# What does "Chi-Chi's" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952 "2002-04-11T01:53:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/1 "2002-04-11T01:53:32Z")
People always say it means tits or something along those lines. I refuse to beleive that someone would name a chain of restaurants that, though. You don’t see any restaurants named “Penis,” do you? Does it even mean anything? I want the straight dope, please. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/2 "2002-04-11T02:01:16Z")
[Some people](http://www.hooters.com/) might enjoy the innuendo. “Chi-Chi’s” doesn’t mean “a celebration of food”? ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/3 "2002-04-11T02:03:16Z")
A few years ago, we had a pet chihuahua named Chi-Chi (I didn’t name it). My mom has a good friend whose wife, Mary, is originally from Mexico. One night they were over for dinner, and Mary commented on the cute dog and asked me what his name was, I replied, “Chi-Chi.” She cracked up laughing and asked me if I knew what that meant, I said that I’d heard that before, but wasn’t sure if it was true, and she told me that it is indeed a slang term for breasts, at least where she comes from. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/4 "2002-04-11T02:25:19Z")
I don’t remember whether there is a previous thread here or over at Dave Wilton’s etymology site. I have done this one recently. Assuming that it was at Wilton’s, _Chichi and/or chichibangas_ can be traced from Japanese(don’t ask). Military in origin, it dates in print from the early 60’s. Probably used earlier in speech. ---
**Author:** ![xicanorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xicanorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicanorex)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/5 "2002-04-11T02:41:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mishell \* > \*\*My mom has a good friend whose wife, Mary, is originally from Mexico. One night they were over for dinner, and Mary commented on the cute dog and asked me what his name was, I replied, “Chi-Chi.” She cracked up laughing and asked me if I knew what that meant, I said that I’d heard that before, but wasn’t sure if it was true, and she told me that it is indeed a slang term for breasts, at least where she comes from. \*\* Well . . . .mas o menos . .the proper term for breast in Spanish is “seno”. The slang term . .well . .there are a lot slang terms “tetas”, “chiches”, etc. But “chiches” is the “proper” slang term in most of Mexico. Though, for a Spanish speaker, the term has the same level of vulgarity as “t\*ts”. . .so many will either “chichitas”, etc. So, for a Spanish speaker “chi-chi” sounds to dang close to now you-know-what. XicanoreX ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/6 "2002-04-11T02:42:57Z")
I don’t know about “Penis,” but there _is_ a chain named “Hooters” (pretty unambiguous, if you ask me). ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/7 "2002-04-11T02:52:53Z")
Actually, it’s a chain of restaurants started by Les Nessman of WKRP to honor Chi-Chi “Roger-gueeze” Rodriguez. - Johnny Fever & Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/8 "2002-04-11T03:48:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*_Chichi and/or chichibangas_ can be traced from Japanese(don’t ask). Military in origin, it dates in print from the early 60’s. Probably used earlier in speech. \*\* I don’t know about _chichibangas_, but _chichi_ is indeed a Japanese slang terms for breasts, though not nearly as often used as the more popular _oppai_. Oddly, _chichi_ is also a homonym for “father.” Anyone have any idea what _banga_ means? ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chi-chis-mean/102952/9 "2002-04-11T04:27:35Z")
[Annoying ad jingle] _Chi-Chi’s…A celebration of **boobs**!_ [/Annoying ad jingle]