limón verde
n. — «Border Patrol agents routinely monitor the main roads near her house on the outskirts of this sprawling city in south-central Texas, so Verónica and her friends and relatives have informal alert networks in place. “My husband just called to tell me he saw them right now on the street,” she said, clicking shut her cellphone, before leaving the house. Spanish-language radio also does its part; “limones verdes”—or green limes—“are sprouting” near the highway, an announcer warns over the radio, using shorthand for the agents’ green uniforms.» —“Fear and Hope in Immigrant’s Furtive Existence” by Lizette Alvarez in San Antonio, Texas New York Times Dec. 20, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We take street names for granted, but these words are useful for far more, like applying for a job or...
