DON JIBARO's NOTE: I met Hector over the Internet. He sent me his book and I was very much delighted. His glossary at the end of the book struck me as both funny and genuine... This is a slightly abridged version of the glossary in the book, edited for readers of all ages. I do recommend the book.

Boricua Lingo Dept.
Affinity for Trouble Glossary
By: Héctor Varela
abuela — grandmother
abuelo — grandfather
aguinaldos — Christmas songs of P.R.
ají dulce — small sweet peppers
Alaycayana — fictitious name
alcapurria — a fritter made from green cooked plantains and
yautía (taro root) with pork, beef or crabmeat center
alcapurrias de jueyes — fritters stuffed with chunks of landcrab previously sautéed with sofrito and herbs
amarillos fritos — fried ripe plantains
amiguito — little friend
insignificant and useless in Puerto Rican colloquial vulgarisms
apendejaos — two or more persons as above
arauca — it is said to be the correct phonetic spelling for Arawak in Spanish
Arawak — from arauca said to be native tribe most prevalent in the Antilles
arrabal — slum, ghetto
arroz — rice
arroz con gandules — rice with pigeon peas and pork
arroz con jueyes — Puerto Rican yellow rice with chunks of landcrab
arroz mampostiao — mixed rice and beans refried in butter and garnished with shredded coconut
asopao de pollo — a thick soup/stew with chicken, sofrito and herbs
ataúd — coffin
¡Ay bendito! — Blessed be!
bacalaítos — codfish fritters
bacalao — salted codfish
bacalao pa’ tu salud — codfish for your health
babalawo – Yoruba religion (priest) African
bandolero — hold up man, from the time they wore cartridge bandoleers from the shoulders and around the torso
barrio — neighborhood
batata — yam, sweet potato
bembé — musical jam session with strong African percussion beat and tempo dominated by the conga and bongo drums
bendito – blessed
bésame — kiss me
bésame mucho — kiss me a lot
blanquita — socially conscious white skinned girl
bohío — native indigenous round dwelling made of straw
bolero group — singers that perform only love songs and ballads with guitar accompaniment
boleros — love ballads of Latin America
bomba — Puerto Rican inspired impromptu lyrics with West African beat and tempo
bongos — small hand played drum pair from West African music
boricua — Arawak indian for Tribe of Brave Noble Lords
Borinquen — native taino name of Island of Puerto Rico
boriqua — synonym: native Tribe of Brave Noble Lords
Boriquén — variation for Puerto Rico (taino)
bruja — witch
budín de pan — bread pudding
caballero – gentleman
cabón — no such word
cabrón — cuckolded person; wears cuckold billy goat horns
cabrona — female cuckolded person, vulgarism
cacicazgo — sub-group of native boricuas belonging to same tribe headed by a “cacique” or chief
cafecito — demitasse of ink black coffee with milk
café con leche — coffee with milk
cagao' — stained with feces smears
cagoncitas — female shi**ers, female feces machines
cagoncito — male shi**er, male shit machine
calabaza — pumkin, squash
calle — street
caneca — square pint bottle of rum
canequitas — flat half-pint bottles of rum
carajo — hell, damn
cariños — affections
carro público — jitney, public car privately operated for passengers, also called pisi-corre
casucha — clapboard hut – synonym for choza one grade up
catre — foldable straw filled mattress
chachasao — Ashanti language word for millefiori beads. West African Trade beads.
champán — champagne
Chebi del año — new Chevrolet
chica — girl
china — used as the colloquialism for heroin; can also mean chinese or orange fruit
chinita PAL — locally produced orange soft drink without carbonation, orange-ade
chotas — snitches
chozas — humble dwellings using some techniques of indigenous bohio construction and Spanish huts using any material available
cilantro — coriander, a widely used cooking herb
coco — coconut
coco frío — cold coconut water
cocotazo — knuckle rap in the head hard enough to shatter a dry coconut
cojito — limp
colega — colleague
come y vete — eat and run; fast food stand
compadre — cofather, godfather
compay — co-father, godfather, Puerto Rican colloquialism
comunista — communist
conga — tall West African drum that played combined with the bongos produces ecstasy.
Ray Barreto — best conguero of all times.
Conjunto Maravilla — a musical quartet of the 1940’s led by Gilberto Monroig who started singing at the King Club at 14 years of age and became famous notwithstanding his addiction to heroin from an early age
copas — wine glasses
coquero — coconut vendor
coqueros — plural for coconut vendor; in music percussionists
coquíes — a Puerto Rican tree frog about one inch long. Coquíes have a high pitched sound and can be heard from far away. The “Puerto Rican coquí” sings co-quí, co-quí, co-quí at dusk and changes to co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí at dawn.
criada — a female child given to be raised, educated and accepted as a family member born in Puerto Rico
criado brother/criado son — a male child given to be raised, educated and accepted as a family member born in Puerto Rico
criolla — a woman of mixed social and racial heritage of several island generations
criollo flavor — a flavor attributed to African and Caribbean herbs and methods
cuadrilátero — boxing square counterpart to boxing ring
cuatro — Puerto Rican guitar
cucos — children’s goblins of the nether world
cuerito — fresh roasted pig skin
cuero — bare skinned – naked; leather belt; hide
culantro — an herb heavily used in P.R., long coriander leaves are more pungent and powerful than cilantro
curandera — female botanical herbalist healer
curanderos — botanical herbalist healers
“darse el palo” — to have a stiff drink of rum, whisky, etc.. (lit. hit yourself with a stick)

  ABOUT THE BOOK — "It's got it all, sights, sounds and aromas. One is caught up with the difficult times of a fascinating family. He's got to write a follow-up. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat." Nancy E. Calonge "iShop" (Nashville)

defacto leader — leader without concensus or challengers
del año — of the current year
De Soto del año — Chrysler De Soto of the current year
diablito — little devil
diablo — devil
dic mihi nomen tuum — (latin) “What is your name, demon?”, used in exorcisms
Dios te bendiga, nieto — God bless you, grandson.
Don — Sir, Knight
Don Q — a popular Island Rum brand, subliminal Don Quijote juice
Doña — Madam or the Lady, Mrs.
dulce de coco — coconut candy
El Cochinito — a brand of pure white pork lard
“el colorao” — a nickname for redheaded male
El Mundo — the World newspaper (Puerto Rico)
“el palo” — colloquialism for rum shot
“el que no tiene Dinga tiene Mandinga” — he who does not have Dinga blood has Mandinga blood. Dinga and Mandinga is a reference to African Tribes brought to Puerto Rico as slaves in the 16th century; Puertorican colloquialism neutralizing the importance of race in life and belittles those trying to use such with this saying.
“El Vate” — poet (in Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Marín because of his poetic rhyme impassioned oratory was nicknamed “El Vate”)
embustero — liar
empanadas de jueyes — fried crab filled turnovers
enamorada — enamored – she who is in love
encinta — pregnant and cinched
encojonao' —  synomym for high anger
escupidera — bed pan, spitoon
espumante — sparkling and foamy cider drink
estamina — stamina
farmacia — pharmacy
federales — Federal Law Enforcement, Feds, feebies
felicidades – congratulations, felicities
flaca — skinny woman
Flamboyán — Royal Poinsettia Tree
flan — Puerto Rican custard
florón — a wake for white skinned children at which food and drink and sweets are served which are brought by friends and neighbors and condolences are extended, subdued musical beats may be heard in background from guiros, maracas and bongos, etc. The counterpart of this wake for dark skinned children is called a baquiné
fogón — rock or cement cooking stove
For del año — Ford of current year
fiambrera — set of stackable serving dishes which hook together as one unit
fricasé de pollo — chicken fricassee
fuerte abrazo — strong hug
fulana — despective reference to a female person
fulano — despective reference to a male person
gandinga — the liver, kidneys and heart of a pig cut up and stewed with herbs (sofrito)
grande — big
gringorican — Puerto Rican assimilated into American culture and proud of America , while retaining pride in boricua heritage generally oblivious to correctly speaking spanish
guaguancó — precursor to salsa
guaracha — typical music of 1940’s with strong African rhythm of Puerto Rican origin
guaraguao — red tail hawk common to Puerto Rico
guayaba — the fruit of the guava tree
guayabera — a shirt of Caribbean origin with four pockets and extensive embroidery and worn as a semi-formal men’s in tropical afternoons and/or early evenings of Cuban origin but claimed by all Latins as their particular creation
guayabo — guava tree
Guelo — nickname for Miguel
güicharo — carved dry gourd etched and played with a tine(African)
güiro — colloquialism for güicharo (African)
Gutasán — a medicinal herb brought to P.R. from the Philippines by the Spaniards
hacer guantes — to engage in sparring sessions
hamaca — hammock
helado — ice milk, ice cream
helado de coco — coconut ice cream
hola — hello
huracán — hurricane
iglesia — church
Imparcial — the Impartial newspaper ( Puerto Rico )
Independentista — person who supports Island’s political independence from U.S. , not necessarily a nationalist or communist.
India beer — a popular 50’s local Puerto Rico beer
Indias — plural for the beer
indios — indians
jalda — hills, hilly steep country
jartitos — colloquialism for chok’ full
jefe — chief
jibarito — diminutive of jíbaro
jíbaro — men from the interior that cultivate the land and raise farm animals with little formal education and conservative but humble demeanor
juey — landcrab
jueyada — a meal in which all dishes include crabmeat
jueyes — landcrabs which live in marsh and brackish water caves
jueyes al carapacho — crab meat cooked with sofrito and herbs served in its shell
ladrillo — brick
La Fortaleza — Puerto Rico’s Governor mansion
laína — the lead female vocalist in singing bombas impromptu lyrics
lechón asado — spit roasted pig
libertad — liberty
lirón — a rodent common to Europe called a dormice which spends ¾ of his life sleeping to conserve energy
llorona de velorio — a paid female weeper at a wake
locas — crazy femenine
loco — crazy masculine
lonchera — lunch box
mabí — boiled and fermented drink from the mabi tree bark- Colubina Elíptica
machete — utility long knife, short wide utility sword
macho boricua — the male Puerto Rican strutter
machos — denotes aggressively masculine men
machotes — little macho he men
Maestro — great professor
mago — from the Persian magu meaning magi or magician
mal de ojo — evil eye
mal de risa — laughing sickness, incontrolable laughter
maleantes — thugs
malote – bad-ass thug
Malta India — a malt brewed soft drink bearing India brand
mamá — mother with unquestioned matriarchal authority
mamao — brest sucker
mami — little mother, diminutive for mother
maracas — hollowed our gourds with stones inside and mounted on sticks (African)
maricón — vulgarity for a male homosexual as in faggot, queer
mariconcito — diminutive for maricón
marquesina — carport
mayombero — black magic practioner
mayorca — pastry
melao — molasses
merienda — snack
Miami windows — slotted horizontal metal windows that can be shut for hurricane protection
mi hijo — my son
misa de gallo — midnight mass of the rooster, concludes on the first hour of the following day when the roosters begin to crow
mis panas — my buddies
mocho — Puertorican colloquialism for machete
mofongo — a mixture of fried plantains with garlic and fried out pork rinds
morcillas — congealed pig blood sausage with herbs, spices and rice
mosquiteros — mosquito nets
mujer que esta muy buena — good looking woman that appears to be at peak for sex
Muñozistas — those following the political doctrine of Luis Muñoz Marín and the Popular Democratic Party
Nacionalistas – Nationalists followers of Pedro Albizu Campos
nalgas – buttocks
navidades — Christmas
negra — used as an endearment and to denote black color
negra flaca — black and skinny
negrita — Puerto Rican term of endearment rarely used in demeaning fashion or with negative racial connotation
nene — boy
nenes — children
nieto — grand son
¡no jodas mas! — don’t fool around, don’t eff around more
novio — boyfriend, fiancee
octavitas — January 6th, 7th and 8th
Oni — Royal blood of the Yoruba Kingdom
Orisha — religion of white magic as practiced by the Yoruba people of Africa, in the Caribbean is known as santería
palitos — rhythm sticks
palomas — pigeons
palos — to have stiff drinks
Palo Viejo — a brand of Puerto Rican rum
pan — bread
pana – pal; breadfruit
panadería — bakery
panas — colloquialism for pals, best buds
pan de agua — Puerto Rican bread of flour and water similar to French baguettes but wider and longer baked in brick ovens
pan de azúcar — fondly called bread of sugar for its sweetness is a pineapple variety prized in Puerto Rico grown in the red clay of Barceloneta and in Arecibo Districts
pan de maiz — corn bread
pandereta — West African musical instrument used in P.R. music
papá — dad
papi — daddy
pasta de guayaba — guava fruit paste
pasteles — are made with dough made from starchy roots (yautía and plantains or yucca) with stuffing of beef and pork, chicken or seafood with chickpeas, pimento stuffed olives raisins and seasoned with sofrito
pastelillo de guayaba con queso — sweet guava filled turnover with white cheese
pastelillos – fried turnover dough filled with guava, cheese, cooked and seasoned beef, pork or chicken
pastelillos de jueyes – fried turnover dough filled with seasoned landcrab
paso fino — a specially bred Arabian horse that prances without discomfort to rider developed through hundreds of years of selective breeding said to have originated in Puerto Rico , Cuba and Colombia .
pato — duck; synonym in vernacular for homosexual (P.R. colloquialism), queer
pava — native sun hat made of straw
pencos — nags of the horse world
pendejo – ** synomymous with no account or
of no consequence
pendejo remark – a non-sense remark of no consequence
perfume de gardenias — gardenia perfume
pernil — roasted hog leg
picaditos — hors d’oeuvres
picúa — barracuda
piel canela — cinnamon color skin, a positive attribute of beauty in women as used in Puerto Rico
pilones — rock sugar candy on a stick
pipi — diminutive for penis
pique — Puerto Rican hot sauce
piragua – snow-cone
piragua de tamarindo – tamarind snow-cone
piraguero – snow-cone vendor
pitorro — home made illegal white rum from sugar cane
plaza — space designed for gathering of many people for specific purpose i.e. Plaza de Toros (bullfighting), de Recreo (recreational)
Plaza del Mercado — Farmer’s Market Plaza
plena — Puerto Rican salsa like music
polvorones — cookies (from the Spanish word polvo, or dust, are so named because they are delicate and crumble easily)
primo — cousin
público – jitney, same as carro público, pisi-corre
puta — prostitute, whore
¡Qué bien! — How good it is!
¡Qué cosa rica! — What a delightfully rich thing!
quenepas — tropical fruit with tart taste
querida hermana negrita — beloved black sister
querido — beloved
queso de hoja — delicate white cheese rolled in banana plant leaves
Radio Uno — radio station
recao – culantro, long coriander leaves
regaño — scolding
resguardos — medicine pouch to ward off evil
Ron Llave — a brand of island rum
Sagrado Corazón — Sacred Heart
salmorejo de jueyes — fricassee of land crabs with wine
salsa — island music said to have originated in Cuba and Puerto Rico with overpowering West African percussion instruments and flavor refined by tropical accents, African beat and tempo, where conga, bongo and campana dominate and showcase their power. The lead vocalists are generally called soneros and expert percussionists are referred to as timbaleros. Its rich spiritualism from three roots makes it possible the best music in the world in its appeal to all people.
salud — salud
saludos — greetings
sancocho — Puertorican beef stew, thick soup containing beef and root vegetables of the Caribbean (yucca, yautía, name and other tubers)
santeros — practitioners of the Yoruba religion guided by a babalawo
santo – saint sometimes disguised as deity by using saintly façade such as St.Barbara is really Yoruba God Shangó
santos — saints
sato — mongrel dog
señora — Mrs.
señorita — a young virtuous lady
serenata — serenade
serenatas — serenades
Shangó — diety of orisha sect/god of thunder, lightning and war represented by St. Barbara
sinverguenza — shameless
sobrino — nephew
Socialistas — Socialists
sofrito — is the special base of most Puerto Rican dishes (ingredients: culantro, cilantro, garlic, green bell pepper, onion, tomato and ají dulce mixed in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor)
soldadito — little soldier
taino — said to be name of indigenous people of Puerto Rico .
tamarindo — tamarind
tela de coco — coconut flesh
tembleque — coconut custard dessert
tembleque de coco — coconut custard dessert
tetas — breasts
“te vas a joder” — “You are going to get screwed”
tía/tías — aunt/aunts
tierra — land
tigres de la noche — tigers of the night
tinto — black strong coffee resembling black ink
títere – puppet; inner city children often referred to as puppets of fate.
titerería — inner city kids of this era who roamed in small packs
titi — auntie
tonta — dumb
tostones — fried green plantains
travieso — child naughty, mischievous
trigueño — a person with skin that is light brown
tuerto — one eyed
una mujer que esta muy buena — reference to a woman whose appearance denotes her as being at her most attractive sexual peak
un títere bandolero — a puppet bandit
urbanización — residential development in suburbs
valses — waltz with tropical and African influences
varas de azucenas — white fragrant lilies on stalks; denotes purity
velorio — Puerto Rican wake for the deceased at which food and drinks were served and condolences extended to the grieving family members, muted subdued music was played with percussion instruments
ven acá — come here
ven acá primo – come here cousin
vianda — root crops: sweet potatoes, yucca, yautía, ñame, etc…
vicio – vice, colloquial usage denotes heroin addiction
viciosa — a female addicted to heroin
viuda – widow
y — and
Yacana Guamanomocón — Supreme Being of the indigenous Borinquen Tribe of Brave Noble Lords
yautía — taro root (a tuber)
yegua — mare
yerba – grass; synonym for marijuana
 

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