cuacholote

[robert barkaloff]

Joanna M. Sanchez wrote:

> I am analyzing the Mexican Spanish slang term /cuacholote/, which
> refers to a clumsy or untalented person, for its Nahuatl root.  Would
> it be /cuauh-xeloa/, or should /cua-xolotl/ be considered /?/

Just a note:  I grew-up hearing this word at me -- thank's mom.   I do
remember the pronounciation as "cua-cha-lote."  This may be a regional
variation, though  I have never heard the word pronounced as
"cua-cho-lote."   I also assumed it to be "cuah-xolotl," though I'm not
sure of it's derivation.  In the context which I understood the word, it
refers to someone who is sloppy or unkempt in appearance or in their doings.

Robert