What does “hacer el feo” mean in Spanish?

“Hacerle el feo a alguien” means to snub, slight or give someone the cold shoulder — to reject them in a way that stings. Literally it is “to do the ugly (thing) to” someone: here “feo” is used as a noun for a deliberate discourtesy, “un feo.” So “le hicieron un feo” means they were given an open, rude brush-off. The flip side, “no quiero hacerle un feo,” means accepting something only so as not to seem rude.

Here the speaker is asked whether he’s “haciéndole el feo” to people who might switch teams — i.e. snubbing the would-be defectors. Watch the two shapes: “hacer EL feo” (general) and “hacer UN feo” (one specific slight). It is common across the Spanish-speaking world and especially handy for the social tightrope of declining an invitation without offence.