pincho

What it means

1. 1.

   A boss, a senior official, someone with a state post and the privileges that come with it. Said with resentment far more often than respect.

2. 2.

   Pincho grande: a really senior figure. Un pinchito is a petty official who behaves like one.

Examples with translations

• Eso lo resuelve un pincho, nosotros no.

  Only somebody with pull can fix that, not us.

• Llegó en un carro del Estado, es un pincho.

  He turned up in a state car, he's one of the bosses.

Where it comes from

Origin uncertain. The usual guess connects it to pincho, 'spike, point', as a figure for someone at the top; an alternative reads it as a clipping of the military rank pincho de alta graduación. No documentation settles it, and Cubans themselves offer both.

First attested: 1970s

Other forms

Similar terms:

mayimbe