They're all Spanglish words -- and you can hear them on the streets of Miami, Los Angeles, Nueva York, and lots of other ciudades across the country where English and Spanish seem to blend and bend into a mind-boggling, very foni hybrid of two different languages -- or are they so diferente?Mira:
lonchando: Having lunch. "I'm lonchando, I don't wanna talk to him now."
yogur: Yogurt. "Este yogur doesn't really hit the spot when you're lonchando. Maybe I need to order a jambergue and some fries."
bacunclíner: Vacuum cleaner. "¡Aye! I think the bacunclíner just swallowed my earring!"
frizando: To make frozen, or freezing. "Turn up the heat, ¡estoy frizando!"
Before long, you'll be ready to graduate to the next level of Spanglish, with terms like pata de puerco ("pig leg" -- a new way to call someone an idiot) and Jamón del Diablo (deviled-ham product) and phrases like "¡:Boto la casa por la ventana!" ("That rocks!") The Official Spanglish Dictionary contains hundreds of terms to guau your friends and family, plus Spanglish terms of endearment, insults, and those all-important Spanglish pickup lines: "A ti no te duelen ni los callos" ("You're so fine, even your bunions don't hurt").
Cubanish Maybe, But Definitely Not Spanglish This book really shouldn't have been called 'The Official Spanglish Dictionary.' It's Cuban-influenced Spanglish, and while the lingo in this book may be heard on the East Coast, West Coast 'Spanglish' is entirely different. Most of the Spanglish heard in the mainstream media is West Coast, and this book contains none of those phrases.
A person interested in casual Spanglish would be very disappointed if they bought this book expecting Mexican-Americanisms and instead found they'd bought a book full of Cuban-Americanisms.
Blumers? Every Mexican-American I know calls them 'chonies.' The West Coast Spanglish seems less formal in all aspects than the Cuban-influenced Spanglish featured in this book.
Absolutely Hilarious This book was really a God send. Some friends and business associates have all sorts of jelly palm squezzers or religious mantra calanders to help relieve stress during the course of a hectic day. Since I purchased my first copy of The Official Spanglish Dictionary it hasn't left my desk. Whenever the day starts heating up and getting crazy, I close my office door, kick my feet up and open this hilarious book to any page. There is no better therapy than laughter and wow do I laugh when I crack this book open. I have purchased at least ten copies and given them to friends and family. Hats off to the writers and I can't wait for the follow up.
Ron
Awesome! Funny! Add it to your personal library! This book has become one of my favorites. I do not speak Spanish but can still fully appreciate the humor in this book. I just wish I had this book years and years ago when I first met and married my husband. You see, his father's family is from Cuba and this book would have helped me understand some of the sayings one hears in Miami. When I read excerpts and words from this book, my family-in-law adores it! They too think that it's an entertaining book. I find it's especially good for the children whose parent(s) emigrated to the USA from Cuba in the 1950's-1970's - "baby boomers" and such. Buy it & enjoy!
Don't buy it The spanish language is only one, if it is in the Royal Academy Of The Spanish Language then you can consider you speak spanish, if not, dictionaries like this one are just [weak].
Un libro muy chistoso, pero un poco cortado. This book is funny as hell, but it seems a bit short. Any Spanish-speaking gringo's going to get a kick out of this book. I thought English had some funny expressions, but a few of the lines out of this book are just so messed up I almost passed out laughing. Even some of the things that almost make sense are just so bizarre that you can't quit laughing. A must have for any Spanish student or bilingual Gringo.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
