"CUANDO NO ES POR LA RADIO, ES POR LA TELEVISIÓN". "SIEMPRE RENEGANDO DE TODO, Y DE TODOS". "ESTE DICTADOR ES UN SINVERGÜENZA DE TOMO Y LOMO".

"CHAVES SIN CAMBIOS: "ESTÁ COMO

UNA CABRA MONTESA, PERO MALA".

"14.05.2009."Hugo Chávez, shows off the Vergatario during his weekly radio, and television show Hello President".

"The Guardian was mistaken the name of the mobile phone is not vulgar and his mother has no reason to blush: Hugo Chávez has defended the Vergatario".

Venezuela's president used a televised speech to rebut the paper's report earlier this week that some Venezuelans had been offended by the handset's name, which is derived from a slang word for penis".

"In the Guardian they think it's something rude. That is a big mistake. They are ignorant," he said".

The government-made subsidised telephone – at $15 one of the world's cheapest handsets – went on sale this week, the latest pro-poor initiative from Chávez's self-styled socialist revolution".

"In a televised address to ministers at Caracas's Miraflores palace, Chávez distanced vergatario from verga, slang for penis. He cited the Spanish language reference dictionary, the Real Academia Española, which defined vergatario as an adjective signifying quality and value".

"The Guardian said the word denoted excellence but that some Venezuelans considered it vulgar. Part of the Real Academia's definition "adj. vulg. Ven" acknowledges the connotation. Residents of Venezuela's second city, Maracaibo, are renowned for constructing swear words derived from verga".

"The etymological debate spread to websites today and broke largely along political lines, with Chávez supporters championing the non-vulgar interpretation".

"The president seemed to welcome the debate as a marketing opportunity for the handset which, after satisfying domestic demand, is due for export in 2011. The Guardian may not have to wait that long. "We are going to have to send them one," he said".