A Bolivarian-English dictionary

VENEZUELANS are famously inventive with words. After 17 years of chavismo, the left-wing ideology of the late president, Hugo Chávez, they have plenty of material. Insults aimed at his “Bolivarian revolution” abound; the regime, now led by Nicolás Maduro, hurls its own ammunition. With parliamentary elections due on December 6th, The Economist offers a sample.

Bachaquero. Derived from “bachaco”, a voracious large-bottomed leaf-cutter ant. Bachaqueros are black-marketeers, who have flourished with the slump of the oil-dependent economy. Often to be found at the head of the perpetual supermarket queues, they buy up scarce price-controlled goods, such as eggs, detergent and nappies, and resell them for a handsome profit. Classy bachaqueros supply delicacies to the rich.