As a half American/half Mexican, I feel it’s my duty to educate all of my friends about what’s going on across the border (whatever side you may be on). For my gringo friends, here’s a quick-and-easy Mexican language lesson…
When I first took Spanish classes in middle school, I quickly learned that “huevo” means “egg”. Easy, right? WRONG! Ten years down the road, I have learned the hard way that “huevo” (pronounced “WEH-voh”) actually has a wide variety of meanings in the Mexican culture. Here’s a list of “huevo” terms that I have learned in my past 4 years in Mexico:
–Huevo(s): testicle(s)
–Huevo: a small room, usually in reference to a crowded nightclub… like being inside an eggshell
(Ex: “Este antro es un huevo!” = “This nightclub is too small and overcrowded!”
–¡Huevos!: “I disagree with what you are saying.” The term actually has a more vulgar meaning, but let’s keep this site family-friendly. The expression is typically combined with a hand gesture in which the speaker holds his hand palm-forward in front of the chest area and curls in all 5 fingers.
–¡A huevo!: “Heck, yeah!”
–Estar de huevos: to be awesome.
(Ex: “Esta fiesta está de huevos.” = “This party is off the hook.”)
–¡Qué hueva!: “I don’t feel like doing this. How boring!”
–Echar la hueva: to lie about in a lazy manner, to chill out
–Me da hueva: “I’m too lazy to…”
–Huevón: (literally, a big egg) a very lazy individual
It took me four years to sort all of these out, usually surviving on context alone.
There is also a Mexican movie dedicated entirely to hidden “huevo” jokes, entitled “Una Película de Huevos”. The title literally means “A Movie about Eggs”, but in subtext it actually means “A Friggin´ Awesome Movie”. It’s about the adventures of a young egg who goes out into the world to learn to become a chicken… or something like that.
The sequel came out last year.
Sorry, gringos… everything you learned in high school Spanish was wrong.
In conclusion, here’s a trailer for “Una Película de Huevos”. Enjoy”
Gringation's Blog 
I will never see the Mexican egg in the same way. Very interesting- I wonder what other words have multiple meanings? I’m sure you’ll find out. 😉
Hey, stopping by from SITS!!! Great blog post. I always love learning new spanish words, as I speak very weak Spanglish. =] Especially the ones that people REALLY use.
I know you want to be family friendly but you have to warn people that it is also used as “balls” is used in English to mean testicles. I mention this because it is a great source of amusement here to get the gringo or especially the gringa to say things that are a little grosera and “huevo” jokes abound.
And that movie is the greatest. I love both of them, although the more you know about Spanish slang the funnier it is. I really think the first is the best, just wasn’t as into the witch doctor thing in the second.
I’m about to move to Mexico in November. I’m officially scared now. Hahaha.
Don’t be scared, you will mess up but people are almost always really nice about it. Most Spanish-speakers I know give you lots of brownie points for trying. And yes, occasionally men will make stupid remarks in slang, but no more than there and if you don’t understand all the better, no? Here’s the one that got me: remember how they teach you the whole gustarse thing and it is so confusing because it is all backwards from English? What they don’t tell you is that you can say it about things or movie stars, etc. but don’t say it to/about people. Yeah, it means I like… but if you say it about a person it means you are interested in them for more than like. My husband never told me that in 7 years, luckily a friend recently told me.