Jacket Vs. Hand-Job!

Like all other tongues, the Spanish language too has its own share of regional quirkiness and the one from Mexico, in particular, is no different. In fact, it is this quirkiness of Mexican Spanish that makes it one of most learners’ top favorites amongst all known dialects of Spanish. Let’s explore this quirkiness in something as simple as a “jacket.” We all know it translates to la chaqueta in Spanish. What makes it so special here is that this seemingly innocent word for a piece of clothing has an embarrassing, far-from-innocent, kind of perverted connotation in the streets of Mexico and you must be careful when using it!

The Spanish for “jacket”

Do not call this a chaqueta in Mexico!
Photo credit: Marshall Astor licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Though Spanish has an extremely diverse vocabulary, enriched by the myriad indigenous cultures it has touched over centuries, we are going to be more concerned about the two most commonly used words for the humble “jacket” in the Spanish-speaking world – chamarra and chaqueta. Of these, chaqueta is the one that carries a sort of stigma at least in Mexico and should be avoided as far as possible if you happen to be in that part of the world. What’s wrong in calling a “jacket”, chaqueta?

Well, before that, let’s first get to know the word that Mexicans use for their jackets – chamarra. Now, chamarra means nothing other than a “jacket” and is hence understood in any Spanish-speaking country even though it is not common outside of Mexico. Same way, it’s not that the Mexicans don’t recognize the dictionary meaning of chaqueta which is commonly used everywhere outside of Mexico for “jacket.” Mexicans understand that chaqueta means jacket no less than their counterparts elsewhere but they choose to accept the other, more colloquial meaning that’s nothing short of taboo.

If you haven’t heard of chamarra yet, tarde o temprano (sooner or later) you will. What you should hope, though, is that you bear it well before you ever enter Mexico. If you need a jacket in Mexico, you say, “Hace frío por eso necesito una chamarra (It’s cold so I need a jacket),” and all’s well. By any chance, if you happen to use chaqueta in that sentence, nothing will say, “I am a stupid gringo,” clearer and louder! All of Mexico would unite in giving you the blush of your life before you even realize what you just said. Your problem intensifies as you move further south. In fact, most gringo-infested regions of northern Mexico do recognize chaqueta and honor its usage without much` fuss. but for the rest of the country, it’s just plain taboo. In fact, even Bolivians also prefer to avoid using this word for the same reason.

The chaqueta taboo

So, what the heck does chaqueta mean in Mexico anyway? And what makes it an embarrassment to the unsuspecting gringo? Well, for the lack of a more politically-correct word, it means “masturbation”. Blush, blush! Well, for whatever reason, the word has become integral to Mexico’s jargon of crude lingo and is applicable to both men and women. The act of self-gratification itself is better portrayed by the phrase, hacerse una chaqueta. Now, you can imagine the reaction of your Mexican buddies when you ask for a chaqueta because it’s so cold!

No, you will not be shot dead or deported if you do wind up using this word anyway. Like already mentioned above, chaqueta is well understood as the Spanish for “jacket” even in Mexico, more so in the north. It’s just that because it has a dirtier meaning, they would prefer to hang on to the latter and make the most of the situation at your expense, laughing their hearts out. It is our two cents, though, to steer clear of chaqueta in Mexico and stick to chamarra instead, unless some sort of pun is intended. On the other hand, innocent mistake could make you sound kinky to Mexican ears and possibly win you some amigos (friends) or even dates, who knows! The choice is yours.

More Spanish for more jackets

The Spanish for a suit-jacket, by the way, is saco and is so on both sides of the Atlantic. Also, Spain has cazadoras that refers to more informal types of jackets, such as denims or bombers. In the name of variety, chumpa is another word for “jacket” used in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras while in Ecuador, they have chompa. And Peruvians and Chileans use casaca! Wait, there is more! If you ever visit Argentina, Uruguay, or Paraguay, you’ll hear them call it campera. And as far as chamarra goes, it’s not just the Mexicans. Chamarra is also known and prevalent in Bolivia and as far away as Andalusia of southern Spain. Even more interestingly, in Costa Rica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, they just use the English word with a Spanish pronunciation (they pronounce it /yah-'ket/).

So, before concluding this article, let’s summarize the idea: Spanish has two words for a jacket, la chamarra and la chaqueta. while both words are well known in all of Hispanosphere, the former is the only one used in Mexico and the latter, elsewhere. Moreover, la chaqueta has a very vulgar meaning in Mexico and is better not used when talking about the item of clothing.