# Word for the Day: Cuerno



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

cuerno - in Mexico, a device fitted on cars used exclusively to signal following drivers that you are not causing the delay, literally, "horn".


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

eastwind said:


> cuerno - in Mexico, a device fitted on cars used exclusively to signal following drivers that you are not causing the delay, literally, "horn".


Very clever. Except, isn't a car horn a _bocina_, and _cuerno_ only used for animal horns? Or is there a colloquialism that I missed?


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I dunno, I was depending on google translate - I tried "automobile horn" and that's what it gave me. Then to try to make sure I reverse translated cuerno and it gave me this:

Translations of cuerno:

horn: claxon, cuerno, bocina, asta, trompa, antena
antler: cuerno, mogote
cusp: cúspide, corona, cuerno
croissant: cuerno

It was mostly sarcasm on how Mexican drivers utterly ignore horns being blown at them.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Car horn not automobile horn becomes "bocina". You have to play around with Google Translator to get it correct at times. I don´t take the first translation it gives me.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

Sarcasm aside - I appreciate google translate, and use it a lot - but for individual words or colloquialisms I prefer wordreference.com .


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

eastwind said:


> It was mostly sarcasm on how Mexican drivers utterly ignore horns being blown at them.


So, what are turn signals used for? Emergency flashers seem to be used for everything. When the driver in front of me turns on the flashers, I am prepared for anything including a turn either to the right or left.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

joaquinx said:


> So, what are turn signals used for? Emergency flashers seem to be used for everything. When the driver in front of me turns on the flashers, I am prepared for anything including a turn either to the right or left.


On the highways you have to be careful with left turn signals. It can mean either: they are going to make a left turn; or, it is safe to pass them on the left. 

However, on the positive side, Mexican drivers are far better at keeping to the right except to pass. That is a concept that seems totally lost in the US where drivers just drive in any lane at any speed.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Everyone I know here uses "claxon" for the car horn and "cuerno" for either a croissant or else as a metaphor for anger -- "su puso de cuernos"


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

eastwind said:


> I dunno, I was depending on google translate - I tried "automobile horn" and that's what it gave me. Then to try to make sure I reverse translated cuerno and it gave me this:
> 
> Translations of cuerno:
> 
> ...


I don't use Google translate but instead rely on online dictionaries whose accuracy I trust and which indicate which words are used in Spain, Mexico and so on. Does Google do this? Here's an example: http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-spanish/horn


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

circle110 said:


> Everyone I know here uses "claxon" for the car horn and "cuerno" for either a croissant or else as a metaphor for anger -- "su puso de cuernos"


I wish I could type better --- it is "se puso de cuernos" not "su".


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Agree with answers above:

automobile horn: "bocina" or "claxon"

cuerno:
1. horn or antler on an animal
2. croissant shaped bread
3. a type of musical instrument (similar to "horn" in English in this context) 
4. if someone "puts the horns" on their partner (poner los cuernos a ...) - they were unfaithful


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

circle110 said:


> Everyone I know here uses "claxon" for the car horn and "cuerno" for either a croissant or else as a metaphor for anger -- "su puso de cuernos"


"poner los cuernos" is a metaphor for a woman that cuckholds her husband. She put the horns on him.

There was a very popular song a few years back called "El Venao" by a group from Puerto Rico. Venao is a mispronunciation of "venado" or a buck deer. The lyrics deal with "poner los cuernos". The venado of course has a large set of antlers or "cuernos" in Spanish and is a metaphor for a cuckhold. I am unable to post a link to the video because of a lack of posts but the video is about a woman cuckholding her husband.

Catchy little tune! 

"Que no me digan en la esquina "el venao" por que eso si me mortifica! El venao, el venao"."


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> However, on the positive side, Mexican drivers are far better at keeping to the right except to pass. That is a concept that seems totally lost in the US where drivers just drive in any lane at any speed.


I have found this to be quite the opposite and over many years I have literally driven hundreds of thousands of km on Mexican roads and highways. 

I guess YMMV would be an apt pun in this case!


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I agree with TundraGreen 100 % .. of course they also pass in curves and in areas with no visibility as well so they are equally bad drivers..


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

citlali said:


> I agree with TundraGreen 100 % .. of course they also pass in curves and in areas with no visibility as well so they are equally bad drivers..


Really? You have found slower vehicles here stay to the right except to pass?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Lefthanded Gordie said:


> There was a very popular song a few years back called "El Venao" by a group from Puerto Rico. Venao is a mispronunciation of "venado" or a buck deer.
> Catchy little tune!


It's not really a mispronunciation, but rather a feature of certain dialects of Spanish, which omit the "d" sound between vowels, especially at the ends of words, such as "venado".


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

Isla Verde said:


> It's not really a mispronunciation, but rather a feature of certain dialects of Spanish, which omit the "d" sound between vowels, especially at the ends of words, such as "venado".


How about phonetically incorrect? Do you consider "puelto lico" a feature of the boricua dialect or mispronunciation? Or "Nueva Yol" a feature of dominican dialect? Caribbean dialects are famous for omitting certain letters. Here in Mexico "onde" is a common pronunciation of the word "donde". One will commonly hear "on 'sta?" for "donde està". Of course there are many other examples of both regional dialects and pronunciation. Many of which swallow certain sounds.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Lefthanded Gordie said:


> How about phonetically incorrect? Do you consider "puelto lico" a feature of the boricua dialect or mispronunciation? Or "Nueva Yol" a feature of dominican dialect? Caribbean dialects are famous for omitting certain letters. Here in Mexico "onde" is a common pronunciation of the word "donde". One will commonly hear "on 'sta?" for "donde està". Of course there are many other examples of both regional dialects and pronunciation. Many of which swallow certain sounds.


Incorrect according to which authority? I doubt that modern-day linguists would call these variants incorrect, just variations on a theme.


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

Isla Verde said:


> Incorrect according to which authority? I doubt that modern-day linguists would call these variants incorrect, just variations on a theme.


No problem. I was simply trying to explain the different spelling for readers who may not be familiar with the different dialects of Spanish. If I mischaracterized it I apologize to all the linguists on the forum.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Lefthanded Gordie said:


> "poner los cuernos" is a metaphor for a woman that cuckholds her husband. She put the horns on him.


That's not what I was referring to. My wife's family uses "Ponerse de cuernos" to refer to getting angry. It may be something that just they use, I don't see it used in other places.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Lefthanded Gordie said:


> Really? You have found slower vehicles here stay to the right except to pass?


A lot of my driving is in Southern Mexico and yes people drive on the very right very often on the shoulder of the road when they drive slowly.

Right now I am commuting everyday mountain roads and trucks and slow vehicule drive on the shoulder when there is one..they also pass on blind curves..


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## Lefthanded Gordie (Aug 15, 2017)

citlali said:


> A lot of my driving is in Southern Mexico and yes people drive on the very right very often on the shoulder of the road when they drive slowly.
> 
> Right now I am commuting everyday mountain roads and trucks and slow vehicule drive on the shoulder when there is one..they also pass on blind curves..


Yes on the narrow 2 lane highways that have a shoulder, many times people will move over to their right. But on larger highways and in the bigger cities on major thoroughfares this isn't necessarily true. I make at least on trip from Guadalajara to Colima once a week on the couta and 3 times a month to Ameca. Slow drivers in the left lane are a common problem as they back up traffic, especially near the city.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Well I also commute the San Cristobal Tuxtla cuota and slow drivers move out of the way and drive the shoulders, I think it is more a southern Mexico habit as people down here are pretty aggressive drivers and they will tailgate the heck out of you if you do not not move promptly out of the way,


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

citlali said:


> Well I also commute the San Cristobal Tuxtla cuota and slow drivers move out of the way and drive the shoulders, I think it is more a southern Mexico habit as people down here are pretty aggressive drivers and they will tailgate the heck out of you if you do not not move promptly out of the way,


The same thing happens in the north, Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, etc. Near cities the traffic gets more congested and people use whatever lane they feel like.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> The same thing happens in the north, Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, etc. Near cities the traffic gets more congested and people use whatever lane they feel like.


We have seen the practice of straddling the shoulder in the area around Puebla and on the road to Ixtapa. 

If I am following the advice of my NAV system (I am not familiar with the area) and the voice says something like "In a quarter mile stay left and enter the highway" (or such) I get in the leftmost lane - period. That practice hurt me on a recent trip where after entering the highway I was promptly told "In 100 feet make a right" and there were 3 lanes of traffic to my right...


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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> Very clever. Except, isn't a car horn a _bocina_, and _cuerno_ only used for animal horns? Or is there a colloquialism that I missed?


Bocina = Claxon = Cuerno 
Cuerno as in musical instrument -> Horns

If someone says to you "cuernos" it's a soft way to say "go to hell" usually it is accompanied with a hand sign.

If they are putting the horns on you, (te ponen los cuernos) your spouse is cheating on you.

If you make a horn sign with both index fingers that is not "cuernos" more that you have the horns of a buey. That's a whole different story....

Cuernos are also croissants (pastry)


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

ElPocho said:


> Bocina = Claxon = Cuerno


Where in Mexico is "cuerno" used to mean a car horn? It doesn't seem to be the case in Mexico City.


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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

Isla Verde said:


> Where in Mexico is "cuerno" used to mean a car horn? It doesn't seem to be the case in Mexico City.


I think in the north, it is not common. Especially with people with education.

I lived in Mexico from 1965-1984 and did hear it. So it may not be used in the 33 years since. It is not common, probably only real old people from the rural areas, but if someone said "tocale el cuerno" it would not sound too odd to me. Maybe my brain is screwed up by being bilingual.

What they would say is "pitale el claxon" or "pitale" or "tocale"

Think in the USA they still call it a horn even though this is what the first car horn looks like

Link removed....


So in 1920 when cars actually had "horns" it was probably used. Since cuerno is one of the words that can have double meaning Mexicans tend to avoid them.

Spanish is such a rich language, Mexicans really play with it...


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## quinta (Mar 8, 2009)

"claxon" is what's regularly used since "bocina" is a "speaker" or sometimes the phone receiver on a land line.... but as to "cuerno", this is an animals horns -or- a pastry i.e: croissant... you can also say "te pusieron el cuerno" which means you have been "cuckolded"... and even sometimes it's a hand gesture that looks similar to the Hawaiian Shaka (aloha) sign except vertical holding of the hand vs horizontal and it means "no way", "take that (toma)", "I don't agree (ni maiz)".....hahaha


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

quinta said:


> "claxon" is what's regularly used since "bocina" is a "speaker" or sometimes the phone receiver on a land line....


Use of bocina vs. claxon for car horn is primarily dependent on region/country. Either will be understood in the right context, regardless of region. 

Bocina does have more meanings than just a car horn, including a speaker, a loudspeaker, etc. "Hacer bocina" is when you cup your hands around your mouth in the form of a loudspeaker to project your voice. Claxon is a horn, period (whether on a car, boat, etc.).


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## josekoko (May 25, 2017)

This is wonderful to hear. I like how they have the Green Angels (name ?) that help people that get stranded, etc. 
I'm tired of people in diesel Dodge Ram pickups that ride my compact car's ass, here in America. 
Gotta get my butt in gear and get to Mexico...
Do people ever sing 'Do You Know the Way to San Jose?' in Mexico...but are referring to the Costa Rican capital?


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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

josekoko said:


> This is wonderful to hear. I like how they have the Green Angels (name ?) that help people that get stranded, etc.
> I'm tired of people in diesel Dodge Ram pickups that ride my compact car's ass, here in America.
> Gotta get my butt in gear and get to Mexico...
> Do people ever sing 'Do You Know the Way to San Jose?' in Mexico...but are referring to the Costa Rican capital?


I was growing up in Mexico at the time the song came out. I always thought it referred to a place in Puerto Rico or something. It was only till I came to the SF Bay area that I realized which San Jose.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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## WillowTS (Oct 21, 2017)

... and Cuernavaca is literally cow horn


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## josekoko (May 25, 2017)

I LOVE cows. They do so much for us. Milk, cheese, steak, butter, etc. etc. Chickens are cool, too. 
I like them, even if they aren't 'productive'. I just like their faces (cows). 
Is a cuernevaca a cow horn that makes a loud moo sound? Or is it a higher register, more tenor in nature?


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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

josekoko said:


> I LOVE cows. They do so much for us. Milk, cheese, steak, butter, etc. etc. Chickens are cool, too.
> I like them, even if they aren't 'productive'. I just like their faces (cows).
> Is a cuernevaca a cow horn that makes a loud moo sound? Or is it a higher register, more tenor in nature?


It was more like the Spaniards could not pronounce the Nauhuatl name, for the place. for them it sounded like Cuerna La Vaca. The cow is horning, or using is horns. The first conquistadors encountered no cows. 
They married or raped the women and the third culture was born. 

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## ElPocho (Aug 25, 2017)

ElPocho said:


> It was more like the Spaniards could not pronounce the Nauhuatl name, for the place. for them it sounded like Cuerna La Vaca. The cow is horning, or using is horns. The first conquistadors encountered no cows.
> They married or raped the women and the third culture was born.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


The name Cuernavaca is and example of that culture. 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Here is a useful explanation of the etymology of "Cuernavaca". As you will see, nothing at all to do with a cow's horn!

The name "Cuernavaca" is derived from the Nahuatl phrase "Cuauhnāhuac" and means "surrounded by or close to trees". The name eventually was Hispanicized to Cuernavaca. The coat-of-arms of the municipality is based on the pre-Columbian pictograph emblem of the city which depicts a tree trunk (cuahuitl) with three branches, with foliage, and four roots colored red. There is a cut in the trunk in the form of a mouth, from which emerges a speech scroll, probably representing the language Nahuatl and by extension the locative suffix "-nāhuac", meaning "near".[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuernavaca


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