This week’s episode of Language Lunes takes us to Mexico, the home of albures. Albures are mischievous idioms which I believe help make Mexican Spanish that much more amusing to speak.
For starters, use of the doble sentido, or double entendre, is very popular in casual speech. If you’re with a group of Mexican friends, be prepared to get playfully embarrassed by someone.
Take this albur as an example:
I saw this sign at El Sinaloense restaurant in Mazatlán, one of a number of popular beach resort cities along the Pacific. “Atáscate (ahora) que hay lodo” roughly translates as “get yourself stuck (now) since there’s mud.”
And again, the sign was at a restaurant.
That was your one hint.
OK, here comes the explanation:
Pretend you’re a swine, curly tail and all. All of a sudden, a fierce downpour arrives on the scene. Due to the torrential rains, your once dry pig pen is now a muddy paradise.
You’re lapping up the mud so much that you get stuck in it.
All of that mud … for example, just like my dinner that night.
You’re one person, but you’ve ordered as if you were three. Look at all of that food in front of you.
The formal definition suggests that you should take advantage of things when they’re in abundance, but that’s not nearly as fun a breakdown as stuffing yourself crazy. (link in Spanish)
Atáscate que hay lodo, and Bon Appétit!
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