la migra
n.— «Maybe my water bottle will last and I will come to some place like San Bernardino, or to Los Angeles, and become lost there, from la migra—that is our name for the immigration.» —“Thousands of Mexicans Illegally Cross U.S. Border Each Month” by Bill Dredge Los Angeles Times May 2, 1950. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family’s beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...