Guanabee Glossary: Pachuco

If you’ve ever asked a Mexican whether it’s cold enough for a chaqueta or asked a Cuban to pass a bollo at dinner, you’ll know that Latino slang terms can vary from country to country, region to region, generation to generation, a reality that often results in embarrassing situations. Guanabee Glossary is our attempt to teach you Latino slang and save you from looking like a weird-ass fool in mixed company. Enjoy it, cabrones.

pachuco

[pa-choo-ko] noun

Term for a Mexican or Mexican-American youth who developed a subculture of their own in the 1930s and 40s marked by flamboyant clothing (namely, zoot suits) and their own slang. Pachuco culture has often been conflated with gang culture, although the two do not always overlap. 

Ese Pachuco de El Chuco Town se viste como un vendedor de coches. 

That Pachuco from El Paso dresses like a used car salesman.