cascaron
n.— Note: Cascarón is Spanish for “eggshell.” «In late April, tiny pastel bits of a giant San Antonio party show up everywhere: trickling from your hair, embedded in the carpet under your desk, stuck to your furniture. The confetti comes from an egg that was cracked over your head by a mischievous friend or relative, and it’s inescapable. Not that anyone is really trying to escape. Cascarones, as the eggs are called, have become part of San Antonio’s 117-year-old citywide party called Fiesta. For 10 days starting April 18, this city will host parades, open-air concerts and festivals that return this fast-growing big city to its roots as a small town that has always been equal parts Texan and Mexican. (Cascarones—pronounced kas-kah-ROHN’-es—actually began as a Mexican Easter tradition but have been adopted by Fiesta-goers.)» —“Texas city parades, parties in annual 10-day celebration” by Michelle Roberts in San Antonio, Texas Houston Chronicle Mar. 24, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...
Chris in San Antonio, Texas, a professional musician, asks where the word gig comes from. While gig is now the standard term for a musical engagement and has broadened to any short-term job, its early origins are murky. It may be related to the term...