mamagüevo

What it means

1. 1.

   The strongest everyday Dominican insult, roughly the weight of 'cunt' in British English. Directed at a stranger it is an invitation to fight.

2. 2.

   Between close male friends it flips entirely and becomes a greeting or a punchline, which is the single most confusing thing about it for learners.

Literally: cock-sucker

Examples with translations

• ¡Ese mamagüevo me chocó y se fue!

  That bastard hit my car and drove off!

• Mira, mamagüevo, ¿tú por dónde tú anda'?

  Hey, you dickhead, where have you been hiding?

  Note: Affectionate. Only between men who already have that kind of licence with each other — a foreigner attempting it will be misread.

Where it comes from

A compound of mamar and güevo, the Dominican pronunciation of huevo in its testicle sense. Shared with Venezuelan and Cuban Spanish. The written form varies because the /h/ is a fully pronounced [gw] here, not a silent letter.

Other forms

Spellings and variants:

mamagüebo, mamaguebo, mamagüevazo