A homeless person can be referred to as a tormentor.
Atorrante is a word that is used in South American countries such as Argentina and Uruguay to describe a person who is lazy, lazy and not very hard-working . The term is also used to name, in a derogatory sense, someone who tends to wander or someone considered a scoundrel .
For example: "Lucas is a tormentor: he is forty years old and does not work because his parents support him" , "When I was young he was a tormentor, he left my house on Friday afternoon and did not return until Monday" , "The deputy "He described the governor as a tormentor who became a millionaire thanks to taxpayers' money."
Etymological origin of the term atorrante
The etymological origin of atorrante is often a matter of debate . Many believe that the concept was born in Argentina in the 1930s , when sewer pipes being built supposedly mentioned the A. Torrans brand. The liners who took refuge and spent their time in those tubes, therefore, were called atorrantes. A similar version indicates that the tubes were actually used to channel underground rivers and bore the inscription torrents ( "torrents" in French). Still others claim that atorrante actually comes from the beggars who rested in the tubes and got "stuck."
Regardless of its origin, today the most common use of the word is associated with laziness or impudence . A fool can be a liar, a trickster or someone who lives a party .
Uses depending on the country
In addition to the above, it must be established that there are countries that use this word very clearly and with an equally forceful meaning. Thus, for example, in both Uruguay and Argentina it is common for it to be used as a synonym for shameless .
However, in Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic the term is used to describe someone as a vagabond who does not have any type of fixed address. Likewise, with that meaning it can also be used in Argentina .
Someone can be described as atrocious for their impudence or cunning.
TV show “Atorrantes”
It should also be noted that there was also a television program that was titled with the word we are analyzing. Specifically, we are referring to the "Atorrantes" space, on Argentine television, more precisely on Channel 26 , although it would later also be broadcast on Azul and América TV .
Halfway between journalism and humor was this production that was broadcast for three years, from 1996 to 1999 , and was developed from interviews, games, reports or chronicles, for example. It was broadcast daily, at midnight, and included figures such as Pato Galván , Sofía Gala Castiglione , Mariano Cabrera , Fernando Fernández and Adriana Chaumont .
Positive meaning of the concept
It is possible to mention that there is even a positive meaning of the term.
There are times when an individual is classified as a tormentor when he or she has charisma or shows cunning : "My son is a tormentor: when he wants me to give him permission to go dancing, he looks at me and smiles at me because he knows that, in this way, he convinces me." right away."
Starting from that meaning we have to say that the term atorrante appears in a song that the Spanish singer Joaquín Sabina dedicated to the singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat as well. In this way he wanted to show his friendship and admiration. And he did it with a song where he defines him as "universal tormentor."