friki

What it means

1. 1.

   A rocker or metalhead — long hair, black shirts, imported cassettes. In Cuba this names a specific subculture that was harassed by the police through the 1980s and 90s, not merely a person with unusual tastes.

2. 2.

   More recently, and among younger speakers, an oddball or an obsessive enthusiast, closer to the English 'geek'.

Examples with translations

• Mi padre era friki, iba al Patio de María todos los fines de semana.

  My dad was a rocker, he went to the Patio de María every weekend.

  Note: The Patio de María in Havana was the main gathering place for Cuban rock fans until it closed in 2003.

• Ese muchacho es un friki de la informática.

  That kid is a total computer geek.

Where it comes from

From English 'freak', which reached Cuba through rock music rather than through general English. The Cuban friki scene is historically distinct: state disapproval of 'ideological diversionism' made listening to Iron Maiden a political act, and the subculture produced its own vocabulary and venues.

First attested: late 1970s

Other forms

Spellings and variants:

freaky, friqui