Vincent Gordon

In Mexico the word is vacaciones, almost always plural.

In Mexico ice cream is called helado, but many Mexicans, especially at nieve stands, say nieve for ice cream or sorbet.

The standard word is ladrón for a man and ladrona for a woman. In Mexico a petty thief is often called a ratero.

The fruit is melón in Mexican Spanish, with an accent on the last syllable. It is masculine, so el melón.

In Mexico “pants” is pantalón, or pantalones in the plural, and both mean trousers. Denim pants are often just called jeans.

In Mexico the word is dólar, and the plural is dólares. Mexicans use it for the United States dollar, since Mexico’s own currency is the peso.

In Mexican Spanish “leave me alone” is Déjame en paz. To say you want to be alone, a man says Déjame solo and a woman says Déjame sola.

The country is China in Mexican Spanish, as in all Spanish. A Chinese man is chino, a Chinese woman is china, and the language is chino.

A daisy is a margarita in Mexico, and the word is also a common girl’s name.

In Mexico the usual way to say “congratulations” is Felicidades. Felicitaciones is also understood, and enhorabuena sounds formal.