano and conservative kooks insisting that Mexico is trying to take over the southwest United States, the territory the Yankees took from Mexico as spoils after the 1846 Mexican-American War.

SanTana: Santa Ana, California, from where ¡Ask a Mexican! originates. The most-Latino big city in the United States, according to the 2000 Census. Please pronounce the city like the natives: "SanTana," like the famous guitarist, not "Santa Ana," like a combo of Claus and Karenina.


Taco: A corn tortilla stuffed with goodies. Also a slur used against Mexicans.

Tapatío: A popular hot sauce brand featuring a man in a mustache and sombrero. Drunk by Mexicans from cradle to crypt.

Tejana: A Stetson cowboy hat.


Tortilla: A thin disk of corn meal eaten by Mexicans since time immemorial. Also great impromptu Frisbees.

Ustedes: A fancy way of saying "y'all."



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