Glossary

 

Aficionado- an enthusiast or an amateur. It's a common expression to describe people who are into bullfighting and flamenco, without being bullfighters or artists themselves.

 

Amontillado- a smooth bodied dark brown sherry, aged for a very long time.

 

Bodega- wine cellar. Jerez is dotted with many bodegas dedicated to the production of sherry.

 

Buleria- the flamenco style par excellence of Jerez and certainly the most rhythmic and catchy. Bulerias por fiesta is the most common form in Jerez, a very lively and fast version in which any number of people will get up and dance a small portion. You haven't seen the Buleria until you've experienced it in Jerez!

 

Cante- flamenco song. A well respected flamencologist claimed that there were 832 known styles of cante in Flamenco, many of which share similarities in rhythm. They would have to.

 

Cantaor- a flamenco singer (f. cantaora)

 

Casco historico- also called casco antiguo, the old part of town.

 

Cream- a sweeter form of sherry, a blend of oloroso and a sweet wine made with a grape variety called Pedro Jimenez.

 

Fino- a light, pale form of sherry, very smooth on the palate and excellent with seafood, or as an aperitif with tapas.

 

Gitano/a- gypsy.

 

Guitarrista- guitarist

 

Jerez- the word which Brits couldn't pronounce and so therefore came up with "sherry". Jerez was known in Phoenician times as Xera, to the Romans Ceret, and under the Muslims, Sherish. The name of the city is also the name of its internationally famous wine.

 

Juerga- a flamenco term to denote a very late night gathering which involves singing, and possibly guitar and dancing, and lots of drinking. Alcohol is a key element to the juerga and for many, good flamenco doesn't come out sober. You decide for yourself.

 

Juncal- a knower, an expert in flamenco, a title not given out freely.

 

Oloroso- a darker, drier form of sherry, fuller bodied, nut colored and also excellent for a tipple before meals or to use in cooking.

 

Palmas- the percussive hand clapping in various flamenco styles such as the Buleria.

 

Palmero- not to be confused with palmera, which is a date palm. The palmeros provide the percussive clapping key to such flamenco styles as the Buleria. Their participation is essential and a palmero can make or break a performance.

 

Payo- a non-gypsy.

   

Peña- any social club or gathering, in Jerez it is used to denote associations dedicated to flamenco.

 

Semana Santa- The week-long exhaltation of the passion of Jesus Christ, celebrated in Jerez with some thirty odd brotherhoods that march in processions with elaborately carved floats depicting Christ in various moments of his crucifixtion and the Virgin Mary. Begins with "Domingo de Ramos" or Palm Sunday and culminates with "Domingo de Resureccion" or Easter Sunday, not really celebrated with the same zeal as during the rest of the week.

Tapas- the ubiquitous snacks that everyone associates with Spain. A tapa is a small serving. It is said that the tradition of the tapa was begun in the region, starting out as a way of keeping flies off of bar customers drinks. They can be as simple as some cheese or iberian ham, or elaborate creations that with a few, make a meal in itself.

 

Toque- the playing of flamenco guitar.

 

Zambomba- a Christmas carol Andalusian style, with lively music (mostly flamenco rhythms). Beginning around the end of November, there are zambombas everywhere, in bars, penas, out on the street, and in the patios of families homes as it was traditionally. The zambomba itself is an interesting type of water drum, a long clay jar with a cloth stretched over it and a cane sticking out, which is wetted and rubbed to produce a low vibrating sound. Very unique to Jerez and an opportunity for some wonderful flamenco dancing and singing.

 

"Jerezanismos".

What in the world are these people saying? Even Spaniards from Madrid have a hard time understanding what is being said on the streets of Jerez. Common in the Andalusian dialect is the absence of the "s" and the "d" in the pronunciation if they come in the middle or the end of the words. So pescado becomes, pehcao and langostinos becomes, langohtino. The "r" is rarely pronounced if it comes at the end of the word, so escuchar becomes ehcucha, hablar becomes habla. To further confuse things, the pronounciation of the "c" and the "s" becomes confused with respects to the way peninsular spanish speakers pronounce with a lisp (i.e. civilizacion being pronounced thee-vee-lee-thah-thion). So "servicios" become zerbisios (pronounced ther-bee-see-ohs) and "salsa" becomes "zalza" (pronounced thal-tha). And you will have to ehcucha a lot if you want to  habla like a real Jerezano, but this guide, which I will continue adding to, may help. Suerte, cojone!

 

Carajo- an expletive referring to the male sexual member, but used in a number of different situations, i.e. vete al carajo-"go to hell", no me importa un carajo-"I don't give a damn", una noche de carajo-"A really great night", ta qui alcarajo "you're pulling my leg."

 

Chalao- word meaning "crazy", i.e. "esta chalao" (he's crazy).

Chapao- to say that something is closed, i.e. "está chapao".

 

Chocho- the female sexual member, used as a term of enderment when speaking to friends.

 

Cojones- referring to a man's testicles, used often in exclamation, i.e., "que pasa cojones"-what's up, man?

 

 "Echar un cable"-meaning to give a hand, to help out.

 

Gacho or Gachi- Masculine and feminine word used in Jerez to describe non-gypsies.

 

Mamaracho- a word used to describe something stupid, silly, worthless or a waste of time, something in bad taste.

Majara- other word for crazy. "Majarete", a little crazy.

Una mijita- meaning, a little bit, a small amount.

Mostro- someone who is excellent, who excells in their art, used to refer to flamenco artists usually. Probably from the word "maestro" (master or teacher), which is not usually said to someone in Jerez as it is considered bad luck: many years ago, more than most people can remember, a bullfighter was killed in the Jerez bullring by a bull nicknamed "maestro".

 

 

Picha-the male sexual member, used as a term of endearment among men, as a way of saying "man" or "dude".

"Quitarte lo bailao"-If you eat, drink, and be merry, later regardless of what ill fortune may befall you, at least you "had your dance". An expression oft used, an insight to the Jerezano way of viewing life.

 

Sembrao- literally "planted", but used to comment favorably on a person, i.e. "esta sembrao", meaning he's really cool or great.