Meaning of "¡Mira ese!"
I grew up for many years in small towns around Houston with large Hispanic (mostly Mexican) populations.

One thing I distinctly remember Mexicans saying at school was "¡Mira ese!" when confronting someone with whom they had a problem.

I know what the words mean - "Look at that" - but this was more of a direct challenge.

Is this a Mexican idiomatic expression that basically means something along the lines of "Hey, jerk!"?

Question

Meaning of "¡Mira ese!"
I grew up for many years in small towns around Houston with large Hispanic (mostly Mexican) populations.

One thing I distinctly remember Mexicans saying at school was "¡Mira ese!" when confronting someone with whom they had a problem.

I know what the words mean - "Look at that" - but this was more of a direct challenge.

Is this a Mexican idiomatic expression that basically means something along the lines of "Hey, jerk!"?

Answer

Tienes mucha razón, es una traducción correcta del contexto, también se podría traducir como : "oye, que te pasa!" o también "quien se cree ese?"

Answer

Exactly! It's probably better translsted as jerk in that context, but in others it could be used like dude or bro (in American English).