quinceañera
n.— «There is no doubt that the Hispanic coming-of-age quinceañera is more popular, move lavish and, in subtle ways, more American than ever. Picture a souped-up debutante ball without the high-society trappings or a bat mitzvah with an extra dose of razzle-dazzle, and a portrait emerges of many modern-day quinceañeras, a term that derives from the word quince (pronounced KEEN-say), which means 15 in Spanish.» —“Latinas Make Sweet 16-ish Their Own” by Lizette Alvarez New York Times May 11, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A listener named Lita who grew up in Cuba shares her favorite Spanish idiom for “working hard”: sudando tinta, or literally, “sweating ink.” This is part of a complete episode.
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