Towards a more colorful vocabulary
2 January 2013
Via SDPNoticias, comes a list compiled by the Caracas daily, El Universal, of the various insults Hugo Chavez and associates have hurled at their opponents. Hugo is never at a loss for words,but c’mon… “Komodo Dragon”? Must have been the intern who came up with that one. ”
Beside the usual “drunks,” “crazies” and all round “pendejos”….here’s a handy-dandy list of insults probably useful on … many… occasions:
| Abusadores | Abusers |
| Acaparadores | Hoarders |
| Antibolivarianos | Anti-bolivarians |
| Antipatriotas | Anti-patriots |
| Arrastrados | Disease carriers |
| Basura de la historia | Ash-heap of history |
| Brutos | Brutes |
| Cabezones | Dickhead (close enough) |
| Cachetes de puerco | Hog jowls |
| Caimanes | Crocodiles |
| Calumniadores | Rumor-mongerers |
| Capitalistas | Capitalists (oooh, that’s gotta hurt!) |
| Caraduras | Cheeky fellows |
| Carroña | Carrion |
| Cavernícolas | Cavemen |
| Cínicos | Cynics |
| Coberos | Lying liar |
| Come mocos | Like flies |
| Contrabandistas | Smugglers |
| Corroídos por el odio | Hate-spreaders |
| Criminales | Criminals |
| Cuervos | Crows |
| Demonios | Demons |
| Desadaptados | Maladjusted |
| Descarados | Shameless |
| Desechos | Waste |
| Deshonestos | Dishonest |
| Desmadrados | Fuck ups |
| Desnaturalizados | De-natured (unnatural, weird) |
| Desquiciados | Have a screw loose |
| Desquiciados | Unhinged |
| Disociados | “reality challenged” |
| Doble cara | Two-faced |
| Dragones de Komodo | Komodo Dragon |
| Egoístas | Egoists (a big insult in Latin America, even among Conservatives) |
| Ejes del mal | Axis of Evil |
| Embusteros | Con artists |
| Especuladores | Speculators |
| Estafadores | Con-men |
| Excrementos | Shit (or shitheads) |
| Explotadores | Exploiters |
| Falsificadores | Counterfeiters |
| Flojos | Weaklings |
| Fraudulentos | Frauds |
| Fusiladores de espíritus | Spiritual firing squads |
| Golpistas | Coup-mongers |
| Gorilas | Gorillas |
| Guerrilleros urbanos | Urban guerrillas |
| Gusanos | Worms |
| Hampones | Thugs |
| Hienas | Hyenas |
| Insensibles | Not too bright |
| Inútiles | Useless |
| Ladrones | Thieves |
| Lambucios | Purely Venezuelan… the guy who picks food off your plate in a restaurant, or borrows your stuff and never returns it. |
| Llorones | Cry babies |
| Lombrices | Worms (specifically parasitic worms) |
| Majunches | Annoying twits |
| Malasangre | Bad blood |
| Mandaderos de las transnacionales | Yes-men for multi-nationals |
| Marruñecos | Another Venezuelanism… “dipship”, somebody who believe whatever rumor is floating around |
| Mensajeros de la muerte | Messengers of death |
| Mercenarios | Mercenaries |
| Miserables | Miserable ones |
| Moribundos | Really rotten scoundrels (literally, dead and stinky) |
| Moscas | Flies |
| Necrófilos | Necrophiliacs |
| Paqueteros | Hoarders |
| Perros | Dogs |
| Plagas | Plague |
| Podridos | Rotters |
| Preservativos | Condoms (Condoms???) |
| Prostitutas | Whores |
| Recaderos | “go-fers”… a nicer word than laquí (“lackey”) |
| Reposeros | Shirker, slacker |
| Retrógrados | Reactionary |
| Saqueadores | Looters |
| Sepultureros | Grave-diggers |
| Siete cueros | Literally a skin infection… figuratively… “jerk” |
| Son un cáncer | Cancerous |
| Termitas | Termites |
| Terroristas | Terrorists |
| Tienen al diablo debajo de las sotanas | LIke the devil in clerical garb |
| Torturadores | Torturers |
| Traficantes | (Drug) Traffickers |
| Traidores a la patria | Traitors to the nation |
| Tramposos | Tricksters (and not in a good way) |
| Trogloditas | Troglodites |
| Vagos | Ne-er-do-wells |
| Vende patria | Sellers of their country |
| Vendidos | Sell-outs |
| Víboras | Snakes |
| Zamuros | Vultures |
| Pitiyanquí | Malachista in Mexico… someone who favors the U.S. |
| Vampiro | Well, duh! |
2 Comments
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mexfiles.net 
This is great and I sent it to my colleagues… but just one point, wouldn’t “come mocos” translate to something like “snot-eater”?
Much better… and absolutely correct! I’m sure better translations will come …er… dripping in.