pachuco

American  

[puh-choo-koh, pah-choo-kaw] / pəˈtʃu koʊ, pɑˈtʃu kɔ /

noun

plural

pachucos

1. a Mexican American member of a young street gang subculture popular during the first half of the 20th century and known for its flamboyant style and fashion, similar in many ways to the zoot-suit subculture.

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Pachuco British  

/ pəˈtʃuːkəʊ /

noun

1. a young Mexican living in the US, esp one of low social status who belongs to a street gang

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Etymology

Origin of pachuco

First recorded in 1940–45; from Spanish (Mexico, southwestern U.S.) : probably originally a resident of El Paso, Texas, equivalent to (El) Pas(o) + -uco pejorative noun suffix, with expressive replacement of s by ch; compare Mexican Spanish pachuco “worthless card hand,” derivative of paso “pass”

Example Sentences

A video of Vietnamese men dressed in pachuco style has gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about appropriation and who gets to partake in the culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2024

In Mexico City, dance halls began catering to a clientele that donned pachuco styles — one of which, the Salón Los Ángeles, operates to this day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2023

The Mexican immigrant was familiar with zoot suits through the films of the Mexican comedian Tin-Tan, who satirized pachuco culture in a series of films in the 1940s and 1950s.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2023

Like many other teen-age Mexican Americans, Chavez became a pachuco, affecting a zoot suit with pegged pants, a broad flat hat and a ducktail haircut.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some sociologists now see the pachuco movement as the first example of militant separatism among Chicanos, an assertion of a distinct identity hostile to Anglo culture.

From Time Magazine Archive