Piropos are flirtatious remarks shouted at passing women in Nicaragua. They typically involve compliments about a woman's physical features or double entendres and aim to impress the crowd and assert the man's masculinity. A piropo interaction involves a man spotting a woman, delivering a piropo as they pass, and the crowd observing the woman's reaction of acceptance, rejection, or no response. The goals are for the man to have his piropo accepted and impress the crowd, while the woman can accept or reject, and the crowd judges the outcome. Piropos are usually shouted in public spaces in daytime using rhyming phrases or introductions like whistling.

1. Piropos in Nicaragua
By Ivan Suazo

2. Definition:
Namely shouting out compliments or
flirtatious remarks to a passing girl.
It may involve crude metaphors
referring to certain body parts, or all
sorts of double entendres.
It also involvesskills such as creativity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2aMtHbCiU

3. Piropeando: “piropoing”
Setting
Must be in public
with a crowd.
Most commonly
in the streets.
Always in day time.

4. Participants
Decir un piropo: to say a piropo
A man
A woman
A crowd

5. Expirential Piropoing
#1
Chelita, si tus piernas fueran los rieles, no me
imagino como será la terminal.
Chelita, If your legs were the train tracks, I can’t
imagine the train station.
#2
Muñeca, cantarito de arroz, si me das un beso,
me caso con vos.
Muñeca, little bowl of rice, if you gave me a kiss, I
will marry you.

6. Act Sequence
Tirarse un piropo: throw a piropo at her
A man spots a woman
He performs cues
He would approach her
He delivers the piropo when
they cross paths
The crowd observes

7. Act Sequence (cont.)
Accept Reject No
Response
Smile or
Acknowledge
him
Turn around Keep
walking
Keep walking Cross the street Ignore him
Yell/try to hit
him

8. Act Sequence (cont.)
Crowd Reacts
Approve, positive comments
Disapprove, laugh/ instruct
him/ look away
Participants return to what
they were doing

9. interaction and
interpretations
Andar piropeando: to go saying piropos
 to married or unmarried women
 delivered as close to her as possible
 Acceptance v. rejection behavior
 said it loud enough for the crowd
 he sneaks up on her
 must be said when side by side

10. Interpretations

11. Norms (cont.)
 touching might be involved
 non-standard Spanish
 exclamations as an introduction
 foreign women could be targeted
 the perception of offensiveness
varies by social class
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXfczqCioyI
 it can be said to a group of women

12. Ends: outcomes/goals
Man: outcomes
 approval from crowd
 prove his macho status
 show off his creativity
Man: goal
 get his piropo accepted

13. Ends (cont.)
Woman: goal
 accept or reject
the piropo
Woman: outcome
 No outcome

14. Ends (cont.)
Crowd: outcome
 judge the outcome of the speech act
Crowd: goal
 promote macho
behavior

15. Key
Hacerle caso a un piropo: listen to a piropo
 romantic
 loud and clear
 sexy
 singing or poetic tone

16. Ignorar un piropo: ignore a piropo
Instrumentalities
 orally
 most frequent chunks
 with some rhyming
 whistling /
exclamation as an
introduction

17. Quasi piropo
Piropo clásico: a classic piropo
 the goal is to
impress a woman
 said to a friend or
a girlfriend
 in private, never in
public
 romantic and classic,
no vulgar speech

18. Piropo failure
Challenging woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uc_65dy7-I&feature=related