enchilada Hear it!

enchilada Definition

en·chi·lada (en′c̸hi lä)

noun

a tortilla usually rolled with meat inside and served with a chili-flavored sauce

Etymology: AmSp < en- (see en-) + chile (see chili) + -ada (see -ade)

enchilada Idioms

the whole enchilada

Slang
all of it; everything; the entirety of something
enchilada Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • pass: Mexican food on target to outsell Chinese By Louise Barnett Published: 04 June 2005 Forget the chow mein and pass the enchiladas.

Adjective modifier

  • whole: It takes hours to download the whole enchilada using an analog connection.

Modifies a noun

  • sauce: The enchilada sauce recipe he picked up while staying with his girlfriend's mother in Tijuana.
enchilada Quotes

He's the Big Enchilada.

—Ehrlichman,John