pachuco

Etymology

Spanish pachuco

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈt͡ʃuːkəʊ/

Noun

pachuco (plural pachucos)

1. A Mexican-American, especially a juvenile delinquent in the Los Angeles area.
   • 1998, Cormac McCarthy, Cities of the Plain

     They asked him if he was a pachuco. He said all the pachucos he knew of lived in El Paso. He told em he didn’t know any Mexican pachucos.

2. An argot spoken by that group, sometimes known as caló.

Anagrams

• capouch, coach up

Etymology

Of uncertain etymology. Hypotheses include:

• From a Nahuatl word.
• A shortening of pa El Chuco ("to El Paso").
• From Pachuca, Mexico.
• From pocho.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈt͡ʃuko/

Adjective

pachuco (feminine singular pachucha, masculine plural pachucos, feminine plural pachuchas)

1. (Mexico) flashy, flashily dressed
2. (Costa Rica) slang (often considered low-class)

Noun

pachuco m (plural pachucos, feminine pachuca, feminine plural pachucas)

1. (Costa Rica) uneducated person from the city who uses city slang