The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #147920   Message #3431135
Posted By: JohnInKansas
04-Nov-12 - 10:36 PM
Thread Name: Meaning 'hombre' in song 4 legged friend
Subject: RE: Meaning 'hombre' in song 4 legged friend
In the US "cowboy country" there was sufficient Spanish influence that everybody used quite a few Spanish terms interchangeably with English ones. (And in some places they still do, without even recognizing any distiction as to origin.)

Hombre is just a generic term for "man," or in sexually neutral context for "mankind" or "human."

Almost, although maybe a little less common might be "Señor" for the masculine "you" or "Señorita" for an unmarried woman, and Señora for a married one.

A house is still often a "hacienda" in much of the Southwest US. (but used most often only if it's a relatively "fine" house). "Casa" is also used for house or home, with less implication that you live in an "impressive estate."

Spanish is especially rich in profanities and or double-entendres as the language is used in the same areas, and these do pop up in common speech, but mostly with no ethnic or racial implications unless the context makes something other than the generic meanings obvious. It's just the way "the good ol' boys talk" in informal contexts.

A nickel (or maybe a dollar after inflation) for every time some western actor in an "oater" movie used the term "hombre" to refer generically to a male person probably would buy a DVD of every one of such movies ever made. (John Wayne used it a lot.)

If there's a problem with your audience understanding it, just say "man" (or "critter," if they'll understand that and the metre is important) instead of "hombre." It's unlikely to change either meaning or inuendo, since the context in which the word appears will give the same meanings regardless of which is used.

John