Glossary
A
Abanicos – fans (often a hand-held fan)
Abrigada – warmly dressed
Abrigo – coat
Abuelo – grandfather
Abusador – abuser
Aché – From the Yoruba, a life force humans call down from Spirit with the power to make things happen
Acompaña – to accompany
Acostumbrar – to get used to something
Adiós – goodbye
¡A dormir! – Go to sleep!
Aeromoza – airline stewardess (female)
Agradable – pleasant
Agua – bendita holy wáter
Aguacate – avocado
Ahora vengo – I’ll be right back
Ají – green pepper
Ajo – garlic
Alfabetizar – To teach someone to read. In Cuba refers to the large-scale literacy campaign.
Algo te cayó mal – Something disagreed with you aka stomach ache
Algodón de azúcar – cotton candy
Allá – over there
Altar – altar
Amamanta – to breastfeed
Ambiciosa – ambitious
Anillos – rings
Anuncios – announcements
Apagón – blackout
¡Apúrate! – Hurry up!
Aquí mismo lo dice – It says so right here
¡Aquí se paga el agua! – Here we pay for the water!
Aretes – earrings
Arroz con pollo – rice and beans cooked together, a popular dish
Arroz frito – fried rice
Asqueroso – disgusting
Aterrizando – landing, as a plane lands on runway
¡Atiéndeme! – Pay attention!
Atrasando – overdue, late
Avión – airplane
¡Ay bendito! – Oh goodness! (A common phrase among Puertoricans) More often connotes: “Oh, poor thing! or That’s a shame!”
¡Ay! ¡Qué calor! – Oh! It’s so hot!
B
Babalawo – a high priest in the Yoruba tradition
¡Bájate! – Get down!
Baño – bath
Barbudos – bearded men
Batidos – milk shake or frothy
Bella – beautiful
Belleza – beauty
Berro – watercress
¡Bienvenida! – Welcome!
Bistec empanizado – breaded steak
Boca – mouth
Bocaditos – hor d’oeurves
Bodeguita – grocery store or a local restaurant/bar
Bolero – genre of slow song & dance, similar to a ballad
Bonita – pretty (feminine adjective)
Bonito – pretty (masculine adjective), also a type of fish
Brazaletes – bracelets
Brigadistas – members of a brigada
Brisa – breeze
Brujería – witchcraft
Buena – good
Buenas – noches Good night (greeting)
Bufanda – scarf
C
Cachetes – cheeks
Cachumbambé – see-saw
Café con leche – coffee made with milk, similar to cappuccino
Caldo – broth
¡Cállate! – Shut up!
Camino – a path or walkway
Camiseta – undershirt
Campesinos – farmer
Cañaverales – sugar cane plantation or field
Canoa – canoe
Cantina – In this usage, prepared foods delivered to home, carried in a metal tiffin
Caracoles – sea shells
Carne – meat
Carne de puerco – pork
Carrozas – parade floats
Cascarilla – fine powder made from crushed hens’ eggs for use in rituals
Caseta – a beach hut used to change clothes
Casona – an old mansion
Castañuelas – castanets
Catarro – grippe or a cold
Cebolla – onion
Cejas – eyebrows
Ceniza – ashes
Centímetros – centimeters
Chancletas – slippers. In this instance, flip-flops
Changó Yoruba – god of thunder and son of Yemayá
Chantaje – blackmail or extortion
Checo – Czech
Chica – girl or any little object, slang for kiddo
Chichón hematoma – on the surface of the head, esp. forehead. It’s a funny word favored by children and comics.
Choque – collision
Chuletas – pork chops
Cierran – they close (the store)
Cigarillos – cigarettes
Cobrar – to collect monies due, like rent
Cochinito – little pig
Cocinera – cook or chef
Cocos – coconuts
Cóctel – cocktail
Colorete – rouge or blush
Combinao – combined
Comemierda – common Cuban epithet, literally means shit-eater
¿Cómo? – How?
Comparsa – a group of people participating in a carnival parade, usually alternating walking and dancing
¿Cómo está mi vieja? – How’s my old lady?
Compartiendo – to share
Con esta niñita que te toca cuidar – With this child it is my duty to take care of
Condones – condoms
Coño – Common Cuban curse word, roughly translates to “fucking hell,” depending on the tone and context
Consulta – consultation
Corazón – heart
Cordones – cords, as in shoe strings
Coro – chorus
Croquetas de jamón – ham croquettes
Cuba Libre – Free Cuba, a slogan and a drink made with rum and Coke
Cuéntame – Tell me
Culpa – fault or blame
Cumpleañera – birthday girl
Curas – priests
Curitas – bandaids
D
¡Dale tu pecho! – Go to sleep!
De lo más bien – absolutely fine
¿De acuerdo? – Agreed? Are we in agreement? Okay?
De nada – “You’re welcome” or “Don’t mention it.”
Decepcionado – disillusioned, disappointed
Dedo – finger
Dedo anular – ring finger
Dedo corazón – middle finger
Dedo índice – index finger
Déjala – leave her or leave her alone
Delantal – apron
Delincuente – delincuent
Demasiado – too much or excessive
¡Despiértense! – Wake up!
Despojo – A removal of something. In spiritual terms, it is a ceremony of removing all bad things, a cleansing.
Desprendiendo – detach
¿De veras? – Really? Seriously? No kidding?
Dientes – teeth
Dime – Tell me
Disco – album, a record that plays music
Disfraz – costume
Dormilón – sleepy head
Durofrío – a frozen dessert made with shaved ice and syrup
E
Edificio – a building
EEUU – USA
El almuerzo – lunch
El dobladillo – hem
El esteeng – Spanglish for “steam,” referring to a radiator system that heats homes
El kote – Spanish for Kotex, sanitary pad
El malecón – broad boulevard that runs along the sea wall in the city
El paredón – firing squad, literally means “wall”
El que siembra su maíz, que se coma su pinol – He who plants corn will have to eat corn flour. In other words, you reap what you sow.
El Salón de los Pasos Perdidos – Literally, the salón of the lost footsteps, but refers to a reception hall in the Capitol building of La Habana with unique acoustic qualities.
Elegguá Yoruba – god of the crossroads
Emparedados – sandwich
En la lucha – A common response to “how are you?” meaning, “I’m still in the fight” or struggling along
En serio – seriously
Enferma – sick
Enfermera – nurse
Enredada – all tangled up, confused
¡Enséñame! – Teach me!
Entonces – then
¿Entiendes? – Understand?
¡Epa! – exclamation like Olé
Escalera – ladder
Escalinata – long steps
Escuelas – schools
Esparadrapo – surgical tape
Está muy oscuro – It’s very dark
Están acabando con los negros – They’re finishing off Black people.
¿Estás lista? – Are you ready?
¿Estás loco o qué? – Are you crazy or what?
Estilo americano – American style
Estúpido – stupid
F
Factoría – factory
Favor – favor
¡Feliz cumpleaños! – Happy birthday!
Fichas – game pieces in the game of dominoes
Fideos – noodles
Flan – a custard dessert with caramel syrup, similar to a crème brûlée
Fosforera – lighter, as cigarette lighter
Fósforo – matches to light
Frijoles – beans
Frijoles negros – black beans
Frío – cold
Frituras de bacalao – codfish fritters
Frutabomba – papaya, a fruit
Fue un susto – It was a shock
¡Fuego! – Fire!
Fuegos articiales – fireworks
¡Fueron los comunistas! – It was the communists!
Fuerzas – forces
Fumadera – a smoking den
Fusible – fuse, electrical
G
Gato – cat
Gitana – Gypsy
Gotas de agua – drops of water
Granizados – a dessert made with ice, slushy
Grillos – crickets
Gritos – screams
Guajiros – peasants
Guantes – gloves
Guarapo – sugarcane juice, extracted from the cane
Guárdamelo – keep it safe for me
Guatemala to guatepeor – colloquialism equivalent to “out of the frying pan into the fire.”
Guayaba – guava, fruit
Guayabera – a loose-fitting shirt, with pleated fronts popular in Cuba
Guerrera -warrior
Gusanos – worm or maggot Derogatory term Castro popularized to refer to Cubans who left the island after the revolution.
H
¿Ha visto a mi abuela? – Have you seen my grandmother?
Hábito – nun’s habit; also a routine habit
Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow
¿Hasta cuándo? – Until when?
Hermana – sister
Hermano – brother
Hermano de crianza – a “brother” by virtue of being raised together, not a blood relation
Hierba buena (puedes usar yerba) – check peppermint
Hierba luisa – lemon verbena
Hierro – iron, as in an iron rod
Hija de puta – Epithet, literally, “daughter of a whore,” but in usage similar to “son of a bitch”
Hombre – man
Huevos – eggs
I
Inglés – English
Inocencia – innocence
Inquilinos – tenants
Inquisición – The Inquisition
Una interrupción – Literally, an interruption; euphemism for abortion
Intranquilo – restless, nervous
J
Jamón – ham
Jefa – boss
Jerez – sherry
Jeringuilla – a syringe for administering injections
K
Kai! Kai! Kai! Yemaja Ol’odo Yoruba chant and song to the orisha Yemayá. – Rough translation: “Imagine that! Imagine that! Imagine that! Yemayá is the owner of rivers!”
L
La bolita – illegal lottery, similar to “playing the numbers” in US
La cachimba – pipe for smoking tobacco
La caída – a fall, as if from a great height
La Caridad del Cobre Catholic – Virgen of Charity (who appeared in the village of El Cobre), patron saint of Cuba and syncretized in the Yoruba religion as Oshún.
La Charada – La Charada China is a Cuban system for picking lottery numbers based on dreams. A chart lists the mystical relationship between objects and their corresponding numbers. It has possible origins in the I Ching and Chinese culture.
La curandera – a local healer, usually a woman with knowledge of herbs and other healing practices
La Ley del Vago – Literally, the Law Against the Lazy, allowed police to detain anyone for loitering or having insufficient proof of gainful employment, but was often misused to persecute “undesirables.”
La merienda – an afternoon snack, between lunch and dinner, especially for children after school
La muchedumbre – hordes of people
La niña buena – good girl
La Reforma Agraria – Land reform laws enacted as part of the Cuban Revolution. The state broke up private properties and landholdings and redistributed these to peasants to work the land and to cooperatives.
La vida es una lucha – Life is a struggle
Labios – lips
Las joyas – jewels
Las nubes – clouds
Laurel – laurel leaf, used in cooking aka bay leaf
Lechón asado – roasted pork, classic Cuban dish
Léeme esto – Read this to me
¡Lengua suelta! – loose tongue (as in “loose lips sink ships”)
Lentejuelas – sequins
¡Levántante! – Get up!
Linda – pretty
Linóleo – linoleum flooring
Listo – ready
Lo asesinaron – He was assassinated
Lo que no sirve se bota – If it’s no good, throw it out
¡Lo que yo diga! – What I say!
Loco – crazy
Los desconocidos – strangers
Los jóvenes – young people
Los Reyes Magos – The Three Kings, the Magi
M
Madrina – godmother
Maestra – teacher, female
Maestro – teacher, male
Maldad – evil
Mañana – tomorrow
Mantel – tablecloth
Mantequilla – butter
Mantillas – A traditional Spanish and Latin American lace veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, sometimes a quite elaborate headdress
Manzanilla – chamomile
Maravilla – a marvel
Marido – “Marido” is an interesting word with no translation in English. It can refer to “husband” or “common law husband” or “unmarried partner.” “Esposo” is only applied to the legally married husband. Abuelo is Abuela’s “marido” because they are not married—although there’s no way to know that from the application of the word—but he is never her “esposo” because they are not married. “Marido” can only be used in the masculine; however, there has been a recent use of “marida” or, more commonly, “maridita” in the feminine form to apply to committed lesbian couples. The dimunitive “maridita” is often used in a derisive tone.
Marielita – Assignation given to the 135,000 Cubans who left Cuba on boatlifts from the Port of Mariel in 1980
Mármol – marble
Martillo – hammer
Más respeto – More respect
Más se perdió en la guerra – More was lost in the war, a common saying
Me asustaste – You startled me
Me avergonzaste – You shamed me
Me duele – It hurts
¿Me estás entendiendo? – Are you understanding what I’m saying?
Me muero – I’m dying
Me voy – I’m going, I’m leaving
Meciéndose – rocking, as in a rocking chair
Melaza – molasses
Mentira – a lie
¡Mentirosa! – Liar!
Meñique – the pinky, the smallest finger of the hand
Mi amor – my love
Mi cielito – my bit of heaven
Mi hija – my daughter, my girl
Mierda – shit
Mija – Contraction of “mi hija”—my daughter, my girl
¡Mira eso! – Look at that!
Mojo – A sauce made from garlic, olive oil, citrus and other spices used for marinating or dipping
Molestia – a bother
Monedas – coins
Mono – monkey
Moros – Moors
Moros y Cristianos – Moors and Christians, a dish made from white rice and black beans
Mucho gusto – “Pleased to meet you”
Mujer – woman
Mulata – A racial term, traditionally referring to people with Black and White ancestry, but often applied to anyone brown-skinned. While still commonly in use, it is considered and outdated and racist word.
Muñeca – 1) wrist (2) doll
Musulmanes – Muslims
Muy bonito – very pretty
My moms – affectionate slang term for Mom. “My moms” is not plural; it is an endearment similar to “my pops” for Dad
N
Nada más – No more (than that)
Nadie – nobody
Naranja – orange
Nariz – nose
Nata – 1) The skin that forms of the surface when milk is boiled, 2) cream from milk
Necesito – I need
Nieve – snow
No conocía – I did not recognize or know
No entiendo – I don’t understand
¡No es verdad! – It’s not true!
No hay clases – There are no classes
No llores – Don’t cry
No lo puedo creer – I cannot believe it
No me abandones – Don’t abandon me
No me dejes – Don’t leave me
¡No me digas! – You don’t say!
No me queda más remedio – I am left with no other choice
No me quiere – He or she does not love me
¡No te atrevas! – Don’t you dare!
No te lo toques – Don’t touch it
No te precipites – Don’t be hasty
No te preocupes – Don’t worry
No te puedes imaginar – You cannot imagine
No vayas – Don’t go
Noble – courteous, kind
Novio – boyfriend or fiancé
Numotizine – Brand name of a popular ointment used as a poultice and topical analgesic
Nunca – never
O
Ocana sode okuá ti sode sode oke sode oma sode oguó batiosode arikú babagwá – Incantation recited during divination with cowrie shells in the Santería tradition of Yoruba origin
Ochossi – Orisha of the Hunt
Ogún – Orisha of iron and metal. He is a warrior associated with truth and justice
¿Oigo? – Literally, “I’m listening.” Equivalent to saying “Hello” when answering phone.
Ojos – eyes
Olokun – Orisha who rule of all bodies of water and other water deities
Ombligo – belly button, navel
Oreja – far
Orine – urine
Orishas – deities in the Yoruba religion of West Africa
Oshún – Orisha of love and beauty
Ostiones – oysters
Osorbo – bad omen in Yoruba divination
Oye esto – Listen to this
Oye, ¿cómo andas? – Hey, how are you doing?
P
Pa’ trá ni pa’ coger impulso – colloquialism: no going backward, not even to gain momentum
Palangana – wash bowl
Pan – bread
Pan cubano – Cuban bread, similar to Italian, but lighter in texture
Pañuelos – handkerchiefs
Papas – potatoes
Parque El Curita – a park in La Habana, literally the Priest’s Park
Pase lo que pase – Come what may, or whatever happens
Pasear – to go for a stroll
Pastelitos – small pastries, sweet or savory
Patria – nation
Patria o Muerte – Nation or Death, similar to “Live Free or Die”
Patria potestad – parental rights
Pedacito – a small bit, a nibble
Pelirrojo – redhead
Pendejos – pubic hair
Perdón – Sorry, pardon me
Perdóname – Forgive me
Periódico – newspaper
Pero nunca se desaparece de mi corazón – But will never disappear from my heart
¿Pero qué pasó? – But what happened?
Pero tú eres mi Mamá – But you are my mother
Persianas – wooden shutters
Pesadilla – nightmare
Pestañas – eyelashes
Pétalos – petals
Picadillo – ground beef dish prepared with raisins and olives stuffed with pimento
Pídele perdón – Say you are sorry, ask for forgiveness
Piel de gallina – goosebumps
Pío, pío – onomatopeic sound of a bird chirping
Pioneritos – Literally, litte pioneers. Cuban youth organization established in 1961, primarily for primary and secondary schools to replace the banned Scouts clubs of Cuba. Its badges and symbols became part of the revolutionary scholastic uniform.
Plátano maduro frito – sweet fried plaintains
Plátanos – plaintains
Pobrecita – “Oh, you poor thing”
Pomada – pomade, usually for the hair
Por favor – Please
Por la iglesia – a marriage sanctioned by the church; legally married
¡Por fin llegaron! – At last, they arrive!
Por si acaso – just in case
¿Por qué? – Why?
Preservativos – condoms
Privilegios – privileges
Profesores – professors or teachers
Pronto – soon
Puré de malanga – puree of malanga, a root vegetable similar to potato
Q
¡Qué aprenda! – Let him learn!
¡Qué calor hace! – It’s so hot!
Que duermas bien – Sleep well
¡qué pena! What a shame! – What a pity!
¿Qué pasó? – What happened?
¿Qué salió? – What (number) came out?
¿Qué soñaste? – What did you dream?
¿Quién? – Who?
¿Quién es? – Who is it?
¿Quién fue? – Who was it?
R
Radio Bemba – Gossip that travels through the grapevine. Bemba is a group of Bantu people of Africa. In Cuban slang, the word has come to mean big lips. Common usage ignores this racist connotation.
Recuérdame – remember me
Refresco – a refreshing drink, refreshment
Remachando – to rivet, to clinch, to hammer in, to drive home, to finish off, to reiterate
Remaches – a rivet
Resbalamos – we slip and slide
Respiro – to breathe
Reto – a challenge
Revista – magazine
Revolú – a jumble, a mess, hurly-burly
Ricos – the rich
Ron – rum
Rubias – blonds
S
Sala – living room
Saludos – greetings
Salvaje – savage
Salvia – sage, a plant
Sangre – blood
Santiagueros – people from Santiago, Cuba
Santos – saints
Sáqueme – Remove it!
Sartén – frying pan
Escapulario – A scapular is a small religious object worn by Catholics. It consists of two squares with holy images attached together by strings and hung around the neck like necklace with one image in front of the chest and the other on the back.
Se abolló – It is dented
Se llama – It is called or named
Se pronuncia – It is pronounced (this way)
Se te puede infectar – It can get infected.
Seguro – Sure. Definitely.
Señorita – Miss: A term applied literally to a woman who is still a virgin.
¡Siéntate! – Sit! Imperative form of the verb “to sit.”
Sillón – rocking chair
Sofacama – sofa bed. Correct term in Spanish is two words—sofa cama. The “sofacama” is a stylized version used in this novel.
Solar – A type of housing. Formerly luxurious colonial grand houses (casonas) in Habana, built with an interior courtyard because of the hot weather (on the Arabian model by way of Spain). In the early part of the 20th century, these large houses were subdivided into as many as fifteen tiny apartments, each one with a door that opened onto said interior courtyard. The solares were one, some say notorious, solution for the perennial lack of housing that persists in the city even today.
Soldado – soldier
Solo – alone
Sopera – a porcelain tureen used in ceremonies
¡Suelta! – Let go!
Sueño – dream
Super – superintendent, Spanglish term
T
Tabaco – means both tobacco, the plant and a cigar
Tambores – drums
¿Te acuerdas? – Do you remember?
Te espero – I will wait for you
¿Te gusta? – Do you like it?
¿Te gustaría? – Would you like (to)?
Telenovela – Spanish soap operas popular on TV
Tengo – I have
Tengo miedo – I am afraid
Tía – Aunt. Often used as a respectful term for someone not related by blood, but a family friend a child refers to as Aunt (or Uncle=Tío) out of respect, as in Auntie
Tienes razón – You are right
Tilo – a type of tea made of linden blossoms
Tiroteo – shootout
Títeres – puppets
Tocadisco – recordplayer
Todo está bien – Everything is fine
Todo lo malo – All the bad (things), as in all the evil things
Todo va a cambiar ahora – Everything is going to change now
Todos los cubanos son locos – All Cubans are crazy
Toma – an imperative form of the verb “to drink,” as in “drink this”
Torcidos – twisted, crooked, bent
Tortilla – A Spanish tortilla is made with eggs and potatoes fried in a pan, similar to, but not exactly the same as a frittata
Tráeme un roncito – bring me a rum
Tranquila – keep calm
Tranquilizante – tranquilizer
Tranquilo – tranquil, calm
Trencitas – braids, again the diminutive
Triste – sad
Tronco – trunk of a tree
Tú la mataste – You killed her
Tú sabes – You know
¿Tú te imaginas? – Can you imagine?
U
Un beso – a Kiss
Un cortadito – a type of espresso coffee, served in tiny cups with sugar and evaporated milk
Un regalo – a gift
Única – the only one, sole
V
Velo – veil
Ven rápido – Come quickly
¡Venceremos! – We shall overcome!
Verdad – truth
Virgen – a virgin
Virgencita – An affectionate term for Virgin (as in Virgin Mary) expressed by the diminutive form
Volantes – flyers
Volveré – I will return.
Y
¿Y tú qué? – What about you?
Ya se acabó – It’s finished.
Ya, todo pasó – There, there. It’s all over now.
Yaya – baby word, a boo-boo
Yemayá – Yoruba orisha of motherhood and the sea
Yeso – a cast, as used for a broken bone
Yo soy tu Papá – I am your father
Yo te la cuido – I Will take care of her for you
Yodo – iodine
Yuca frita – fried yuca, starchy tuberous root of a tropical, elsewhere called cassava
Z
Zorra – literally, fox; but refers to someone sneaky