Nov
23
Are you “chido”?
In this week’s podcast with Mexican actress Zuleika Deciga, she talked about chido, Mexican slang used by young people, and she gave us the assignment of figuring out on our own what naco means. Now you can learn more about these two Spanish words.
Chido means cool and it is a word with an interesting history behind it.
An approximate translation of naco is tacky, redneck or low class. What one calls naco in Mexico is cutre or hortero in Spain and barreta and grasa in Argentina. But there is a Mexican clothing company called NaCo that has taken the word and redefined it.
Naco is originally a derogative term used by upper and middle class Mexicans to describe things and people they felt were way beneath them in terms of hipness, taste and economic status. It’s usually employed as a synonym for “poor & ignorant”, but Naco-ness knows no economic or educational boundaries.
Naco is more a state of mind. It’s more a self assured disregard for what others think is cool without being arrogant or closeminded. Naco-ness is about being your own person regardless of if you’re ever in the right or not. Ultimately, Naco-ness is about being yourself…
You can find the complete interview with Zuleika here.
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