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February 24, 2005

pistolero (pist-LAY-ro) noun

A gunman; hired killer.
[From Spanish, from pistola (pistol), via German from Czech pístala (pipe, fife).]
"A pistolero wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt approached a 22-year-old pedestrian near the corner of Le Conte and Euclid avenues about 10:58 p.m. Thursday and relieved him of his cell phone and the contents of his wallet." Richard Brenneman; Police Blotter; Berkeley Daily Planet; Feb 11, 2005.

"Like a menacing pistolero in a Clint Eastwood Western, Alvarado entered the Atlanta Sporting Club with his skilled palms itching and vengeance on his mind."
Hank Hersch; Meet the Houdini of Handball; Sports Illustrated (New York); Oct 1, 1990.


This week's theme: words borrowed from Spanish.

PronunciationRealAudio

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http://wordsmith.org/words/pistolero.html

Posted by Keya at February 24, 2005 06:48 PM
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