Thursday, November 27, 2008

Matado


Arguably no term in Chilanguese (Chilango contemporary dialect) carries more sociological content than matado (mah-TAH-though). It literally means "killed". If someone is a matado or matada, that person "kills" his or herself working too hard. It is used as a mild insult, espcially in school context.

In the Chilango (and probably in the Mexican) psyche succeeding by means of hard work is equivalent to cheating. Minimum effort is the most honorable path to success.

Ese guey saca puros dieces pero es bien matado.
[That dude is a straight-A student, but works too hard to get those grades]

No seas matado y vente a chelear.
[Enough work already! Come with us to enjoy some beers]

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Banda & Bandera

Generically, banda (BANN-Duh, lit. band) can refer to a group of people or a crowd. One's banda is the group of people that that person holds dearest. Bandera (Bann-THE-rah, lit. flag) is equivalent to banda but significantly more colorful.

Había un huevo de banda.
[It was a darn big crowd]

Traete a tu banda a los quinceaños de mi prima.
[Bring your friends and family to my cousin's quinceanera party]