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What does this mean in English?


k2tog

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This is fun.

"Tiene un nopal en la frente." translates to "He has a cactus in the front." . Let's make that "He's a little rough around the edges."?

"Se siente como la ultima chela en el estadio." translates to "It feels like the last beer at the stadium.". Hmmn...?

'Tener un nopal en la frente' does not mean 'He's a little rough around the edges.' Interesting guess, though.

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In the Dallas area, it's used pejoratively to refer to a Mexican who has so assimilated and identified with US/TX culture, that s/he has abandoned her/his Mexican heritage, altho it is "written all over her/his face". There's parallel terms for the same phenomenon, but from different Hispanic cultures.

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Yes, jrod. It means that a person is Mexican--you can tell just by looking at him/her. It's heard all the time in Mexico, when talking about oneself or someone else. It can be used as a pejorative, but it isn't always. For example, when someone asks me what nationality I am, I frequently say, "Soy mexicana, aunque no tenga el nopal pintado." 'I'm Mexican, even though I don't have the nopal painted on my face.'

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"Se siente como la ultima chela en el estadio."

There's another very similar way to express it, but this is the version I prefer.

Se siente bordada a mano:To feel that you're something special.

Tener un nopal en la frente:to look very Mexican,kinda like saying his face is a map of Ireland.

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Se siente bordada a mano:To feel that you're something special.

Tener un nopal en la frente:to look very Mexican,kinda like saying his face is a map of Ireland.

Oh my goodness, I had never heard the first one! That's just terrific. I'm laughing.

And yes, the map of Ireland on his face--and the nopal is the most emblematic thing about Mexico.

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Ha. Or rather, ja. The one is also sometimes expressed "Se siente como la ultima coca en el desierto" but I like the beer/chela/stadium play better. (For those who don't know, chela can just be another word for beer.)

And if you translate "frente" to mean forehead, he/she has a nopal growing out of his/her forehead, which is even more graphic/funny. My teacher showed me a photo of soccer fan in the stands cheering on El Tri who literally had a nopal growing out of his forehead. So funny.

Okay, who's next? :lol:

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Ha. Or rather, ja. I'm told sometimes the one is expressed "Se siente como la ultima coca en el desierto" but I like the beer/chela/stadium play better. And if you translate "frente" to mean forehead, he/she has a nopal growing out of his/her forehead, which is even more graphic/funny. My teacher showed me a photo of soccer fan in the stands cheering on El Tri who literally had a nopal growing out of his forehead. So funny.

Frente--when it is feminine--always means forehead. Well, unless you are talking about a war front, which is also feminine.

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Okay, who's next?

I like this one.

A lo que te truje ,Chencha.

And this one.

Musico pagagado toca mal son.

And this one

Dar atole con el dedo.

Here's another one,sort of a play on words:Quema mucho el sol.

This is fun,keep them coming.

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I learned "dar atole con el dedo" during the last election when I was talking about politicians with my teacher. (How's that for a clue?) If I recall it means to cheat or deceive....the idea being if you tried to give someone atole with a finger they'd end up with very little/nothing.

The others are new to me.

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I learned "dar atole con el dedo" during the last election when I was talking about politicians with my teacher. (How's that for a clue?) If I recall it means to cheat or deceive....the idea being if you tried to give someone atole with a finger they'd end up with very little/nothing.

The others are new to me.

Actually, dar atole con el dedo means feeding them little tastes to suck from your finger, like you would give a baby, just to keep them quiet. In other words, (continuing your politics analogy), making good on one cachito (tiny piece) of a campaign promise just to keep your public from screaming bloody murder that you haven't done anything you said you would. It's not just reserved for politics, though.

MĂşsico pagado (etc) means that if you pay the full cost in advance, the work is sure to come out badly. Have any of you had that experience? I have!

As for 'A lo que te truje, Chencha': al grano!

The 'Quema mucho' one is funny--but someone else can answer it!

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Thanks for the correction/clarification on dar atole con el dedo, and yes, now I remember that dimension of it from the conversation with my teacher. I had a timely class this afternoon so I asked him about the others and he defined musico pagado toca mal son and a lo que te truje, Chencha the same way. The latter meaning to get to the point. That one's hardly even fair since it barely has real words in it! Is it used like an imperativo/mandato, when someone's beating around the bush?

Quema mucho el sol. Hadn't noticed this one earlier and I get nothing from it other than the literal. I wonder if it's one of those ones where you have to swirl it around in your mouth and pronounce it differently, reform the words, etc. Like Que mamucho el sol....but that gets me nowhere. Hmmmm.

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Thanks for the correction/clarification on dar atole con el dedo, and yes, now I remember that dimension of it from the conversation with my teacher. I had a timely class this afternoon so I asked him about the others and he defined musico pagado toca mal son and a lo que te truje, Chencha the same way. The latter meaning to get to the point. That one's hardly even fair since it barely has real words in it! Is it used like an imperativo/mandato, when someone's beating around the bush?

Quema mucho el sol. Hadn't noticed this one earlier and I get nothing from it other than the literal. I wonder if it's one of those ones where you have to swirl it around in your mouth and pronounce it differently, reform the words, etc. Like Que mamucho el sol....but that gets me nowhere. Hmmmm.

Re quema mucho el sol...nope.

Re a lo que te truje, Chencha...think zapatero a tus zapatos!

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Re a lo que te truje, Chencha...think zapatero a tus zapatos!

Got it. Thanks!

Anybody want to toss a pista (clue) on "Quema mucho el sol"? MetafĂłricamente that could be almost ANYTHING. If not, I'll find out Thursday. :)

My tired little Americano brain makes me wonder if it has to do with enduring something, having to put up with a bit too much, etc., in multiple contexts. But somebody said it was funny, so that doesn't make much sense either.

Hmmm. Me rindo.

For now.

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The first time I heard the expression used was in a CFE office when a disgruntled customer in line in front of me used it,whether he was saying it to the clerk as in (Que mamon eres) or just a general reference;(Que mamadas son esas) I'm not sure,but I liked it and have used it myself a few times,it gets the point across without having to resort to groserias.

Quema mas la luna;buena respuesta All Day.

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Anybody want to toss a pista (clue) on "Quema mucho el sol"? MetafĂłricamente that could be almost ANYTHING. If not, I'll find out Thursday. :)

You were on the right track when you saw the play on words.....Quema mucho and Qué mamucho. The mamucho is just a play on the word mamar, as when it's used in the sense of the often heard and vulgar ''¡no mames güey!'' or it's softened-down equivalent ''¡no manches!'' It's kind of the equivalent in English ''quit f****ing around''. So ''¡qué mamucho!'' could mean something like ''what a pendejo.''

Not for polite company.

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Thanks cbviajero and All Day. Yeah, I ran into a friend at the tianguis today and he explained it just as you did. He laughed when I asked, and so did the flower vendor within earshot who happily contributed to the conversation. He also taught me another one which is definitely not suitable for the family channel so I'll leave that one in the file.

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  • 2 months later...

Okay. Time to revive this thread. Here's one I learned the other day after telling some Mexican friends about an experience I had which is very common here. (They laughed when I told the story, and then said, "We have a saying for that....") I think I have it right. Here it is:

"No mas saca para el chesco."

I am certain the old hands in Mexico will get it immediately. :lol:

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