Language of the streets: Lunfardo y vesre (or was it verse?)..

So you´ve ditched the fannypack and opted for an assymetrical rolinga haircut, but you still don´t pass for porteño. Why not? Because even if you´ve managed to learn Spanish, alongside younger Porteños, you most likely speak it like a 70-year-old nun. Unless you´ve mastered the art of flavoring your Spanish with a dash of Lunfardo. Lunfardo is the argot of Spanish which emerged from the lower classes in and around Buenos Aires during the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally brought to Argentina by European immigrants and gauchos from La Pampa, Lunfardo was born from a shady history of lawlessness and economic struggle. It is said to link back to a kind of "criminal underworld" and, in fact, is widely believed to have developed in jails as a vernacular spoken only among prisoners. The word lunfardo itself derives from the word "lombardo", which once signified "outlaw" in several Italian dialects.

Lunfado plays a prominent role in lyrics of tango, magnifying the mystery of this musical genre. It is not a complete language but rather a set of words and expressions which are sprinkled throughout most tango lyrics, employed more heavily by certain musicians such as Celedonio Flores.

Lunfardo expressions have worked their way into everyday language as well, becomming integral to Spanish spoken in both Argentina and Uruguay. In addition to a colorful vocabulary, Lunfardo is characterized by a use of wordplay known as vesre. With vesre, syllables are reversed, so tango becoms gotán and café con leche becomes feca con chele.

In recent decades, a number of modismos or common slang expressions have emerged and evolved in youth porteño speech. While some consider this modern slang to qualify as Lunfardo, others contend that these modern linguistic distortions lack the crucial historical roots. Most prominent is the crass boludo, about as common as a bum in the subte, and a staple in young porteño lingo. The term, a derivation of bolo (testicle) has a range of uses. When coupled with Che, a term of affection, it can be used endearingly to greet a friend: "Che boluda, qué tal de nuevo?" It may also be an expletive, "Ay boludo! me duele mi cabeza por tomar tanto!" or an insult, "Saliste con mi novia, boludo?" In this case, pelotudo might also be used - a derivation of a pelota (testicle), meaning "idiot" or "prick". Porteños have a colorful array of interpretations for boludo, ranging from "someone with big, hairy balls" to "someone who has sex with goats". In any case, as an outsider, use of the term will likely earn you approving looks, as if you have just uttered a secret, conspiratorial code.

Some other examples of modern slang include:
Gomas (lit. tyres) - womens breasts
Trucho - counterfeit, fake
Zafar - to barely get by
Maza (lit. mace or sledgehammer) - superb
Curtir (lit. to tan) - to be involved in..

From jailcells to tango salons, Lunfardo merges an esoteric past with a hip present, marking porteño Spanish with a singular flare. Lunfardo may cause the prudish or the conventional to cringe, but for many porteños, this distinctive dialect, with its deep historical and cultural roots, heralds the revolutionary power of language. This is freedom of speech at its finest.

"Che boludo, mira las gomas de esa boluda! Eso es la maza...Podrías manyarlas."
"Polotudo! Esa es mi esposa!"

Examples of classic lunfardo expressions:
Manyar - to know/to eat (from the Italian mangiare - to eat)
Morfar - to eat (from French argot morfer - to eat)
Laburar - to work (from Italian argot lavoro - work)
Chochamu - young man (vesre for muchacho)
Garpar - to pay with money (vesre for pagar - to pay)
Gomías - friends (vesre for amigos)
Fiaca - laziness (from Italian fiacco - weak)
Engrupir - to fool somone (unknown origin, but used in modern portuguese slang)
Junar - to look to/ to know (from Caló junar - to hear)
Feca - coffee (vesre café)
Zapi - pizza (vesre pizza)
Zapan - belly (vesre panza)
Gotan - tango (vesre tango)
Broli - book (vesre libro)
Ñoba - bathroom (vesre baño)

In Contitución, on Calle Estados Unidos 1397, is the real thing located:
Academia de Lunfardo de Buenos Aires