# Any Idea What This Spanish(?) Portugues(?) Means?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 17, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652 "2007-02-17T21:59:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652/1 "2007-02-17T21:59:47Z")

</div>

I listen to a lot of Latin music on my XM (warms up the hear during these central Illinois winters somewhat). There’s a song that gets some rotation whose title is _Caco e Maco, Salta Cocote_.

I know a fair bit of Spanish, but I don’t think that line is in Spanish, as I’m not familiar with any use of the letter “e” by itself in a phrase. So I’m inclined to conclude that it’s Portugues.

Unless, of course, the whole thing is a bunch of nonsense words.

Any ideas?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652/2 "2007-02-17T22:52:39Z")

</div>

Assuming these are the [lyrics,](http://too-rosario.letras.terra.com.br/letras/504539/) it’s Spanish. Toño Rosario is Dominican.

From what I can glean from a search, _Caco 'e Maco_ (actually Caco (d)e Maco), is Dominican slang meaning “big head.” \*Caco \* is slang for “head” and _maco_ for “toad,” so it’s literally “toad head.”

“e” is used in Spanish to replace “y” (and) where the following word begins with “i” or “hi.” However, here that rule does not apply and it appears to be a contraction of “de” (of).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652/3 "2007-02-17T22:59:35Z")

</div>

And a _saltacocote_ is a kind of lizard.

The lyrics do not seem to be very profound. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-spanish-portugues-means/392652/4 "2007-02-18T03:56:24Z")

</div>

Big head lizard.

Wow.