Pollito............

Question

I know, diminutive little chicken but look at our dictionary entry:

Chickens: applied to boys and girls of tender age.

What on earth does that mean? What is tender age? That sounds really creepy. Does that mean humans? I think this guy called Elmo a pollito on Sesame Street.

Gracias.

So true! Esta definición parece necesario mejorar ... highly subjective. - Lector_Constante, Apr 13, 2011

Answer 1

It maybe someone's idea of a term of endearment - after all, we've had people ask about "ranita" and similar animal names as terms of endearment here. I don't use it that way, and can't think of anyone who calls kids that way either, but who knows....

Answer 2

Hey why not, Frank Zappa famously named all of his wife's toes, then named his son after one of them, remember Dweezil Zappa? To each his own I guess!

Dweezel is the name of a toe? I didn't know that! - Gekkosan, Apr 13, 2011

I think it was only Frank Zappa that used it. - ian-hill, Apr 13, 2011

Yeah, I realize that - but I always though it was a weird name for a kid, not that he had given a weird name to a toe, first and *then* named his kid after that! Sheesh... - Gekkosan, Apr 14, 2011

Answer 3

It is definitely used as a term of endearment between lovers, at least in Perú. My brother in-law is from Lima, so I'm around a lot of Peruvians and I hear this a lot.

Answer 4

Chick / little chicken --------- chica / chico