Yuma

n. In Cuba, a nickname for the United States. Subjects: Spanish, Cuba

Editorial Note: In Spanish, the word is used with the definite article: La Yuma. Etymological Note: The etymological information in the 1996 cite and last 2004 cite is unverified. Another claim that it comes from a corrupted pronunciation by Cubans of the English words “united states” is less likely.

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Citations: 1991 Don Rosen Orange County Register (California) (May 19) “After treacherous voyage, refugees seek fresh start in Irvine” p. H9: For years they dreamed of coming to “la yuma,” as the United States is known in Cuba. 1996 [golo1945@aol.com (GOLO1945)] Usenet: soc.culture.cuba (Jan. 21) “Re: What does gusano mean?”: Tu si te las sabes todas, desde el Rosita de Hornedo hasta lo de la Yuma. Efectivamente, no se si te recuerdas, se trataba de una pelicula de Glenn Ford, “The 3:10 to Yuma” Asi creo que se llamaba. Esta pelicula cuando la echaron formo tremendo revuelo, pues en los cines en esos dias lo que estaban “echando” era pura bazofia del campo socialista. Se formaron tremendas colas y la gente comenzo a popularizar y asociar Yuma con USA. 2004 Anita Snow @ Cojimar, Cuba Miami Herald (Florida) (Aug. 11) “Repeat of ‘94 ‘Rafter’ Crisis Less”: The upheaval of 1994 began when thousands of Cubans crowded Havana’s sea wall to cheer on the latest of many ferry hijackings by passengers bent on reaching “La Yuma”—slang for the United States. *2004 Tom Miller Traveler’s Tales (Aug. 12) “Cuba: Introduction”: In Cuban street slang, yuma means a foreigner, more specifically, someone from a non-Spanish speaking European or North American country, and most particularly, from the United States. When someone asks my brother-in-law where his sister went, he might say, “Se fue pa’ la yuma.” She went to the United States. Or an American tourist strolling down Havana’s Prado might hear, “¡Oye, yuma! ¡Ven acá!” Hey ‘merican, com’ere! Yuma is a word unknown in Mexico or any other Spanish-speaking country that I know of. Cubans have always liked our Westerns going back deep into the Batista years, including the Glenn Ford classic, 3:10 to Yuma. The movie, popular in theaters and on Cuban television, was quintessentially American. Based on a 1953 Elmore Leonard short story, it portrayed the nuance of cowboy honor and obligation. In the quirky way that one language absorbs the sounds and images of another, Cuba, which has embraced so many American totems, has taken Yuma if not to its heart, at least to its tongue. The Cuban street-slang yuma derives directly from the film 3:10 to Yuma.

Posted 12 Aug 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend