Brazilian Slang 101: Watch out for the "171"

In this lesson, we're going to go over 171 (pronounced "um-sete-um").

For example, you might hear someone say "Cuidado com ele, ele é 171" (Be careful with him, he's a "171").

So what exactly does this mean and where does it come from?

Well, similar to how certain penal codes have made their way into American slang (like "187" in rap culture), the same is true in Brazilian Portuguese.

"171" comes from Article 171 of the Brazilian Penal Code, which deals with crimes of fraud.

So "Esse cara é 171, não confia nele" is like saying "This guy's a scammer, don't believe him".

It basically describes anyone who tricks or deceives others, whether it's the guy on the street corner peddling fake goods or one of those gurus running a pyramid scheme.

This is a word that Brazilians especially love to throw around when talking about their politicians 😆

Hopefully you never have to deal with someone who's a 171 in Brazil, but if someone tells you "Cuidado com aquele vendedor, o cara é 171" (Watch out for that seller, the guy's a total snake), you'll know what's up.

In the clip below, the guy (an actor) talks about playing a character who's a "171":

     "Ele é da 25 de Março, ele é 171".

For context: 25 de Março is a famous street/shopping district in São Paulo known for having a lot of shops with knockoff goods.

So if you hear this word in a conversation, podcast, or TV show, you'll understand that there's a super shady person involved!

That's it for this one...

-Andrew