Vesre

Vesre (reversing the order of syllabes) is one of the features of the Buenos Aires argot known as lunfardo. Natives of Buenos Aires use vesre sparingly in colloquial speaking, and never in formal occassions. Some tango lyrics make widespread use of vesre to highlight the underworld atmosphere.

Most Argentines have some degree of exposure to vesre through the media, but vesre is not widespread outside of Greater Buenos Aires (Rosario, for example, has its gasó method for obfuscating words, and Córdoba has an entirely different set of colloquial convention). Most other Spanish speakers don't understand vesre at all.

Some examples of vesre

revé?s -> vesre (reverse)

café -> feca (coffee)

papel -> pelpa (paper)

caballo -> llobaca (horse)

pieza -> zapie (room; pieza is preferred in Argentina over cuarto or habitación)

libro -> broli (book)

batidor -> ortiba (an informant to police; batir means to inform in lunfardo)

vieja -> javie (old woman, usually an affectionate euphemism for mother)

amigo -> gomia (friend)

doctor -> tordo (doctor, usually meaning physician but also used for lawyers)

carne -> nerca (meat)

pizza -> zapi

Occassionally, vesre is a stepping-stone towards further obfuscation, achieved by evolving into a longer word. For example:

coche (car) -> checo -> checonato (after a then-famous sportsman named Cecconatto)

cinco (the number five) -> cocín -> cocinero (literally cook)

In Other Languages

Colloquial French has a form or vesre known as verlan. For example, the movie title Les Ripoux (known in English as My New Partner) is vesre for Les Pourris (the rotten ones).

Tagálog, the language of the Philippines, also has a similar construct.