La Raza
Chicano Slang in Old-School Hip-Hop: The Words Kid Frost, Cypress Hill and Mellow Man Ace Put on the Radio
/Sounds like "PLAH-kah"/
A Chicano word for "cops" that comes from the metal badge (placa) that officers wear on their chest. "La placa" means the whole police force, and hearing "ahí viene la placa" in a Chicano neighborhood is the universal signal to break up whatever you're doing. It's a street term, not an office one, and carries the full weight of the complicated relationship between Raza and law enforcement in the United States.
Example
"Aguas, ahí viene la placa. → Watch out, the cops are coming."
"La placa pasó tres veces. → The cops drove by three times."
Regional synonyms:
Ver en español →
/Sounds like "PLAH-kah"/
A Chicano word for "cops" that comes from the metal badge (placa) that officers wear on their chest. "La placa" means the whole police force, and hearing "ahí viene la placa" in a Chicano neighborhood is the universal signal to break up whatever you're doing. It's a street term, not an office one, and carries the full weight of the complicated relationship between Raza and law enforcement in the United States.
Example
"Aguas, ahí viene la placa. → Watch out, the cops are coming."
"La placa pasó tres veces. → The cops drove by three times."
Regional synonyms:
Articles featuring this word
Chingada
A core Mexican swear word that works as an intensifier, curse, and building block for dozens of expressions. 'Go to hell,' 'absolutely terrible,' and 'son of a...' all trace back to this one explosive word.