The Words — Page 3

menso - a woman pulling a man back from tipping cereal into a mug

menso: Closer to a hair-ruffle than an insult Jul 6, 2026

tronar - two women on a park bench, one crying while the other holds her

tronar: What do a relationship and a failed exam have in common? Jul 5, 2026

¿qué rollo? - two friends gripping hands in the doorway of a barber shop

¿qué rollo?: The low-key 'what is the deal' that CDMX runs on Jul 4, 2026

jefe - a young man leaning into an office doorway while the man at the desk waves him in

jefe: Said to your father, your boss, and the guy fixing your car Jul 3, 2026

echar la hueva - a young man stretched out asleep on a red sofa with his phone on his chest

echar la hueva: Literally about testicles. In practice, a nap Jul 2, 2026

estar pedo - one friend holding another up outside a bar at night

estar pedo: Everyone uses it. Nobody uses it in front of their suegra Jul 1, 2026

neta del planeta - a woman swearing on her chest to a skeptical friend on a schoolyard wall

neta del planeta: Hyperbole bolted onto a word that already meant truth Jun 30, 2026

fuchi - a small girl recoiling from the broccoli on her mother's fork

fuchi: Said before you have worked out what the smell is Jun 29, 2026

echar un rol - two friends cycling down a street with bags of pan dulce on the handlebars

echar un rol: Driving nowhere in particular, on purpose Jun 28, 2026

cabrón - two friends shoving each other around laughing outside an Oxxo

cabrón: An insult and a compliment. Your face decides which Jun 27, 2026

cámara - a young man giving a thumbs up to a driver through a car window

cámara: Same word as camera. Completely different job Jun 26, 2026

al rato - a young man sprawled on a kitchen chair waving off the woman standing over the sink

al rato: It sounds like a time. It is not a time Jun 25, 2026

desmadre - a young man opening a door onto a wrecked living room the morning after a party

desmadre: Somebody's living room, and nobody remembers agreeing to it Jun 24, 2026

¿qué transa? - a delivery rider on his bike greeting a man outside a shop

¿qué transa?: Greeted this way by men who were young in the eighties Jun 23, 2026

¡aguanta! - a woman running after a departing microbus with her arm out

¡aguanta!: One word that buys you thirty more seconds Jun 22, 2026

vato - two women on a bench, one nodding across the street at a man standing there

vato: Caló, Chicano, and border Spanish all claim it Jun 21, 2026

ligar - two young men leaning on a bar, one nodding across the room

ligar: From 'to tie'. Nobody is tying anything yet Jun 20, 2026

buena onda - a market vendor pressing extra tomatoes into a young woman's hands

buena onda: Praise with no achievement attached, and it still counts Jun 19, 2026

flojera - a man at a cafe table pushing his laptop shut with one finger

flojera: Nobody has moved from the sofa and nobody minds Jun 18, 2026

peda - four friends clinking shot glasses at an outdoor table

peda: Pedo is the state. This is the whole evening Jun 17, 2026

¡a huevo! - a young man punching the air outside a metro entrance, phone in hand

¡a huevo!: Yes, at a volume you cannot use at work Jun 16, 2026

¿mande? - a young man stopping on the sidewalk to take a call, hand in pocket

¿mande?: Mexicans answer with it, learners answer with '¿qué?' Jun 15, 2026

compa - two delivery riders sitting on their bikes sharing tortas and sodas

compa: Short for compadre, and it carries the same debt Jun 14, 2026

¡chale! - a young man on the sidewalk with a hand on his head watching a car pull away

¡chale!: Muttered at a screen when the score goes the wrong way Jun 13, 2026