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"Me la rifo"

 

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  #1  
Old June 29, 2018, 04:57 PM
tamarapittman tamarapittman is offline
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"Me la rifo"

From the song Corrido de Juanito by Calibre 50, wondering about the translation for "me la rifo anyways." Thanks.
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  #2  
Old June 30, 2018, 06:17 AM
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Those words aren't found together in the song.

With a little more context, from the song itself, the meaning of 'jardinero o cocinero, igual me la rifo' is "gardener or cook, I do it all the same."

There is also the nuance that he's up for doing either job, despite any possible risk (he dares to take on either role).
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Old June 30, 2018, 08:34 AM
tamarapittman tamarapittman is offline
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Thank you. Will look into this.
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Old July 03, 2018, 08:11 PM
mwtzzz mwtzzz is offline
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"rifar" refers to "raffle" in english, so what he's saying is that he doesn't care which job he does. Think raffle as in "coin toss" or something like that.
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Old July 03, 2018, 08:25 PM
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The phrase is slang. It can mean he'll take a dare or take it on (up to it/down with it).
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Old July 03, 2018, 09:29 PM
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I agree with Rusty. "Rifársela"/"rifarse" in slang means to face the risk of doing something dangerous. I think it means something similar to "jugársela".
It also often implies that the risk was worth it and it all went well; also, when used like this, it also means that someone did something very extraordinary, even when it wasn't dangerous at all.

- Me la rifé a presentar el examen sin haber estudiado. (I succeeded in an exam for which I did not study.)
- Juan me regaló un reloj muy caro. Se la rifó. (Juan did something I find awesome when he gave me that watch.)
- Los bomberos se la rifaron cuando entraron al edificio a rescatarme. (The firemen were brave and not only risked their lives to save me, but they succeeded epically.)
- "Las fuerzas armadas se la rifan por México" (This was said by Mexican President Enrique Peña in recognition of the Mexican Army's bravery.)
- Todos los que trabajamos en esta empresa nos la rifamos todos los días para hacerla crecer. (Our work and effort are focused on making this firm a successful business.)
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Old July 03, 2018, 10:12 PM
mwtzzz mwtzzz is offline
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think raffle (rifa), you buy a raffle ticket you take a chance that it might or might not work out
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Old July 04, 2018, 09:28 AM
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According to the RAE and the Dictionary of Mexican Slang, there is more than one meaning of "rifar". (Sorry, the DEM doesn't show direct links to words, but the search tool is easy to use.)

I think the one we're discussing in these examples is more related to "fighting".
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Old July 04, 2018, 03:34 PM
mwtzzz mwtzzz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar View Post
I think the one we're discussing in these examples is more related to "fighting".
You're right, but I'm pretty sure the underyling meaning in all these cases comes from the use of rifa as "raffle" which you can use figuratively to talk about taking a chance on something.

When people in rough neighborhoods talk like this, they're saying their life choices and the way they live in risky, they don't know what will happen (they could die) but they're going to do it anyway, regardless of the consequence. This was a very very typical attitude to witness when I was growing up in the South Valley in Albuquerque.
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me la rifo, rifarsela

 

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