Since becoming a star, Ortiz has used his nickname for marketing products such as “Big Papi’s Kitchen. When Ortiz first joined the Boston Red Sox in 2002, he brought over his culture’s habit of calling teammates papi, to the point that they started calling him papi back, eventually earning him the nickname Big Papi. Its lyrics specifically encouraged listeners to “dance for your papi” (i.e., your man).Īnother popular proponent of the term was Major League Baseball player David Ortiz, who was born in the Dominican Republic. Primero Papi: David Ortiz and the DH Posted by David Sabino J07:57 AM Comments () E-mail story Print story E-mail this article.
The term papi was probably popularized among English speakers when Latina artist Jennifer Lopez, of Puerto Rican descent, released the song “Papi” in 2011. See Spanish-English translations with audio pronunciations, examples, and word-by-word explanations. The English “baby,” used as a term of endearment for spouses and children alike, is similar. Translate Papa ducharse primero y luego afeitarse. Papi is a colloquial term for “daddy” in Spanish, but in many Spanish-speaking cultures, particularly in the Caribbean, it is often used as a general term of affection for any man, whether it’s a relative, friend, or lover.