A chungo can be a sudden attack of malaise
The etymology of chungo takes us to Caló , a variety of the Romani language spoken by the Gypsy population of Portugal , France and Spain . In Caló, the word chungo refers to something ugly .
Poor appearance or quality
In our language , chungo is a term that can be used in colloquial language as an adjective or as a noun. The first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to something whose quality or condition is deficient or whose appearance is bad .
For example: “Juan took me to celebrate the anniversary at a shady restaurant, I am disappointed” , “A shady man entered the place shouting and frightened those present” , “I left the meeting with a shady feeling because I expected things to be different” .
Chungo can also refer to something that is arduous or difficult : “With the pandemic we are living through very difficult days, we need good news to lift our spirits” , “The local team will have to face a tough rival in the elimination phase” , “I think we will have to go through difficult times in the coming weeks” .
With this last meaning, the expression «tenerlo chungo» can also be used to describe a challenge that is unlikely to be overcome or a situation that represents a great obstacle. For example: «Well, you have it really bad, because your rival has been preparing for years» , «I can't deny it, I have it really bad, but I won't give up» , «With this one in the lead, we have it really bad» .
As a noun
The RAE indicates that, as a noun, chungo refers to a lover . This use appears in the Dominican Republic and has a derogatory meaning.
In Spain, the expression «me/te/le is going to have a fit» is also common, with the meaning of a sudden attack , a fainting spell or any other phenomenon that represents a deep discomfort that arises because of something well-defined in the context. For example: «If you continue sleeping so little, you are going to have a fit» , «I almost had a fit when I realized that I hadn't turned off my phone» , «The poor guy had a fit just before completing the marathon» .
Bad person
This term can also be used to refer to a person who has certain negative characteristics, such as being unpleasant to deal with, having bad intentions for free, being unfriendly or any attitude that makes them undesirable in any area of life.
In this case, the duality that we have seen in the previous paragraphs also applies, since this word can act as an adjective (if we want to describe the person) or as a noun (if we directly want to call them this way).
In the Spanish series Aquí no hay quien viva , created by Laura Caballero , Alberto Caballero and Iñaki Ariztimuño , there is a character called Nieves Cuesta who is nicknamed "la Chunga" shortly after joining the company, precisely because she has a very unpleasant way of being and within a few hours manages to make enemies of almost the entire building . She is masterfully played by the actress Carmen Balagué .
Chunga's personality is complex, which is why Balagué manages to make her endearing despite her negative side. Although she is a bad neighbor , so to speak, she has an excellent sense of organization, is very practical and also has a compassionate side that allows her, on occasion, to help those in need.
A bad person is unpleasant, unfriendly, difficult to deal with.
Other meanings
In Argentina , Chungo is the name of a chain of ice cream shops founded more than four decades ago. It has about thirty branches in different parts of the City of Buenos Aires , Greater Buenos Aires and Rosario , and offers franchises .
“La Chunga” is the name of a play written by Mario Vargas Llosa . Its premiere took place in 1986 in a theater in Lima , the capital of Peru .