Translations dictionary
del putas
[del poo-tuhs]
黑料网 does听del putas mean?
If you need a colorful way to show your approval,听del putas is a Colombian expression for you. It corresponds to the English terms like “the best,” “awesome,” “excellent,” or “(it) rocks.”
Be aware that the phrase is vulgar, though widely used, as puta literally means “whore” and functions much like the F-word in English.
Where does del putas come from?
奥颈迟丑听del meaning “from the” and听putas meaning “whores” in Spanish,听del putas literally means “from the whores.”听But in Colombian Spanish slang this is a good thing, with听del putas听having the slang sense of “awesome.”听So, how has this ostensibly offensive phrase taken on such a positive, if sweary, connotation?
In Spanish, puta has come to serve as a generally strong modifier in the same way as听damn,听fucking, 辞谤听bloody, recorded as such in English contexts since the 1930s though no doubt much older in Spanish. Just as American English speakers might say someone is听the fucking best or British English speakers the bloody best, Colombian Spanish speakers (and other Spanish-language speakers around the word) use听del putas.
For more on puta, see our explanation of the colorful Spanish word.
Similar vulgar words make this transition to general emphasis across many languages. Look no further than English’s own听shit. If you call a burrito the shit, you’re saying it’s “excellent,” not actual feces. Bad things have a way of being inverted into good things in slang鈥攍ike bad, which has meant “good” in slang since at least the 19th century.
The Colombian expression is related to another Spanish expression听de puta madre, 辞谤听from a whore mother.听De puta madre also means听awesome 辞谤听fantastic.
Language 别蝉迟谩听del putas.
Examples of del putas
Who uses del putas?
Spanish speakers are, of course, the most likely to use听del putas in casual speech. But don’t forget that del putas isn’t for polite company or formal settings, given its vulgar origins.
Though the phrase is especially associated with Colombia, it is not restricted to Colombian Spanish speakers.
The phrase has been borrowed by a Colombian rock festival called听Del Putas Fest. The local rock scene plays into the vulgar origins of the phrase as well as the regional identity of the phrase.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of del putas like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of del putas that will help our users expand their word mastery.