nacho
B1Informal, colloquial
Definition
Meaning
A Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla chip, typically triangular, topped with melted cheese and often other ingredients like jalapeños.
Can refer to the individual chip with its toppings, a portion or plate of them, or used attributively to describe dishes, flavours, or products related to this food.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a concrete noun for food. The plural form 'nachos' is far more common in usage, often referring to the dish collectively.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is understood in both varieties, but the dish is more commonly found and referenced in American contexts due to proximity to Mexican cuisine.
Connotations
In the US, strongly associated with casual dining, sports bars, fast food, and Tex-Mex cuisine. In the UK, often associated with 'Mexican-style' restaurant chains and supermarket snack aisles.
Frequency
Higher frequency in American English; understood but less central to everyday food culture in British English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to order/ have/ eat/serve nachosnachos with [topping, e.g., guacamole]a portion/bowl/plate of nachosVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “nacho cheese (also slang for something excessively sentimental or tacky, chiefly US)”
- “nacho ordinary [X] (pun-based advertising slogan)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in contexts of food service, hospitality, or retail (e.g., 'nacho sales increased').
Academic
Extremely rare, except in anthropological or cultural studies of food.
Everyday
Common in social, dining, and casual contexts (e.g., 'Let's get nachos to share.').
Technical
Used in culinary and food service industries regarding recipes and menus.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We can nacho the crisps by adding melted cheese and salsa. (informal, non-standard, very rare)
American English
- He offered to nacho the chips for the game. (informal, non-standard, rare)
adjective
British English
- I love the nacho flavour crisps.
- They served a nacho-style dip.
American English
- We need more nacho cheese for the party.
- He ordered the nacho platter.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I like nachos.
- We eat nachos at the restaurant.
- Shall we share a plate of nachos before the main course?
- These nachos have cheese and peppers on them.
- The pub serves excellent loaded nachos with minced beef, sour cream, and guacamole.
- For a quick snack, I sometimes make nachos in the microwave.
- Critiquing the authenticity of the nachos, she noted the use of processed cheese sauce rather than freshly grated cheddar.
- The menu featured an innovative deconstructed nacho dish that divided opinion among the diners.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'NACHO' problem if you have a plate of these cheesy chips to share!
Conceptual Metaphor
NACHOS ARE A SOCIAL LUBRICANT (often associated with sharing, casual gatherings, watching sports).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not to be confused with 'начо' (non-existent) or 'начет' (accounting). It is a loanword, often transliterated as 'начос'.
- The singular 'nacho' is rarely used; the plural 'nachos' is the default form.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'nacho' as a countable singular in everyday contexts (e.g., 'I ate a nacho' is grammatically possible but unusual; 'I ate some nachos/a nacho chip' is more natural).
- Misspelling as 'natchos'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'nacho' MOST commonly used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both, but it is almost always used in the plural form 'nachos' to refer to the dish. The singular 'nacho' refers to one single topped chip, which is a rare usage.
It is widely accepted to be from the nickname 'Nacho' of Ignacio Anaya, a Mexican maître d' who is said to have created the dish in the 1940s.
It is a smooth, melted cheese sauce, often spiced, specifically used as a topping for nachos. In a broader sense, it can refer to any cheese suitable for melting over nachos.
Not in standard English. In very informal, playful contexts, someone might say 'to nacho something' meaning to prepare it like nachos, but this is non-standard and rare.