Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Iguanas-ranas

Iguanas-ranas literally means "iguanas-frogs." This expression has absolutely nothing to do with reptiles or amphibians. However, it shows very clearly a principle of Mexican slang: take something that sounds similar but is wildly unrelated, then complement it with something that rhymes, and you have a nice expression. Iguanas-ranas (or just iguanas) is used instead of igualmente, which stands for "me too" or "same here."

Example:

Josefa: La pasamos de huevos. La neta, no faltó nada. Ha sido el mejor reventón. ¿Ustedes qué pedo? ¿cómo lo vieron? 
José María: Iguanas-ranas. Mega chido.

Josefa: We had a great time. Honestly, we got everything we needed. It's been the best party ever. ¿What about you? ¿How did you like it?
José María: Same here. Quite awesome.

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