See Also: Mexican War, the(dictionary)
Mexican War(encyclopedia)
Mexican Hot Pot(recipes)
New Mexican(dictionary)
mexican(medicine)
Mexican(dictionary)
Mexican wave(dictionary)
That Little Mexican Cafe(tourism)
Layered Mexican Dip(recipes)
Mexican Slaw(recipes)

Mexican (iou)



Mexican noun & adjective. E17.
[Spanish mexicano (now mej-), from Mexico, from Mexitli one of the names of the Aztec god of war: see -AN.]
A. noun.
A native or inhabitant of Mexico, a country in Southern N. America. E17.
Nahuatl. Also = Mexican Spanish below. E19.
= Mexican dollar below. E19.
b. adjective. Of or pertaining to Mexico or its inhabitants. E17.
Special collocations & comb.: Mexican-American adjective & noun (designating or pertaining to) a person of Mexican descent in the US. Mexican brown slang crude heroin. Mexican dollar the Mexican peso; a coin of this value. Mexican embroidery a kind of embroidery characterized by brightly coloured floral or geometric designs. Mexican fruit fly a Central American dipteran insect, Anastrepha ludens, a pest of mangoes and citrus fruit. Mexican hairless (dog) (an animal of) a breed of small dog, lacking hair except for tufts on the head and tail. Mexican-Indian adjective & noun (designating or pertaining to) a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of Mexico. Mexican orange a Mexican shrub, Choisya ternata, of the rue family, grown for its fragrant white flowers. Mexican overdrive US slang (the neutral gear position used when) coasting downhill in a motor vehicle. Mexican poppy a prickly-leaved poppy, Argemone mexicana, a weed in many warm countries. Mexican SCAMMONY. Mexican shilling Hist. a silver coin formerly current in some states of the US. Mexican Spanish (of) the variety of Spanish used in Mexico. Mexican stand-off (orig. in poker) a situation in which there is no clear winner; an impasse. Mexican tea a strong-scented goosefoot, Chenopodium ambrosioides, used as a flavouring in Mexico and medicinally. Mexican thistle = Mexican poppy above. Mexican War the war of 1846-8 between the US and Mexico. Mexican wave: see WAVE noun 5e.
Mexicani'zation noun the action of Mexicanizing L19.
Mexicanize verb trans. & intrans. make or become Mexican in character, manners, ideas, etc. M19.