pinche
What does “pinche” mean in English?
It's used as an insulting intensifier, similar to 'fucking' or 'lousy.' In a literal sense, it refers to a kitchen assistant, but that's not how it's commonly used.
Literally “kitchen assistant”
You'll often hear it in Mexico, either to amplify an insult or directly aimed at someone, like calling someone a 'lousy' or 'fucking' idiot. It's a bit stronger than just saying 'fucking' in English.
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Related Spanish words
maldito
2/5 · CoarseIt means 'damned' and is often used as a curse or to intensify an insult. In some contexts, it can have a literal religious connotation.
putada
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to a dirty trick or an unfortunate situation someone finds themselves in. It's not usually linked to anything sexual.
cabrito
2/5 · CoarseIt's a milder way to tease or insult someone, serving as a substitute for a stronger term like 'cabrón.' Literally, it means 'young goat.'
chingado
4/5 · StrongIt means something like 'fucked' or ruined, often used to emphasize a negative situation. It's a strong word that conveys frustration or anger.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.