Es Una Kite
My friend from ahora vamos a contar and I went to the store to buy kites for her 1st graders. She needed 20. She asked me how to say kite in Spanish and I said WILA (maybe spelled Huila). Apparently not too many people use that word for kite! Do you?
I thought it was funny because I couldn't think of another word for kite. She later emailed me the following:
argentina y guatemala: barrilete
bolivia y chile: volantín
brasil y paraguay: pandorga
colombia, cuba, ecuador, panamá, perú y uruguay: cometa
el salvador y nicaragua: piscucha
hondura: papelote
méxico: papalote (viene del nahuatl que quiere decir mariposa)
puerto rico: chiringa
república dominicana: chichigua
venezuela: papagayo
españa: cometa
I also told her that in the Valley, WILA, was often used to describe a loose woman. Like in Esa Vieja Wila. I guess it's used for a guy too: Ese Pelado Anda de WILO(sorry kids). We've also used WILA to say, "Me voy ir a volar la WILA," which can mean I'm OUTTA here.
I reckon' this is a tribute to my Cholo Word of the Day (RIP).
posted by Daily Texican at 6:44 PM
8 Comments:
I use Papalote.
Kites are really big in my hometown in México. My best friend Jaime made fun of me a couple of years ago, "¿Eres de Taxco y no sabes como construir un papalote?" Jaime is also from Taxco but I don't know if he actually knows how to make a kite himself but it did sting. Especially because I live in the "kite neighborhood". There are rules on flying kites, kite etiquette. Once you know how to fly your kite well, the next objective is to take someone else's kite down with your own kite, if you can take their kite down on to your roof you win it. So on days with a nice breeze you see lots of people on their roofs kite fighting. If you cannot afford a kite you can be a "pirate" wrap some string around a rock and hurl the rock on to a kites string and pull their kite into you area.
8:17 PM
In Acapulco the trapezoidal kite is called a Papalote.
The hexagonal one, the one you use to battle other kite flying kids, those are called Culebrinas.
7:52 PM
I've always known it as a papalote. And I never knew kites could be so much fun.
9:58 PM
in asia the kite fighting kiddos coat the kite strings in crushed glass so they can literally shred their opponents. a little global perspective for y'all =P
11:31 PM
I was discussing this very subject las Sunday! In Venezuela they are called papagayo. Growing up I would call them like you "huilas" sp? And speaking of kites, I am currently reading the Kite Runner - es bueno.
11:29 AM
we always called them wilas
1:51 PM
In deep south Texas, Starr County, we say wila for kite. I had never heard it any other way. Of course, as you stated, it could be used as a derogatory expression towards a woman.
3:34 PM
To get us out of the house my mom used to tell us "vayanse a volar la wila" Joemanuel, San Antonio,Tx
5:55 PM
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