pauldavidmena
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Casita
I'm currently reading an otherwise well-researched book (Latinos: A Biography of the People by Earl Shorris) that states plainly that the Spanish word "Casita," which I have always assumed to mean small
house or cottage, denotes an outhouse in Mexico. I have found nothing to corroborate this claim, and am wondering if it is perhaps outdated (the book
was written in 1992)?
[Edited on 9-17-2023 by pauldavidmena]
[Edited on 9-17-2023 by pauldavidmena]
[Edited on 9-17-2023 by pauldavidmena]
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SFandH
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Maybe it was just his experience, certainly not mine.
baño = outhouse
"The term "outhouse" is used in North American English for the structure over a toilet, usually a pit latrine ("long drop"). However, in British
English "outhouse" means any outbuilding, such as a shed or barn."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outhouse
So, outhouse could translate to casita if you're a Brit speaking Spanish.
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pauldavidmena
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The author was born in Chicago and grew up in El Paso before settling in San Francisco. Perhaps "casita" was a Juarez-ism.
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pauldavidmena
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Oddly enough, what a Brit would call an "outhouse" a Mexican would call a "bodega." Even more oddly, where I grew up (Brooklyn), a "bodega" was an
urban convenience store. Ain't language grand?
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SFandH
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Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena  |
Oddly enough, what a Brit would call an "outhouse" a Mexican would call a "bodega." Even more oddly, where I grew up (Brooklyn), a "bodega" was an
urban convenience store. Ain't language grand? |
I was in a small grocery store in the Dominican Republic with a Mexican friend. My friend asked the clerk for a bolsa (bag). The clerk and a couple of
other women started to snicker. When my friend asked what it was all about, the clerk explained that "bolsa" translates to scrotum (perhaps slang) in
the DR. They used another word for a shopping bag, I think it was funda.
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AKgringo
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Well if the "bolsa" contained dos "huevos" that makes sense!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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