aguas
interjectionInformal
A Mexican Spanish slang term. Browse all Mexican slang.
What it means
Watch out! Heads up! A warning of immediate danger, or of someone approaching who shouldn't overhear.
Literally: Waters.
Examples with translations
¡Aguas, viene un coche!
Look out, there's a car coming!
Aguas con ese vendedor, cobra de más.
Watch out for that vendor, he overcharges.
Where it comes from
From colonial-era ¡agua va! — the cry given before emptying a chamber pot into the street from an upper window. A warning worth heeding, and the phrase outlived the practice by several centuries.
First attested: colonial period
Other forms
- Similar terms:
- cuidado, ojo