Street
chafa
What does chafa mean?
Cheap, shoddy, low quality. The knock-off Jordans, the Bluetooth speaker that dies in a week, the bootleg DVD. If it looks the part but falls apart, it's chafa.
"Don't buy that charger off the swap meet, bro, that thing's chafa."
Origin
Mexican Spanish / Caló adjective for poor-quality or counterfeit goods. Crossed into Chicano English through SoCal Mexican-American communities.
Frequently asked questions
What does chafa mean?
Chafa is Mexican slang describing something shoddy, cheap, or of poor quality.
How do you use chafa?
Use it as an adjective, e.g. 'ese celular está bien chafa' (that phone is really crappy) or 'la película estuvo chafa'.
Is chafa offensive?
No, it's casual slang expressing disapproval of quality, not an insult toward a person.
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