Un rollo

Un rollo is literally a roll (of paper or other material), but in colloquial speech it has many different meanings. Un buen/mal rollo (*) Lit. A good/bad roll. Something good/bad Meterse en asuntos de pareja es siempre un mal rollo (*) To meddle in other people's relationships is always a bad idea. Enrollarse bien/mal (also ser enrollado/a) (*) Lit. To roll up well/badly. To get on well/badly with somebody or something. To be cool. Son muy enrollados con las fiestas que organizan (*) They are very cool with the parties they give Es un rollo (*) Lit. It's a roll. It's a bore (a thing or a situation). No vayas a ver esta película, es un rollo (*) Don't go to see this film, it's a real bore. Tener un/medio rollo(*) Lit. To have a/half a roll. To have something going. Sí, Antonio tuvo medio rollo con Carmen (*) Lit. Yes, Antonio had half a roll with Carmen. Yes, Antonio had something with Carmen.

Leche

Leche, literally "milk". This totally harmless substance acquires a new dimension when it comes to slang ... Una leche (*) Lit. A milk. A crash, a smack, a punch. Como sigas dando la lata te va a dar una leche... (*) If you carry on being a pain she's going to thump you ... Tener mala leche (*) Lit. To have bad milk. To be very bad tempered. Yo le tengo miedo, tiene una mala leche de la hostia (*) I'm scared of him, he has a really awful bad temper. ... de la leche (*) Lit. ... of the milk. A hell of a lot of ... Tengo un constipado de la leche (*) I have a terrible cold. Ser la leche (*) Lit. To be the milk. To be the pits. Ana es la leche, ha vuelto a llegar tarde hoy (*) Lit. Ana is the milk, she was late again today. Ana is unbelievable, she was late again today.

Society

Un pijo/una pija (*) A posh, stuck-up person. This easily identifiable social group tend to dress in labels, have lots of money and speak in a very particular way. It can also be used as an adjective to indicate that something or somewhere is posh. Ayer cenamos en un restaurante muy pijo (*) Yesterday we had dinner in a very posh restaurant. Una maruja - maruja (*) is a conversational form of María and a generic term for housewives with little education and interest in others' comings and goings. You may be compared to one if you start gossiping. No seas maruja (*) Lit. Stop acting like a maruja. Un/una pureta (*) What younger people call older people, who they invariably consider uncool. El tío ese es un pureta, tendrá treinta años (*) That guy's oldish, he's about thirty. Un/una cursi (*) Applies to someone affected or twee, especially in an old-fashioned way. Also applies to novels, films or song lyrics that are sugary. Es tan cursi que parece que vive en el siglo XIX (*) She's so twee she looks like she's living in the 19th century. Un/una guiri (*) If you're reading this you probably are one - it's a general term to designate a foreign tourist and foreigners in general. El/la facha (**) A loaded word, it was originally slang for "fascist" but many left-wingers also apply it to anyone right-wing or conservative, not only in politics but in social attitudes. Es una manifestación de fachas en contra del matrimonio gay (**) It's a "fascist" demonstration against gay marriage.

SEXUAL SWEARWORDS

Coño, carajo

Coño, carajo These can express surprise, anger or simply be used to give emphasis. Literally, and respectively, they are the female and male private parts. They're much more widely used metaphorically in a naughty rather than rude sense, nothing like their literal translation in English. ¡Coño, qué hambre tengo! (**) Blimey, I'm hungry! ¿Vienes de una vez, coño? (**) For heaven's sake, are you coming or not? ¿Qué/cómo/dónde coño... ? (**) What/how/where the hell... ? ¿Dónde coño están las llaves? (**) Where the hell are the keys? Un coñazo (*) A real pain (figuratively speaking). Este tío es un verdadero coñazo (*) This guy is a real pain.

Joder

Joder (also pronounced joer) (**) Literally it has the same meaning as the English F-word, but it's more often used with its figurative meanings. It usually means to "cock up" something or to be "screwed up": ¡Ya la han jodido! (**) They've already screwed it up! Nos han jodido con tantos impuestos (**) They've screwed us with so many taxes. Joder on its own is used exactly like coño above, to indicate surprise, anger or admiration: ¡Joder, cómo llueve! (**) Hell, it's peeing down! Jopé, jopelines, jolines, jolín (*) These are a few euphemisms to replace joder. They're usually used by children or adults who want to avoid swearing.

Puta

Puta is short for prostituta. At times it's used in its proper sense, but more often as a very strong insult, especially if a family connection is made, in phrases that would translate as "son of a prostitute" or "your prostitute mother". However, it's actually more commonly resorted to as an adjective to express anger. Puto/a (as an adjective and always in front of the noun) Tengo que ir al puto médico (**) Lit. I have to go to the prostitute doctor. I have to go to the effing doctor. ... de puta madre (**) Lit. ... of the prostitute mother Although it may sound contradictory, this is a praising expression meaning "very good" or "excellent". It can be applied to people and things: Tiene un coche de puta madre (**) Lit. He has a car of the prostitute mother. He has a fantastic car. Warning - do not confuse ... de puta madre with tu puta madre (***), which is an expression used as an insult, usually a rude reply to someone who's already insulted you. Hijo/a de puta (R) Lit. Son/daughter of a whore Depending on the context, tone and how well you get on with the person you're talking to it may be said not necessarily as an insult.