pirata n. an unlicensed taxi; a gypsy cab. Editorial Note: This term is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world, but is recorded here because of its entrance into the everyday vernacular of Los Angeles and other communities. Etymological Note: Spanish pirata ‘pirate.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poetic. And a mom says her son is dating someone who’s non-binary. She supports their relationship, but...
Why do some Spanish speakers use adaptations of certain English terms when there’s already a perfectly good word for the same thing in Spanish? Sometimes the result is called “Spanglish.” For example, Spanish cuentas means “bills,”...