Farol

(pharole)

"Dime qué presumes y te diré de qué careces" claims the old proverb referring to those who, in their attempt to brag something, merely reveal their lack of it. In Mexico, a person fitting this description is called a farol. The origin of this expression is another popular proverb which in similar fashion describes the pitfalls of showing-off: “Farol de la calle, oscuridad de la casa”.

A farol is in most cases mamón or prepo (shorthand for prepotente-arrogant). Farolear means to brag and farolez denotes arrogance. One does not need to have high social status to be a farol. As an unfortunate consequence, there’s an excessive supply of faroles within each Mexican socio-economic class. But the undisputed king of them all is pop singer Luis Miguel (see picture) who has made quite a handsome living out of his farolez.

Te crees muy farol con tu choco-rolex, pero a mí me la pelas! (I disapprove you’re showing-off your watch).