Mexicans name baby giraffe “uppity” after the opposition

MEXICO CITY – A baby giraffe in Mexico City’s zoo has been named Jirafifita, which translates as Uppity Little Giraffe — a play on the president’s favourite word for dismissing critics.

Mexico City environment minister Marina Robles joked during the name reveal Saturday that “maybe the president will like this ‘fifi’?” ”Fifi” is slang for uppity, and populist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador frequently uses the word to describe opposition politicians and others who question his decisions.

The capital’s municipal government is run by López Obrador’s Morena party and it put the choice of a name for the giraffe in Chapultepec Park Zoo to an internet vote. Several Twitter users declared the baby naming a win for the opposition.