Mexicann.adj.

Brit.

/ˈmɛksᵻk(ə)n/, U.S.

/ˈmɛksək(ə)n/

Forms: 1500s– Mexican, 1600s Mexicaine. As adjective also occasionally with lower-case initial.

Origin: A borrowing from Spanish. Etymon: Spanish mexicano.

Etymology: < Spanish mexicano, noun and adjective (1541, now obsolete in this form except in American Spanish; 1608 as mejicano ; 16th cent. in lengua mexicana denoting Nahuatl) < México , the name of a country in Central America and (originally) of the city which is its capital (1519–26; of uncertain origin: perhaps < Nahuatl Mexitli one of the names of the Aztec god of war) + -ano -an suffix.In form Mexicaines in quot. 1604 at sense A. 1 probably after French Mexicain (1588 in Middle French as noun; also as noun and adjective in Middle French in forms Mexican (1588) and Mexicquain (1584)).

A. n.

1. A native or inhabitant of Mexico. In early use perhaps also: †a native or inhabitant of Mexico City (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of Central America > [noun] > Mexico

Mexican1578

yellowbelly1842

Mex1847

Mexicano1847

cholo1860

bean-eater1919

Meskin1953

beaner1965

1578 T. Nicholas tr. F. Lopez de Gómara Pleasant Hist. Conquest W. India 349 The Mexicans..saw flames of fire toward the orient, where now Vera Crux standeth.

1589 M. Philips in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations 569 This Towne..is inhabited with a great number of tame Indians, or Mexicans.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. iv. 337 Heere the Mexicaines Idolatry hath bin more pernicious and hurtfull then that of the Inguas.

1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. xi. 38 The Mexicans also thought the same [place] to be sure with the trees which were crossed the way.

1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 319 The antient Mexicans..in those pretended Histories, preserv'd by fanciful Hieroglyphicks.

1776 W. J. Mickle in tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad Introd. p. xxx (note) These authors..have..greatly softened the horrid features of the Mexicans.

1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. 195 The young Mexican saw her struggles and her agony.

1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly I. Prol. i. 7 The Mexicans rode in silence.

1921 C. E. Mulford Bar-20 Three xviii. 229 Far back..a Mexican collapsed his telescope.

1957 E. Dahlberg Sorrows of Priapus viii. 81 The ancient Mexican also made rush seats out of the same reed with which he wrote.

1992 Athletics Today 12 Aug. (Suppl.) 12/3 Two Mexicans..opened up a 20 metres gap during the second kilometre.

2. Any of the indigenous languages of Mexico; spec. = Nahuatl n. Also: the form of Spanish used in Mexico.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > languages of the world > Amerindian > [noun] > Central Amerindian languages > Uto-Aztecan > Nahuatlan

Aztec1787

Mexican1787

Nahuatlaca1858

Nahuatl1876

Nahuatlan1900

Nahua1919

Mexicano1946

1787 C. Cullen tr. F. S. Clavigero Hist. Mexico II. viii. 18 Five men..said in Mexican..that they were of the nation of the Totonacas, and sent by the lord of Chempoalla.

1877 J. F. Rusling Great West & Pacific Coast 114 Carson served as interpreter, speaking Mexican well, which the chiefs mostly understood.

1944 Time 10 July 26/2 Pachuco..Mexican for zootsuiter.

1949 True Jan. 61/3 When there are ladies present, we say it in Mexican.

1990 B. Bryson Mother Tongue xi. 162 Many borrowings are more accurately described as Mexican than Spanish since they did not exist in Spain, among them stampede, hoosegow, and cafeteria.

†3. U.S. colloquial. Any piece of non-American (esp. Mexican) currency; spec. = Mexican dollar n. at Compounds 3. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > Central American coins

medio real1824

Mexican1827

toston1884

Mex1907

quetzal1925

lempira1931

1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. v. 149 A foal that is worth thirty of the brightest Mexicans that bear the face of the King of Spain.

1836 Knickerbocker 8 580 The lad could not change the Mexican which I gave him.

1845 J. J. Hooper Some Adventures Capt. Simon Suggs 76 There's an old friend of mine..that's got three or four hamper baskets-full o' Mexicans.

1892 J. Murdoch From Austral. & Japan iv. 150 Two thousand seven hundred and thirty-six Mexicans! That sounded big, but it wasn't much when you translated it into sovereigns. Only about £450.

†4. U.S. regional. = Mexican sheep n. at Compounds 1b. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > specific breeds or members of

mug1596

down1721

Shropshire1768

Norfolk sheep1778

Ryeland1786

Southdown1786

Persian1794

Leicester1798

Southdowner1799

Ryeland1802

loaghtan1812

Manx loaghtan1812

herdwick1837

Wallachian1837

Norfolk1851

Teeswater1861

bluefaced Leicester1864

Rough Fell1871

Border Leicester1873

Mexican1878

Cheviot1883

fat-tail1888

pampas1892

pampas sheep1895

turbary1908

karakul1913

East Friesian1949

Texel1949

Norfolk Horn1961

Colbred1962

1878 I. L. Bird in Leisure Hour 10 Aug. 503/1 The flocks are made up mostly of pure and graded Mexicans.

1880 Harper's Mag. Jan. 199 Some will buy cheap Mexicans, expecting to breed a better quality of lamb.

1887 Scribner's Mag. ii. 511/1 The season comes for the shearing of Southdowns or rough-fleeced Mexicans.

5. A type of cotton cloth (see quot. 1910). Cf. Mexican cloth n. at Compounds 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric from specific place > [noun]

irislams1375

westvale1383

hinderland1465

ypir?1517

Normandy1529

Ghentish1545

mant1575

Scots cloth1581

northerna1592

turquesques1594

Westphalia1612

nilla1614

phota1616

Norwich stuff1618

Venus1629

nicanee1652

East India1659

caffoy1678

Bengal1681

Mantua1699

coffoy1703

Chello1712

negannepaut1725

Russia drab1741

Wilton1744

toile de Jouy1784

sorting-cloth1847

rum-swizzle1851

sarong1858

Yokohama1879

Turkoman1881

Mexican1883

kanga1895

Milanese1926

leso1961

1883 Daily News 25 June 2/7 Cotton Goods..Mexicans, T-cloths, and printers are generally dull, with occasional sales at a slight decline.

1910 Encycl. Brit. VII. 277/1 Mexican is a plain, heavy grey calico, sometimes heavily sized... Mexicans are exported to various markets and also used in the home trade.

B. adj.

Of or relating to Mexico, its inhabitants, or its language.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of Central America > [adjective] > Mexico

Mexican1589

Mexiconian1727

Mexicano1852

Mex1854

the world > the earth > named regions of earth > America > Central and South America > [adjective] > Central America > specific countries > Mexico

Mexican1589

Mexica1678

Mexiconian1727

1589 M. Philips in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations 574 I learned their language or Mexican tongue very perfectly.

1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies ii. 230/2 Their speech is diuerse, but the Mexican speech is the best, and..furthest knowen.

1610 E. Bolton Elements of Armories sig. G3 The name also of the first Mexican king being Acamapixtli.

a1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 301 Divers China, Mexican, Samaritan, Abyssin & other Oriental books.

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Mexico, a great and famous City of the Mexican Province of Nova Hispania.

1757 J. Dyer Fleece ii. 75 Gums must be stor'd of Guinea's arid coast; Mexican woods, and India's bright'ning salts.

1846 P. N. Barbour Jrnl. 3 June (1936) 80 I sent by Johns a box of Mexican segars and cigarettes to Uncle Jacob.

1854 J. G. Bell in Southwestern Hist. Q. (1931–2) 35 236 We have the food cooked up in Mexican style, that is onion and pepper mixed with everything.

1899 Harper's Weekly 18 Nov. 1159 Slaves may purchase their freedom for twenty dollars, Mexican money.

1912 W. M. Raine Brand Blotters 268 The Mexican woman could do nothing even if she would.

1932 H. Crane Let. Apr. (1965) 406 A Mexican Easter—exploding Judases, rockets, flowers.

1984 J. Rosso & S. Lukins Silver Palate Good Times Cookbk. (1985) ii. v. 166/2 Aged tequila should be drunk in the classic Mexican way.

Compounds

C1. Chiefly U.S. In the names of various plants, animals, and natural and man-made products native to, originating from, or associated with Mexico.

Mexican blanket n.

ΚΠ

1834 A. Pike Prose Sketches & Poems 74 We gave him a red and gaudy Mexican blanket.

1925 W. Cather Professor's House i. xi. 130 Why, Daddy, you have Tom's Mexican blanket!

2000 Sunday Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) (Nexis) 25 June 4 h Decorations included Mexican blankets, sombreros and lights.

Mexican cotton n.

ΚΠ

1827 Western Monthly Rev. 1 82 The kinds of cotton which are chiefly cultivated are Louisiana, green seed, or Tennessee, and recently Mexican.

1990 C. Brayfield Prince (BNC) She wore a black Mexican cotton skirt.

† Mexican wagon n. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1862 M. D. Colt Went to Kansas ii. 37 So here may be seen the huge Mexican wagon, stubborn mule, swarthy driver.

† Mexican allspice n. Obsolete rare allspice, Pimenta dioica (see allspice n. 1).

ΚΠ

1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican allspice, the fruit of Eugenia pimenta. It is larger and less aromatic than the Jamaica allspice.

Mexican banana n. now rare (perh. Obsolete) a yucca with edible fruits, Yucca baccata, native to the south-western United States and northern Mexico.

ΚΠ

1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. (Final Rep. 10th Census IX.) 219 Yucca baccata Torrey... Spanish Bayonet. Mexican Banana.

1900 A. B. Lyons Plant Names 401 Y[ucca] baccata..Mexican Banana, Soap-plant.

Mexican bean n. chiefly U.S. regional (western) any of various kidney or pinto beans grown in Mexico; (more generally) any such bean used as an ingredient in Mexican cuisine; (occasionally also) a jumping bean.

ΚΠ

1854 De Bow's Rev. Feb. 199 From Mexico we saw specimens of the frijoler, or Mexican bean.

1901 Amer. Monthly. Rev. of Revs. 24 313 The list includes Mexican beans, oatmeal..and canned tomatoes and corn.

a1963 S. Plath Ariel (1968) 57 Jumpy as a Mexican bean.

1996 Men's Health (Electronic ed.) 1 Nov. Tortillas (for quick breakfast burritos or to wrap up high-fiber Mexican beans).

Mexican bean beetle n. a herbivorous Mexican ladybird, Epilachna varivestis, which is orange-yellow with black spots, feeds on the leaves of various bean plants, and is now a pest in the United States.

ΚΠ

1920 W. E. Hinds in Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 13 486 (note) For several reasons it seems that the common name Mexican bean beetle should be used instead of bean ladybird.

1944 R. Matheson Entomol. for Introd. Courses xv. 348 The Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, has recently spread over the eastern United States and is a serious pest of cultivated beans.

1996 Environmental Entomol. 25 1077 Soybean trichomes may provide limited resistance against the Mexican bean beetle, particularly against older larvae.

Mexican bird cherry n. a narrow-leaved wild cherry, Prunus salicifolia, of central America, also called capulin.

ΚΠ

1836 Penny Cycl. VI. 432/2 Cerasus Capollim, Mexican bird cherry.

1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Bird Cherry, Prunus salicifolia.

Mexican bit n. a horse's bit incorporating a metal ring which encircles the jaws.

ΚΠ

1866 Athletic Sports for Boys 122 A similar arrangement, known as the Mexican bit, is sometimes used, and is even better than the one just mentioned.

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 597/1 Mexican Bit,..a stiff cheek bit, having a high port, to which is attached a large ring, which, when the bit is in the horse's mouth, encircles the jaw.

1999 Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 23 May 1 b A braided bridle with a Mexican bit.

† Mexican blue jay n. Obsolete rare any of several Mexican races of Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri.

ΚΠ

1880 Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 16 The two Mexican Blue Jays (Cyanocitta coronata and C. diademata).

Mexican brown n. slang (chiefly U.S.) a crude form of heroin from Mexico; (also) a type of marijuana from Mexico.

ΚΠ

1976 Maclean's 15 Nov. 34 The U.S. attorney in Arizona, says his state has become perhaps the most important conduit for heroin entering the country. So-called ‘Mexican brown’ cascades across the Nogales frontier.

1996 Dallas Morning News (Electronic ed.) 25 Oct. White heroin from Columbia is 95 percent pure, compared to Mexican brown or black tar heroin, which are about 13 percent pure.

Mexican chocolate n. chocolate flavoured usually with cinnamon, almonds, and other spices; a hot chocolate drink made with these ingredients (in quot. 1847 probably not as a fixed collocation).

ΚΠ

1847 Boston Daily Advertiser 29 May 2/4 Speaking of chocolate, one does not know what the perfection of chocolate is, until he comes to Mexico. The Mexican chocolate is a fine, rich, spicy drink, scarcely imitated in other countries.

1851 E. S. Wortley Trav. in U.S. II. v. 99 Mexican chocolate..is nectar and ambrosia at once... Coffee at Mocha would surely seem nothing, or positively nauseous, in comparison.

1935 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Apr. 92/2 The Mexican chocolate is made as follows: While the milk and chocolate are boiling, sticks of cinnamon are added [etc.].

1973 S. Morgan Saga Texas Cookery 24 [If] Mexican chocolate..is not obtainable, use the same amount of sweet chocolate..and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the mixture.

Mexican cloth n. any of various cloths woven in Mexico, usually from (a mixture of) cotton, wool, or silk.

ΚΠ

a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 597/1 Mexican cloth, a silk and wool French goods.

1938 Amer. Home Oct. 79/2 Her rug, which she made in Mexico City, was from the worn-out serapes of the peons, blended with the warm browns and blacks of some sort of homespun Mexican cloth.

1998 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News 11 Feb. 1 s They..knelt on padded foot rests covered in bright Mexican cloth.

Mexican clover n. a tropical American plant, Richardia scabra (family Rubiaceae), with creeping stems and white or pink flowers, which is sometimes grown as forage and is naturalized in the south-eastern United States.

ΚΠ

1874 C. Mohr Let. in G. Vasey Agric. Grasses U.S. (1889) 104 The plant is known here by the name of ‘Mexican clover’, ‘poor toes’, or ‘pigeon weed’.

1944 Bull. Alabama Geol. Surv. No. 53. 209 ‘Mexican clover’... A common fall weed in sandy fields... It may have come into Alabama since the Civil War, for it was unknown to Chapman in 1860, but was reported by him from Alabama, Georgia and Florida..in 1883.

1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/2 Mexican Clover, Richardia scabra.

† Mexican coca n. Obsolete rare = Mexican clover n.

ΚΠ

1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 29/1 Coca, Mexican, Richardsonia scabra.

1890 Webster's Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. at Coca Mexican coca, an American herb (Richardsonia scabra), yielding a nutritious fodder. Its roots are used as a substitute for ipecacuanha.

Mexican eagle n. the common caracara, Polyborus plancus.

ΚΠ

1835 in Southwestern Hist. Q. (1925) 28 190 The most common birds and fowls found [in Texas] are the Mexican eagle, the hawk, [etc.].

1928 F. A. Bailey Birds New Mexico 186 The Mexican Eagle..is the national emblem of Mexico and figures on the flag with a rattlesnake in its bill.

1995 Houston Chron. 12 Jan. 11 b/3 The prairie also is home to bald eagles and increasing numbers of caracara, or Mexican eagles.

Mexican embroidery n. a kind of embroidery characterized by brightly coloured floral or geometric designs.

ΚΠ

1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 345/1 Mexican Embroidery..is a variety of Embroidery suitable for ornamenting washing materials, such as linens, muslins, and cambrics.

1982 Washington Post 23 May g1 I wore my white dress with the Mexican embroidery.

† Mexican flycatcher n. Obsolete a tyrant flycatcher found in Mexico (not identified).

ΚΠ

1869 Amer. Naturalist 3 473 A solitary Mexican Fly Catcher..gave a specimen of the summer group of migrants.

Mexican fruit fly n. a tephritid fly, Anastrepha ludens, which is native to Central America and is a pest of mangoes, citrus, and other fruit.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > miscellaneous types > member of family Tephritidae

Mediterranean fruit fly1899

Mexican fruit fly1924

medfly1929

1924 Monthly Bull. Calif. Dept. Agric. 13 55 The Federal Horticultural Board placed a quarantine against the Mexican fruit fly in Mexico.

1947 Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 40 483/1 Neither four applications of a DDT spray nor three applications of DDT dust gave significant reductions in populations of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens.

1994 Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 87 1574 Grapefruit..were infested artificially with late third instars of Mexican fruit fly..and treated with forced hot air.

† Mexican gamboge n. Obsolete a gum resin similar to gamboge, obtained from various tropical American trees of the family Clusiaceae ( Guttiferae).

ΚΠ

1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican gamboge, a gum resin like gamboge obtained from Vismia guttifera and other species.

Mexican goose n. (a) the snow goose, Anser caerulescens; (b) the Canada goose, Branta canadensis.

ΚΠ

1874 A. H. Bogardus Field, Cover, & Trap Shooting xii. 202 I could hardly tell whether a flock was Canada geese, brant geese, or the so-called Mexican geese.

1982 R. Elman Hunter's Field Guide (rev. ed.) 287 Lesser Snow Goose..Alaska goose, arctic goose, Mexican goose.

† Mexican goosefoot n. Obsolete the plant Chenopodium ambrosioides; = Mexican tea n. (a).

ΚΠ

1759 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. (ed. 7) at Chenopodium This is the Chenopodium ambrosioides Mexicanum... Mexican Goosefoot, like Ambrosia, commonly called Oak of Cappadocia.

1789 W. Aiton Hortus Kewensis I. 313 Mexican Goosefoot.

1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican goosefoot, the Chenopodium ambrosioides.

Mexican grass n. now rare any of various plant (esp. agave) fibres used in or exported from Mexico.

ΚΠ

1856 Sci. Amer. July 342/2 The use of Mexican grass as a substitute for hair in mattresses.

1884 Internat. Health Exhib. Official Catal. 90/1 Mexican Grass Hammocks.

1887 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 5) 697 The fibres of B[romelia]sylvestris under the name of Ixtle fibre or Mexican grass are used for brush-making, ropes, and textile fabrics.

1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Mexican grass, henequen.

† Mexican gum n. Obsolete rare a gum resin obtained from the South American tree Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum (family Sapotaceae).

ΚΠ

1887 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 5) 610 It [sc. the gum of Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum] is has also been called Mexican gum and Rubber Juice.

1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican gum, the gum-resin obtained from Chrysophyllum glycyphlœum.

Mexican hairless n. a breed of small dog which lacks hair except for tufts on the head and tail; a dog of this breed.

ΚΠ

1891 G. O. Shields Amer. Bk. Dog 652 This climate is not conducive to longevity in the Mexican Hairless race.

1903 J. London Call of Wild iv. 112 Sometimes he thought of Judge Miller's big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley,..and Ysabel, the Mexican hairless.

1970 New Yorker 28 Feb. 31/1 Larry Wolf..totally bald..plays a Mexican hairless.

1993 Event Summer 107 I shivered like a Mexican hairless.

Mexican hairless dog n. = Mexican hairless n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [noun] > toy > other types of

lion dog1774

King Charles1848

English toy terrier1852

Chihuahua1858

Mexican hairless dog1891

affenpinscher1896

Papillon1900

Bolognese1905

Shih Tzu1921

löwchen1969

1891 G. O. Shields Amer. Bk. Dog 654 A better house-pet..can seldom be found than a..clean-skinned Mexican Hairless Dog.

1899 R. B. Lee Hist. & Descr. Mod. Dogs: Non-sporting Div. (new ed.) xix. 410 A peculiar looking object, and one which requires a great stretch of the imagination to call handsome, is the hairless, or, rather, the crested dog... He is mostly known as the Mexican hairless dog.

1971 F. Hamilton World Encycl. Dogs 537 The Xoloizcuintli (pronounced Shollosquintly) or Mexican Hairless Dog, is one of the oldest breeds, now almost extinct.

Mexican hog n. the collared peccary, Tayassu tajacu.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Artiodactyla (cloven-hoofed animals) > [noun] > group Suiformes (hippos and pigs) > family Suidae (swine) > genus Dicotyles > peccary > white-lipped peccary

warree1697

Mexican hog1771

tagnicati1827

1771 T. Pennant Synopsis Quadrupeds 72 Hogs..Mexican..Tajacu..Mexican musk hog.

1797 Encycl. Brit. XI. 673/1 The animals which are common to both countries [sc. Mexico and Peru] are, the Mexican hog, the moufete, the opossum [etc.].

1836 M. Holley Texas v. 95 The Pecari or Mexican hog is even yet occasionally met with on the frontiers, in considerable gangs.

1995 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 26 Mar. 1 h/2 Mexican hogs nuzzle each other on the Castro Brothers farm.

Mexican lily n. a bulbous plant with scarlet flowers, Hippeastrum reginae (family Amaryllidaceae), native to tropical America and West Africa.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > daffodil and allied flowers > amaryllis

lily daffodil1733

belladonna lily1734

lily asphodel1753

Mexican lily1760

amaryllis1785

1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 317 Mexican Lily Amaryllis.

1861 Amer. Agriculturist Jan. 19/3 And we will just add that Mexican Lilies, and gladioli should have corresponding treatment.

1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Lily, Hippeastrum reginae.

Categories »

Mexican madroño n. see madroño n.

Mexican mulberry n. a small-leaved mulberry, Morus microphylla, of Mexico and the south-western United States.

ΚΠ

1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 128 Morus microphylla Buckley... Mexican Mulberry.

1969 T. H. Everett Living Trees of World xiv. 140/2 The Mexican mulberry (M. microphylla) is rarely 25 feet tall and may have a trunk up to 15 inches in diameter. It..is perhaps a variety of M. celtidifolia.

Mexican onyx n. = onyx marble n. at onyx n. and adj. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1892 E. S. Dana J. D. Dana's Syst. Mineral. (ed. 6) 268 Mexican onyx is a similar material obtained from Tecali, Puebla, Mexico; also in a brecciated form from the extinct crater of Zempoaltepec in southern Mexico.

a1902 F. Norris Pit (1903) iv. 115 He was a small, excitable man who wore..enormous cuffs set off with huge buttons of Mexican onyx.

1959 C. S. Hurlbut Dana's Man. Mineral. (ed. 17) 337 Onyx marble, known as Mexican onyx, is banded calcite and/or aragonite and is used as a decorative material.

Mexican orange n. an evergreen Mexican shrub, Choisya ternata (family Rutaceae), widely cultivated for its fragrant white flowers.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > American or West Indian

ramgoat bush1566

burton-wood1697

cowage cherry1725

Jack-in-the-busha1726

screw tree1739

lady of the night1752

goatweed1756

solandra1797

silk-tassel1833

garrya1835

matico1839

choisya1840

Romneya1845

jointer1847

creosote-bush1851

creosote-plant1854

bridal wreath1856

ocotillo1856

adelaster1863

sage rose1864

white horse1864

tree poppy1866

Tacsonia1869

rain tree1877

piquillin bush1884

tassel-bush1891

bush poppy1899

Mexican orange1923

shrimp plant1941

1923 Standardized Plant Names (Amer. Joint Comm. Hort. Nomencl.) 79 Choisya—Mexican-orange.

1924 L. H. Bailey Man. Cultivated Plants 443 C[hoisy] ternata, HBK. Mexican-Orange, from the fragrance of the orange-like blossoms.

1975 Times 5 July 10/5 (caption) The Mexican orange..and Senecio laxifolius..both respond well to hand trimming.

1987 C. Lloyd Year at Great Dixter 88 The Mexican orange, Choisya ternata, carries on the air, and I have even mistaken its scent for tobacco smoke.

Mexican orange-blossom n. = Mexican orange n.

ΚΠ

1969 R. Hay & P. M. Synge Dict. Garden Plants 277/3 Choisya..ternata, sometimes known as Mexican Orange Blossom.

1998 A. Sturgeon Planted 37/2 It is good to use scented plants such as Mexican orange blossom and fragrant viburnum.

Mexican orange flower n. now rare = Mexican orange n.

ΚΠ

1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 178/2 Choisya ternata, Mexican Orange-flower.

1890 Cent. Dict. at Orange-flower Mexican orange-flower, a handsome white-flowered shrub, Choisya ternata.

1899 G. Jekyll Wood & Garden vi. 71 On the southern sides of the same gateway are two large bushes of the Mexican orange-flower (Choisya ternata), loaded with its orange-like blooms.

1964 F. Perry Gardening in Colour 64/2 C. ternata Mexican Orange Flower.

† Mexican orange-flower tree n. Obsolete rare = Mexican orange n.

ΚΠ

1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 99/1 Mexican Orange-flower-tree. Choisya ternata.

Mexican persimmon n. a persimmon, Diospyros texana, of Mexico and the south-western United States.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular fruit-tree or -plant > [noun] > trees or plants bearing stone fruit > persimmon-tree

persimmon1626

persimmon tree1649

Mexican persimmon1846

Sharon fruit1977

1846 J. Gregg Diary (1941) I. 239 Among other wild fruits of this vicinity, that called..generally by Americans, black persimmon (or Mexican or Mustang persimmon) a black fruit about half the bulk of the common persimmon.

1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 24 Black persimmon, the persimmon tree (Diospyros texana) of southwest Texas. Its other names include the mustang persimmon, possum plum, chapote and Mexican persimmon.

Mexican pizza n. pizza made with Mexican-style ingredients, such as chilli powder, beans, etc., usually on a tortilla base.

ΚΠ

1953 San Antonio (Texas) Express 25 Apr. 5/4 Naturally, the Italians love their Pizza Pie, and Weyman's is notable for its sly originality in concocting this tasty dish. Mr. Weyman himself created the idea of Mexican Pizza Pie.]

1953 San Antonio (Texas) Light 10 July 15/1 That cozy little rendezvous on the Austin Highway, Rafaelo's..is the place where I steered my accomplice last Tuesday night and while he ordered the Cabrito Dinner and I had the Mexican Pizza, we halved each order between us in true Italian style.

1968 Chicago Tribune 30 Aug. ii. 12/3 Mexican pizza..1 package frozen or refrigerated ready mixed dough..2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce..1/2 teaspoon each: oregano, chili powder [etc.].

1978 Sunset June 170 Mexican pizza..bean and cheese, with taco sauce, sour cream.

1999 Texas Monthly Nov. 106/4 The Mexican pizza with chiles, sausage, black olives, and tomato sauce on a crisp flour tortilla is quite tasty.

Mexican poppy n. (a) a prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, with spiny leaves and yellow flowers, which is native to Central America, is grown for ornament, and has become a weed in many warm countries; (b) U.S. regional any of several plants of the south-western United States that have poppy-like flowers.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > poppy and allied flowers > allied flowers

poppyOE

horned poppy1548

yellow poppy1548

sea poppy1562

garden poppy1577

wind-rose1597

prickly poppy1648

squatmore1691

oriental poppy1731

Welsh poppy1731

infernal fig1760

Mexican poppy1811

Meconopsis1836

redcap1846

horn-poppy1851

squirrel-corn1856

eschscholtzia1857

dielytra1864

Dicentra1866

yellow thistle1866

turkey-corn1884

Shirley poppy1886

1811–12 W. J. Titford Sketches Hortus Botanicus Americanus 74 Mexican poppy. See explanation of Plate IX. Fig. 1.

1846 G. R. Gibson Jrnl. Soldier 16 July (1935) 150 I noticed a large thistle, the leaves a light blue, and the flower a rich white one, similar in size and appearance to a hollyhock but more delicate when close to it, now called ‘Mexican poppy’.

1936 F. Clune Roaming round Darling xxi. 211 We crossed a score of creeks in ten miles, fringed by tobacco-bush with privetlike leaves, and Mexican poppy simulating a Scotch thistle.

1951 T. H. Kearney et al. Flowering Plants & Ferns Arizona (ed. 2) 492 This plant [sc. Kallstroemia grandiflora], often locally known as Arizona-poppy, Mexican-poppy, and summer-poppy.

1995 Smithsonian Jan. 80 A few desert basins have been freckled with..hot oranges of Mexican poppies.

1998 R. J. Taylor Desert Wildflowers N. Amer. 220 Mexican poppy Eschscholzia mexicana.

Mexican prickly poppy n. the prickly poppy Argemone mexicana.

ΚΠ

1848 A. Gray Man. Bot. Northern U.S. 26 Argemone Mexicana, L. (Mexican Prickly Poppy.)

1955 Culture of Vegetables & Flowers (Sutton & Sons) (ed. 21) 214 Although in its native home the Mexican prickly poppy is a perennial, it thrives best in this country when grown as an annual.

1974 G. Usher Dict. Plants used by Man 390/1 Mexican Prickly Poppy, Argemone mexicana.

Mexican saddle n. a saddle with a high pommel and cantle, long heavy flaps and (originally) wooden stirrups.

ΚΠ

1839 C. A. Murray Trav. N. Amer. I. 380 Seated in a Mexican peak-saddle..he seemed a part of the animal which he bestrode.]

1846 in Calif. Hist. Soc. Q. (1942) 21 203 Many of them [sc. Indians] had Mexican saddles, cartridge boxes, and different parts of the Mexican dress.

1865 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 59/2 A Mexican saddle,—out of which you can scarcely fall.

1910 J. Hart Vigilante Girl 345 She galloped on in her high-peaked Mexican saddle.

1999 Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 23 May 1 b A rawhide-covered Mexican saddle with a horn as big as a saucer.

Mexican sarsaparilla n. now rare sarsaparilla derived from Smilax medica; the plant itself.

ΚΠ

1840 J. Pereira Elements Materia Medica II. 663 Mexican Sarsaparilla.

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1066/1 Mexican Sarsaparilla is yielded by Smilax medica.

1974 F. N. Howes Dict. Useful & Everyday Plants 162 Mexican sarsaparilla, Smilax sp.

Mexican scammony n. rare a purgative drug obtained from the roots of the Mexican plant Ipomoea orizabensis (family Convolvulaceae); the plant itself.

ΚΠ

1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 1551/1 Mexican scammony, Ipomoea.

1974 G. Usher Dict. Plants used by Man 320/2 Ipomoea orizabensis. (Mexican Scammony).

Mexican sheep n. U.S. regional (now chiefly historical) a hardy, long-legged, coarse-woolled sheep descended from Spanish breeds and adapted for survival in the dry regions of Mexico and the southern United States.

ΚΠ

1860 G. W. Kendall Let. 9 Jan. in Lett. from Texas Sheep Ranch (1959) 38 It is not among Mexican sheep alone that losses have occurred.

1969 V. W. Lehmann Forgotten Legions viii. 111 The original Mexican sheep had outstanding ability to survive and reproduce in an often inhospitable environment.

† Mexican snakeroot n. Obsolete rare a milkweed, Asclepias decumbens, of the south-western United States.

ΚΠ

1890 J. S. Billings National Med. Dict. II Mexican snakeroot, Asclepiodora decumbens Gray; plant used as a specific for snake-bite.

Mexican tea n. (a) a strongly scented tropical American goosefoot, Chenopodium ambrosioides, used esp. in Mexico and the United States to make a refreshing or medicinal drink; (b) any of several other plants of South America or the south-western United States from which beverages or tonics can be made.

ΚΠ

1787 J. D. Schöpf Materia Med. Amer. 31 Chenopodium ambrosioides... Mexican tea.

1836 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants (rev. ed.) 638 Psoralea glandulosa, Mexican tea.

1901 C. T. Mohr Plant Life Alabama 488 Mexican tea..Carolinian and Louisianan areas.

1944 Bull. Alabama Geol. Surv. No. 53. 96 Mexican tea..prefers rich soil near houses and barns.

1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Tea, Chenopodium ambrosioides.

Mexican thistle n. (a) the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana; (b) any of several other spiny Mexican plants.

ΚΠ

1837 J. Macfadyen Flora Jamaica I. 20 Argemone Mexicana. Mexican or Gamboge Thistle.

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1145/2 Thistle, Mexican. Erythrolæna conspicua.

1890 Cent. Dict. at Thistle Mexican thistle, Cnicus (Erythrolæna) conspicuus, a tall plant with rigid spiny leaves,..with yellow florets and scarlet involucral scales.

1906 F. Blersch Handbk. Agric. S. Afr. 144 Mexican poppy or yellow poppy, usually called Mexican thistle at the cape.

1951 T. H. Kearney et al. Flowering Plants & Ferns Arizona (ed. 2) 624 Eryngium heterophyllum...Known locally as Mexican-thistle. The flowers are pale blue.

1992 Los Angeles Times 18 Mar. e1/2 Wildflowers have texture, form, shape, and colour... The Mexican thistle is one of my favorites—you only find them in West Texas—sort of a rich purple.

Mexican tiger-flower n. now rare the peacock tiger-flower, Tigridia pavonia (family Iridaceae).

ΚΠ

1805 Gen. Indexes to Plants in First 21 Vols. Bot. Mag. 37 Tigridia Pavonia..Mexican Tiger-flower.

1836 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants (rev. ed.) 562 Tigridia Pavonia. Mexican Tiger Flower.

1951 Dict. Gardening (Royal Hort. Soc.) III. 1296/1 Mexican tiger flower, see Tigridia.

Mexican walking fish n. Australian the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum; cf. walking fish n. 1.

ΚΠ

1962 Austral. Govt. Publ. (National Libr. Austral.) 46 The axolotl or Mexican walking fish.

1985 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 19 Oct. Rodney has bred the shubunkins, fan tail black moors and axolotl (amphibious Mexican walking fish) as a hobby for the past 25 years.

2007 C. Burgess & C. Dubbs Animals in Space iv. 100 Both Kumulus two-stage sounding rockets would carry biological specimens... The first living passenger was..a completely aquatic amphibian known as the Mexican axolotl or Mexican walking fish.

† Mexican weasel n. Obsolete rare the kinkajou, Potos flavus.

ΚΠ

1890 Cent. Dict. at Mexican Mexican weasel, same as kinkajou.

C2. Chiefly U.S. (derogatory and usually considered offensive).

a. Designating anything of inferior, fraudulent, or makeshift quality, as Mexican bankroll, Mexican promotion, etc.; (also) used in (humorous or ironic) names given to simple or basic devices or processes compared unfavourably with more advanced or sophisticated equivalents, as Mexican overdrive, Mexican side-loader, etc.

ΚΠ

1912 N.Y. Evening Jrnl. 5 Mar. 14 I'm going to be a mexican athlete. Throw the bull about being a fighter and get away with it.

1935 Amer. Speech 10 79/1 Mexican seabag, a newspaper or paper bag in which the poor sailor carries his belongings.

1941 G. R. Lee G-string Murders xx. 286 What was harder for me to understand was where Biff got the bankroll. It was no Mexican; the twenties went right through to the bottom.]

1950 H. E. Goldin Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 138/1 Mexican bankroll, 1. A roll of paper with a bank note of large denomination wrapped around the outside to simulate a bankroll—for use in swindling. 2. A roll of single bills wrapped inside a bank note of a large denomination to be exhibited for effect.

1955 Amer. Speech 30 94 Mexican overdrive, a term used for coasting down hill with gears disengaged.

1960 N.Z. Listener 21 Oct. 7/3 ‘The banjo?’ ‘A shovel. Some people call it a Mexican side-loader.’

1962 Western Folklore 21 28 A ‘Mexican credit card’, (a hose and siphon used for pilfering gasoline at night) is known in the Southwest.

1971 C. Winick & P. M. Kinsie Lively Commerce 117 A pimp often has a ‘Mexican bankroll’, a large bill on the outside covering a roll of singles.

1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 160 Mexican promotion, an offensive term meaning an impressive new title but no increase in pay.

Mexican standoff n. [see standoff adj. 3] a deadlock, stalemate, impasse; a roughly equal (and frequently unsatisfactory) outcome to a conflict in which there is no clear winner or loser; (also formerly) a massacre in cold blood.

ΚΠ

1876 Sunday Mercury (N.Y.) 19 Mar. 2/5 ‘Go–!’ said he sternly then. ‘We will call it a stand-off, a Mexican stand-off, you lose your money, but you save your life!’

1891 N.Y. Sporting Times 19 Sept. 4/3 ‘Monk’ Cline, who got a Mexican stand-off from Dave Rowe has signed with Louisville.

1904 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (at cited word) Boys, as fur as the coin goes, we're out an' injured; we jest made a ‘Mexican standoff’—lost our money, but saved our lives.

1929 G. L. Hostetter & T. Q. Beesley It's a Racket! 231 Mexican stand-off, to kill in cold blood.

1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra (1935) vii. 222 The men were the victims of the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago, when seven men were given the Mexican stand-off against the inside wall of a gang garage.

1958 ‘W. Henry’ Seven Men at Mimbres Springs xvi. 189 I rightly and firmly believe we've taken some of the flap out of Mangas's shirttails and can turn this thing into a Mexican stand-off, given any luck at all.

1979 D. MacKenzie Raven settles Score 26 As things stood it was a Mexican standoff. He couldn't go to the law but..nor could the Koreans.

C3. In other uses.

Mexican-American n. and adj. (a) n. a Mexican settler or person of Mexican descent in the United States; (b) adj. of or relating to Mexican settlers or their descendants in the United States.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of U.S.A. > [noun] > by country of origin

American1648

African1700

High Dutch1773

Low Dutch1773

German-American1775

African American1782

Anglo-American1785

Irish-American1786

Africo-American1788

American African1826

Pennsylvania German1827

Pennsylvania Dutch1831

Afro-American1833

far-downer1834

Mexicano1847

knickerbocker1848

Chinese-American1854

Italian–American1873

Polish-American1876

Polacker1883

roundhead1895

hunk1896

Polack1898

Senegambian1900

bohunk1903

honky1904

hunyak1911

Turk1914

boho1920

Anglo1923

Euro-American1925

turkey1932

narrowback1933

nisei1934

roundheader1934

pachuco1943

pocho1944

Latino1946

Chicano1947

Mexican-American1948

Asian American1952

Amerasian1957

Chicana1966

Afrikan1972

Hispanic1972

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of U.S.A. > [adjective] > by country of origin

African1722

American1761

Low Dutch1774

Pennsylvania Dutch1792

Anglo-American1797

Irish-American1820

Africo-American1825

American African1826

Afro-American1831

Polish-American1850

Chinese-American1854

Italian–American1854

Russo-American1878

African American1885

Senegambian1911

Afrikan1929

Mexican-American1948

Asian American1950

Amerasian1965

Chicano1966

Anglo1968

Tejano1978

1948 B. Griffith Amer. Me Introd. p. x With World War II, the younger Mexican Americans have gained about ten years in Americanization.

1950 G. C. Barker Pachuco 5 In many cities of the American Southwest there are today Mexican-American boys who are known..as pachucos.

1953 Jrnl. Social Issues 9 i. 26 Another fortunate situation has been the fact that our Mexican-American membership has been the most insistent and aggressive in the fight against the illegal alien from Mexico, popularly called the wetback.

1964 S. M. Miller in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 293 This urban poor is composed of many strands:..Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans.

1973 Black Panther 21 July 14/1 The Mexican-American workers in the canneries.

1996 Entertainm. Weekly 29 Mar. 55/2 Selena's success had been a tremendous source of pride to Mexican-Americans.

Mexican dollar n. now historical (a) the Mexican peso, a silver eight-real coin formerly used as currency in the United States, China, the Philippines, and elsewhere in East Asia (cf. dollar n. 4a); (b) the standard unit of money in trading ports of East Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries (paper money issued by British and other banks in China between the 1860s and 1920s were denominated in Mexican Dollars).

ΚΠ

1783 G. G. Beekman Let. 18 Aug. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) III. 991 I now inclose you the fourth bill..for 444 Mexican Dollars on the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States at the Court of Madrid, endorsed to you by Gerard Wm. Beekman.

1854 Harper's Mag. Apr. 588/1 Upon the board was displayed..the lure in the shape of Mexican dollars.

1995 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 24 Jan. 1/2 The..Banking Corp. issued bearer notes—in effect, currency—denominated in ‘Mexican Dollars’.

Mexican shilling n. U.S. regional (now historical) a silver one-real coin of Mexico, formerly used as currency in the United States as one-eighth of a dollar.

ΚΠ

1889 Cent. Dict. Bit, a silver coin formerly current (in some States called a Mexican shilling), of the value of 12½ cents.

Mexican Spanish n. the form of Spanish spoken in Mexico.

ΚΠ

1851 E. S. Wortley Trav. in U.S. II. i. 12 She explained to me, in a remarkably intelligible mixture of Mexican-Spanish, English, French, German, Indian, Scotch, and any thing else that came into her head..her reasons for this occasional indisposition on her part to receive guests of her own sex.

1918 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 24 135 Writers in Mexico often urge the purification of Mexican-Spanish, the restoration of it to academic perfection.

1991 Lang. in Society 20 671 Sabine River Spanish is a derivative of rural archaic Mexican Spanish with etymological overlays of Louisiana French, English, and Amerindian loans.

Mexican trader n.

ΚΠ

1826 H. G. Rogers in H. C. Dale Ashley-Smith Explor. (1918) 208 He is what they term here [i.e. in the Los Angeles area] a Mexican trader.

1959 J. Prebble Buffalo Soldiers 172 The comancheros, Mexican traders from the Rio Grande.

1990 Texas Highways Mar. 35/1 Not far away lies the Valle de las Lenguas, so named because it brought together Indians of different tribes, Mexican traders, and Anglo renegades.

Mexican War n. the war of 1846–8 between the United States and Mexico.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war

Punic War1556

Vandal war1613

American Civil War1775

Seven Years War1775

Revolutionary Wara1784

Peninsular war1811

Great War1815

Mormon war1833

opium war1841

the Thirty Years' War1841

the Thirty Years' War1842

Mexican War1846

Napoleonic War1850

Crimean War1854

Hundred Years War1874

Balkan war1881

Boer War1883

Winter War1939

Six Day War1967

Yom Kippur War1973

Gulf War1981

Falklands conflict1982

1846 Dollar Newspaper (Philadelphia) 27 May 3/1 (heading) The Mexican War.

1881 Harper's Mag. Jan. 258/2 The Mexican War..the Abolitionists declared..was waged to obtain new territory for the extension of slavery.

1931 E. O'Neill Homecoming i, in Mourning becomes Electra (1932) 19 He went to the Mexican War and come out a major.

1996 Civil War Mag. Aug. 20/2 Jefferson Columbus Davis left home at 17 to fight in the Mexican War.

Mexican wave n. see wave n. 2e.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	mexican
释义	Mexicann.adj. Brit. /ˈmɛksᵻk(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈmɛksək(ə)n/ Forms: 1500s– Mexican, 1600s Mexicaine. As adjective also occasionally with lower-case initial. Origin: A borrowing from Spanish. Etymon: Spanish mexicano. Etymology: < Spanish mexicano, noun and adjective (1541, now obsolete in this form except in American Spanish; 1608 as mejicano ; 16th cent. in lengua mexicana denoting Nahuatl) < México , the name of a country in Central America and (originally) of the city which is its capital (1519–26; of uncertain origin: perhaps < Nahuatl Mexitli one of the names of the Aztec god of war) + -ano -an suffix.In form Mexicaines in quot. 1604 at sense A. 1 probably after French Mexicain (1588 in Middle French as noun; also as noun and adjective in Middle French in forms Mexican (1588) and Mexicquain (1584)). A. n. 1. A native or inhabitant of Mexico. In early use perhaps also: †a native or inhabitant of Mexico City (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of Central America > [noun] > Mexico Mexican1578 yellowbelly1842 Mex1847 Mexicano1847 cholo1860 bean-eater1919 Meskin1953 beaner1965 1578 T. Nicholas tr. F. Lopez de Gómara Pleasant Hist. Conquest W. India 349 The Mexicans..saw flames of fire toward the orient, where now Vera Crux standeth. 1589 M. Philips in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations 569 This Towne..is inhabited with a great number of tame Indians, or Mexicans. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. iv. 337 Heere the Mexicaines Idolatry hath bin more pernicious and hurtfull then that of the Inguas. 1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. xi. 38 The Mexicans also thought the same [place] to be sure with the trees which were crossed the way. 1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 319 The antient Mexicans..in those pretended Histories, preserv'd by fanciful Hieroglyphicks. 1776 W. J. Mickle in tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad Introd. p. xxx (note) These authors..have..greatly softened the horrid features of the Mexicans. 1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. 195 The young Mexican saw her struggles and her agony. 1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly I. Prol. i. 7 The Mexicans rode in silence. 1921 C. E. Mulford Bar-20 Three xviii. 229 Far back..a Mexican collapsed his telescope. 1957 E. Dahlberg Sorrows of Priapus viii. 81 The ancient Mexican also made rush seats out of the same reed with which he wrote. 1992 Athletics Today 12 Aug. (Suppl.) 12/3 Two Mexicans..opened up a 20 metres gap during the second kilometre. 2. Any of the indigenous languages of Mexico; spec. = Nahuatl n. Also: the form of Spanish used in Mexico. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Amerindian > [noun] > Central Amerindian languages > Uto-Aztecan > Nahuatlan Aztec1787 Mexican1787 Nahuatlaca1858 Nahuatl1876 Nahuatlan1900 Nahua1919 Mexicano1946 1787 C. Cullen tr. F. S. Clavigero Hist. Mexico II. viii. 18 Five men..said in Mexican..that they were of the nation of the Totonacas, and sent by the lord of Chempoalla. 1877 J. F. Rusling Great West & Pacific Coast 114 Carson served as interpreter, speaking Mexican well, which the chiefs mostly understood. 1944 Time 10 July 26/2 Pachuco..Mexican for zootsuiter. 1949 True Jan. 61/3 When there are ladies present, we say it in Mexican. 1990 B. Bryson Mother Tongue xi. 162 Many borrowings are more accurately described as Mexican than Spanish since they did not exist in Spain, among them stampede, hoosegow, and cafeteria. †3. U.S. colloquial. Any piece of non-American (esp. Mexican) currency; spec. = Mexican dollar n. at Compounds 3. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > Central American coins medio real1824 Mexican1827 toston1884 Mex1907 quetzal1925 lempira1931 1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. v. 149 A foal that is worth thirty of the brightest Mexicans that bear the face of the King of Spain. 1836 Knickerbocker 8 580 The lad could not change the Mexican which I gave him. 1845 J. J. Hooper Some Adventures Capt. Simon Suggs 76 There's an old friend of mine..that's got three or four hamper baskets-full o' Mexicans. 1892 J. Murdoch From Austral. & Japan iv. 150 Two thousand seven hundred and thirty-six Mexicans! That sounded big, but it wasn't much when you translated it into sovereigns. Only about £450. †4. U.S. regional. = Mexican sheep n. at Compounds 1b. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > specific breeds or members of mug1596 down1721 Shropshire1768 Norfolk sheep1778 Ryeland1786 Southdown1786 Persian1794 Leicester1798 Southdowner1799 Ryeland1802 loaghtan1812 Manx loaghtan1812 herdwick1837 Wallachian1837 Norfolk1851 Teeswater1861 bluefaced Leicester1864 Rough Fell1871 Border Leicester1873 Mexican1878 Cheviot1883 fat-tail1888 pampas1892 pampas sheep1895 turbary1908 karakul1913 East Friesian1949 Texel1949 Norfolk Horn1961 Colbred1962 1878 I. L. Bird in Leisure Hour 10 Aug. 503/1 The flocks are made up mostly of pure and graded Mexicans. 1880 Harper's Mag. Jan. 199 Some will buy cheap Mexicans, expecting to breed a better quality of lamb. 1887 Scribner's Mag. ii. 511/1 The season comes for the shearing of Southdowns or rough-fleeced Mexicans. 5. A type of cotton cloth (see quot. 1910). Cf. Mexican cloth n. at Compounds 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric from specific place > [noun] irislams1375 westvale1383 hinderland1465 ypir?1517 Normandy1529 Ghentish1545 mant1575 Scots cloth1581 northerna1592 turquesques1594 Westphalia1612 nilla1614 phota1616 Norwich stuff1618 Venus1629 nicanee1652 East India1659 caffoy1678 Bengal1681 Mantua1699 coffoy1703 Chello1712 negannepaut1725 Russia drab1741 Wilton1744 toile de Jouy1784 sorting-cloth1847 rum-swizzle1851 sarong1858 Yokohama1879 Turkoman1881 Mexican1883 kanga1895 Milanese1926 leso1961 1883 Daily News 25 June 2/7 Cotton Goods..Mexicans, T-cloths, and printers are generally dull, with occasional sales at a slight decline. 1910 Encycl. Brit. VII. 277/1 Mexican is a plain, heavy grey calico, sometimes heavily sized... Mexicans are exported to various markets and also used in the home trade. B. adj. Of or relating to Mexico, its inhabitants, or its language. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of Central America > [adjective] > Mexico Mexican1589 Mexiconian1727 Mexicano1852 Mex1854 the world > the earth > named regions of earth > America > Central and South America > [adjective] > Central America > specific countries > Mexico Mexican1589 Mexica1678 Mexiconian1727 1589 M. Philips in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations 574 I learned their language or Mexican tongue very perfectly. 1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies ii. 230/2 Their speech is diuerse, but the Mexican speech is the best, and..furthest knowen. 1610 E. Bolton Elements of Armories sig. G3 The name also of the first Mexican king being Acamapixtli. a1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 301 Divers China, Mexican, Samaritan, Abyssin & other Oriental books. 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Mexico, a great and famous City of the Mexican Province of Nova Hispania. 1757 J. Dyer Fleece ii. 75 Gums must be stor'd of Guinea's arid coast; Mexican woods, and India's bright'ning salts. 1846 P. N. Barbour Jrnl. 3 June (1936) 80 I sent by Johns a box of Mexican segars and cigarettes to Uncle Jacob. 1854 J. G. Bell in Southwestern Hist. Q. (1931–2) 35 236 We have the food cooked up in Mexican style, that is onion and pepper mixed with everything. 1899 Harper's Weekly 18 Nov. 1159 Slaves may purchase their freedom for twenty dollars, Mexican money. 1912 W. M. Raine Brand Blotters 268 The Mexican woman could do nothing even if she would. 1932 H. Crane Let. Apr. (1965) 406 A Mexican Easter—exploding Judases, rockets, flowers. 1984 J. Rosso & S. Lukins Silver Palate Good Times Cookbk. (1985) ii. v. 166/2 Aged tequila should be drunk in the classic Mexican way. Compounds C1. Chiefly U.S. In the names of various plants, animals, and natural and man-made products native to, originating from, or associated with Mexico. a. Mexican blanket n. ΚΠ 1834 A. Pike Prose Sketches & Poems 74 We gave him a red and gaudy Mexican blanket. 1925 W. Cather Professor's House i. xi. 130 Why, Daddy, you have Tom's Mexican blanket! 2000 Sunday Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) (Nexis) 25 June 4 h Decorations included Mexican blankets, sombreros and lights. Mexican cotton n. ΚΠ 1827 Western Monthly Rev. 1 82 The kinds of cotton which are chiefly cultivated are Louisiana, green seed, or Tennessee, and recently Mexican. 1990 C. Brayfield Prince (BNC) She wore a black Mexican cotton skirt. † Mexican wagon n. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1862 M. D. Colt Went to Kansas ii. 37 So here may be seen the huge Mexican wagon, stubborn mule, swarthy driver. b. † Mexican allspice n. Obsolete rare allspice, Pimenta dioica (see allspice n. 1). ΚΠ 1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican allspice, the fruit of Eugenia pimenta. It is larger and less aromatic than the Jamaica allspice. Mexican banana n. now rare (perh. Obsolete) a yucca with edible fruits, Yucca baccata, native to the south-western United States and northern Mexico. ΚΠ 1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. (Final Rep. 10th Census IX.) 219 Yucca baccata Torrey... Spanish Bayonet. Mexican Banana. 1900 A. B. Lyons Plant Names 401 Y[ucca] baccata..Mexican Banana, Soap-plant. Mexican bean n. chiefly U.S. regional (western) any of various kidney or pinto beans grown in Mexico; (more generally) any such bean used as an ingredient in Mexican cuisine; (occasionally also) a jumping bean. ΚΠ 1854 De Bow's Rev. Feb. 199 From Mexico we saw specimens of the frijoler, or Mexican bean. 1901 Amer. Monthly. Rev. of Revs. 24 313 The list includes Mexican beans, oatmeal..and canned tomatoes and corn. a1963 S. Plath Ariel (1968) 57 Jumpy as a Mexican bean. 1996 Men's Health (Electronic ed.) 1 Nov. Tortillas (for quick breakfast burritos or to wrap up high-fiber Mexican beans). Mexican bean beetle n. a herbivorous Mexican ladybird, Epilachna varivestis, which is orange-yellow with black spots, feeds on the leaves of various bean plants, and is now a pest in the United States. ΚΠ 1920 W. E. Hinds in Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 13 486 (note) For several reasons it seems that the common name Mexican bean beetle should be used instead of bean ladybird. 1944 R. Matheson Entomol. for Introd. Courses xv. 348 The Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, has recently spread over the eastern United States and is a serious pest of cultivated beans. 1996 Environmental Entomol. 25 1077 Soybean trichomes may provide limited resistance against the Mexican bean beetle, particularly against older larvae. Mexican bird cherry n. a narrow-leaved wild cherry, Prunus salicifolia, of central America, also called capulin. ΚΠ 1836 Penny Cycl. VI. 432/2 Cerasus Capollim, Mexican bird cherry. 1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Bird Cherry, Prunus salicifolia. Mexican bit n. a horse's bit incorporating a metal ring which encircles the jaws. ΚΠ 1866 Athletic Sports for Boys 122 A similar arrangement, known as the Mexican bit, is sometimes used, and is even better than the one just mentioned. a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 597/1 Mexican Bit,..a stiff cheek bit, having a high port, to which is attached a large ring, which, when the bit is in the horse's mouth, encircles the jaw. 1999 Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 23 May 1 b A braided bridle with a Mexican bit. † Mexican blue jay n. Obsolete rare any of several Mexican races of Steller's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri. ΚΠ 1880 Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 16 The two Mexican Blue Jays (Cyanocitta coronata and C. diademata). Mexican brown n. slang (chiefly U.S.) a crude form of heroin from Mexico; (also) a type of marijuana from Mexico. ΚΠ 1976 Maclean's 15 Nov. 34 The U.S. attorney in Arizona, says his state has become perhaps the most important conduit for heroin entering the country. So-called ‘Mexican brown’ cascades across the Nogales frontier. 1996 Dallas Morning News (Electronic ed.) 25 Oct. White heroin from Columbia is 95 percent pure, compared to Mexican brown or black tar heroin, which are about 13 percent pure. Mexican chocolate n. chocolate flavoured usually with cinnamon, almonds, and other spices; a hot chocolate drink made with these ingredients (in quot. 1847 probably not as a fixed collocation). ΚΠ 1847 Boston Daily Advertiser 29 May 2/4 Speaking of chocolate, one does not know what the perfection of chocolate is, until he comes to Mexico. The Mexican chocolate is a fine, rich, spicy drink, scarcely imitated in other countries. 1851 E. S. Wortley Trav. in U.S. II. v. 99 Mexican chocolate..is nectar and ambrosia at once... Coffee at Mocha would surely seem nothing, or positively nauseous, in comparison. 1935 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Apr. 92/2 The Mexican chocolate is made as follows: While the milk and chocolate are boiling, sticks of cinnamon are added [etc.]. 1973 S. Morgan Saga Texas Cookery 24 [If] Mexican chocolate..is not obtainable, use the same amount of sweet chocolate..and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the mixture. Mexican cloth n. any of various cloths woven in Mexico, usually from (a mixture of) cotton, wool, or silk. ΚΠ a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 597/1 Mexican cloth, a silk and wool French goods. 1938 Amer. Home Oct. 79/2 Her rug, which she made in Mexico City, was from the worn-out serapes of the peons, blended with the warm browns and blacks of some sort of homespun Mexican cloth. 1998 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News 11 Feb. 1 s They..knelt on padded foot rests covered in bright Mexican cloth. Mexican clover n. a tropical American plant, Richardia scabra (family Rubiaceae), with creeping stems and white or pink flowers, which is sometimes grown as forage and is naturalized in the south-eastern United States. ΚΠ 1874 C. Mohr Let. in G. Vasey Agric. Grasses U.S. (1889) 104 The plant is known here by the name of ‘Mexican clover’, ‘poor toes’, or ‘pigeon weed’. 1944 Bull. Alabama Geol. Surv. No. 53. 209 ‘Mexican clover’... A common fall weed in sandy fields... It may have come into Alabama since the Civil War, for it was unknown to Chapman in 1860, but was reported by him from Alabama, Georgia and Florida..in 1883. 1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/2 Mexican Clover, Richardia scabra. † Mexican coca n. Obsolete rare = Mexican clover n. ΚΠ 1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 29/1 Coca, Mexican, Richardsonia scabra. 1890 Webster's Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. at Coca Mexican coca, an American herb (Richardsonia scabra), yielding a nutritious fodder. Its roots are used as a substitute for ipecacuanha. Mexican eagle n. the common caracara, Polyborus plancus. ΚΠ 1835 in Southwestern Hist. Q. (1925) 28 190 The most common birds and fowls found [in Texas] are the Mexican eagle, the hawk, [etc.]. 1928 F. A. Bailey Birds New Mexico 186 The Mexican Eagle..is the national emblem of Mexico and figures on the flag with a rattlesnake in its bill. 1995 Houston Chron. 12 Jan. 11 b/3 The prairie also is home to bald eagles and increasing numbers of caracara, or Mexican eagles. Mexican embroidery n. a kind of embroidery characterized by brightly coloured floral or geometric designs. ΚΠ 1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 345/1 Mexican Embroidery..is a variety of Embroidery suitable for ornamenting washing materials, such as linens, muslins, and cambrics. 1982 Washington Post 23 May g1 I wore my white dress with the Mexican embroidery. † Mexican flycatcher n. Obsolete a tyrant flycatcher found in Mexico (not identified). ΚΠ 1869 Amer. Naturalist 3 473 A solitary Mexican Fly Catcher..gave a specimen of the summer group of migrants. Mexican fruit fly n. a tephritid fly, Anastrepha ludens, which is native to Central America and is a pest of mangoes, citrus, and other fruit. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > miscellaneous types > member of family Tephritidae Mediterranean fruit fly1899 Mexican fruit fly1924 medfly1929 1924 Monthly Bull. Calif. Dept. Agric. 13 55 The Federal Horticultural Board placed a quarantine against the Mexican fruit fly in Mexico. 1947 Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 40 483/1 Neither four applications of a DDT spray nor three applications of DDT dust gave significant reductions in populations of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens. 1994 Jrnl. Econ. Entomol. 87 1574 Grapefruit..were infested artificially with late third instars of Mexican fruit fly..and treated with forced hot air. † Mexican gamboge n. Obsolete a gum resin similar to gamboge, obtained from various tropical American trees of the family Clusiaceae ( Guttiferae). ΚΠ 1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican gamboge, a gum resin like gamboge obtained from Vismia guttifera and other species. Mexican goose n. (a) the snow goose, Anser caerulescens; (b) the Canada goose, Branta canadensis. ΚΠ 1874 A. H. Bogardus Field, Cover, & Trap Shooting xii. 202 I could hardly tell whether a flock was Canada geese, brant geese, or the so-called Mexican geese. 1982 R. Elman Hunter's Field Guide (rev. ed.) 287 Lesser Snow Goose..Alaska goose, arctic goose, Mexican goose. † Mexican goosefoot n. Obsolete the plant Chenopodium ambrosioides; = Mexican tea n. (a). ΚΠ 1759 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. (ed. 7) at Chenopodium This is the Chenopodium ambrosioides Mexicanum... Mexican Goosefoot, like Ambrosia, commonly called Oak of Cappadocia. 1789 W. Aiton Hortus Kewensis I. 313 Mexican Goosefoot. 1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican goosefoot, the Chenopodium ambrosioides. Mexican grass n. now rare any of various plant (esp. agave) fibres used in or exported from Mexico. ΚΠ 1856 Sci. Amer. July 342/2 The use of Mexican grass as a substitute for hair in mattresses. 1884 Internat. Health Exhib. Official Catal. 90/1 Mexican Grass Hammocks. 1887 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 5) 697 The fibres of B[romelia]sylvestris under the name of Ixtle fibre or Mexican grass are used for brush-making, ropes, and textile fabrics. 1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Mexican grass, henequen. † Mexican gum n. Obsolete rare a gum resin obtained from the South American tree Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum (family Sapotaceae). ΚΠ 1887 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 5) 610 It [sc. the gum of Chrysophyllum glycyphloeum] is has also been called Mexican gum and Rubber Juice. 1892 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon at Mexican Mexican gum, the gum-resin obtained from Chrysophyllum glycyphlœum. Mexican hairless n. a breed of small dog which lacks hair except for tufts on the head and tail; a dog of this breed. ΚΠ 1891 G. O. Shields Amer. Bk. Dog 652 This climate is not conducive to longevity in the Mexican Hairless race. 1903 J. London Call of Wild iv. 112 Sometimes he thought of Judge Miller's big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley,..and Ysabel, the Mexican hairless. 1970 New Yorker 28 Feb. 31/1 Larry Wolf..totally bald..plays a Mexican hairless. 1993 Event Summer 107 I shivered like a Mexican hairless. Mexican hairless dog n. = Mexican hairless n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > other types of dog > [noun] > toy > other types of lion dog1774 King Charles1848 English toy terrier1852 Chihuahua1858 Mexican hairless dog1891 affenpinscher1896 Papillon1900 Bolognese1905 Shih Tzu1921 löwchen1969 1891 G. O. Shields Amer. Bk. Dog 654 A better house-pet..can seldom be found than a..clean-skinned Mexican Hairless Dog. 1899 R. B. Lee Hist. & Descr. Mod. Dogs: Non-sporting Div. (new ed.) xix. 410 A peculiar looking object, and one which requires a great stretch of the imagination to call handsome, is the hairless, or, rather, the crested dog... He is mostly known as the Mexican hairless dog. 1971 F. Hamilton World Encycl. Dogs 537 The Xoloizcuintli (pronounced Shollosquintly) or Mexican Hairless Dog, is one of the oldest breeds, now almost extinct. Mexican hog n. the collared peccary, Tayassu tajacu. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Artiodactyla (cloven-hoofed animals) > [noun] > group Suiformes (hippos and pigs) > family Suidae (swine) > genus Dicotyles > peccary > white-lipped peccary warree1697 Mexican hog1771 tagnicati1827 1771 T. Pennant Synopsis Quadrupeds 72 Hogs..Mexican..Tajacu..Mexican musk hog. 1797 Encycl. Brit. XI. 673/1 The animals which are common to both countries [sc. Mexico and Peru] are, the Mexican hog, the moufete, the opossum [etc.]. 1836 M. Holley Texas v. 95 The Pecari or Mexican hog is even yet occasionally met with on the frontiers, in considerable gangs. 1995 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 26 Mar. 1 h/2 Mexican hogs nuzzle each other on the Castro Brothers farm. Mexican lily n. a bulbous plant with scarlet flowers, Hippeastrum reginae (family Amaryllidaceae), native to tropical America and West Africa. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > daffodil and allied flowers > amaryllis lily daffodil1733 belladonna lily1734 lily asphodel1753 Mexican lily1760 amaryllis1785 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 317 Mexican Lily Amaryllis. 1861 Amer. Agriculturist Jan. 19/3 And we will just add that Mexican Lilies, and gladioli should have corresponding treatment. 1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Lily, Hippeastrum reginae. Categories » Mexican madroño n. see madroño n. Mexican mulberry n. a small-leaved mulberry, Morus microphylla, of Mexico and the south-western United States. ΚΠ 1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 128 Morus microphylla Buckley... Mexican Mulberry. 1969 T. H. Everett Living Trees of World xiv. 140/2 The Mexican mulberry (M. microphylla) is rarely 25 feet tall and may have a trunk up to 15 inches in diameter. It..is perhaps a variety of M. celtidifolia. Mexican onyx n. = onyx marble n. at onyx n. and adj. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1892 E. S. Dana J. D. Dana's Syst. Mineral. (ed. 6) 268 Mexican onyx is a similar material obtained from Tecali, Puebla, Mexico; also in a brecciated form from the extinct crater of Zempoaltepec in southern Mexico. a1902 F. Norris Pit (1903) iv. 115 He was a small, excitable man who wore..enormous cuffs set off with huge buttons of Mexican onyx. 1959 C. S. Hurlbut Dana's Man. Mineral. (ed. 17) 337 Onyx marble, known as Mexican onyx, is banded calcite and/or aragonite and is used as a decorative material. Mexican orange n. an evergreen Mexican shrub, Choisya ternata (family Rutaceae), widely cultivated for its fragrant white flowers. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > American or West Indian ramgoat bush1566 burton-wood1697 cowage cherry1725 Jack-in-the-busha1726 screw tree1739 lady of the night1752 goatweed1756 solandra1797 silk-tassel1833 garrya1835 matico1839 choisya1840 Romneya1845 jointer1847 creosote-bush1851 creosote-plant1854 bridal wreath1856 ocotillo1856 adelaster1863 sage rose1864 white horse1864 tree poppy1866 Tacsonia1869 rain tree1877 piquillin bush1884 tassel-bush1891 bush poppy1899 Mexican orange1923 shrimp plant1941 1923 Standardized Plant Names (Amer. Joint Comm. Hort. Nomencl.) 79 Choisya—Mexican-orange. 1924 L. H. Bailey Man. Cultivated Plants 443 C[hoisy] ternata, HBK. Mexican-Orange, from the fragrance of the orange-like blossoms. 1975 Times 5 July 10/5 (caption) The Mexican orange..and Senecio laxifolius..both respond well to hand trimming. 1987 C. Lloyd Year at Great Dixter 88 The Mexican orange, Choisya ternata, carries on the air, and I have even mistaken its scent for tobacco smoke. Mexican orange-blossom n. = Mexican orange n. ΚΠ 1969 R. Hay & P. M. Synge Dict. Garden Plants 277/3 Choisya..ternata, sometimes known as Mexican Orange Blossom. 1998 A. Sturgeon Planted 37/2 It is good to use scented plants such as Mexican orange blossom and fragrant viburnum. Mexican orange flower n. now rare = Mexican orange n. ΚΠ 1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 178/2 Choisya ternata, Mexican Orange-flower. 1890 Cent. Dict. at Orange-flower Mexican orange-flower, a handsome white-flowered shrub, Choisya ternata. 1899 G. Jekyll Wood & Garden vi. 71 On the southern sides of the same gateway are two large bushes of the Mexican orange-flower (Choisya ternata), loaded with its orange-like blooms. 1964 F. Perry Gardening in Colour 64/2 C. ternata Mexican Orange Flower. † Mexican orange-flower tree n. Obsolete rare = Mexican orange n. ΚΠ 1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 99/1 Mexican Orange-flower-tree. Choisya ternata. Mexican persimmon n. a persimmon, Diospyros texana, of Mexico and the south-western United States. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular fruit-tree or -plant > [noun] > trees or plants bearing stone fruit > persimmon-tree persimmon1626 persimmon tree1649 Mexican persimmon1846 Sharon fruit1977 1846 J. Gregg Diary (1941) I. 239 Among other wild fruits of this vicinity, that called..generally by Americans, black persimmon (or Mexican or Mustang persimmon) a black fruit about half the bulk of the common persimmon. 1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 24 Black persimmon, the persimmon tree (Diospyros texana) of southwest Texas. Its other names include the mustang persimmon, possum plum, chapote and Mexican persimmon. Mexican pizza n. pizza made with Mexican-style ingredients, such as chilli powder, beans, etc., usually on a tortilla base. ΚΠ 1953 San Antonio (Texas) Express 25 Apr. 5/4 Naturally, the Italians love their Pizza Pie, and Weyman's is notable for its sly originality in concocting this tasty dish. Mr. Weyman himself created the idea of Mexican Pizza Pie.] 1953 San Antonio (Texas) Light 10 July 15/1 That cozy little rendezvous on the Austin Highway, Rafaelo's..is the place where I steered my accomplice last Tuesday night and while he ordered the Cabrito Dinner and I had the Mexican Pizza, we halved each order between us in true Italian style. 1968 Chicago Tribune 30 Aug. ii. 12/3 Mexican pizza..1 package frozen or refrigerated ready mixed dough..2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce..1/2 teaspoon each: oregano, chili powder [etc.]. 1978 Sunset June 170 Mexican pizza..bean and cheese, with taco sauce, sour cream. 1999 Texas Monthly Nov. 106/4 The Mexican pizza with chiles, sausage, black olives, and tomato sauce on a crisp flour tortilla is quite tasty. Mexican poppy n. (a) a prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, with spiny leaves and yellow flowers, which is native to Central America, is grown for ornament, and has become a weed in many warm countries; (b) U.S. regional any of several plants of the south-western United States that have poppy-like flowers. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > poppy and allied flowers > allied flowers poppyOE horned poppy1548 yellow poppy1548 sea poppy1562 garden poppy1577 wind-rose1597 prickly poppy1648 squatmore1691 oriental poppy1731 Welsh poppy1731 infernal fig1760 Mexican poppy1811 Meconopsis1836 redcap1846 horn-poppy1851 squirrel-corn1856 eschscholtzia1857 dielytra1864 Dicentra1866 yellow thistle1866 turkey-corn1884 Shirley poppy1886 1811–12 W. J. Titford Sketches Hortus Botanicus Americanus 74 Mexican poppy. See explanation of Plate IX. Fig. 1. 1846 G. R. Gibson Jrnl. Soldier 16 July (1935) 150 I noticed a large thistle, the leaves a light blue, and the flower a rich white one, similar in size and appearance to a hollyhock but more delicate when close to it, now called ‘Mexican poppy’. 1936 F. Clune Roaming round Darling xxi. 211 We crossed a score of creeks in ten miles, fringed by tobacco-bush with privetlike leaves, and Mexican poppy simulating a Scotch thistle. 1951 T. H. Kearney et al. Flowering Plants & Ferns Arizona (ed. 2) 492 This plant [sc. Kallstroemia grandiflora], often locally known as Arizona-poppy, Mexican-poppy, and summer-poppy. 1995 Smithsonian Jan. 80 A few desert basins have been freckled with..hot oranges of Mexican poppies. 1998 R. J. Taylor Desert Wildflowers N. Amer. 220 Mexican poppy Eschscholzia mexicana. Mexican prickly poppy n. the prickly poppy Argemone mexicana. ΚΠ 1848 A. Gray Man. Bot. Northern U.S. 26 Argemone Mexicana, L. (Mexican Prickly Poppy.) 1955 Culture of Vegetables & Flowers (Sutton & Sons) (ed. 21) 214 Although in its native home the Mexican prickly poppy is a perennial, it thrives best in this country when grown as an annual. 1974 G. Usher Dict. Plants used by Man 390/1 Mexican Prickly Poppy, Argemone mexicana. Mexican saddle n. a saddle with a high pommel and cantle, long heavy flaps and (originally) wooden stirrups. ΚΠ 1839 C. A. Murray Trav. N. Amer. I. 380 Seated in a Mexican peak-saddle..he seemed a part of the animal which he bestrode.] 1846 in Calif. Hist. Soc. Q. (1942) 21 203 Many of them [sc. Indians] had Mexican saddles, cartridge boxes, and different parts of the Mexican dress. 1865 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 59/2 A Mexican saddle,—out of which you can scarcely fall. 1910 J. Hart Vigilante Girl 345 She galloped on in her high-peaked Mexican saddle. 1999 Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 23 May 1 b A rawhide-covered Mexican saddle with a horn as big as a saucer. Mexican sarsaparilla n. now rare sarsaparilla derived from Smilax medica; the plant itself. ΚΠ 1840 J. Pereira Elements Materia Medica II. 663 Mexican Sarsaparilla. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1066/1 Mexican Sarsaparilla is yielded by Smilax medica. 1974 F. N. Howes Dict. Useful & Everyday Plants 162 Mexican sarsaparilla, Smilax sp. Mexican scammony n. rare a purgative drug obtained from the roots of the Mexican plant Ipomoea orizabensis (family Convolvulaceae); the plant itself. ΚΠ 1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 1551/1 Mexican scammony, Ipomoea. 1974 G. Usher Dict. Plants used by Man 320/2 Ipomoea orizabensis. (Mexican Scammony). Mexican sheep n. U.S. regional (now chiefly historical) a hardy, long-legged, coarse-woolled sheep descended from Spanish breeds and adapted for survival in the dry regions of Mexico and the southern United States. ΚΠ 1860 G. W. Kendall Let. 9 Jan. in Lett. from Texas Sheep Ranch (1959) 38 It is not among Mexican sheep alone that losses have occurred. 1969 V. W. Lehmann Forgotten Legions viii. 111 The original Mexican sheep had outstanding ability to survive and reproduce in an often inhospitable environment. † Mexican snakeroot n. Obsolete rare a milkweed, Asclepias decumbens, of the south-western United States. ΚΠ 1890 J. S. Billings National Med. Dict. II Mexican snakeroot, Asclepiodora decumbens Gray; plant used as a specific for snake-bite. Mexican tea n. (a) a strongly scented tropical American goosefoot, Chenopodium ambrosioides, used esp. in Mexico and the United States to make a refreshing or medicinal drink; (b) any of several other plants of South America or the south-western United States from which beverages or tonics can be made. ΚΠ 1787 J. D. Schöpf Materia Med. Amer. 31 Chenopodium ambrosioides... Mexican tea. 1836 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants (rev. ed.) 638 Psoralea glandulosa, Mexican tea. 1901 C. T. Mohr Plant Life Alabama 488 Mexican tea..Carolinian and Louisianan areas. 1944 Bull. Alabama Geol. Surv. No. 53. 96 Mexican tea..prefers rich soil near houses and barns. 1994 M. Griffiths Index Garden Plants 745/1 Mexican Tea, Chenopodium ambrosioides. Mexican thistle n. (a) the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana; (b) any of several other spiny Mexican plants. ΚΠ 1837 J. Macfadyen Flora Jamaica I. 20 Argemone Mexicana. Mexican or Gamboge Thistle. 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1145/2 Thistle, Mexican. Erythrolæna conspicua. 1890 Cent. Dict. at Thistle Mexican thistle, Cnicus (Erythrolæna) conspicuus, a tall plant with rigid spiny leaves,..with yellow florets and scarlet involucral scales. 1906 F. Blersch Handbk. Agric. S. Afr. 144 Mexican poppy or yellow poppy, usually called Mexican thistle at the cape. 1951 T. H. Kearney et al. Flowering Plants & Ferns Arizona (ed. 2) 624 Eryngium heterophyllum...Known locally as Mexican-thistle. The flowers are pale blue. 1992 Los Angeles Times 18 Mar. e1/2 Wildflowers have texture, form, shape, and colour... The Mexican thistle is one of my favorites—you only find them in West Texas—sort of a rich purple. Mexican tiger-flower n. now rare the peacock tiger-flower, Tigridia pavonia (family Iridaceae). ΚΠ 1805 Gen. Indexes to Plants in First 21 Vols. Bot. Mag. 37 Tigridia Pavonia..Mexican Tiger-flower. 1836 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants (rev. ed.) 562 Tigridia Pavonia. Mexican Tiger Flower. 1951 Dict. Gardening (Royal Hort. Soc.) III. 1296/1 Mexican tiger flower, see Tigridia. Mexican walking fish n. Australian the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum; cf. walking fish n. 1. ΚΠ 1962 Austral. Govt. Publ. (National Libr. Austral.) 46 The axolotl or Mexican walking fish. 1985 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 19 Oct. Rodney has bred the shubunkins, fan tail black moors and axolotl (amphibious Mexican walking fish) as a hobby for the past 25 years. 2007 C. Burgess & C. Dubbs Animals in Space iv. 100 Both Kumulus two-stage sounding rockets would carry biological specimens... The first living passenger was..a completely aquatic amphibian known as the Mexican axolotl or Mexican walking fish. † Mexican weasel n. Obsolete rare the kinkajou, Potos flavus. ΚΠ 1890 Cent. Dict. at Mexican Mexican weasel, same as kinkajou. C2. Chiefly U.S. (derogatory and usually considered offensive). a. Designating anything of inferior, fraudulent, or makeshift quality, as Mexican bankroll, Mexican promotion, etc.; (also) used in (humorous or ironic) names given to simple or basic devices or processes compared unfavourably with more advanced or sophisticated equivalents, as Mexican overdrive, Mexican side-loader, etc. ΚΠ 1912 N.Y. Evening Jrnl. 5 Mar. 14 I'm going to be a mexican athlete. Throw the bull about being a fighter and get away with it. 1935 Amer. Speech 10 79/1 Mexican seabag, a newspaper or paper bag in which the poor sailor carries his belongings. 1941 G. R. Lee G-string Murders xx. 286 What was harder for me to understand was where Biff got the bankroll. It was no Mexican; the twenties went right through to the bottom.] 1950 H. E. Goldin Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 138/1 Mexican bankroll, 1. A roll of paper with a bank note of large denomination wrapped around the outside to simulate a bankroll—for use in swindling. 2. A roll of single bills wrapped inside a bank note of a large denomination to be exhibited for effect. 1955 Amer. Speech 30 94 Mexican overdrive, a term used for coasting down hill with gears disengaged. 1960 N.Z. Listener 21 Oct. 7/3 ‘The banjo?’ ‘A shovel. Some people call it a Mexican side-loader.’ 1962 Western Folklore 21 28 A ‘Mexican credit card’, (a hose and siphon used for pilfering gasoline at night) is known in the Southwest. 1971 C. Winick & P. M. Kinsie Lively Commerce 117 A pimp often has a ‘Mexican bankroll’, a large bill on the outside covering a roll of singles. 1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 160 Mexican promotion, an offensive term meaning an impressive new title but no increase in pay. b. Mexican standoff n. [see standoff adj. 3] a deadlock, stalemate, impasse; a roughly equal (and frequently unsatisfactory) outcome to a conflict in which there is no clear winner or loser; (also formerly) a massacre in cold blood. ΚΠ 1876 Sunday Mercury (N.Y.) 19 Mar. 2/5 ‘Go–!’ said he sternly then. ‘We will call it a stand-off, a Mexican stand-off, you lose your money, but you save your life!’ 1891 N.Y. Sporting Times 19 Sept. 4/3 ‘Monk’ Cline, who got a Mexican stand-off from Dave Rowe has signed with Louisville. 1904 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (at cited word) Boys, as fur as the coin goes, we're out an' injured; we jest made a ‘Mexican standoff’—lost our money, but saved our lives. 1929 G. L. Hostetter & T. Q. Beesley It's a Racket! 231 Mexican stand-off, to kill in cold blood. 1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra (1935) vii. 222 The men were the victims of the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago, when seven men were given the Mexican stand-off against the inside wall of a gang garage. 1958 ‘W. Henry’ Seven Men at Mimbres Springs xvi. 189 I rightly and firmly believe we've taken some of the flap out of Mangas's shirttails and can turn this thing into a Mexican stand-off, given any luck at all. 1979 D. MacKenzie Raven settles Score 26 As things stood it was a Mexican standoff. He couldn't go to the law but..nor could the Koreans. C3. In other uses. Mexican-American n. and adj. (a) n. a Mexican settler or person of Mexican descent in the United States; (b) adj. of or relating to Mexican settlers or their descendants in the United States. ΘΚΠ the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of U.S.A. > [noun] > by country of origin American1648 African1700 High Dutch1773 Low Dutch1773 German-American1775 African American1782 Anglo-American1785 Irish-American1786 Africo-American1788 American African1826 Pennsylvania German1827 Pennsylvania Dutch1831 Afro-American1833 far-downer1834 Mexicano1847 knickerbocker1848 Chinese-American1854 Italian–American1873 Polish-American1876 Polacker1883 roundhead1895 hunk1896 Polack1898 Senegambian1900 bohunk1903 honky1904 hunyak1911 Turk1914 boho1920 Anglo1923 Euro-American1925 turkey1932 narrowback1933 nisei1934 roundheader1934 pachuco1943 pocho1944 Latino1946 Chicano1947 Mexican-American1948 Asian American1952 Amerasian1957 Chicana1966 Afrikan1972 Hispanic1972 the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of North America > native or inhabitant of U.S.A. > [adjective] > by country of origin African1722 American1761 Low Dutch1774 Pennsylvania Dutch1792 Anglo-American1797 Irish-American1820 Africo-American1825 American African1826 Afro-American1831 Polish-American1850 Chinese-American1854 Italian–American1854 Russo-American1878 African American1885 Senegambian1911 Afrikan1929 Mexican-American1948 Asian American1950 Amerasian1965 Chicano1966 Anglo1968 Tejano1978 1948 B. Griffith Amer. Me Introd. p. x With World War II, the younger Mexican Americans have gained about ten years in Americanization. 1950 G. C. Barker Pachuco 5 In many cities of the American Southwest there are today Mexican-American boys who are known..as pachucos. 1953 Jrnl. Social Issues 9 i. 26 Another fortunate situation has been the fact that our Mexican-American membership has been the most insistent and aggressive in the fight against the illegal alien from Mexico, popularly called the wetback. 1964 S. M. Miller in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 293 This urban poor is composed of many strands:..Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans. 1973 Black Panther 21 July 14/1 The Mexican-American workers in the canneries. 1996 Entertainm. Weekly 29 Mar. 55/2 Selena's success had been a tremendous source of pride to Mexican-Americans. Mexican dollar n. now historical (a) the Mexican peso, a silver eight-real coin formerly used as currency in the United States, China, the Philippines, and elsewhere in East Asia (cf. dollar n. 4a); (b) the standard unit of money in trading ports of East Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries (paper money issued by British and other banks in China between the 1860s and 1920s were denominated in Mexican Dollars). ΚΠ 1783 G. G. Beekman Let. 18 Aug. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) III. 991 I now inclose you the fourth bill..for 444 Mexican Dollars on the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States at the Court of Madrid, endorsed to you by Gerard Wm. Beekman. 1854 Harper's Mag. Apr. 588/1 Upon the board was displayed..the lure in the shape of Mexican dollars. 1995 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 24 Jan. 1/2 The..Banking Corp. issued bearer notes—in effect, currency—denominated in ‘Mexican Dollars’. Mexican shilling n. U.S. regional (now historical) a silver one-real coin of Mexico, formerly used as currency in the United States as one-eighth of a dollar. ΚΠ 1889 Cent. Dict. Bit, a silver coin formerly current (in some States called a Mexican shilling), of the value of 12½ cents. Mexican Spanish n. the form of Spanish spoken in Mexico. ΚΠ 1851 E. S. Wortley Trav. in U.S. II. i. 12 She explained to me, in a remarkably intelligible mixture of Mexican-Spanish, English, French, German, Indian, Scotch, and any thing else that came into her head..her reasons for this occasional indisposition on her part to receive guests of her own sex. 1918 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 24 135 Writers in Mexico often urge the purification of Mexican-Spanish, the restoration of it to academic perfection. 1991 Lang. in Society 20 671 Sabine River Spanish is a derivative of rural archaic Mexican Spanish with etymological overlays of Louisiana French, English, and Amerindian loans. Mexican trader n. ΚΠ 1826 H. G. Rogers in H. C. Dale Ashley-Smith Explor. (1918) 208 He is what they term here [i.e. in the Los Angeles area] a Mexican trader. 1959 J. Prebble Buffalo Soldiers 172 The comancheros, Mexican traders from the Rio Grande. 1990 Texas Highways Mar. 35/1 Not far away lies the Valle de las Lenguas, so named because it brought together Indians of different tribes, Mexican traders, and Anglo renegades. Mexican War n. the war of 1846–8 between the United States and Mexico. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > war > types of war > [noun] > other specific war Punic War1556 Vandal war1613 American Civil War1775 Seven Years War1775 Revolutionary Wara1784 Peninsular war1811 Great War1815 Mormon war1833 opium war1841 the Thirty Years' War1841 the Thirty Years' War1842 Mexican War1846 Napoleonic War1850 Crimean War1854 Hundred Years War1874 Balkan war1881 Boer War1883 Winter War1939 Six Day War1967 Yom Kippur War1973 Gulf War1981 Falklands conflict1982 1846 Dollar Newspaper (Philadelphia) 27 May 3/1 (heading) The Mexican War. 1881 Harper's Mag. Jan. 258/2 The Mexican War..the Abolitionists declared..was waged to obtain new territory for the extension of slavery. 1931 E. O'Neill Homecoming i, in Mourning becomes Electra (1932) 19 He went to the Mexican War and come out a major. 1996 Civil War Mag. Aug. 20/2 Jefferson Columbus Davis left home at 17 to fight in the Mexican War. Mexican wave n. see wave n. 2e. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.adj.1578
随便看	beckon beckoned beckoning beckoningly beckons becks beclam beclamour beclang beclap beclart beclasp beclasped beclasping beclasps beclatter beclaw beclepe beclip beclipping becloak becloaked becloaking becloaks beclog