Chulo

Not exactly a cussword, but a neighbor of mine from the Dominican Republic used "chulo" to describe me as a "ladies man" or "flirt." (Go figure!)

When I repeated it to a Mexican neighbor, he said: "No, no, no, no! That's a bad word in Mexico!" After a little discussion, I learned that in Mexico it means "pimp"!!

That is why colloquialisms are such a problem.

Interesting too, as 'chula' means pretty in both México and Panamá. Lizzy

It doesn't always mean pimp, depends on social class and context.

Intercasa wrote:It doesn't always mean pimp, depends on social class and context.

I don't claim to be fluent or knowledgeable -- far from it!!! All I know is what I learn from the neighbors. Do you have an alternate translation?

proxeneta is a generic term for pimp which means nothing other than pimp.

Many times I'll see a friend that is a girl and say Hola chula but am not calling her a pimp(ette).

Chulo here in Mexico as I've seen it used means cutie, a term for guys is papi chulo.

I don't see why your neighbor would have told you that unless it is some regional slang. I have noticed the very poor here have their own slang as do people in certain regions.

Intercasa wrote:proxeneta is a generic term for pimp which means nothing other than pimp.

Many times I'll see a friend that is a girl and say Hola chula but am not calling her a pimp(ette).

Chulo here in Mexico as I've seen it used means cutie, a term for guys is papi chulo.

I don't see why your neighbor would have told you that unless it is some regional slang. I have noticed the very poor here have their own slang as do people in certain regions.

Interesting....

The neighbor (and his wife) who told me this are rather affluent and educated people (bilingual) who own a house in my neighborhood and have an apartment in Guadalajara. They are my "go to" when I need clarification of Spanish.

Also, I ran it through the Google translate page and the translation was "pimp": http://translate.google.com/#es|en|chulo%0A

Finally, I decided to look in my Spanish/English dictionary: HarperCollins, Sixth Edition, 2000 (800,000 entries & translations).
chula -
[1] (= madrileña) woman from the back streets (of Madrid), low-class woman, coarse woman
[2] (= charra) loud wench, flashy female, brassy girl
[3] (LAm) (= novia) girlfriend

Those are all used as nouns, so -- keeping in mind that there is a Chula Vista in this area -- I looked at "chula/o" as an adjective and as a noun. It can mean "lovely" or "gorgeous" (adjective); but -- sure enough -- as a noun it is listed as "pimp" (as well as "vulture"; "buzzard"; "bullfighter's assistant").

So, true enough, there are regional differences. I'll avoid using the word at all until I'm more comfortable with Spanish in general, and its regional meaning in particular.

In certain areas, the more polite way to call someone an asshole is; "chulo sín
hache (H). Mi jefe es un chulo sín hache.
gm

Chulo(a) is not a vulgar word. It is used far more often as a compliment (as mentioned in the above post i.e. lovely or cute, attractive).

A more common term here for pimp is "padrote".

Culo isn't used here in Mexico as it is in English but there is a similar word commonly used in Mexico, culero, which can be roughly translated as asshole.

Los moderadores de Mexconnect son bien culeros.

asshole as in body part (ano)

gringomojado wrote:asshole as in body part (ano)

Yes I know what culo means. It isn't used as such here in Mexico to describe a disagreeable person. And it doesn't always refer just to the anus. It can be used to describe the whole butt like "que bonito culo tiene esa vieja" (that babe has a nice ass).

It is never a good idea to try for literal translations between languages and especially slang words. A very good example is the abundance of terms in American English using the word shit. Most don't translate literally at all.

Examples: bullshit, no shit, shit out of luck, give a shit etc.

You won't find literal translations of these words or phrases.

Equally there are many terms in the Mexican dialect of Spanish that are impossible to translate literally into English. You can't for example, literally translate "me vale madre" into English but it does have the same meaning as "I don't give a shit".

Now I know how to flag down a pimp... it's amazing the stuff I can learn here....
I can't wait till Next trip sooos I can try some of this!!

I don't know how many posters here are native speakers. I know that my neighbors are (Mexican husband & wife). So I have to trust them if they tell me that "chulo" is "pimp" and to avoid the word in polite company.

As I gain more experience in the language, perhaps I will capture the nuances.

Lehrer wrote:I don't know how many posters here are native speakers. I know that my neighbors are (Mexican husband & wife). So I have to trust them if they tell me that "chulo" is "pimp" and to avoid the word in polite company.

As I gain more experience in the language, perhaps I will capture the nuances.

The word is not a word to avoid using. It can be used for "pimp" but usually when used that way it is very clear as to its meaning. But the word is commonly used in non vulgar speech so to refrain from using it at all is not necessary.

As an example in English take the word "sucks". "The baby sucks his bottle" isn't in the least vulgar. If you were to blurt out "that sucks" when your minister tells the congregation the church is broke then some might be offended.

As I said before, I will avoid using the word until I feel comfortable with its nuances.

When a Mexican married couple tells me that it is offensive, I have to believe them.

I learned about "double meanings" etc. in German -- and I can offend if I want to; but I seldom want to.

Whatever. If you feel you can't trust anyone on this forum then why bother asking here?

For others that may be interested...this isn't a case of double meanings and there really aren't any hidden nuances. It has a vulgar use...the noun "pimp" but it is used far more commonly in its form as an adjective meaning attractive, cute etc. When my wife says "¡que chulo esta mi hijo!" she isn't being vulgar at all.

There is even a verb form...chulear. Which means to flatter. I do this to my Mexican wife of over 30 years on a daily basis.

And I doubt these games are for pimps: http://www.chulojuegos.com/

Re: CHULA VISTA means 'pretty view'. I'm sure that all the folks that live there would be downright aggravated to learn they live in PIMP VIEW, no? Lizzy

bobnliz wrote:Re: CHULA VISTA means 'pretty view'. I'm sure that all the folks that live there would be downright aggravated to learn they live in PIMP VIEW, no? Lizzy

That's taking it to an extreme, don't you think?
There is a distinct difference between the adjectival form and the nominative form, as I explained above. As a descriptive, fine: "Chula Vista" (which I mentioned before). As a noun: Not so tame.

Solovino wrote:Whatever. If you feel you can't trust anyone on this forum then why bother asking here?

If you will re-read my original post, you will see that it was not a question, but a simple declarative statement of fact.

Lehrer wrote:
If you will re-read my original post, you will see that it was not a question, but a simple declarative statement of fact.

I suppose the following is also a statement of fact?

Lehrer wrote: Do you have an alternate translation?

Lehrer, you are absolutely right about 'nuance' being important. Tone of voice, body language and colloquial differences,for example.
That said, when we were kids in Panamá, my sister and I were best friends with the children of the family across the street. Their names were Manuél, Maria Elena and Chula. Just goes to show.
'Chile' in México can mean a certain male member. Have to use it a certain way, though. Lizzy

Solovino wrote:

Lehrer wrote:
If you will re-read my original post, you will see that it was not a question, but a simple declarative statement of fact.

I suppose the following is also a statement of fact?

Lehrer wrote: Do you have an alternate translation?

If it escaped you, that was a question directed to Intercasa, who submitted that there are alternative translations; I simply asked what those might be. He submitted examples and the discussion mainly evolved into the use of the word used as an adjective; the original post used the word as a noun.

The fact remains, the word when used as a noun (and depending upon context) can have different meanings. And I thank Spencer for his clarifications, leading to a more understandable comprehension of the usage of the word. I didn't intend this to be an argumentative discussion of "I know better than you!" Apparently you missed this part of my post from which you quoted: "I don't claim to be fluent or knowledgeable -- far from it!!! All I know is what I learn from the neighbors."

Peace?

Lizzy, OK I'll bite. What is the "certain way" I should use my chile?

Walter wrote:Lizzy, OK I'll bite. What is the "certain way" I should use my chile?

So you're biting the chile????

I'm confused....

Solovino wrote:

Lehrer wrote:I don't know how many posters here are native speakers. I know that my neighbors are (Mexican husband & wife). So I have to trust them if they tell me that "chulo" is "pimp" and to avoid the word in polite company.

As I gain more experience in the language, perhaps I will capture the nuances.

The word is not a word to avoid using. It can be used for "pimp" but usually when used that way it is very clear as to its meaning. But the word is commonly used in non vulgar speech so to refrain from using it at all is not necessary.

As an example in English take the word "sucks". "The baby sucks his bottle" isn't in the least vulgar. If you were to blurt out "that sucks" when your minister tells the congregation the church is broke then some might be offended.

No mames

gm

Lehrer wrote:

Walter wrote:Lizzy, OK I'll bite. What is the "certain way" I should use my chile?

So you're biting the chile????

I'm confused....

OK. I'll try.
It has to do with WHO you ask and HOW you ask.

Were you to ask a waiter, "¿Hay chile?" you have asked if the IS any chile. No problem.

But, if you ask the waiter "¿Tiene chile?" you have just asked if he HAS chile... ie. PENIS. Problem. The waiter either ran into the kitchen in a fit of giggles (if asked by a female) or decked you (if asked by a male)

Same goes for "huevos", which used the first way (hay) works just fine. Used the other (tiene) you have asked the poor fellow if he has any balls. See what I mean? Lizzy