WORD LISTS

Cinco de Mayo: Words to Celebrate Mexico

May 5, 2014
By Vocabulary.com (NY)Visual Thesaurus Moderator
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with English words of Spanish origin.

Following the Mexican victory over the invading French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, Mexican communities in California and eventually the rest of the United States transformed this day into a celebration of Mexican culture.
avocado
Elbows flew as everyone scooped the mushy rice and black beans topped with avocado picked from the tree in our courtyard.
bodega
We go into different bodegas for water, Icees, chips, sunflower seeds, and it’s all as easy as the warm summer breeze.
conquistador
Those who escaped from being chopped to bits later died in horrid agony from smallpox the conquistadors spread to Mexico from Europe.
corral
Each house had a small flower garden in front and a corral for animals at the back.
desperado
I took to wearing the strap across my chest, the drum riding my hips like a desperado's revolver.
fiesta
In fact, the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration is in Los Angeles. With huge celebrations like Fiesta Broadway and Cinco de Mayo at Olvera Street, the California city is known for their Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Good Housekeeping
guacamole
“Are you hungry? I brought you some of those baby taquitos. The little red ones you like, with guacamole. You want some?”
hurricane
But if we wait too long, the hurricane winds will come back, and the skinny tree trunks and boulders won’t be enough shelter.
incommunicado
He’d often disconnect the telephone and render himself incommunicado—sometimes for weeks.
iguana
When the El Nino rains changed the balance of nature and birds were scarce, he dined on mammals and iguanas.
lasso
Mateo would wear his cowboy hat from his Woody costume and use a shoelace as a lasso.
mesa
Cattle far out on the mesa died when hay could not be trucked in.
mole
Today, revelers mark the occasion with parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing and traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. History.com
peccadillo
Double parking, turnstile jumping, an open container for two—the peccadilloes of city life get quickly slapped with a ticket. New York Times
renegade
But before I knew it, our entire party was sitting around the campfire like a gang of renegades in an old Western.
rodeo
There were four events in the rodeo: bareback bucking Hereford riding, bareback bucking pony riding, team roping of the same sad-sack cow by six entrants, and pony racing for kids.
tornado
Accusations roiled inside of me, swirling in my head like furling tornado clouds, until I thought I might explode if I didn’t let them out.
tortilla
He suggested pairing the dish with chalupas, small fried tortillas enjoyed with a variety of fillings; white rice; nopales salad; fried beans; and molotes de plátano, stuffed plantain patties. New York Times
vamoose
She’d vamoosed into the tall grass, and off she was headed for the jungle, where it was plain to see he’d never find her.
vigilante
The area was swarming with soldiers and vigilantes and Isaac knew that in order to survive, they’d have to keep moving.

Word List Actions:

Create a new Word List