The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Antilles

the Caribbean archipelago containing Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico

azabaches

charms that ward off the evil eye (any look of envy or of hate that is directed toward someone)

bruja

witch

carajito

a young kid

caudillo

leader.

culo

"ass"

dique

supposedly or "they say"

fukú / fukú americanus

a curse of doom, specifically that of the New World. The curse is brought to Antilles with the arrival of the Europeans.

jabao

term for a light-skinned person of mixed race

jojote

unripe or not yet mature

kleptocracy

a government that organizes its resources so that those in power receive financial benefits

malaise

a general feeling of discomfort or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify

mendacity

untruthfulness

metéselo

euphemism-- "stick it in her"

mi monita

my little monkey

morenas

a word used to describe Latinas who are dark skinned, dark haired and dark-eyed

mulato

mulatto in English. A person of mixed race.

No me jodas

Don't fuck with me

novio/a

boyfriend/girlfriend or fiancé

página en blanco

blank pages

pendeja/o

fool or idiot

personaje

character

plátano

"plantain"

porcine

resembling swine; hoggish

pueblo

town or people

pulchritude

physical beauty

puta

"whore"

Saturn Return

in astrology, the first time the planet Saturn completes its cycle through your birth chart and returns to the spot it occupied when you were born, usually occurs around the ages of 28-30. Saturn Return is often said to indicate the passage from youth into adulthood.

Tainos

the native people of Antilles prior to the arrival of the Europeans

tesoro

treasure

toto

slang for a woman's vagina, "pussy"

trawl

sift through as part of a search

ubiquitous

existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent

zafa

the word that can be used as a counterspell against fukú