Tahiti one of the Society Islands, in the South Pacific; perhaps Lucy (or whoever says this) is thinking about the Polynesian dances performed by Tahitians.
merengue a fast dance that originated in the Dominican Republic.
tembleque (Spanish) a trembling fit; “the shakes”—i.e., delirium tremens.
“Engine, engine number nine… .” a very old jump-rope rhyme.
abuelito (Spanish) a familiar diminutive of abuelo (grandfather).
está muerto (Spanish) he is dead.
Joan Crawford an American movie actress, most popular in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
“the sickness… .” Aunt Lupe’s illness; apparently Esperanza is somewhat confused about whether her aunt was ill or injured in some sort of accident; what she says about her having been swimming, and the fact that she was paralyzed, suggests that Lupe contracted polio, relatively common in the 1950s and often spread through the use of swimming pools.
The Waterbabies (really, The Water-Babies) a popular novel written for children, first published in 1863, by English novelist Charles Kingsley (1819–75).
los espíritus (Spanish) the spirits.
