Mierda!: The Real Spanish You Were Never Taught in School (Plume)

Here is the complete guide to vulgarismo--the key to understanding Spanish as it is really spoken--from basic vocabulary to fanciful colloquialisms, from hardcore curses to pithy epithets for all occasions. The survival guide for everyone who has ever wanted to learn real Spanish. Line drawings.

One doesn't have to be Jewish to recognize the words which have made their way into every fold of popular language: Chutzpah, Mensch, Tokhes, Mishmash, Nudge, Shtick, Schmaltzy, Schlep, Icky, and so on. Then there are phrases whose meaning and syntax are borrowed from Yiddish: "bite your tongue," "drop dead," "enough already', and "excuse the expression." This hilarious, concise guide includes chapters on the Basic Descriptions of People (the good, the bad, the ugly, and the goofy), the Fine Art of Cursing, Juicy Words and Phrases, Exclamations and Exasperations, and the Fine Art of Blessing.