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The TikTok Slang Collision: How Hispanic Gen Z Mixes 22 Countries Into One Language
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Tira
/Sounds like "TEE" (as in "tea") + "rah" (as in "rapper")/
Meaning
A plainclothes detective or investigative police officer in Chile, the cop without a uniform who works undercover. The 'tira' watches, follows, and operates in shadows. In working-class neighborhoods, being tagged as a tira can follow someone for years.
Examples
“Watch out for that one, looks like an undercover cop.”
“The detectives had been following them for days.”
Regional synonyms
0
Tira
/Sounds like "TEE" (as in "tea") + "rah" (as in "rapper")/
Meaning
The police or a cop, said in a derogatory way or as a code word among friends to warn that the law is coming. In Mexico, saying 'ahí viene la tira' is the alarm signal for everyone to straighten up or run.
Examples
“Run, here comes la tira!”
“La tira caught him stealing from the store.”
“Don't do that here, it's full of tiras.”
Showing 2 definitions, sorted by votes
Community
Your word isn't here yet
Join Hablaaa and add the expression no one else has documented.
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Tira
/Sounds like "TEE" (as in "tea") + "rah" (as in "rapper")/
Meaning
A plainclothes detective or investigative police officer in Chile, the cop without a uniform who works undercover. The 'tira' watches, follows, and operates in shadows. In working-class neighborhoods, being tagged as a tira can follow someone for years.
Examples
“Watch out for that one, looks like an undercover cop.”
“The detectives had been following them for days.”
Regional synonyms
0
Tira
/Sounds like "TEE" (as in "tea") + "rah" (as in "rapper")/
Meaning
The police or a cop, said in a derogatory way or as a code word among friends to warn that the law is coming. In Mexico, saying 'ahí viene la tira' is the alarm signal for everyone to straighten up or run.
Examples
“Run, here comes la tira!”
“La tira caught him stealing from the store.”
“Don't do that here, it's full of tiras.”
Showing 2 definitions, sorted by votes
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A Mexican expression for someone who's freaked out, disoriented, or mentally somewhere else. The literal idea is being 'pulled out of your wavelength,' as if your brain got disconnected from reality for a moment. It describes anyone reacting weirdly, losing their train of thought, or just acting off.