What is tormenting?

We explain what is tormenting, the various theories that exist about the origin of this term and the different meanings it has.

1. What is tormenting?

The tormenting term is a lunfardesque voice that was incorporated into the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. According to this, it means street, lazy, homeless and generally lives as a beggar .

The origin of this term cannot be known exactly, however, there are several theories that try to explain its beginnings, one of the most used and that has been running from voice to voice is that during the year 1860 , in Buenos Aires.

2. Theory about the origin of the word tormenting

This was because a construction work had to be done for the pipelines of running waters , for this it was necessary to use huge drainage pipes that were located in the coastal areas of this province. In these pipes the “homeless” began to become more and more present, who settled there to have a place where they could be at least a few hours a day.

The most important fact is that the drainpipes had a brand called “A.Torrant” inscribed , that is where the tormenting term comes from and the meaning was given to those lazy people who wandered around those places. It is important to note that it is a rumor that went running over the years and you can not know if it really is true or not.

Many writers and historians confirm that there has never been a company called A.Torrent that was linked to the sanitary works of the city of Buenos Aires.

The tormenting word is not cited by authors of the last century who were responsible for studying laziness and other terms related to it. Some claim that it is only a hundred percent Buenos Aires expression and that it does not have many more explanations to add.

Meanwhile, the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy recognizes this word as typical of Argentina and Uruguay, where its meaning is vague, lazy, etc.

Another explanation that emerged is that in the era of slavery in the Rio de La Plata they put their workers to roast coffee seeds, said correctly, this activity is called “torrar.”

Thus, when the slaves decided to take a break it was said that they were “tormenting”, in which way the tormenting term would arise, which would refer to those who did not want to work and do not fulfill their obligations.

3. Other uses of “tormenting”

On other occasions, the word tormenting, used as an adjective , wants to refer to feeling warm, that something is very hot . However, this expression is not usually used by people and authors, that is, no one expresses itself with “the sun is too tormenting”, it is commonly said “the sun is too strong or atrocious.”

Many conclusions have been known and one of them is that the term tormenting has its origin in Spain and that it was taken to America by Spanish immigrants.

Despite all the meanings that were going on throughout history , most people, especially in Argentina and Uruguay, use the word tormenting to refer to a lazy, lazy person who has no desire to work, much less to maintain himself. .

It is also common to call someone who turns out to be with several women at the same time , someone who is considered a liar and who usually attends many parties.

This word is not always taken as something negative. Many times an individual is described as tormenting for possessing a certain level of charisma and cunning , which is why he would not be referring to someone as a tramp or lazy person.

There are several songs where they name this expression, one of them, well known, is the one that the well-known singer Joaquín Sabina dedicates to his great friend Joan Manuel Serrat. The song is titled as “Universal Atorrante.” According to the author’s explanations, he tells the great admiration he feels for his friend.