Cuba - Lonely Planet [401]
amarillo – a roadside traffic organizer in a yellow uniform
americano/a – in Cuba this means a citizen of any Western hemisphere country (from Canada to Argentina); a citizen of the US is called a norteamericano/a or estado-unidense; see also gringo/a and yuma
Arawak – linguistically related Indian tribes that inhabited most of the Caribbean islands and northern South America
Autopista – the national highway that has four, six or eight lanes depending on the region
babalawo – a Santería priest; also babalao; see also santero
bahía – bay
Bajos – downstairs apartment (when following an address)
balseros – rafters; used to describe the emigrants who escaped to the US in the 1990s on homemade rafts
bárbaro – cool, killer
barbuda – name given to Castro’s rebel army; literally ‘bearded one’
barrio – neighborhood
batá – a conical two-headed drum
bici-taxi – bicycle taxi
bloqueo – Cuban term for the US embargo
bodega – stores distributing ration-card products
bohío – thatched hut
bolero – a romantic love song
botella – hitchhiking; literally ‘bottle’
cabaña – cabin, hut
cabildo – a town council during the colonial era; also an association of tribes in Cuban religions of African origin
Cachita – popular name for the Virgin of El Cobre
cacique – chief; originally used to describe an Indian chief and today used to designate a petty tyrant
Cadeca – exchange booth
cafetal – coffee plantation
cajita – takeout meal; literally ‘small box’
caliente – hot
calle – street
camarera – housekeeper or waitress (the Spanish term criada, which also means ‘brought up,’ is considered offensive in revolutionary Cuba); see also ama de llaves
cambio de turno – shift change (in shops)
camello – metro buses in Havana named for their two humps; literally ‘camel’
camión – truck
campesinos – people who live in the campo
campismo – national network of 82 camping installations, not all of which are open to foreigners
campo – countryside
cañonazo – shooting of the cannons, a nightly ceremony performed at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña across Havana harbor
carnet – the identification document that allows foreigners to pay for museums, transport (including colectivos) and theater performances in pesos
carpeta – hotel reception desk
cartelera – culture calendar or schedule, entertainment brochure
casa de la cultura – literally ‘culture house,’ where music, art, theater and dance events happen
casa natal – birth house
casa particular – private house that lets out rooms to foreigners (and sometimes Cubans); all legal casas must display a green triangle on the door
casco histórico – historic center of a city (eg Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba)
cayo – a coral key
CDR – Comités de Defensa de la Revolución; neighborhood-watch bodies originally formed in 1960 to consolidate grassroots support for the Revolution; they now play a decisive role in health, education, social, recycling and voluntary labor campaigns
central – modern sugar mill; see ingenio
chachachá – cha-cha; dance music in 4/4 meter derived from the rumba and mambo
Changó – the Santería deity signifying war and fire, twinned with Santa Barbara in Catholicism
chequeré – a gourd covered with beads to form a rattle
chivo – Cuban slang for ‘bike’
cimarrón – a runaway slave
circunvalación – a road that circumvents city centers, allowing you to drive on without plunging into the heart of urban hell
claves – rhythm sticks used by musicians
coche – cart, normally drawn by horses
coco-taxi – egg-shaped taxi that holds two to three people; also called huevito (literally ‘little egg’)
Cohiba – native Indian name for a smoking implement; one of Cuba’s top brands of cigar
cola – line, queue
colectivo – collective taxi that takes on as many passengers as possible; usually a classic American car
comida criolla – Creole food
compañero/a – companion or partner, with revolutionary connotations (ie ‘comrade’)
conseguir – to get, obtain
Convertibles – Convertible pesos
creyente – believer
criadero – hatchery
criollo – Creole;