Tesorito

La tesorito (teh-saw-REE-taw, lit. little treasure) is the nickname of Laura León, a female actor and singer very popular in the 1980s among male masses of all ages. Her voluptuous body is used to this day as a reference to women ressembling Aztec goddesses of fertility. Other terms with the same connotation are: de a taxista (like taxi drivers like them) and de “libro vaquero” (out of a “cowboy book”, which is an old comic book with luscious drawings).

Usage note: there is no agreement if regarding someone as being a tesorito is derogatory or flattering. It depends on the taste of the interlocutor, which might be fickle.

Chaquetas

The correct use of the word chaqueta (chah-KEH-tah) will probably earn you the respect of every chilango you run into. Though the literal meaning is jacket, literal meanings are rarely used in Mexico. Pay attention to the context to understand its proper use.

1. Chaqueta: noun, the action of masturbating; verb, chaquetear (or hacerse una chaqueta), to jerk-off.
2. Chaqueta mental: mind masturbation, a pipe dream.
3. Chaquetero: a person who is a flip-flopper (oldschool), or who masturbates more than twice a day.
4. Ser un chaquetas: to be a loser.
5. Estar chaqueto: in reference to a person, to lack energy and stamina, just like after masturbating; in reference to things, to be dull.

Chaqueta can be substituted by puñeta (a reference to male masturbation by moving up and down a fist or puño) in cases 1, 2, 3 (except to mean flip-flopper) and 4. An infallible way to impress poetry-loving chilangos is reciting the anonymous poem:

Tú que eres poeta
y en el aire las compones
hazme una chaqueta
y lo que sobre te lo comes

(Though you should avoid saying it to people you care about.)

Ardilla

A person consumed by intense rancor or envy is referred to as ardilla (ar-DEE-ja, lit. squirrel). It is a derivation from ardido, ardida, which is the past participle of burn. It is an allusion to the fire-like sensation inside one's guts that such feelings produce.

Calling someone ardido is a candid way to express disapproval for hosting such mean sentiments. It is typically used in the phrase ¡No seas ardido! (don't be burned!) or ¡Ese güey es bien ardilla! (That dude is very rancorous!).

Chacha

People who can afford a sirvienta (lit. a maid) do not like referring to her as such. They prefer the annoyingly long euphemism la muchacha que nos ayuda (lit. the youngwoman who helps us), which is usually shortened to muchacha or, more frequently, to just chacha.

Some people use chacha to refer to questionable taste and manners. For instance, the sentence la novia de tu primo es una chacha (lit. your cousin's girlfriend is a maid) doesn't mean she actually makes a living cleaning other people's home but rather that she is a déclassé.

A very popular expression is se fue como las chachas (lit. he/she left like maids), which means the person left without any notice, which is rude.

Note: Do not confuse chacha with chacha music, which in Mexico is called cha-cha-chá and in Mars is called ri-ca-chá, according to the famous chacha tune.

Avión

Avión (ah-vee-ON, lit. airplane) is used in three fine expressions. When someone claims that se le fue el avión (lit. the airplane abandon him or her) about some other person, it means that such person either has symptoms of Adult Attention Disorder or that is mentally unstable. Dar el avión (lit. to give the airplane) to someone means to make that someone believe that one cares for and agrees with what that person is saying. Finally, when avión is used to refer to a woman, it means she is very attractive.

1. Se me fue el avión a media junta => I got lost in my thoughts in the middle of the meeting


2. A más de un mandatario en Sudamérica se la ha ido el avión después de unos años de poder => More than one head of state in South America has gone bananas after a few years in power


3. El secreto para caerle bien a los jefes de tu chava es darles el avión => The secret to make a good impression with your girlfriend's folks is to pretend you listen carefully and agree with them


4. La nueva esposa del diputado es un avión => The congressman's new wife is a hotty

Vaca

Vaca (VA-kah, lit. cow) is a pool of cash contributions to pay for goods or services that are later enjoyed by the contributors and some shameless free-riders. Se armó la vaca (lit. the cow was assembled) is a common expression meaning that a vaca took place.

La vaca is a typical feature of poorly planned parties (of which you see a lot in Mexico City). Avoid looking cheap and contribute generously when you have a chance—the crowd will appreciate it. And if you are the host, avoid vacas at all.

¡Bamba!

"La Bamba" is a highly danceable folk song original from Veracruz (a city in the Gulf of Mexico) with picaresque lyrics. A rock version was popularized wordwide by Ritchie Valens in the late 1950s. In Mexico City you only hear ¡bamba! as an interjection to denote emphatic agreement. Its equivalent is something between a "done deal" and "fucking-A". It's harmless yet colorful.