gochu – pig – cerdo

[Is]

gochu: pronounced GOH-choo; gocha (feminine), pronounced GOH-chah. A pig, hog, swine (Sus scorfa).

By extension, someone who has poor hygiene, is dirty, unkempt, repugnant, rude, crass, brutish, nasty, indecent or ill-mannered. A person of piglike character or habits, as one who stuffs his face, is gluttonous, very fat, greedy, selfish or filthy. A sleazebag or slimebucket.

Word variants at cocho in Galician-speaking counties of West Asturias and gotsu in counties like Quiros and Teverga/Teberga. Derived words and expressions include gochada (a despicable act).

Word usage:

Ana Rosa ye un poco gocha: nun ye a quitase esos llamparones del mandil. [Ana Rosa is a bit of a slob: she always manages to have spots on her apron.]
Eustaquio comportouse como un gochu dafeitu. [Eustaquio behaved like a real pig.]
Fartouse como un gochu. [He pigged out.]
Fixenon-y una gochada. [They totally screwed him over.]

Idiomatic expressions:

Esi paisanu come tortiella como un gochu. [That guy eats potato omelettes like a pig.]
Echanon la oportunidad a los gochos. [They missed the opportunity (literally, they turned things over to the hogs)]
Quedanon como los gochos. [Their performance left them socially isolated (literally, they were perceived as pigs)]
Nolo mata al gochu a besos. [Nolo is unbearable—he kills hogs by kissing them to death.]
A tou gochu-y llega’l so samartin. [All pigs/hogs get slaughtered.]

Here is a picture by Chus Garcia of a Celtic sow, an indigenous strain of hog in Asturias prized for its lean meat:




And here is another Celtic pig. This specimen was shot by Bernardo Busto in County Villaviciosa:

[Villamil]

¿Soi l'únicu que cuida que'l gochu celta ye perguapu?

Am I the only one who thinks the Celtic pig is a very beautiful animal?.

[Art]

You might be, Villamil! Heh, heh. They sure are rotund.

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Quizás seas, Villamil! Ja, ja. Vaya, son muy rotundas.

[Is]

[Art]

¿Is, tal vez Gochos con topadoras?

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Is, Pigs with bulldozers, perhaps?

[Bob]

My grandmther used to make patatas al gochu (pig potatoes), small boiled potatoes dressed with vinegar, olive ail and parsley.

[Is]

Bob, he probably said 'patates al gochu' or 'pataques al gochu', meaning the dish mixed all sorts of things and was not exactly sophisticated, kind of like sloppy Joe's (my Grandpa used to make those).